Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, says Eskom is likely to downgrade loadshedding to Stage Three tonight - and move to Stage Two for the rest of the week. This follows the power utility's announcement of the implementation of Stage Four loadshedding, which started at midday today. Eskom says this was due to a shortage of generation capacity and units tripping at several power stations. No loadshedding is expected over the weekend. We spoke to  Energy expert Ted Blom joins us on the line

The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Ministers have assured South Africans that citizens will be able to access all areas of the country during the local government elections next week. The Ministers briefing the media on the safety and security situation ahead of the polls, say focus is on four provinces, including Kwa Zulu-Natal and Gauteng with regards to political violence. Around 300 voting stations are regarded as high risk, where more police will be deployed.

In today's 2021 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION FORUM  we take a deeper look at security issues that could affect the upcoming elections. For this discussion we are joined by a security & violence expert from Stellenbosch University, Dr Guy Lamb and the Deputy Director at the Centre of Cyber Security at the University of JHB, Dr Jaco Du Toit

With just six days left before the Local Government Elections, access to information on political parties, their nominated candidates and the voting process has come to the fore. To help South Africans and in line with its public mandate, the SABC recently launched a dedicated website to bring you up to the minute election coverage and everything you need to know before you cast your vote on November 1st. To tell us about how the website works and what information you as a voter can access from it, we are now joined by Digital Media Specialist at the SABC Digital News Division, Ben Malubane

The African Content Movement leader, Hlaudi Motsoeng has vowed to deliver 'miracles' within the first six months of being voted into municipal councils post the November 1st Local Government Elections. Motsoeneng launched his party's election manifesto in his home town of Qwa-Qwa in the Free State, labeling himself as a man of action. The former SABC COO, is known amongst many other controversies as a promoter of local content where he once introduced a policy to give ninety-percent airplay to local artists on all the public broadcaster's platforms. Motsoeneng has since turned to politics, registering his political party three months before the 2019 national government elections. He says the country needs a leader of his calibre to improve service delivery...

As the country heads to the Local Government Elections on November 1, a number of communities say they continue to be overlooked and marginalised. The Unemployed People's Movement and the Gatvol Movement are two such organisations. The movements have accused government of failing to improve the lives of ordinary South Africans in the 27 years since the birth of democracy. Millions of young people find themselves without work with more expected to join the unemployment queues as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felf. In this morning's LOCAL GOVERNEMENT ELECTION FORUM, we look at what the impact of the unemployed vote is likely to have on the upcoming election. We are by Gatvol Movement President, Fadiel Adams and Spokesperson for the Unemployed People's Movement, Ayanda Kota...

The November 1st Local Government Elections are just 11 days away and parties on the campaign trail will seek to intensify their messaging in the coming days. Communities across the country have for the past two months witnessed various political parties making promises and commitments on service delivery issues such as the provision of water and electricity, housing, jobs and the rooting out of corruption among  a basket of many other issues. For Soweto residents, as in many other parts of Gauteng and the rest country, the provision of electricity may just be the one issue that may determine who they will give their vote to come election day. The non payment of electricity bills by many households in Soweto has led to billions being owed to ESKOM, constant load shedding and has also created a headache for the power utility and the governing ANC.  On today's Election Forum, we discuss Soweto's electricity crisis and we are joined by one of the leaders of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, Dr Trevor Ngwane as well as the national chairperson of the Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa, Izak Berg and political analyst from the Nelson Mandela University, Ongama Mtimka

Despite constituting the majority of South Africa's population and comprising the largest number of voters, women participation as candidates in elections is still skewed in favour of men. In the 2016 municipal elections, women accounted for 58% of voters, and yet just under 40% of the elected candidates were women. Laws such as the Municipal Structures Act require that party lists for local government elections "seek to ensure" that 50% of candidates on the party list be women. Calls are now being made for the IEC Act to be amended to enable IEC to demand gender balanced candidate lists from political parties. SABC Senior reporter, Tshepo Phagane filed this report…

For further discussion on the role and place for women candidates in elections we also spoke to the president of Ikhwezi Political Movement, Nokuzola Kolwapi and the Director of Policy Research at the Commission for Gender Equality, Dr Thabo Rapoo. Good morning to you both and welcome.....

In the midst of escalating new wave pro-democracy protests; King Mswati has ordered the immediate and indefinite closure of all schools in eSwatini. Pupils and students in the kingdom have been protesting for a number of weeks, boycotting lessons and calling for free schooling, as well as an end to the rule under King Mswati III. ESwatini's  Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini announced the king's decision over the weekend. We spoke to Sonkhe Dube, President of Swaziland Youth Congress

Political analyst, Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast, believes the November 1st Local Government Elections will most likely produce more coalition governments. This morning we examine the future of municipal coalition governments in light of dismal developments in Nelson Mandela Bay , Tshwane and Johannesburg Metros where shacky coalitions were cobbled up after the 2016 election.  Dr Breakfast maintains that although coalitions work well in some countries, the experience in South African has been poor as confrontations between political parties have led to stalled governance and a lack of service delivery. On the line to discuss this further, we spoke to Dr Breakfast, together with the current DA mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape, Nqaba Bhanga….

The Minority Front has encouraged registered voters to vote with their heads during the upcoming Local Government Elections on November the 1st. The party, formed back in 1993 has been in existence for 28 years now although its base remains within the Indian community, in areas such as Chatsworth and Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal. Party leader Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, wife of the former leader, Amichand Rajbansi, who passed on back in 2011 at the age of 69, says policies such as affirmative action need to be inclusive of minority groups. Shukur-Rajbansi adds that the power for change is now in the hands of voters...