Drought support in excess of R40 million has been allocated to farmers in the Western Cape for the months of March and April. The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape has been providing livestock farmers with vouchers to buy fodder throughout the drought. During the second round of the summer Provincial Disaster Risk Assessment, conducted earlier in March, it was determined that monthly support to farmers in the Central and Klein Karoo will continue, as veld conditions in those areas had not improved.
GUEST: Beverley Schäfer, Minister of Economic Opportunities in the Western Cape Government

You can never get through any city in SA without encountering beggars at traffic lights. They wander the streets, asking for money, others frail or freezing as they try to keep warm in the winter months. We are starting to also see more women and children as well. Today on The Talking Point we ask, has begging become a lucrative business?

GUEST: Siphiwe Mngomezulu - Author and a founder/director of the 80-D Albert Street Foundation which deals with Youth development in education.

Time now for our regular Friday feature the Music Wind Down. Today we profile local songstress Titi Luzipho, who was born and bred in the windy city Port Elizabeth. Titi Luzipho, a jazz sensation started singing at the tender age of 5. She now joins us in our Auckland Park studios, to speak to us about her single “Being Woman”, a beautiful song on the beauty and hardships of being a woman. The single is off Titi's forthcoming album which she has worked on with the likes of Ringo Madlingozi and Luyanda Madope…

GUEST: Titi Luzipho, who is a songstress and jazz sensation

Many times we talk about strengthening relationships between mother and daughter and father and son. Today we look at, what conversations should dads be having with their teen daughters? Are you having the right conversations with your teenage daughter, do you know what’s happening in her life? Her body and mind? Today we ask, what kind of conversations should dads be having with their teen daughters?

GUEST: Bongani Luvalo – Founder of Cool Dads Foundation

It’s the Easter weekend and many people are traveling to see their family, others are coming together to cook feast meals and enjoy the spirit of togetherness but for some this is a time of sadness and loneliness and this may lead to depression. Some have no family; others have family in different countries and can’t afford to travel at this time. Today we look at loneliness that could possibly lead to depression and how one can overcome that, especially on days like today.

GUEST: Lerato Mofomme – Founder of The voice of the Voiceless and depression survivor

GUEST: Simphiwe Sinkoyi – Clinical Psychologist

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) is making a friendly call to all international travellers who will be visiting South Africa during the Easter holidays, or returning to South Africa after the holidays, to comply with the country’s import requirements for agricultural and related regulated products/ articles. This in preventing and minimizing the potential risk of introducing alien invasive species, foreign pests and diseases that could be associated with imported plants, plant products, animals, animal products and other regulated goods.

GUEST: Khaye Nkwanyana: Spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry

The Easter weekend officially starts this morning and ends on Monday, the twenty-second of April. Traffic officials will be out in their numbers this Easter weekend to ensure safety on our roads, as part of their Easter Safety Campaign. The Easter weekend carnage on South African roads has for many years been steadily increasing, this morning we are in conversation with the Automobile Association, to speak about tips to keep you safe on the road...

GUEST: Layton Beard, spokesperson for the Automobile Association (AA)

Mining could contribute much more to South Africa with less government interference; this is the key thrust of the latest report from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The report argues that it is through the business of mining - exploiting the country’s rich and largely untapped mineral resources - rather than by meeting onerous empowerment and other obligations that the sector will be capable of making a much greater contribution to growing the economy, creating jobs, and enabling South Africans to have better lives.

GUEST: Terence Corrigan, Project Manager at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

April is a notoriously difficult month for SMEs given all the public holidays - lower productivity, reduced banking hours and pressures to keep the payroll running smoothly. For entrepreneurs trying to manage cash flow crises, invoice financing may be the solution. A new South African Fintech company offers this in record time.

GUEST: Daniel Goldberg, Fintech founder, Ceo and co-founder of Bridgement, a company with a focus on SME finance. The company says its goal is to issue R1-billion to SMEs over the next five years.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) say the agreement with Sibanye-Stillwater means that the upcoming wage negotiations in the platinum sector will be more constructive and for the betterment of the lives of its members and non-members on the mine. This after an end to the five month wage strike was announced. As part of the agreement, AMCU has committed to signing a 2018 three-year wage agreement - previously signed with the NUM, Solidarity and UASA.

GUEST: National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), President Joseph Montisetse