The Reality Check: How do we heal the divisions of the past?  

Guest: Prof Mathole Motshekga – Founder of the Kara Institute and African Heritage Group

Municipal Watch: What seems to be so difficult to deal with the water crisis in Hammanskraal and how long must residents keep waiting?

Guest: Frans Boshielo - Tshwane MMC for Utility Services  

Guest: Tsholanang Tabane - Resident of Hammanskraal  

Guest: Jan Moremi - Zonal Chairperson of SANCO

Reports are circulating in the media of a possible very high petrol and diesel price increase. Some predict that we could be paying R40 rands per litre for diesel in May. How possible is this?

Guest: Tshepo Mongoai - SABC Economics Editor 

Despite the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to crime hotspots in Cape Town, deadly shootings and gang violence continue to grip communities, raising serious questions about whether the intervention is working. Is it too early to judge the deployment or if deeper systemic failures are once again being exposed?  

Guest: Dr Lennit Max - Former Western Cape Police Commissioner 

The future of Tongaat Hulett hangs in the balance as the Durban High Court prepares to hear a crucial liquidation application that could have devastating consequences for thousands of jobs and the broader sugar industry. The South African Cane Growers Association is among several stakeholders opposing the move, warning that liquidation could cripple rural economies and wipe out livelihoods across KwaZulu-Natal. 

Guest: Andrew Russell, vice-chairman of SA Canegrowers  

16 April 2026 

1.    Togo- United Nations General Assembly

Togo will ask United Nations member states to adopt a world map that more accurately reflects Africa's true size and to ditch the 16th-century Mercator projection, its foreign minister said.

Critics say the Mercator projection, which makes Greenland appear as big as Africa when the continent is about 14 times larger, reinforces perceptions of Africa’s marginality despite its vast size and population, shaping narratives in media, education and policy.

2.    Cameroon- Yaoundé 

Cameroonian President Paul Biya signed a bill this week to restore the vice presidency to the country's government structure.

This legislative move follows the parliament's earlier vote, a week earlier, to restore this crucial role.

According to the new law, the president will now have the authority to appoint the vice president, a position that carries the responsibility of acting as head of state if the presidency becomes vacant or is otherwise unable to fulfil its duties.

Cameroon is awaiting Biya's selection as its first vice president in more than four decades.

1. Mozambique – Rwanda- EU 

Mozambique relies on Rwanda’s troops to fight terrorism: what happens if they leave?

Rwanda has threatened to withdraw its troops from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, signalling a potentially decisive shift in the southern African country’s security architecture.

The threat of withdrawal is driven by a European Union (EU) warning that it may stop funding the Rwandan Defence Forces’ mission in Mozambique in May 2026.

4.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 16 April1990 when Tata Madiba Rolihlahla Mandela, just after his release in 1990, says “thank you” to the world. At the Mandela Day 2 concert at Wembley Stadium in London, England, Nelson Mandela delivers a speech thanking the world for its widespread support for the anti-apartheid struggle. 

The concert's line-up includes world-famous artists and bands such as Simple Minds, Tracey Chapman, Peter Gabriel and South African Marah Louw.

• China’s economy expands faster than expected in Q1
• The World Bank flags prolonged fallout from Iran conflict 

The Global Brief: Escalating global conflicts are reinforcing instability rather than moving toward resolution, with severe human costs on the ground and shifting geopolitical alliances at the international level. How does South Africa navigate these shifting tides?

Guest: Dr. Oscar van Heerden - Senior Research Fellow for the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg. 

Guest: Aron Hyman is a Senior Analyst on the Southern Africa Observatory at Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime