About a week ago, the Healthcare Stakeholders Forum postponed its picket which was scheduled for the 27th of Feb and following that, the forum has since decided to boycott any further engagement with the Council for Medical Schemes which includes their participation in the advisory committees to be set up in terms of Circular12 of 2020 that the Regulator is putting in place. They are suggesting that the council is negotiating in bad faith.

Guest: Kerry Hertog, Spokesperson for the Healthcare Stakeholders Forum

Still on Covid19: On Sunday, about 16 million people were placed in lockdown in the Lombardy region and 14 more Italian provinces after the country’s coronavirus cases spiked. So how does this affect the country’s socio political conditions?

Guest: Professor Vito Laterza, Associate Professor at the University of AGDER in Norway

How the world could be shaped by the coronavirus. In conversation with Brett Lyndall Singh, a South African medical doctor who has been studying and working in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province for nearly nine years. The city has the highest number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection among prefecture-level cities.

Guest: Doctor Brett Lyndall Singh, member of the anti-epidemic team specialising on Coronavirus

Eskom has just announced that load shedding will move to Stage 4 from 2pm this afternoon after Koeberg Unit 1 tripped. Apparently the unit has been disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine side, however the nuclear reactor remains safe.

Guest: Sikhonathi Mantshantsha, Eskom spokesperson

Meanwhile the DA in Gauteng says it is seeking legal advice on whether it should take to court, a review of the decision to dissolve the Tshwane Council. The party argues that Gauteng COGTA MEC, Lebogang Maile and the executive council had no grounds to place the metro under administration. The DA has accused the ANC of causing dysfunction in the City.

Guest: Mike Moriarty, DA Gauteng provincial Chairperson

Eight francophone African states have agreed to start using a new currency, the Eco, which is scheduled for launch in June this year. The eight states are members of the economic community of West African states (ECOWAS), a wider regional economic community, which also has a plan to introduce a single currency in 2020.

Guest: Gideon Chitanga, political analyst

The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in South Africa. A 38-year-old man has tested positive for the (COVID-19) virus in KwaZulu-Natal. The man recently travelled to Italy and has been in self-isolation since.

Guest: Professor Mosa Moshabela: the Dean and Head of School: Nursing and Public Health

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is hosting a National Gender Machinery Summit at the Old Assembly Chamber, in Parliament today. The Summit will take stock of the achievements of the national gender machinery and conduct an audit of the challenges currently facing the national gender machinery. The NCOP says despite the notable strides made in women's empowerment and gender equality in the country since the dawn of democracy in 1994, the majority of women still suffer from multi-dimensional poverty, inequality and discrimination based on sex and gender; and multiple social problems such as gender-based violence.

Guest: Ms Sylvia Lucas, the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola says all South Africans need to work together to deal with the challenges facing the country, including concerns about the parole system. This follows a recent spate of murders of young children allegedly committed by parolees. Minister Lamola will meet with high-ranking officials in the Department of Correctional Services and secretaries of parole boards to "address the flaws of the parole system".

Guest: Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the department of Justice and Correctional Services

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is interested' in the possible sale of Eskom power stations to private companies to run. Briefing of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) yesterday Ramaphosa said having more power producers generating electricity and selling to Eskom would "encourage competition"

Guest: Zamikhaya Maseti, Political Economist