Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has announced an eight percent increase in excise duties on alcohol and tobacco products. The Minister is tabling the Budget in Parliament. He says is clear that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to negative social and health outcomes. He adds that consumers react to price increases, and higher prices should lead to lower consumption of alcohol products with positive spinoffs......

CLIP-MBOWENI-ALCOHOL

LINK: For a perspective on this, we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Maurice Smithers – Director at the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance

We speak now to one of the beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative who are complaining about not having been paid as promised by the Gauteng Department of Education. To find out what happened, we are joined on the line by….

Guest: Anon – Beneficiary of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (Surname in the morning)

Guest: Steve Mabona – Spokesperson for the Gauteng Education Department

A survey by experts at the SA Medical Research Council shows that Tuberculosis remains an epidemic. The National TB Prevalence Survey was conducted since 2018 and the findings were only released this month. South Africa is among 30 countries that are worst affected by the disease.

Guest:

The government and medicals experts have been trying for months now to dispel myths around the covid-19 vaccines. Some South Africans have been suspicious of vaccines and are insisting that they will not get inoculated. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize recently got vaccinated in an effort to encourage South Africans to do the same. Today scores of experts will meet to discuss how to educate the public in an attempt to boost efforts to achieve herd immunity in the country.

Guest: Dr. Richard Lessels-Infectious Diseases Specialist at KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform

SMMEs are waiting in anticipation to see what kind of support the Minister of Finance will provide when he delivers his Medium-Term Budget. This sector has been hardest hit by the covid-19 pandemic. For more on this we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Tebogo Khaas- President of the SMME Forum (confirmed)

Guest: Asanda Mdeni-Independent manufacturer of clothes who is based in rural Eastern Cape

The school that is being led by the winner of the 2020 African Union Continental Teacher Prize Livhalani Bridget Sinyosi has achieved a 98% Matric pass rate. The Dzata Secondary School is based in the Vhembe District in Limpopo. There were distinctions achieved in every subject. Ms Sinyosi joins us now for more on how her learners achieved this during a difficult year.

Guest: Livhalani Bridget Sinyosi-Principal of Dzata Secondary

Farmer’s organisation Agri-SA wants problems with power generation and tariff hikes addressed during Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Medium Term Budget Speech tomorrow. The agricultural sector is also keeping a close watch on how Mboweni will address funding for the troubled Land Bank. There also fears that he may raise taxes which the industry is warning against. For more on this we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Joseph Kau-Agricultural Economist at the Research Council of SA

Among the key functions of the National Lotteries Commission is funding Not for profit organisations, NGOs, sporting bodies, educational institutions rights down to small cultural groups. Today we profile one of those beneficiaries which is the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), or Sea Rescue which is a registered non‐profit organisation that is committed to preventing drownings and saving lives. For more on this we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Dr. Cleeve Robertson-CEO of the National Sea Rescue Institute

The Free State province has once again come out tops achieving an 85.1% matric pass rate. The results were announced by the Minister for Basic Education Angie Motshekga yesterday. Gauteng was second with 83.3% with the Western Cape coming third at 79.9%. The national figure is at 76.2%. We are now joined on the line by…who is one of the top achievers in the North West province which achieved a pass rate of 76.2 …

Guest: Jana Geyser is one of the top learners in the North West province. She is from Rustenburg High School.

The pass rate for the Class of 2020 is 76.2%. Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, says although the national pass rate dropped below 80%, with a drop of 5%, it is much better than she expected. She announced the pass rate in Pretoria. Liela Magnus reports ....

LINK: The Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has announced that the Department they will be focusing on implementing programmes that will help with skills development and the preparation for a fourth industrial revolution. This will come by way of strengthening schools of specialisation. Motshekga was speaking yesterday during the release of the 2020 Matric Results. The Gauteng Education Department has been at the forefront unveiling a number of technical high schools in recent years with MEC Panyaza Lesufi saying the schools will also help address skills shortages. For more on this we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Professor Ruksana Osman-Education expert Wits University