This past Monday was World Brail Day and we thought to visit the subject today to look at how far we are as a country in making it accessible for learners. Our guest is of the view that learners should learn both braille and print for them to be able to communicate with sighted people. Also in 2021, how accessible is braille in all our 11 official languages? Talk to us more on this subject, we are joined on the line by….

GUEST: Selaelo Makgato - Director Special Programmes in the Office of the Limpopo Premier – He is blind and also a champion in fighting for the rights of people with disabilities and able to talk about what it was like under the apartheid system for them and whether things are better now

Yesterday we spoke to Muzi Hlengwa, President of the National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa. He spoke about how people are harassing them demanding to do family rituals during Covid-19 deaths, something that is not allowed under the current restrictions.

Guest: Dr. Velaphi VVO Mkhize-Founder and Director of the Umsamo African Institute

Unemployment figures among young people living with disabilities are said to be close to 70 percent, 40 percent more than the figures of the general population. Activists say this is yet another indication of the exclusion of this community which forms 14% of South Africans. So, what are the barriers, what can role players do to improve this situation?

Guest: Therina Wentzel-Du Toit-National Director at the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities

Labour federations Cosatu and Saftu say they are concerned about the safety of their members, many of whom will be returning to work next week. This comes as the number of coronavirus infections peaks during the second wave. Government has published guidelines for employers but are these enough? What happens if companies do not take the necessary precautions.

Guest: Attorney and Director at Moni Attorneys Incorporated, Natasha Moni

Funeral parlours across the country are facing increasing pressure as the number of covid-19 related deaths spike. The industry says its employees are working long hours and that they now have to fetch the deceased from wards and not hospital mortuaries as has been standard practice for years, because of lack of space. The funeral service industry has called on the public to take safety precautions. To tell us more about the challenges they are facing is…

Guest: Muzi Hlengwa-President of the National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa.

As you’ve heard over the weekend that Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi was not happy with the Independent Examination Board for filing court papers compelling government to fund its private business. The IEB says it can't afford to pay for the assessment services offered by the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training – UMALUSI. Let’s hear now why the MEC is not happy with them and whether he will be opposing them in court as we welcome…

Guest: Panyaza Lesufi - Gauteng MEC for Education

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) says it is hopeful that the curfew and the ban on alcohol sales over the festive season, will limit the annual holiday carnage on the roads. Holiday makers have begun making their way home as traffic volumes have started building up over the weekend. Let’s talk now about how different things were this under the current Covid-19 rules. The assumption is that there were less accidents on our roads and to find out, we are joined on the line by….

Guest: Simon Zwane – Spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation

Usually around this time of the year paramedics and law enforcement agencies have their hands full dealing with all sorts of incidents caused by unruliness. But this time around it seems like the curfew helped as some hospitals and medical staff experienced an incident-free celebration period and to get a sense of how things were on the ground, we are joined on the line by….

GUEST: Robert Mulaudzi - Spokesperson of the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services

As we close one of the hardest years in our lifetime, we speak to those who are in the forefront of taking care of the poor. Often those of us who are lucky enough to have jobs or have an income forget those who have nothing. We turn to leave it to charities to worry about the poor. We forget that charities do need us to contribute in different ways so that they can be able to feed those in need. We talk now to an NGO about the challenges they face while reaching out and how we as members of the public can get involved. Also look at the impact that Covid-19 had on them….

Guest: Qari Ziyaad Patel – Trustee and International Projects Co-ordinator of NGO Al-Imdaad Foundation Poverty Relief and Disaster Relief

We talk now to Molefe Pooe, author of a book entitled Money Talks. This is one of those topics that is best needed around this time as we look forward to the new year. His book touches in issues of how your environment limits your thinking and how to manage your money among other issues.

Guest: Molefe Pooe – Author of Money Talks