The Embassy of Ukraine to the Republic of South Africa reacts to Sergei Lavrov’s visit to South Africa - as you probably know that his visit has sparked criticism against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.  

GUEST: Ms Liubov Abravitova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to South Africa

Eskom and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan failed to meet their deadline set by a group of political parties, lawyers and civil society organisations to respond to their letter of demand with regards to the ongoing energy crisis in South Africa. The letter was asking for a concrete plan on fixing load-shedding in South Africa and the ongoing energy crisis. The group is heading to court, following Eskom and Gordhan’s failure to respond by the 20th of January. What’s on those court papers? 

Guest: Mmusi Maimane, Leader of Bosa

The Department of Health is calling on mine workers who contracted Tuberculosis and Silicosis between 1965 and 2019 to report for compensation. The programme will kick off in KwaZulu-Natal and run the 4th of February. Those who are still alive will get screened and beneficiaries of those who have passed will receive compensation on their behalf, however, they will have to present medical records, death certificates and autopsy reports. How have mine workers received this? We are now joined by Masibulele Naki, National Health and Safety Secretary at the National Union of Mineworkers.

Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi is currently visiting the four farms where people died in the Kakamas region in the Northern Cape due to heatstroke. Over the last few weeks, the Kakamas area experienced temperatures in the forties.  

GUEST: Mase Manopole, MEC for agriculture, environmental affairs, rural development and land reform in the Northern Cape 

Bilateral Talks between International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Mr Sergey Lavrov are currently underway in Pretoria. Lavrov and Pandor last met on the side-lines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. The two countries then reaffirmed mutual interest in the deepening of political dialogue and further development of relations of strategic partnership. But how important is his visit to South Africa, given Western countries attempts to isolate Moscow? For more on this, we are joined by….. 

GUEST: Sophie Mokoena, SABC’s Foreign Editor  

A lot of emphasis has been put on high achievers this week as results for the 2022 matriculants came out. But there are still those who either didn’t make it or didn’t do as well as they thought they would. How can parents support children struggling with failure and how can those who failed bounce back, while their peers progress?

Guest: educational psychologist, Zaakirah Mohamed. 

Yesterday, residents of Govan Mbeki Village in Gqeberha protested by emptying buckets of excrement on the R75 Uitenhage Road and blocking the Chatty Dip intersection with rocks and burning tyres. Over 550 households, sharing ten toilets in Govan Mbeki Village, say the facilities have not been cleaned since before Christmas.

GUEST: Mzwandile Sidina, Ward 33 councillor  

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police have arrested foreign nationals who do not have papers to be in the country. They say this is part of reducing the number of undocumented foreign nationals on the streets of the City of Ekurhuleni. Joining us to elaborate further on this is….. 

GUEST: Kelebogile Thepa, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department  

Prosecutors in the U.S have announced that actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons specialist will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer that occurred in October 2021 on a New Mexico movie set. However, Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he was told the gun had no live ammunition, and that he never pulled the trigger. But legally speaking – what does it all mean?  

GUEST: Ulrich Roux, founder and managing director of Ulrich Roux & Associates