Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC, Lebogang Maile, has provide reasons on his decision to rescind the suspension of two DA Councillors - saying it was a taken after he received legal advice from senior counsel. The former speaker of the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Vasco da Gama, and Tshwane's current speaker, Katlego Mathebe, were suspended - for three and six months respectively without pay - for allegedly breaching the code of conduct of councillors

Guest: Advocate Quinton Kuhn, the Head of Legal for the Gauteng Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Guest: Mandla Mnisi, who specializes in Corporate, Commercial and Municipal Law. He also provides legal advisory services to corporate clients and organs of state

Why is the petrol price forecast dropping in February? The Automobile Association has revised its earlier fuel price estimations for February by predicting an all-round decrease from next week Tuesday.

Guest: Layton Beared - Spokesperson for Automobile Association (AA)

What next for Dudu Myeni? The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application by former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni for leave to appeal a December ruling stating that Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has standing to bring a delinquency case against her.

Guest: Stefanie Fick, Outa’s chief legal officer

Yesterday, Egypt’s High Administrative Court approved Cairo University’s decision to ban its professors from wearing the niqab, or face veil, ending a controversy that began five years ago over whether or not banning the niqab in public spaces violates personal freedoms or constitutes religious discrimination.

Guest : Dr Faisal Suliman, Chairperson of the South African Muslim Network

Leaners attacking teachers – when will it stop? A teacher in KwaZulu-Natal reportedly survived a stabbing last Friday allegedly by a pupil who failed Grade 9 in 2019. It was reported that the pupil allegedly stabbed the teacher after he was told that he should repeat the grade he failed last year.

Guest: Cynthia Barnes, General Secretary of the National Teachers Union

Today on Both Sides of the Story, we look at the university national shutdown campaign that is currently under way at some of the public universities across the country. We are trying to establish the facts in terms of what informs this national shutdown asking - are students’ demands reasonable – how should universities respond to student protests?

Guests: Mischeck Mugabe, president of the South African Union of Students (SAUS)

Guest: Ishmael Mnisi, Spokesperson for the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

The department of water and sanitation says the continuation of a total shutdown in QwaQwa, Free State, will setback government's efforts to get water back to the area. Many government buildings remain closed in Qwaqwa after workers affiliated to COSATU in the area agreed to take part in today's shutdown. COSATU in the Free State has endorsed a plan to continue the shutdown of the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality over the water crisis in a meeting with workers yesterday.

Guest: Sputnik Ratau, Department of Water and Sanitations spokesperson

Meanwhile, Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane's spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe says the move by Sars's is an indication she was being "lynched" as part of "concerted efforts to instill fear in her following some of her investigations".

Guest: Public Protector Spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe

The South African Revenue Service, SARS, has launched an investigation into the income tax affairs of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, dating back to 2011. Sars has ordered her to hand over copies of all relevant material including financial information, employment income, foreign income, business income, expenses, deductions and other income. This comes just over a month after the Hawks moved on Mkhwebane, requesting a warning statement related to a case of alleged perjury and defeating the ends of justice laid against her by advocate Paul Hoffman in August. Pressure on Mkhwebane was added last week when Speaker of Parliament Thandi Modise approved a motion to initiate proceedings for her removal.

Guest: Lawson Naidoo - Who is the Executive Secretary at the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC)

Did you know that an estimated 290 000 South Africans could become blind as a result of untreated cataracts? According to Dr Bayanda Mbambisa, South Africa’s national cataract surgery rate lags far behind international norms, even for developing countries, with the number of surgeries performed declining since the mid-2000s as government focus and funding shifted towards higher priority medical conditions.

Guest: Dr Bayanda Mbambisa, Right to Sight Chairperson, the philanthropic arm of the Opthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA)