North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development reacts to GIWUSA’s call regarding Clover SA leaving the province. GIWUSA (the General Industries Workers Union of SA) is calling on provincial government to take over the Clover milk factory. This after Clover decided to close its doors in December last year because of poor service delivery by the local municipality. However, efforts were made to prevent the company from leaving the province. In June last year, former North West Premier, Prof Job Mokgoro despatched a team that was led by MEC Desbo Mohono to meet the management of the cheese manufacturing company in an effort to save jobs. So what has changed since then and what’s the current position of the provincial government on the matter. 

Guest: Desbo Mohono, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development in the North West

The Public Servants Association says that it is disturbed by the decision of the health department in KwaZulu-Natal to put a moratorium on vacancies in the clinical and administration support divisions. These positions they say include doctors, nurses and administration staff. The PSA goes on to highlight the fact that the moratorium has been in place since 2011. To give us a sense of how this has impacted on service delivery in that province, we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Mlungisi Ndlovu - Public Servants Association Provincial Manager in KZN

‘Please Call Me’ inventor Nkosana Makate has won another court battle against cell-phone giant Vodacom. Earlier today, the Pretoria High Court ruled that Makate is entitled to be paid 5% of the total voice revenue generated from the Please Call Me product from March 2001 to March 2021. The court also accused Vodacom of not negotiating in good faith with him. Nkosana Makate joins us now to react to this…..

Guest: Nkosana Makate, ‘Please Call Me’ inventor

Let’s speak now to Gibela Rail Consortium. They are trying to alert members of the public especially young people about a video calling for applicants for its 2022 bursaries doing the rounds on social media. The video features a woman speaking in Sepedi saying that Gibela is offering 10 000 bursaries for learners older than 15 years. It then directs users to a link for them to upload their personal details. Let’s take a listen to what she says in the video….

Guest: Loyiso Jiya – Head of Communications at Gibela Rail Consortium

We dissect Botswana’s new controversial Criminal Procedure and Evidence Bill. Following massive opposition to it – the Botswana government has decided to revise certain aspects of the Bill, however there are those who feel that the Bill is still not in favour of individual freedoms. If it was left unchallenged, the Bill would have allowed investigators to intercept private communications without a court order. Under the revised bill, tapping private conversations now becomes an offense. For more on this, we are joined by…..

Guest : Spencer Mogapi, Chairperson of the Botswana Editors Forum

British lawmaker and anti-apartheid activist Lord Peter Hain joins us to discuss Bain’s corruption and the company’s involvement in capturing the state. Hain has been consistently calling on the UK government to freeze state contracts with Bain after the release of the Zondo report on state capture.

Guest: Lord Peter, British lawmaker and anti-apartheid activist

The Hawks have arrested two suspects in Limpopo for alleged corruption and maladministration related to the investment made by the Thulamela local municipality in the now defunct VBS mutual bank. The suspects - aged 49 and 52 - were arrested in Thohoyandou. The Thulamela local municipality had invested 30-million rand in the mutual bank, but it managed to get it back before the bank collapsed. To tell us more on the arrests, we are joined on the line by…

Guest: Katlego Mogale - Hawks spokesperson

As the country is preparing for the State of the Nation Address which is due to take place on Thursday evening. Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele talks to us about the significance of this year’s SONA which also coincides with government’s Census campaign. For the first time in the history of South Africa’s constitutional democracy, the State of the Nation Address will take place outside the regular precincts of Parliament.

Guest: Mondli Gungubele, Minister in the Presidency 

July violence

The expert panel that was set-up by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the July unrest has found that the response of both the police and intelligence was inadequate. The panel also says that cabinet must be held accountable for the violence which claimed the lives of more than 300 people.

Guest: Dr Jackie Cilliers, Head of African Futures and Innovation at the Institute for Security

A 27-year-old father is in police custody after he allegedly raped his 2-year old toddler which resulted in her death. The father will appear in the Lusikisiki Magistrates Court today where he will face a charge of murder and rape. On the other hand, Eastern Cape’s Social Development MEC has condemned this barbaric act and her department has since dispatched social workers to render a comprehensive range of psychosocial support services to the family.

Guest: Siphokazi Lusithi, MEC for Social Development in the Eastern Cape