The University of Pretoria is doing away with Afrikaans as its Medium of Instruction. The Institution says a 50% drop in the students whose mother tongue is Afrikaans prompted the change. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, in his personal capacity, came out against the decision. Mboweni says the country will be shooting itself in the foot by phasing out of Afrikaans as one of the mediums of teaching and will inevitably regret this decision in 30 years' time. The Afrikaans language is in most instances associated with apartheid rule and whiteness. This morning on The Talking Point we will discuss whether Afrikaners and the language itself are being marginalized.

GUEST: AfriForum's deputy CEO, Alana Bailey

Time now for our regular Friday feature the Friday Music Wind Down, this morning we profile Berita, a multi-award winning, gold selling Afro Soul sensation. Born Gugulethu Khumalo in Bulawayo Zimbabwe, Berita has worked with music with both music legends Oliver Mtukudzi and Hugh Masekela, who we paid tribute to earlier on. She now joins us in studio to speak about her new single "Ndicel' ikiss", which she is releasing today.

GUEST: Afro soul sensation, Berita

The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) recently launched the Charter of Election Ethics, which is aimed at encouraging ethical conduct during the campaigning for the 2019 general election. The Moral Regeneration Movement says politics is a form of warfare without a bloody conflict, the use of dirty tricks to win an election is morally reprehensible. MRM chairperson, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, said during the launch that the organisation’s mission was to promote moral values to which all South Africans can aspire as a basis for nation building.

Guest: Father Smangaliso Mkhatswa – Chairperson for the Moral Regeneration Movement

In the lead up to the final voter registration weekend this weekend, Citizen Surveys have released their latest SACS data which shows that 4.5-million of the 37-million eligible voters don’t intend to even register. According to the South African Citizens Survey (SACS) by Citizen Surveys, there are 37-million South Africans aged 18 years and older who were eligible to vote in the fourth quarter of 2018. Of these eligible voters, 60% believe they are registered, 9% are uncertain, and 30% say they are not registered.

Guest: Reza Omar, Director: Research and Strategy at Citizen Surveys

The DA's head of policy Gwen Ngwenya has resigned from the post a month ahead of the party's manifesto launch. In her resignation letter Gwen Ngwenya says the party spends more money on billboards and marketing than on policy development.

GUEST: DA spokesperson, Solly Malatsi

As the shutdown, which has left 800-thousand federal workers without pay, hit its 35th day - Democratic leaders have floated the idea of giving Trump most or all of the money he seeks for security along the Mexican border, but for items other than the 70-billion-rand wall he wants. Today, about 800,000 federal workers will start to miss their second paychecks since the shutdown began last month. As Trump insists he will not give ground on the wall, although it seems has more to lose than Democratic leaders if the impasse continues to inflict harm on government workers and Americans who rely on services from housing and food assistance to airport security. Is there an end in sights?

Guest: Brooks Spector is the Associate Editor at Daily Maverick and a retired American diplomat.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate boss, Robert McBride is challenging Police Minister Bheki Cele's decision not to renew his five-year contract. McBride who heads several key investigations into police corruption, particularly among senior SAPS officers, had given Minister Cele two days to reverse his decision to terminate his contract. So does police minister Bheki Cele have the power to unilaterally terminate the contract of IPID head Robert McBride?

GUEST: Lawson Naidoo - Who is the Executive Secretary at the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC)

Independent Police Investigative Directorate, IPID Head, Robert McBride has given Police Minister, Bheki Cele two days to reverse his decision not to renew his contract. McBride says he will seek legal action if Minister Cele does not withdraw his decision. For more on this we are now joined on the line by Dr Johan Burger, a senior research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS)

GUEST: Dr Johan Burger, a senior research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS)

Former Bosasa COO, Angelo Agrizzi has confirmed to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that Sondolo IT received a tender for access control for the Correctional Services Department a company established just days before the tender application deadline. He was being questioned about various tenders which were obtained by Bosasa, through various front companies. Agrizzi says the tender which was granted to Sondolo IT, it required for a company to be in operation for at least five years, a requirement not met by the company.

Guest: Karabo Mashugane - CEO - 20/20 Insight

During the Colonial period in Africa, the British and the French colonized an estimated more than 95% of the continent. The British colonized twenty-two African states while the French colonized twenty. France retained control of North, and West and parts of Central Africa while the British took control of East and South Africa. After our interview last week with French Ambassador, there were a few questions and comments, pertaining to the relationship France had, and still continue to have with African countries, and their former colonies.

GUEST: The Ambassador of France to South Africa, His Excellency Christophe Farnaud