The Daily Discourse

The Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Mongameli Bobani, remains the mayor ... for now. A council meeting that was scheduled yesterday to debate a motion of no-confidence against Bobani was cancelled by Speaker Buyelwa Mafaya, citing safety concerns. So was there a genuine "threat" and "safety" concerns or was this a deliberate tactic to avoid the motion of no confidence against him?

GUEST: Andile Lungisa, MMC for Infrastructure, Engineering, Electricity and Energy, in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

Time now for our regular Thursday feature Health Talk. Over the years, researchers have been cracking their heads trying to come up with ways of dealing with cancer. There’s been so many suggestions and therapies brought forward. But here is something interesting, oxygen therapy. What is it exactly and how does it work?

GUEST: Joseph Winer – Health and Wellness practitioner and MD at Oxygenate

According to Statistics South Africa, the total value of new credit granted in 2019’s first quarter (Q1), increased by more than 5% to over R134 billion in Q2. Those in the consumer market say that consumers have become slaves to credit. This then begs the question over whether it is possible to live a debt-free life? These days people even take groceries on credit the store cards that promise rewards. How did we get to where we are?

GUEST: Gerald Mwandiambira - Acting CEO of the South African Saving Institute

Yesterday (Wed) on our sister programme Sunrise, a couple of calls came in about the disrespect shown to SMME owners. The case involved applying for a liquor licence and what they were told by those employed to service them. This is what they had to say…

GUEST: Tebogo Khaas – Chairperson of the SME Forum

The SABC has reduced its net losses by 35 percent in the 2018/2019 financial year. SABC Board Chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini said this in his opening remarks during a briefing to the Communications Committee in Parliament. The SABC board and executive were presenting the annual report for the 2018/2019 financial year on Tuesday. This morning on the Talking Point we are hosting the SABC's group CEO, Mr Madoda Mxakwe, to discuss the SABC bailout, cost-cutting measures to avoid the reliance on government bailouts, mismanagement of funds at the SABC, reports of possible retrenchments, the tariff increase on the current TV licence, new broadcast technology and also issues around renegotiations of sports rights…

GUEST: SABC's group CEO, Mr Madoda Mxakwe

Yesterday was the 15th of October, a day where one of Africa’s Pan Africanist leaders was assassinated. Thomas Sankara was President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He is viewed in some quarters as Africa’s own Che Guevara as he was a revolutionary. Looking at leadership in Africa, why are we no longer producing leaders who are about the people? Why are leaders like Thomas Sankara killed for standing for that which is right? What can we learn from his style of leadership?

GUEST: David Letsoalo, from UNISA. He was working on something around remembering Thomas Sankara

The ANC says any stake in South African Airways should be given to locals. Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa told a gathering of investors at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London that government was engaged in talks with potential strategic equity partners in the national carrier. He said they were also looking at foreign investors who were interested in partnering with government to save the embattled airline. But ANC acting spokesperson Dakota Legoete says although they welcome foreign direct investment, locals must be given the priority in investing in state-owned entities...

GUEST: Duma Gqubule – Executive Director, Centre for
Economic Development and Transformation

About two weeks ago, South Africa was on the brink of the biggest strike in the banking sector for nearly 100 years. The strike threatened to bring the country’s economy to a standstill with major ramifications for everyone. However, the big business organisation, BUSA, successfully managed to interdict the strike via the Labour Court. The strike was declared unprotected and then called off by the union and its federation, Cosatu. In today’s show we get a sense of the reasons for the banking sector strike and whether and when it is still likely to happen.

GUEST: Joe Kokela - General Secretary of the Cosatu-affiliated, Finance union the South African Society of Bank Officials (Sasbo)
GUEST: Matthew Parks - Cosatu Researcher and Parliamentary Co-ordinator

Power utility Eskom says there is a possibility of rotational load shedding across the country from 9 o'clock this morning. Eskom says this is as a result of a shortage of capacity. The rotational load shedding is expected to last until 11 o'clock tonight. The country last experienced load shedding in March this year. For more we are now joined by the DA MP and party public enterprises spokesperson, Natasha Mazzone, who said the parastatal had "warned municipalities about the strong possibility of rolling blackouts during the months of September and October".

guest: Natasha Mazzone

How does our personal financial behaviour cause us harm? This morning we will look at 10 pitfalls that can derail your financial well-being.

GUEST: Brendan Gace, the Head of Anchor Private Clients