The Daily Discourse

One thousand disabled people are set to benefit from an initiative by an organization called Operation Rehab. The project will offer free or heavily subsidised medical treatment among other benefits. Why the specific focus on the disabled community?

Guest(Studio): Dharmesh Nagar - Strategy Director at Media Revolution

Focus: The Education Association of South Africa held their annual conference which dealt with various issues pertaining to our education system. One of the experts who attended the conference is Professor Robert Balfour, Dean of Education Sciences at North-West University. Balfour wrote a couple of books on education and his recent one is entitled: Education in a New South Africa: crisis and change". Dwelling on the subject of change, is it too late to change the direction of our education system, if yes, which direction should it go?

Guest: Professor Robert Balfour - Dean of Education Sciences at North-West University

Brand South Africa CEO joins us to discuss South Africa’s participation in this year’s World Economic Forum which is due to take place next week in Switzerland. South Africa will be participating in the talks once again and will position itself as “Open for Business”. So this morning we ask, is brand South Africa easy to sell and why should global investors invest in this country?

Guest: Dr Kingsley Makhubela, CEO of Brand South Africa

When looking for a job, we are often told it’s not so much what you know, but who you know that matters most. The business dictionary describes nepotism as the practice of appointing relatives and friends in one's organization to positions for which outsiders might be better qualified. Despite its negative connotations, nepotism (if applied sensibly) is an important and positive practice in the start-up and formative years of a firm where complete trust and willingness to work hard (for little or no immediate reward) are critical for its survival. Is nepotism so bad, if so why?

Guest: Dr Thami Mazwai, Business Commentator

We examine why South Africa is failing to produce enough school leavers who are competent in maths and science. The 2016 Global Competitiveness Report ranked South Africa last among 140 countries for maths and science. This places it behind poorer African countries like Mozambique and Malawi.

Guest: Mzukisi Qobo, Associate Professor at the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg

We look at the impact of piracy on the music industry, this following the news that pirate DVDs of Sfiso Ncwane's funeral are being sold for R10 on the streets of Durban. It is public knowledge that music piracy is considered to be the main enemy of the global music industry.

Guest: Deborah Fraser, South African gospel artist

Focus: We look at the issue of road rage in South Africa and give tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of it. According to experts - aggressive driving behaviors, such as speeding and tailgating, can often lead to road rage.

Guest: Ace Ncobo, SA Road Safety Ambassador

Focus: Has populism in southern Africa reached an expiry date among the nationalist leaders? Our guest thinks so and he says the times are gone when leaders of the dominant parties could claim to be the alternative to the established system.

Guest on the line (Sweden): Henning Melber, Extraordinary Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria

Focus: Failing or delaying to address a child’s learning difficulties has far-reaching implications for both parents and children alike. The real cost of withholding learning intervention programmes from children with learning difficulties should not be underestimated. This could result in long-term financial burdens when learners have to repeat a grade, while they often pay the price academically, emotionally and socially. To discuss the consequences of this, we are joined by…..

Guest: Dr Felicity Coughlan, Director of the Independent Institute of Education

Focus: As this year will be the 150th anniversary of the discovery of diamonds in South Africa. This morning we establish why mining continues to play an important role in the economy of the country. Mining today accounts for 8% of national GDP and our guest is of the view that this small proportion understates its wider importance.

Guest: John Kane-Berman is a policy fellow at the IRR