NIGHT FALL

Guest on the line: Mme Maliau Makhoa from Mara A Basotho

The 1st of August marks the New Year celebration for Basotho (Selemo sa Basotho). The observation of the 1st of August as a new year by the Basotho people is in in recognition of nature’s giving way to new life after the dry season, commonly known as winter season according to Gregorian calendar, relying on the position of the moon, the natural indicator of the season rotation.

The Basotho calendar commences after the last days of winter season in August/Phato known for blowing winds, clearing Mother Earth and refreshing the land with showers of spring. The Basotho people celebrate the beginning of the year with different rituals such as Mokete wa lewa, during which celebrations commence after harvesting, to thank God and the Ancestors for the food harvested.

Same-sex marriage in South Africa has been legal since the Civil Union Act, 2006 came into force on 30 November 2006. The decision of the Constitutional Court in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie on 1 December 2005 extended the common-law definition of marriage to include same-sex spouses—as the Constitution of South Africa guarantees equal protection before the law to all citizens regardless of sexual orientation—and gave Parliament one year to rectify the inequality in the marriage statutes.

On 14 November 2006, the National Assembly passed a law allowing same-sex couples to legally solemnise their union 229 to 41, which was subsequently approved by the National Council of Provinces on 28 November in a 36 to 11 vote, and the law came into effect two days later. South Africa was the fifth country in the world and the first in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage.[1]

Guest : Thau-Thau Haramanuba, Rastafari United Front, President. Rastafari United Front (RUF) is a Civil, Cultural and Faith Rights Organization of Rastafari. (He represents African Spirituality)

Guest : Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam - a South African politician. He has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the National Freedom Party since June 2019, and previously from May 2014 to May 2019. Emam is the party's parliamentary leader. (He will talk from an Islamic perspective)

The late reggae star Lucky Dube may be gone, but his legacy and music will forever remain with us .Lucky Dube is still regarded as one of the greatest reggae artists from South Africa, and today would have been his 58th birthday. The star died in 2007 when he was shot and killed by armed robbers who wanted to steal his car.

Lucky Philip Dube was a South African reggae musician and Rastafarian. Considered by many to be one of the most important musicians in the history of African dub and reggae, his contribution to the South African music together with his political songs fought against Apartheid in South Africa. Wikipedia

Born: 3 August 1964, Ermelo

Died: 18 October 2007, Rosettenville, Johannesburg South

Guest : Sister Phumi Maduna –The first South African Female artist to release a Reggae Album

Guest on line: Mathawe Matsapola -Seasoned Journalist & Editor/Entrepreneur/Certified Life Coach and COMENSA member/ Speaker/

It’s easy to think of the ways drug addiction affects the person using substances. As addiction progresses, the impact only gets worse with time. The short- and long-term health effects loss of jobs, increasing financial troubles, run-ins with the law. Living in active addiction is not a simple way to live.

However, people who struggle with addiction are not the only ones who feel the impact. The effects of active addiction stretch out far beyond the person using substances. Immediate family members are also affected when their loved one has a drug or alcohol problem. Whether it’s a child, parent, or spouse, addiction alters the lives of anyone who loves the person.

Guest on the line: Dr Arthur Moroole, a postdoctoral research fellow at the NWU

For women who cannot take commercial contraceptives for health or other reasons or cannot access them, North-West University (NWU) researchers and traditional health practitioners from the North West province are exploring alternatives: the use of medicinal plants.

The project is a multistakeholder collaboration led by Dr Arthur Moroole, a postdoctoral research fellow at the NWU, under the mentorship of Prof Simeone Materechera and Prof Oladapo Aremu of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Centre.

The research, which entailed investigating and documenting the possible use of medicinal plants for contraception, was carried out in collaboration with a group of traditional health practitioners in Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality.

Guest on the line: Castro Ngobese - Spokesperson: Gauteng MEC for Human Settlement Urban Planning and @GDCoGTA

Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Urban Planning and CoGTA, Lebogang Maile to visit volatile and violent Tembisa, Ekurhuleni.

Guest on the line:Gogo Mmabatho Makgopa( Gogbojour) - an afro ancestral empath

Time for Raising the Bar – our monthly feature focused on insights and ideas for promoting integrity in all spheres of your society.

We are joined by Penny Milner-Smyth of Ethicalways, workplace ethics and anti-corruption specialist. Penny is a provider of ethics and anti-corruption training and related services to a wide range of organizations in the sub-Saharan African region. Today sees the start of Women’s month in South Africa and so our Raising the Bar disscussion tonight focuses on the question, ‘Are women less likely to engage in corruption?’

Guest on the line: Penny Milner-Smyth of Ethicalways

Contact:

The law forbidding creditors from collecting on prescribed debts which falls under the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (NCA) is well-known, established and adhered to – or so everyone would think.

The aim of this law is to safeguard consumers against unfair and exploitative practices by creditors and has been in effect for a number of years.

Despite the legal requirements and the guaranteed protection they offer consumers, Reana Steyn, the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS) warned that the OBS is still receiving, investigating and resolving complaints from bank customer’s relating to prescribed debts. In some cases, banks have been found guilty of engaging in this illegal practice.

“Unfortunately, in many instances, the protection afforded by the law is beneficial only to consumers who know about the legal principle as well as the Ombuds office. The majority of the public is left paying for debts that have prescribed and are therefore legally no longer collectable by creditors,” says Steyn.

Guest: Kwanda Vabaza, Manager: Communications at The Ombudsman for Banking Services.

Sex work is illegal in South Africa. Sex work is criminalised in the Criminal Code, and municipal by-laws also contain provisions that prohibit sex work such as “importuning any person for the purpose of prostitution” and “soliciting”. Sex workers have very little legal protection.

The laws and subsequent marginalisation of sex workers makes them more vulnerable to assault by the police, clients, third parties and brothel owners. Sex workers are often targeted by the police and are more vulnerable to violence because they have to work in dangerous and isolated locations to evade attention. The current South African approach to sex work is that of criminalisation and prohibition.

Guest 1 on the line: SWEAT Communications Officer

Guest : Constance Mathe - She is the coordinator of the Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Workers in SA & also a sex worker