The Daily Discourse

Guest: Mary Robinson - former president of Ireland

To quote Desmond Tutu, “When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land”. It is believed largely in Africa, that If you pray hard, pay your tithes, go to church regularly and serve God with all your heart, you will succeed In life. But Africa continues to be plagued by many social issues, poverty, disease, conflict amongst others. Which then begs the question, where do Africa’s prayers go? In his recent social media post, Bishop Joshua Maponga speaking about prayer says “…prayer is not a solution for everything…prayer does not answer poverty. Poverty is an economic problem, and if you don’t have an economic formula to turn around your economics, prayer cannot help you”

GUEST: Bishop Joshua Maponga – Cultural Activist, Writer, fighter of spiritual colonialism

Guest: Graça Machel

Professor Susan Booysen unpacks Madiba’s Legacy from the days of Codesa negotiations to his famous reconciliation project, and the question we are asking this morning is - Did South Africa do enough to support his vision?

GUEST: Professor Susan Booysen is Director of Research at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra) and Visiting Professor at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

The SABC Editorial Policy draft is now available for final public comments till 1st August 2018. The South African Broadcasting Corporation went out to the public to ask for submissions and comments on its editorial policies. The intention of this exercise was to make sure that South Africans were widely consulted, and that the final policies will be compliant with the law, and as reflective of South Africa's views as possible. For more on this we are now joined on the line by...

GUEST: Philly Moilwa, the General Manager for Regulatory Affairs at the SABC

South Africa the convention is that women adopt their husband’s surname once they get married. South African law covers this aspect of name change in Section 26 of Births and Deaths Registration Act [27] and women are still free to make the decision on their own or in consultation with their partner once married. So, what’s in a surname? What is the significance of women changing their surnames after marriage? In the history of Africa, were women expected to change surnames? Does a woman not taking her husband’s surname have a bearing on how the man sees his himself in the context of the relationship, from an African cultural perspective? What is the History behind Maiden vs. Married Names in Africa? When do Clan names come into play?
GUEST: Nelson Makhabane Tshabalala – Historian and award-winning Author

Thembalethu Zulu shares thoughts on the composition of the French soccer team. She questions why some people are suddenly declaring France as a pseudo African team and argues that what we are seeing is a microcosm of the continued effects of colonialism.

GUEST: Sowetan S Mag editor, Thembalethu Zulu

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has reportedly awarded members of the security services a 22.5% "special allowances" rise. Some analysts in the country see the move as a way of "buying votes". Meanwhile, Zimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has reiterated their calls for electoral reform; he says Mnangagwa wants to cause instability in the southern African country by trying to steal the forthcoming election through the "manipulation" of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. What do you make or read into the latest developments in Zimbabwe? For more on this we are now joined on the line by…

GUESTS: International Crisis Group, Southern Africa Consultant and analyst, Piers Pigou

This morning we are talking about the importance of preserving Robert Sobukwe’s legacy, asking – do we really understand and appreciate the role he played in changing the political landscape of this country?

GUEST: Benzi Ka Soko, Independent political analyst

Time now for our regular Friday feature "The Wind Down". This morning we profile award-winning, Afro-pop sensation, Ntando Bangani. The multi-platinum selling artist is back with a new album titled, "Mayibuye", after a two-year break from the music industry. He now joins me in studio…

GUEST (In studio): Afro-pop sensation, Ntando Bangani