The Delta corona-virus variant, first identified in India, is dominating new infections in South Africa. -- The Director of Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Tulio de Oliveira was speaking during a virtual briefing with the Acting Health Minister and other experts, on the current status of cases across the country and the impact of the Delta variant. South Africa is the worst-hit country on the continent in terms of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths during a third wave of the pandemic. Let’s listen to what acting Health Minister and Tulio de Oliveira had to say….

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LINK: To try and understand what exactly this variant is and what impact it may have seeing that the hospitals are full, we are joined on the line by….

Guest: Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa - Vice Chair South African Medical Association

South Africa will be on an Adjusted Alert Level Four of the national lockdown for the next fourteen days. All social gatherings including political, religious and cultural events are prohibited with the exception of funerals which will only be limited to 50 people. On the issue of the liquor trade, Ramaphosa says that a ban on the sale of alcohol will help ease the pressure placed on hospital services by alcohol related incidents.

Guest: Sibani Mngadi – Spokesperson for the SA Liquor Brandowners Association (Salba)

After 30 long years of waiting, 108 claimants will return to District Six in the Cape Town City Bowl this week. One of the beneficiaries for the Phase Three development, 100 year-old Shariefa Khan celebrated her birthday in April. Sixty-thousand people were forcibly removed by the apartheid government as the area was declared a whites' only, 55 years ago. Tanya Krause reports...

Guest: Zahrah Nordien – Chairperson of the District 6 Working Committee (She has many family members who are part of the claimants and will give personal and family history of District 6)

Guest: Karen Breytenbach – Spokesperson for the District 6 Working Committee (Will talk more on the government dealings and being part of the campaign to go back to District 6)

Guest: Auntie Nadiema – Daughter of 100-year-old Mrs Khan who is in the opening PKG)

Guest: Gamza Sydow – Claimant, but not on this batch that’s getting houses now because he is 65 and there are many who are older than him

Exiting news for sports fans is that the SABC yesterday officially launched its 24-hour sports channel, which promises to bring you some exciting and compelling sports content via free-to-air broadcasts and online streaming. The Channel had a partial launch on the 15th of April and now available on various digital channels and to give us details on this,

Guest: Merlin Naicker - Group Executive for Television

The Human Sciences Research Council together with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development yesterday (Thursday) held a webinar to address the marginalisation of refugees, asylum seekers and foreign workers in the country. They were looking at how the country carries the foreign nationals on issues of vaccination and the economy under the current Covid-19 pandemic. How would they describe the situation and as far as they are concerned, is the South African government handling the situation correctly?

Guest: Dr Steven Gordon – Senior Research Specialist in the Democracy, Capable and Ethical State division in the Human Sciences Research Council

Yesterday (Thursday) we received calls and text messages from teachers who were facing difficulties at some of the vaccination sides. Others say that they were told to come back the next day, while some were misled by fake news of vaccinations running out. Well. We invited the Department of Basic Education to get an understanding from them as to what is happening on the ground.

Guest: Elijah Mhlanga – Spokesperson for the Department of basic Education

Wits University staff and students from the Faculty of Human Sciences are holding a five-day picket to highlight what they deem to be a crisis in the Gauteng health system. They say that the closure of the Charlotte Maxeke academic hospital and the treat of Covid-19 point to a deeper crisis. To tell us more on this, we are joined on the line by…
Guest: Prof Ashraf Coovadia – Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at Wits University

The South African Reward Association says that it has noticed some good behaviour coming of corporates. Some executives are said to have held back their bonuses or increases during the lockdown to help staff members in need. What can we attribute this to and what does it change about the way executives are perceived?
Guest: Yolanda Sedlmaier – Chartered Reward Specialist and Executive Committee member of the South African Reward Association

Member of the South African Municipal Workers Union workers in George yesterday (Wed) downed tools over ongoing disputes regarding the payment of Covid-19 danger pay. demanding that they be paid Covid-19 danger pay by June 30th for working during the hard lockdown last year. Let’s find out now from them about what they mean by danger pay as we welcome….
Guest: Dumisani Magagula – SAMWU’s Deputy General Secretary (They will tell us what they mean by danger pay and then leave)

Guest: Bongani Masuku – Director in the Employment Law practice at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

Yesterday (Wed) while reflecting on parole issues and the misconception it creates for the victims and their families, we received a call from Thabiso in Kroonstand who spoke about the person who raped his niece being released on parole.

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LINK: To get an understanding on how something like this can happen and the kind of criminals that were released under the latest Covid-19 parole we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Logan Maistry - Deputy Commissioner for Communications in the Department of Correctional Services