The South African Medical Association says the NHI bill was developed without regard for recommendations from health experts, especially on issues like benefits and reimbursement models. The organisation says it does not support the bill in its current form and it will need to be amended before it can rally behind it. The parliamentary portfolio committee on health adopted the NHI bill on Friday and it will now be debated in the National Assembly. We’re now joined by Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, Chairperson of the South African Medical Association.

The North West is the latest province to confirm cholera cases and government monitors developments after it broke out in Hammanskraal last week. Laboratory results of two men from Madibeng and Moretele who presented symptoms came back positive. Residents who experience symptoms are being urged to report to health facilities as soon as possible to get treatment. Foster Mohale.

Police minister, Bheki Cele has raised concern about the increase in cash-in-transit robberies, violent crimes as well as vigilantism. Cele was presenting the crime statistics for the period between January and March 2023. There was a 20.8% increase in cash-in-transit robberies, with Gauteng leading all provinces. Murder is also up,  6200 people were murdered between January and March, a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year. Cases of vigilantism are also on the rise. Why is violent crime increasing at this rate? We’re now joined by Crime Analyst and former head of the Crime Information Analysis Centre at SAPS, Dr Chris de Kock. 

World News: What will it take to end the war in Ukraine? Kyiv says Russia must withdraw all military forces from the territory of Ukraine, arguing that this will assist to navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. However, Russia is of the view that the conflict is likely to drag on for years as long as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in charge.

GUEST (RUSSIA): Andrey Kortunov, Political analyst & Director-General of the Russian International Affairs Council

Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni has signed the anti-homosexuality bill into law. Lawmakers in the country said they proposed the bill to protect national culture and values. Uganda officially joins countries with some of harshest laws against homosexuality. We are now joined by Matuba Mahlatjie, Communications and media relations manager at Outright International.

Is Whatsapp formalising its platform and joining other video calling platforms like Teams and Zoom? The app now wants to introduce usernames as well as screen sharing to allow its users to share content on their screens with people they are in a call with. The company says this is an effort to increase productivity. It will also allow a username functionality that will allow users to log into their accounts without necessarily using their phone numbers. We’re now joined by Jan Vermeulen, Editor at MyBroadband.

A joint study by the Department of Basic Education and Unicef reveals that more than 40% of South African households have no books. The study looks at how caregivers engage in play-based learning with their children from birth to six years old. 58% of the caregivers said they do have books at home, however, only 32% used them regularly. This comes just weeks after  ‘Progress in International Reading Literacy Study’ that revealed 81 per cent of Grade 4 learners in South Africa are not able to read for meaning. We’re now joined by Lungile Mdluli, UNICEF South Africa’s Early Childhood Development Officer.

A new Afrobarometer survey indicates that most South Africans want Eskom to be privatised to ensure an effective supply of electricity in the country. Also another interesting thing about the findings of the survey is that electricity ranks third among the most important problems that South Africans want their government to address. Joining us to unpack the outcomes of the survey is ….

GUEST: Preston Govindasamy, Project manager for Afrobarometer Southern Africa