Health authorities in KwaZulu-Natal are concerned that only fewer people have been vaccinated in the province. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane recently revealed that the number of people who have vaccinated in the province is extremely low and according to her, those that live in rural areas and townships are the ones that are not coming out to vaccinate. 

Guest: Tulio de Oliveira, Professor of Bioinformatics at the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking @ Stellenbosch University

SADC has launched Regional Counter Terrorism Centre to advance counter-terrorism prevention. The launch of the centre comes at a time the Region, through the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) is in the middle of fighting terrorism and violent extremism in Cabo Delgado. Following the launch of the centre, there are those who argue that there is still a need for the adoption of counter-terrorism measures, taking into consideration the current security landscape and emerging threats in the region. To tell us more about the centre is……..

Guest: Lenin Ndebele, head of News24 Afrika Desk

Parents and management at Modilati Secondary School in Hammanskraal have met to establish what happened when some learners reportedly fainted and hallucinated at the school a few days ago. Teaching and learning was interrupted at the school after a number of  learners from different classes fainted. It was reported that other learners were running around the school acting strange. Teachers were trying to help them but ultimately had to call their parents to take them home.  An urgent parents meeting was called and a resolution made that pastors and traditional healers be called to the school.

GUESTS: Steve Mabona - Spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education 

Guest: Dr fanyani Hlongwane

We now tell you more about SALGA’s National Conference that is currently underway in Cape Town. The conference theme is “Consolidating the role of local government in rebuilding local communities to meet their social, economic and material needs”.

Addressing the National conference, President Cyril Ramaphosa says over the past 27 years, government has made commendable  progress in delivering services to the people of the country

He also urged new councillors to give feedback to residents whether programs planned have succeeded or not. He also reminded the councillors that unless basic services are functional investors will not put money into local communities.

Guest: Mxolisi Kaunda - Executive Mayor

Against the backdrop of recent reports of babies being dumped, the Western Cape Department of Social Development has warned members of the public that dumping a baby is a criminal offence. They are also appealing to all expectant mothers who are unable to take care of their babies to seek assistance either at any clinic, or to approach their nearest department of social development local office.

 Guest: Sharna Fernandez, MEC for Social Development in the Western Cape

What now for Libya as the incumbent prime minister refuses to relinquish power? As Libya’s parliament pushes ahead with its plans to replace the incumbent prime minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah who was installed through a UN-supported process last year. Dbeibah continues to refuse to step down, which leaves Libya without a unified government. For more analysis on this, we are joined by…..

Guest: Ebrahim Deen, Senior Researcher at the Afro-Middle East Centre

The National Health Department has raised concerns about the rising number of illegal abortions in the country. This is despite the existence of 346 public health facilities authorised to perform legal and safe abortions. The Deputy Minister for the Department of health says many women, who opt for illegal abortions claim that the reception at public health facilities is unwelcoming. He acknowledged that there is still a lot of stigmatisation around abortion, and a lot still needs to be done.

Deputy Minister Dlomo reported that the public health facilities conducted 11 621 abortions on adolescents during the 2021/22 financial year; and they also terminated another 73 426 pregnancies on young women about the age of 20. 

GUEST: Deputy Minister of Health Sibongiseni Dlomo

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has fired suspended Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz from the provincial Cabinet with immediate effect. Winde’s decision comes after receiving the findings of an independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct made against Fritz. The report found that there was sufficient credibility in the allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse levelled against Frizt.

Guest: Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape

Tonight's fuel price increase is expected to come as a blow to farmers and subsequently the already financially-burdened consumer. According to Agri South Africa, several farmers may be put out of business due to operating costs caused by the increase. The Ukraine-Russia conflict is also a cause for concern - farmers will be hard hit and it's the emerging farmers that are most likely to take a severe hit.  Both grades of petrol will increase by one rand 46 cents per litre. Diesel will see a hike of up to one rand-48 cents per litre.

GUEST: Dr Scruffie Qwabe - Lecturer at the University of Free State and bouder of Ubuntu Agrirenaissance  

About 200 staff members of state-owned South African Airways will be let go at the end of March. These employees chose not to take voluntary severance packages during SAA's business rescue process and opted to be placed on a government-run training scheme. SAA resumed operations on the 23rd of September 2021 after being the first state-owned enterprise to go into business rescue in December 2019. Bailouts to the tune of more than R30 billion failed to save the airline after more than a decade of financial mismanagement. The SA Cabin Crew Association (SACCA), however, said that ordinary workers keep paying the price for corruption and mismanagement at SAA and are now facing an uncertain future.
 

GUEST: Zazi Nsibanyoni-Mugambi - President of the SA Cabin Crew Association