The Daily Discourse

SMME owners know the frustration of delayed payments and the effect it has on business. Especially to those who do business with government. Last week the Eastern Cape government developed an APP system to help speedup payment and also track the process through ones phone. It's been a few days since the launch, how is the system going so far and how are the SMME's warming up to it?

guest: DALUHLANGA MAJEKE – HEAD OF DEPARTMENT – EC PROVINCIAL TREASURY
guest: FEZILE MOYANA – WEBMASTER AT PROVINCIAL TREASURY

Yesterday DA leader Mmusi Maimane finally made the announcement we’ve all been expecting him to make. In 1994 our politics became that of a rainbow nation with politicians integrating and driving towards one vision of uniting the country. The DA then grew over the years as a liberal party that accommodates the black electorate. Now we’ve seen two black senior members resign. We speak now to one of the political veterans in the country who was there from the days of the National Party to the DA and had his own share of trouble while a member

GUEST: Peter Marais – President of the Bruin Bemagtiging Beweging or BBB and sole MP of the Freedom Front Plus in the Western Cape Legislature

Mmusi Maimane and Athol Trollip have resigned as party leader and Federal Executive chairperson respectively. In a media briefing at the DA's headquarters in Bruma, Johannesburg, Maimane said that despite his best efforts he had realized that there was a grouping within the party that did not share his vision to build an inclusive South Africa. He says he will continue as the party's parliamentary leader until the end of the year, after which the DA will go to congress to elect new leadership…

GUEST: Professor Steven Friedman, who is a professor of Political Studies at the University of Johannesburg

There is a new law set to fast-track transformation. This morning we are going to look at the Amended Employment Equity (EE) Bill which seeks to fast-track transformation in South African workplaces. 27,000 employment equity audits reveal that 65.6% of top management positions are occupied by white South Africans. While Black Africans occupied 76% of the positions in government and whites occupied 69.6% of the positions in the private sector. For more on this we are now joined on the line by Tabea Kabinde, the Chairperson of the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE)

GUEST: Tabea Kabinde, the Chairperson of the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE)

Batswana go to the polls, to decide who will lead their next government. Although some pundits believe there could be no clear winner, which could result in a hung parliament, others, say Mokgweetsi Masisi's Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), will prevail. During the last elections, in 2014, the BDP did not win the popular vote, as it secured, a record low, 47 percent of the vote. The BDP president, Mokgweetsi Masisi will cast his vote at his rural village of Moshupa, outside Gaborone.

GUEST: Sophie Mokoena, SABC Foreign Editor and Acting Political Editor

Domestic workers have historically been at the heart of reproductive labour required by society and the economy. The vast majority of domestic workers are women and their labour remains grossly undervalued. They have been part of struggles for several decades in South Africa to secure worker rights and while being conditionally included in the LRA and Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), they still remain excluded from the protection of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). In today’s show we discuss this issue and how they will extend their rights to be covered by COIDA. With us to discuss this we have…

GUEST: Gloria Kente - Organizer and Gender Co-ordinator of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU)

Staying on our topic of climate change and water challenges, we are now in conversation with Lennox Mtshagi, the president of the black farmers association South Africa to talk about the techniques drought-stricken farmers use when confronted by challenges of water shortages or lack of rainfall…

GUEST: Dr Lennox Mtshagi, the president of the black farmers association South Africa

South Africans have been urged to use water sparingly after the levels of the Vaal Dam fell to below 50 percent yesterday - the lowest in three years. The City of Johannesburg says the heatwave of the past few days coupled with the lack of rain in Gauteng have contributed to the declining levels. At the same time last year, the dam was 86 percent full. The Department of Water and Sanitation says the country continues to be a water scarce country with less than average rainfall…

GUEST: Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau

The South African Weather Service says cooler temperatures and rain are expected to bring an end to the heatwave currently sweeping parts of the country. Some areas saw record high temperatures amid the persistent heatwave, with parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo having reached 42 degrees-Celsius. On the Talking Point this morning we are going to explore the influence of climate change on our weather...

GUEST: Puseletso Mofokeng, Senior Forecaster at the South Africa Weather Service and SABC2 weather presenter

Security at schools in KwaZulu-Natal has been beefed up to ensure no disruptions in matric exams take place. A business forum, Delangokubona in KwaZulu-Natal, has denied reports that they are threatening to disrupt matric exams in the province. The provincial Education Department issued a statement, saying the security around matrix question papers will be maintained. These threats were posted on social media under the Delangokubona banner to disrupt exams - including today's English paper - due to delays in payment to contracted service providers. The Forum's chairperson - Thabane Mzulwini - has disputed the claims

GUEST: MEC for the Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Kwazi Mshengu