Radio 2000 Mixes

Interview with author Bhekisisa Mncube

The Inter-Ministerial task team appointed to probe governance issues in the North West will soon release its report on their preliminary findings. The team, led by Minister in the presidency Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has tabled its report before Cabinet. The team was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa following violent protests in the province over calls for Supra Mahumapelo to be removed as premier.

The situation at Tshepong Hospital in the North West province is becoming dire as the strike by NEHAWU members intensifies. The hospital, which is biggest in the province, is now only attending to patients requiring urgent medical help. The strikers have been intimidating doctors and other staff members and they even hauled some of them from operating theatres last week. The strike has been going on since February this year and workers are demanding an increased number of medical staff and an end to corruption in the sector.

The Minister for the Department of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe, has emphasized once again the importance of adhering to strict health and safety standards at mines. He was speaking during the memorial service of the seven miners who died last week during a seismic event at Sibanye Still-Water Mine in Driefontein, west of Johannesburg.. In a statement released following these deaths, the department revealed that there has been an increase in the number of fatalities within the gold sector so far this year. It says Sibanye Still-Water is one of the main contributors. Mantashe says stakeholders in this sector must come up with ways to end deaths at mines

Former Western Cape Police Commissioner Arno Lamoer will serve an effective six-year jail term on corruption charges. This after the High Court in Cape Town sentenced him to eight years in prison, two of which were suspended for five years. The three co accused tow truck company owner Salim Dawjee, and police officers Darius van der Ross and Colin Governder will also serve jail terms.

The DA has allegedly offered Cape Town Mayor, Patricial De Lille a new deal to keep the position of mayor and Councillor open for the next three months.
This as the two are expected to lock horns at the Cape Town High Court on Friday as De Lille is challenging the party's decision to strip her of her membership. De Lille is believed to have refused the offer by the DA and recently announced on twitter that Advocate Dali Mpofu will be joining her legal team in preparation of the showdown tomorrow.

ANC councillor Andile Lungisa has been sentenced to two years imprisonment and one year suspended sentence by the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court in the Eastern Cape. Lungisa has been found guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after hitting a DA councillor Rano Kayser with a jug during a squabble at the council meeting in October 2016. Our reporter Olwethu Matsipane was in court.

The ANC Youth League has called on the controversial Member of Parliament and former Deputy Higher Education Minister Mduduzi Manana to resign. This after a recording of him allegedly offering to pay 100-thousand rand to his domestic worker Christine Wiro, emerged. This was in exchange for dropping the assault charges against him. Manana allegedly pushed Wiro down the stairs of his Fourways home after she reportedly opened the gate for someone Manana was not expecting. Manana was convicted last year for assualting women outside a Joburg nightclub. Listen to the audio from that conversation where he allegedly offers money.

A researcher says parents in South Africa are not doing enough to protect their children. This comes after a couple from Phoenix north of Durbanwas arrested on charges of attempting to murder their four-year-old daughter. A video of the woman assaulting the little girl went viral on social media in March this year. It's also alleged her boyfriend also punched the child before throwing her against a cabinet. He can be heard in the video encouraging the woman to hit the child. The couple had initially been charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm but the charge was changed to attempted murder after the video surfaced. The boyfriend handed himself over to police after his car was torched by angry protesters. The four-year-old developed a blood clot on her brain and was also left with bruises to her body and swollen legs. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to researcher at the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town, Lucy Jamieson.

Civil society group "not In My Name" has marched to Mamelodi police station to voice their anger about how the officers there dealt with the case of the late 10-year old Katlego Joja, who was found dead in a river near her home at the weekend. It is unclear how she died. Police told her family to wait for 24-hours before the case could be taken up officially. Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane visited the family yesterday, and announced that some police officials have been suspended pending a disciplinary process. She apologised to the family. However, the NGO says government must ensure that the police do their job, instead of dealing with the situation after such incidents have occurred. Our reporter Phumzile Mlangeni attended the march and spoke to our presenter Sakina Kamwendo.