Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma put her stamp of approval to the nation yesterday on the newly gazetted lockdown Level 2 regulations. Beaches and public parks; museums, galleries and libraries, inter-provincial travel and gyms to name a few are open. Let’s listen to a little bit of what she had say….

CLIP-NKOSAZANA

LINK: We hear now from the tourism sector that is one that was hardest hit to find out how they welcome the news and also how badly affected they were by the restrictions….

Guest: Tshifhiwa Tshivengwa – CEO of the Business Tourism Council

Those in the financial space say that South Africa has a large number of economically active women. The other point being made is that many of them run single-headed households. But can we expect them to and execute their wills? Do they think about drafting a will especially when they have children?

Guest: Matlhodi Leteane – Head of Operations at FNB Fiduciary

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs says it is investing in the cannabis industry to boost the province’s economy. MEC Dube-Ncube says that they are helping communities to get licensing to cultivate the product and that they are working with other government departments to get access to land, fencing and testing. Looking at the fact that the problem has always been around the illegal trade around the herb, how are they going to manage it and what about the criminal element?

Guest: Nomusa Dube-Ncube – KZN’s MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs

At the back of the commemoration of the Marikana massacre where 34 mineworkers were shot and killed by police for demanding decent living conditions. The arguments differ on what led to the confrontation, but the fact is that those men were standing up for a decent working wage for which they could better the conditions and lives of their families. So today we take a look at communities that are situated in mining areas. The idea is to look at the challenges they face and the type of relationships that exist between them and mining houses. What benefits are there for these communities and do we maybe need to relook at mining contracts in the country in such a way that the conditions would include direct benefits for those communities?

Guest: John Capel - Executive Director of the Bench Marks Foundation

Guest: Nonhle Mbuthuma – Spokesperson for the Amadiba Crisis Committee – (They are currently fighting off mining companies wanting to mine in their area. Very opposed to mining activities warning of environmental issues)

Guest: Mathapelo Thobejane – Longtime mining community activist in Limpopo and the Bench Mark’s Foundation’s monitor on the ground

Guest: Mangaliso Sambo - General Secretary of the South African Destitute Ex-Miners Forum (Still to confirm)

The country’s move to level 2 of the lockdown has been widely welcomed especially by those worried about the state of the economy. As of midnight several restrictions will be lifted. Family and social visits, inter-provincial travel and the sale of alcohol and tobacco products will be allowed. But it is the lifting of the ban on alcohol that got some people worried. The National Liquor Traders Council says it will ensure the alcohol sector trades responsibly and in line with all COVID19 protocols. This is how the Council's Lucky Ntimane responded….

LINK: Doctors in particular are worried about the second pick and the impact alcohol abuse may have on it.
Guest: Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa – National Vice-Chairman of the South African Medical Association

Americans are said to have welcomed Senator Kamala Harris as a potential vice-president. She was picked by Joe Biden who is the Democrats presidential candidate as his partner in the presidential race. Harris became the second black female US senator in that country’s history and now the first black woman to be deputy president.

Guest: Dr Dinesh Sharma - Director & Chief Research Officer Steam Works Studio (Also author of Barack Obama in Hawai'i and Indonesia)

The health department in Gauteng says it is concerned by the high number of newborn babies being abandoned in the province’s hospitals. The department says since the start of the year, 118 were abandoned in the various hospitals. Let’s try to understand what some of the reasons could be behind this as we welcome…

Guest: Nadene Graham - Operations Director at Door of Hope

The KwaZulu-Natal government says that it will subject its MECs and senior civil servants to a lifestyle audit. If you may remember, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape are also taking the same step. What should we read into this? Are politicians in the ruling party trying to redeem themselves? Is this a step in the right direction?

Guest: Dr. Ralph Mathekga – Political Analyst

Since the Lockdown was announced in March this year, many businesses had to shut down as they could not stay afloat even after the restrictions were partially lifted. One of the institutions that had to deal with retrenchment cases is the CCMA. WE talk to them this morning to get a sense of the impact this is having on their operations…

Guest: Marius Kotze - National Senior Commissioner: Dispute Resolution at the CCMA

We have been talking so much about the corruption in both government and the private sector that has become a cancer in our country. Today we thought to look at the role played by audit firms. If you look at some of the commissions set up to probe corruption, you will hear names of some of the big audit firms that are implicated. What has this done for the reputation of audit firms in general and what is their code of ethics?

Guest: Heemal Bhaga-Muljee - National Head of Audit at BDO