Following a dramatic Russian military mutiny this past weekend, today we ask - Is Putin’s grip on power under threat? On Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private militia Wagner Group seized control of the strategic city of Rostov and advanced an armed convoy to within 200 kilometers of Moscow. However, after the deal was struck, Prigozhin ordered his troops to retreat to avoid shedding Russian blood.

GUEST: Gustavo de Carvalho, Senior Researcher on Russia-Africa ties at the SA Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts say the state of the Road Accident Fund is shocking. The committee says there needs to be an urgent intervention on the governance of the entity and people need to be held accountable. Scopa Chairperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa is calling for the immediate removal of the board whose term has expired. We’re now joined by SABC News reporter, Katlego Legodi.

Linda Siboto tells us more about the work of Cheeba Cannabis Academy. The academy is regarded as Africa’s first cannabis education company and it was established in 2019. Currently, Siboto and his fellow partners are training young people on how to grow weed as they try to dispel misconceptions about this plant that most people use as a medicinal and recreational drug.

GUEST: Linda Siboto, co-founder of Cheeba Cannabis Academy

Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande met with the University of Fort Hare today to discuss a variety of issues, including the safety of the vice chancellor and dysfunctions within the council. The university has been dealing with assassination attempts at the Vice Chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, alleged illegal cyber surveilling of staff members and investigations around academic fraud. The Convocation at the institution had also raised issues about being excluded from important decisions. What is the way forward? We’re now joined by Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande.

After facing numerous challenges since 2015. The ANC in the Western Cape is finally hosting its provincial conference (currently underway at the Cape Town International Convention Centre). The race to lead the province will see the party’s current leader in the provincial legislature, Cameron Dugmore going against Richard Dyantyi who is currently the chairperson of Parliament’s Section 194 Inquiry into Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office and senior government official Justin de Allende. SABC News reporter, Mlamli Maneli is covering the conference and he joins us now to furnish us with more details….

GUEST: Mlamli Maneli, SABC News reporter based in the Western Cape

Tomorrow, Sierra Leoneans will vote to choose their next president. The current President Julius Maada Bio is seeking a second and final term amid frustrations over economic hardships. Although several candidates are vying for the top job, many in the country believe that Samura Kamara, the head of the All People's Congress Party, which is Sierra Leon's main opposition, is likely to pose a serious threat to Maada Bio’s second term ambitions. For more analysis on this, we are joined by…..

GUEST: Dr Chidochase Nyere, Political analyst from UJ’s Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation 

The Department of Mineral resources has confirmed that a group of 31 suspected illegal miners who are believed to be Basotho nationals died in a mine ventilation shaft last month. Following this tragic incident, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says his department views the whole issue of illegal mining as economic sabotage and has urged the government of Lesotho to work with the South African government in order to tackle this thorny issue. To react to this is….

GUEST: Paps Lethoko, Chairperson of National Association of Artisanal Miners (NAAM)

The French robot, called Victor six-thousand, is being used to assist in the search of the North Atlantic Ocean's Midnight Zone after the Titan Submersible went missing close to the Titanic wreck. A multinational search team is working to locate the vessel, which has five people on board. It lost communication on Sunday as it made a descent to the wreck of the Titanic. The crew are thought to have just a few hours of oxygen left. For the latest on this, we are now joined by….

GUEST (U.S): Sherwin Bryce-Pease

Last week, the National Assembly passed the National Health Insurance Bill, however not everyone was pleased about it. The SA Institute of Race Relations for instance is of the view that the implementation of the NHI will result in the exodus of many health professionals because they believe the NHI will destabilise healthcare rather than improve it. On the other hand though, organisations like the Rural Health Advocacy Project strongly believe that the NHI will create a level playing field to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all South Africans.

GUEST: Russell Rensburg, Director of the Rural Health Advocacy Project 

GUEST: Dr Anthea Jeffery, Head of Policy Research at the Institute for Race Relations

Stem cell transplant survivor Robin Lewis and his wife Jolandie will be embarking on the first ever inter-continental drive to raise awareness for stem cell donation in August. The couple will travel through Africa, Europe and Asia over the next 10 years visiting 64 countries in the hope of signing up thousands of donors en-route, to help find matches for patients in need of bone marrow stem cell transplants.

GUEST: Robin Lewis, stem cell transplant survivor