Should South Africa re-evaluate its current electoral system of proportional representation at national and provincial level? And if it were to be changed, what should take its place? These are some of the questions raised at an event organised by the Progressive Professionals Forum in Cape Town last Thursday. The forum invited the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, John Jeffery, to speak on the topic of whether the current electoral system is still relevant. Joseph Mosia reports.

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi has called on supporters not vote for party members contesting the elections as independent candidates. He was speaking at the party's election manifesto launch at the King Zwelithini stadium at Umlazi, south of Durban Yesterday. The IFP has committed itself to accelerating service delivery including water, sanitation and electricity. Meanwhile, party candidates signed a pledge committing themselves to clean governance. Skhangiwe Mthiyane report

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has dispatched a mediator to Canada to help resolve pay dispute between firefighting agency- Working on Fire and the South African firefighters. Trevor Abrahams is sent as mediator to Canada after the three hundrend and one firefighters downed tools demanding that their payment be increased and that they be compensated in accordance with Canadian labour laws. The group left South Africa at the end of May to assist in bringing under control massive fire outbreaks that have engulfed Canada's Aberta province. The wage dispute has forced the Canadian government to order striking firefighters to leave that country. For more on this we are now joined on the line by Albi Modise, Who is the Head of Communications at the Department of Environmental Affairs

Arguments for aggravation and mitigation of sentencing in the Oscar Pistorius trial will begin this morning in the Pretoria High Court. Last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's ruling of culpable homicide - finding the former Paralympian guilty of murder. Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home in February 2013. He was also found guilty of the negligent discharge of a firearm and acquitted on two other gun-related charges. Noma Bolani compiled this report outlining expectations for the sentence hearing..

Messages of condolence have been pouring in for the late radio and television presenter, Hope Zinde. Zinde was found murdered in the boot of her car at her home in the Pecanwood Estate in Hartebeespoort in the North West on Saturday. It is believed that she was murdered last Monday. A suspect -believed to be her son - has been charged with her murder. Phumzile Mlangeni reports.

President Jacob Zuma has called for an end of politically motivated killings and violence in Kwa Zulu-Natal. The President was delivering a keynote address at the launch of the ANC's provincial local government election manifesto in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. The province has experienced a wave of killings of high profile politicians due to disputes arising from the finalisation of candidate lists of those who will contest the August 3rd municipal polls. Presidential Correspondent Tshepo Ikaneng has compiled this report.

In an effort to reduce the crime rate in the country, police will now release crime statistics on a quarterly basis. This is in addition to the annual figures. That's according to the Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe. He says the decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Johan Burger, from the Institute for Security Studies' Crime and Justice Programme.

South African music legend Ray Phiri says SABC's 90% local music across all its 18 radio is a good start.

Speaking to AM Live on SAfm anchor Sakina Kamwendo during the ForumAt8, Phiri says groups like Stimela, Harare, Bayethe, Sakhile and many others, were beneficiaries of the cultural boycott in South Africa under the apartheid government which forced them to produce music that was marketable internationally.

Market Analyst Clive Ramathibela

TALKING POINTS

1. A weeklong rally in global stocks has ended as investors review the outlook for global economic growth?
2. Naspers, which is Africa's biggest company by market value, is planning to sell its Polish online auction website Allegro
3. Disney is launching a Shanghai Disneyland, there could be some cultural faux pas there

Cabinet has distanced itself from a joint media statement by the Department of International Relations and the State Security Agency on the United States' terror alerts. The two key departments released a statement slamming the US saying the information on which the alerts were based was sketchy, and unsubstantiated and that their actions are a cause for serious concern to the South African government. The US Embassy issued a terror alert last weekend that terrorist groups were planning to attack malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town during Ramadan. This was followed by the UK and Australia issuing similar advisories. Briefing the media on the outcomes of Wednesday's (08/09) cabinet meeting, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, emphasized that South Africa and the US will continue to co-operate on security issues and that relations between the two remain cordial. Senior political journalist Amos Phago reports