Radio 2000 Mixes

Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba has acknowledged that the recent credit downgrade by ratings agency Standard and Poor's is a setback. Gigaba has urged South Africans to unite in order to reignite the country's economic growth. While addressing members of the media in Pretoria on Tuesday says he has not been able to meet with former minister Pravin Gordhan. Our reporter, Amina Accram reports

President Jacob Zuma's supporters have launched a scathing attack against senior ANC members who became critical to the president following last week's cabinet reshuffle. President Zuma has been widely condemned by civil society, political parties and some within the ANC for changes to his executive. He amongst others replaced former finance minister Pravin Gordhan with Malusi Gigaba. The ANC youth league has lauded the move saying bringing in younger leaders in government will fast track delivery of government programmes. Senior political journalist Amos Phago reports.

Lesotho's former Prime Minister and leader of opposition All Basotho Convetion - Tom Thabane - has appeared in the Maseru Magistrate's Court to be charged for saying the country's King Letsie III should know that he can be removed. Thabane made the statements following the proclamation of elections by the King, where he said the King shouldn't have followed the advice of the Prime Minister. But Thabane is defiant, he says the case is politically motivated Nthakoana Ngatane reports.

Pressure is mounting on President Jacob Zuma to step down. The ANC stalwarts and veterans are the latest to call on the president to quit both as head of state and head of the governing party. This followed just three hours after Cosatu impressed on the ANC to recall its president. Last Friday, another alliance partner, the SACP, made a similar call. Ntebo Mokobo has more.

KG chats about the trend called Bluetooth where addicts injects one another to get high.

We look at S&P decision to downgrade South Africa's long term foreign debt to sub-investment grade rating,the road ahead with Fitch and Moody's and how fair is talk of dismissing credit ratings agencies as instruments of privilege, protecting so-called "white monopoly capital", that they are corrupt?

Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has downgraded South Africa to junk status. The rating change follows a cabinet reshuffle that saw finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas removed from the Treasury. S&P held an emergency meeting over the weekend after perceptions were created that the move was intended to push through a one-trillion rand nuclear deal and to bail out entities like the SABC and SA Airways. The move weakened the rand against major currencies. In December, the S&P kept the country's sovereign credit rating at one notch above junk status.

The ANC is holding an extended meeting of its National Working Committee today. The NWC meeting, which normally takes place every Monday, was today postponed to allow the top six of the party to deliberate on recent events. These include Secretary General Gwede Mantashe and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking out publicly against President Jacob Zuma's failure to consult on last week's cabinet reshuffle.

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini says her department will ensure that grants are paid according to schedule. The social security agency SASSA has been paying out grants since Saturday. This after the Constitutional Court extended SASSA's contract with Cash Paymaster Services for another 12 months after its expiry at the end of last month. Dlamini was speaking in Soweto where grant beneficiaries are queuing at pay-points across the township..

More police have been deployed to Vuwani outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo. This comes after community structures representing concerned residents declared the start of a shutdown of services. They want the Municipal Demarcation Board to exclude some parts of Vuwani in the new LIM345 municipality.