The Daily Discourse

The 20th BRICS Summit will be taking place from the 25th to the 27th of July 2018. South Africa will be chairing BRICS for 2018. But before that, will be the South Africa will be hosting top scholars from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa for the 10th BRICS Academic Forum to take part in arguably the most important debate in the developing world today – how are we going to solve urgent socio-economic challenges? Whether it’s the looming water crisis, recent strikes over the new national minimum wage or increasingly worrying literacy statistics, many of the major issues dominating today’s headlines are all symptoms of much broader issues. They are a result of far-reaching challenges like climate change, inequality, economic prosperity and education - issues to which the South African BRICS Think Tank (SABTT) will propose actionable solutions moving forward.

Guest: Professor Ari Sitas, Chairperson of the South African BRICS Think Tank

Government has instituted a special council on Sate Owned Enterprises (SOE's) to ensure that these enterprises return to their envisaged developmental mandates and to financial profitability. SOE's have been plagued by numerous irregularities and instances of alleged mis-governance. In the wake of this announcement, talks of merging or consolidated government departments into existing ministries, to reduce operating expenditure and to prevent overlapping functions and duties, have once again resurfaced. In 2014, the EFF stated that South Africa's 35 ministers and 37 deputy ministers would cost taxpayers R720 million per year, while the official opposition party, the DA, has suggested that deputy minister positions should be done away with to save money. On The Talking Point we will discuss austerity measures that need to be taken to transform our institutions to respond to the economy that the country needs...

GUEST: Dr Dale McKinley, an independent writer, researcher, lecturer and political activist.

guest: Dr Frank Aswani

guest: Miss Lola Castro - regional director in southern africa and india ocean states regional bureau
guest: Claude Jibidar

INTERVIEW WITH: UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office representative, Anne Githuku-Shongwe

Her office is responsible for women's empowerment and gender equality in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia as well as South Africa, where the office is based.

• UN Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030
• Cost of reacting to gender-based violence
• Investment in reducing gender-based violence
• Gaps which allow violence to continue

guest : Simbarashe Mhuriro - founder & oxygen africa

The late ANC veteran and Contralesa Chief, Mhlabunzima Maphumulo has been awarded with the Order of Luthuli in Gold for his exceptional contribution to conflict resolution and resistance against injustice and oppression. Mhlabunzima Maphumulo who was chief of the Maphumulo at Table Mountain, was assassinated, during the height of political violence in the midlands in 1991. He was dubbed the "peace chief", for his resistance against state-sponsored violence during apartheid. For more on the man, we are now joined in studio, here at the Maslow Conference Centre by Jill Kelly, an Assistant Professor of African and South African History at Southern Methodist University. Professor Kelly helped nominate Chief Maphumulo for the "Order of Luthuli award" and Chief Maphumulo was also the subject of her research paper...

GUEST: Jill Kelly, an Assistant Professor of African and South African History at Southern Methodist University
guest: Xolile Ndevu – Spokesperson for AmaXhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu and Former General Secretary of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa - Contralesa

Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, says an external service provider, Pamoja PTY LTD, to conduct an impact study into the proposal to move Parliament to Pretoria. The proposed move has been on the cards for a number of years. Mbete was delivering Parliament's budget in the National Assembly. The service provider will conduct a 6-month socio-economic and impact study commencing this month, to ascertain the feasibility of moving parliament from Cape Town to Pretoria...

GUEST: DA chief whip, John Steenhuisen.

Agricultural Ecosystems: Building & Strengthening Agricultural Capacity & Food Security, and also Farming for the future

Time now for our Small Business feature. Today we speak to an inspirational and trail blazing, 43-Year-old former educator - turned successful multi award winning businesswoman, Nomfundo Mcoyi. She was recently awarded the "Lioness of Africa Award", during a glittering affair in central London this past Saturday. This award was in honour of her contribution in empowering and uplifting disadvantaged communities from townships and rural areas in Kwa-Zulu Natal...

GUEST: Businesswoman, Nomfundo Mcoyi