The Department of Home Affairs has recently updated its critical skills list. These skills fall under the Immigration Act No.13 of 2002. This Act aims to regulate the entry of individuals into, their stay in, and their exit from the Republic as well as matters related to it. Adding to the list from February 2022, dozens of new skills have been included. The expansion now encompasses specialist medical practitioners. We find out more from the Minister of Home Affairs – Aaron Motsoaledi

The Department of Transport is embarking on an ambitious national project to repair potholes across South Africa (SA). The launch is set to take place in Vereeniging on Monday. Operation Vala Zonke is part of a 16-month campaign, focusing on provincial and municipal roads. The project will be spearheaded by South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), which is expected to work with provincial and municipal officials. Guest: departmental spokesperson Lwazi Khoza 

US Secretary of state Antony Blinken has embarked on a five nation tour of Cambodia, the Philippines, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Blinken began his three-nation tour of Africa Sunday by visiting the Hector Petersen museum in Soweto. Today he met with international relations minister Naledi Pandor.

Guest: SABC International reporter Khayalihle Khumalo to find out more on the objective of this visit.

American WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison after being convicted on drug charges by a Moscow court Thursday. Griner was detained at Moscow Airport in February after Russian authorities found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. US officials swiftly condemned the decision, expressing that the detention is being used to advance Russia's agenda in the Ukraine war. To help us understand better the US/Russia relations and its impact on this case is Prof Siphamandla Zondi - Professor of politics and international relations at the University of Johannesburg.

The community of Bekkersdal, West of Johannesburg undertook a protest action against illegal miners and crime, this follows the Kagiso protests, where community members took the law into their own hands while demonstrating against illegal miners yesterday. We interrogate the chances and dangers of these protests spreading across the country, given the recent and active community movements such as Operation Dudula. To understand better the dynamics of these community protests we are joined by Prof Sethulego Matebesi – Political Analyst 

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the closing of the Presidential Social Sector Summit in Boksburg today, highlighting the importance of civil society in addressing some of South Africa’s issues. The aim of the summit was to address socio-economic challenges such as high unemployment and increasing poverty levels. Commissions on the sidelines of the summit have called for a well-resourced and capacitated social sector. Amongst the issues raised was the lack of efficient monitoring of public funds given to organisations in the NGO sector, leading to corruption. They also called for the need for a sustainable funding model for the NGO sector that isn’t solely reliable on the government for the NGO sector. How will the social development department ensure these are implemented? We are now joined by Mpho Mngxitama, Department of Social Development’s Chief director Non-profit Organistions

Learners at Hluvukani Primary school at Xanthia village, Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga are said to have not attended classes since March because the school has only seven mobile classrooms, following the burning of several classrooms at the school early this year.  The learners are said to be coming to school every day just to play, parents have raised concerns regarding what would happen to their children at the end of the academic year.

Guest: Mpumalanga Education Department spokesperson - Gerald Sambo on this to find out what the department's plans are  to address this issue.

we discuss the operation of extortion networks in Cape Town. The area has been marred by mass murders throughout the year, some of which have been linked to extortion networks. Yesterday, Eskom withdrew services in Khayelitsha after its technicians were threatened and asked to pay a protection fee if they want to operate in the area. The extortion networks have built a parallel security and justice system where residents and businesses are threatened to pay a protection fee in order to be safe from crime. How exactly are these networks established and fully operating in a country with a security and justice system?

Guest: Western Cape MEC for Community Safety and Police Oversight, Reagan Allen as well as Peter Gastrow, Senior Advisor, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. 

Guest: Miguel Alfonso Meza, a Mexican citizen who is a Consultant in Strategic Litigation and Anti-Corruption Law. 

A victory for Denel workers. They are breathing a sigh of relief as the company has managed to pay them after months of not being paid. The first payments were made last week Friday and the second payments will be fully paid by end of the week. Solidarity represented about 2000 of the workers

The QuadPara Association of South Africa is appealing to the government and Eskom to rethink their approach to load shedding. The NPO, which advocates for the rights of quadriplegics and paraplegics in the country, says that electricity is needed for a range of assistive devices that are essential to people with disabilities, from charging a power wheelchair to running a pressure-care mattress or ventilator.

Guest: QuadPara Association of South Africa’s Dean Shand.