The South African Federation of Trade Unions is today staging a protest outside the Cape Town City Hall where President Cyril Ramaphosa will be giving his State of the Nation Address. They say that they would like to expose the president for not fulfilling his promises. Our reporter Mlamli Maneli is there covering the story and also speaking to the leadership of the union….

Guest: Mlamli Maneli – SABC reporter in Cape Town

Are South African prisons safe?: We are posing this question following a horrific incident that occurred yesterday morning at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre where three officials were stabbed by an inmate. According to the department of correctional services, criminal charges will be instituted against the inmate in question.

Guest: Singabakho Nxumalo, Spokesperson of the Department of Correctional Services

World News: We unpack the Human Rights Watch Report that was released earlier today, titled “How Can You Throw Us Back?”: The report  focuses on the 80-90 Cameroonians deported during the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency, between October 2020 and January 2021. It also documents violence, prolonged detention, and other mistreatment Cameroonians experienced in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, and analyzes due process concerns that appeared to lead to unfair denials of multiple asylum claims.

Guest on the line (US): Lauren Seibert, Africa researcher and author of the report

The cash-strapped Amahlathi Local Municipality has reportedly arranged a credit facility with a local Pick n Pay for its employees. They include the mayor, councillors and senior officials. They will get food on credit as the council does not have money to pay salaries until June. According to municipality records, their bank balance is sitting at R1-million- rand while the monthly salary bill is R11 million. To tell us more on this, we are joined on the line by…

Guest:  VICKY KNOETZE - DA SHADOW MEC FOR COGTA IN THE EASTERN CAPE

The Johannesburg High Court has declared the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act of 1987 unconstitutional. Currently the Act dictates that the Family Advocate can only deal with children of married parents. Unmarried parents have to go through a costly court application, rather than just fill in a form, as is the case when married parents’ divorce.

Guest: Karabo Ozah, Director of the Centre for Child Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria

Former Democratic Alliance federal chairperson and Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip has joined Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA. Trollip says he joined ActionSA because he wants to see real democratic political change.

Guest: Athol Trollip, new member of ActionSA

As you heard in the news that the Gauteng Health Department says it is normal practice for police officers not to be subjected to the same security procedures as the public especially if they are in uniform and driving a state vehicle. This follows a shooting incident in which a police officer in uniform and driving a police vehicle shot and killed his nursing assistant partner at the Tembisa hospital east of Johannesburg this morning. Let’s speak now to someone who was there this morning and agreed to come on anonymously….

Guest: ANON

The City of Tshwane says that it has embarked on an “aggressive and unprecedented” revenue collecting campaign where they are disconnecting water and electricity to government departments, embassies and commercial properties. They go on to say that they are owed R17-billion by government departments, embassies and homeowners who have defaulted on their municipal accounts. To tell us more on this campaign, we are joined on the line by….

Guest: Mmaseabata Mutlaneng, Tshwane Acting Municipal Manager

The African Christian Democratic Party has raised concerns about the new amendments to Covid-19 State of Disaster Management Act that were introduced by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs last week. The party is worried that under the new directives, South Africans could be detained and administered vaccines against their will.

Guest: Steve Swart, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) Member of Parliament

Liqour traders from South Africa and Kenya have formed an alliance of like-minded traders on the continent. The aim is to achieve government recognition and provide input during policy formulation. The Pan African Liquor Trader's Alliance will be 'headquarted' in Nairobi. It will engage with governments on various matters like tax and excise duty, and trade licensing. It will also launch social campaigns such as fighting Gender-Based Violence. For more on this, we are joined by……

Guest on the line (Kenya) Sarah Kimani, SABC East African Correspondent