The Daily Discourse

We celebrate reconciliation this year, a week after the South African Human Rights Commission’s release of its 2016/17 trends analysis report on human rights violations. In the report, the SAHRC says it received more than 400 race-based complaints and over 700 complaints that dealt with issues of inequality.

In his recent column for news 24, Stanley Henkeman, the executive director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) suggest that reconciliation is advanced and practiced by ordinary South Africans on a daily basis.

The newly-elected Pan Africanist Congress leader, Mzwanele Nyhontso, says he will focus on uniting the party during his tenure. He was speaking after he was elected as the new party president yesterday during a three-day conference held in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Nyhontso beat Luthando Mbinda and Zamikhaya Gxabe. Nyhotso is now extending an olive branch to Narius Moloto, who still regards himself as PAC president, and boycotted elective conference.

GUEST: newly-elected Pan Africanist Congress leader, Mzwanele Nyhontso

Time now for our regular Friday feature the Friday Wind Down, today we profile Ruby Gold, a multi-talented vocalist and songwriter. Ruby Gold has crafted a sound unique to her multi-faceted repertoire, known as trance-jazz.

GUEST: Multi-talented vocalist and songwriter, Ruby Gold

Many men say they have absolutely no idea how to approach women in a post #metoo world. Some question whether they should approach women at all. In the olden days there was an art to approaching a woman, where men put a special effort in it. But today the lines have gotten blurred, where the dating world makes it easy for someone to date a few people at the same time. The rise of ‘Situationships’ as opposed to relationships and the ‘Friends with Benefits’ phenomenon have added to the confusion. Should men still approach women?

GUEST: Linda Yende, Speaker, Author, Lifestyle Entrepreneur

Saied Solomons, President of the South African Road Federation (SARF) explains that South Africa needs a completely new approach to road funding based on paying per the mass of the vehicle and distance travelled. He says that this should involve a tariff setting mechanism that influences behaviour and that helps manage road capacity. Has government missed opportunity to build public understanding about public road funding in SA?

GUEST: Saied Solomons, President of the South African Road Federation (SARF)

The Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, will today (Friday, 14 December 2018), officially launch a R2 billion Fund aimed at generating thousands of jobs through creating and funding of small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Project Development Partnership Fund (PDP) has been established through a joint venture between the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) - an entity of the Department of Labour. Through the partnership, the UIF will provide an annual allocation of R2 billion towards the PDP Fund through the UIF's existing Social Responsible Investment (SRI) mandate.

GUEST: Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Commissioner, Teboho Maruping

The global economy is on the precipice of a Fourth Industrial Revolution – defined by evolving technological trends that have the potential to fundamentally change life for millions of people around the world. In recent years, labor-saving technology, together with globalization, has reduced jobs in manufacturing, particularly in advanced countries. Many studies predict major job losses due to automation. As we embrace the 4th industrial revolution, how do we ready ourselves for the challenges that will come with that, where jobs are concerned?
How can humans collaborate with machines while enhancing productivity and ingenuity?

GUEST: Dr Lize Barclay, Senior Lecturer in Futures Studies and Systems Thinking at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB)

Several political parties have been formed months before the elections next year. This morning we will examine some of the political formations of such new parties in South Africa. What are their intentions? Where they formed to split the votes ahead of next year's general elections? Or are they a genuine cause and alternative party for the people?

GUEST: Political analyst, Andre Duvenhage

The City of Cape Town has expressed scepticism about a study which suggests that the fear associated with Day Zero was the single most successful intervention in its campaign to get residents to slash water consumption. Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town study, published in the journal Water Research, found that the fear of Day Zero – the day when the City said Cape Town's taps could run dry – was more successful than imposing water restrictions.

GUEST: Prof. Thinus Booysen, Associate Professor at the Electrical and electronic Engineering department at Stellenbosch University

The high court based in Pretoria has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma must pay the costs of his legal fees, related to his fraud and corruption case.

GUEST: ANC Acting spokesperson, Dakota Legoete