For many observers, the key question is how ordinary Iranians are experiencing this moment. With reports of internal economic strain, long-running protests, deep political repression and now external military strikes, the situation appears both volatile and deeply complex.

To better grasp the gravity of the current US–Iran confrontation, it is crucial to explore how Iranian citizens — both inside the country and in the diaspora — are interpreting events, and whether this moment represents escalation, endurance, or a possible turning point. 

Guest: Amir Bagherioromi: Strategic communications and campaigns specialist

 

Businessman Sandile Zungu says nothing will derail his consortium’s takeover of South Africa’s national lottery, as preparations intensify ahead of the scheduled handover on 1 June.

Airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East are scrambling to manage one of the most severe aviation disruptions in years after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.

Major regional hubs including Dubai International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport and Zayed International Airport have suspended or severely limited operations following airspace closures and security incidents.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has warned against all travel to Israel and Palestine and against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, advising British nationals in some locations to shelter in place.

With Gulf hubs sitting at the heart of global east-west travel flows, the impact is rippling far beyond the region — disrupting long-haul passenger routes, air cargo operations and airline scheduling worldwide. 

Guest: Guy Leitch: Aviation Analyst

 

Embrace: The Movement for Mothers, together with the Obstetric Justice Coalition and allied organisations, has formally called on the National Department of Health (South Africa) to take urgent, decisive action to end obstetric violence in South Africa’s maternity healthcare system.

In a memorandum endorsed by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and submitted to Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, the coalition demands a concrete, time-bound, and financed national action plan to address healthcare facility-based gender-based violence.

The memorandum outlines clear deadlines, accountability measures, and systemic reforms aimed at ensuring dignity, safety, and respect for pregnant women and birthing people across both public and private healthcare facilities. 

Guest: Julie Mentor: Project Lead at Embrace, the Movement for Mothers and organisers of Laundry Day

 

The killing of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader for more than three decades, in a joint United States–Israeli strike marks a watershed moment for the Middle East. His death has triggered immediate retaliation from Tehran, emergency diplomatic meetings across global capitals, and warnings of a widening regional war.

As the US and Israel intensify military operations and Iran vows revenge through direct strikes and allied militias, the region faces its most volatile confrontation in years — with potential consequences for global security, energy markets, and the future of Iran itself. 

Guest: Naeem Jeenah: Senior Researcher: Humanity at Mistra

 

 

 

• Farming bodies head to court over access to FMD vaccines 

• 2. Reports indicate Nestlé has started a retrenchment process in South Africa as part of its global restructuring drive
• 3. Market update

 

Retired Constitutional Court justice Edwin Cameron remembers a time when an HIV diagnosis was effectively a death sentence — when gay men were dying “in their tens of thousands” and doctors could offer little more than palliative care.

Today, at 73, Cameron is living proof of the life-saving power of antiretroviral therapy (ARVs). But his medical chart — three heart stents, high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation — also reflects what researchers are now uncovering: people living with HIV are ageing faster and developing chronic illnesses at far higher rates than those without the virus.

His story spans the darkest days of the epidemic, the activism that forced change, and the new scientific frontier of understanding what it means to grow old with HIV. 

Guest: Justice Edwin Cameron: Retired Constitutional Court Judge 

EFF Gauteng Condemns in the Strongest Terms the Collapse of the City of Ekurhuleni Council as a Direct Result of the Reckless and Unilateral Actions of ANC Executive Mayor,  Nkosindiphile Xhakaza. 

Guest: Nkululeko Dunga: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Gauteng  Chairperson