World News: All eyes are on the US state of Georgia as residents returned to the polls yesterday for the Senate run-off. But why is it so important? You may recall that no candidate in either of Georgia’s Senate races won a majority of the vote on November 3 last year, triggering a runoff for both seats, with the top two candidates in each race facing off. Control of the Senate now hinges on the outcome of these two races.

Guest on the line (France) Professor John Keiger, Retired Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Cambridge (UK)

A Community activist at Shallcross, south of Durban says that although one of the biggest alleged drug lords in area has been killed, the illegal drug trade will still thrive in the area. The Anti-Drug Forums' Sam Pillay was reacting to the murder of, Yaganathan Pillay, also known as Teddy Mafia, who was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. Two others were killed and brazenly beheaded in broad daylight as the community looked on. Pillay urges national government to deploy more police to ensure that the "turf wars" are controlled and citizens protected.

GUEST: Sam Pillay, Director of the Anti-Drug Forum

Teacher union Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie, SAOU is calling for educators to be prioritised when it comes to vaccinations. In a statement, SAOU says that so far 1-thousand-659-hundred teachers have lost their lives to covid-19 while several thousands of educators are infected.
GUEST: Chris Klopper, CEO of the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie (SAOU)

Home Affairs department has increased the number of officers at the Beitbridge border post in Musina, Limpopo, as people return home. Neighbouring Zimbabwe is set to effect a ban on non-essential business travel, starting today. The country also returned to a hard lockdown on Saturday due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
GUEST: Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi

Some South Africans are taking to social media to show themselves ingesting ivermectin that is registered only for animal use in this country. On the other hand - experts are warning that South Africa’s ivermectin products are not registered as human medicine and have been tested for safety in animals, not humans.
Guest: Prof Adrian Tordiffe. Associate Professor in Veterinary Pharmacology at the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria

We hear from Lungi Mtshali on why Cogta has decided to appeal the ruling on the sale of tobacco products. You may recall that last year during the hard lockdown, government banned the use of tobacco sales, however this was challenged by British American Tobacco and it asked the court to declare the ban unlawful. In its judgment, the court found that regulation 45 of the hard lockdown limited smokers' rights to human dignity because it denied them the choice of buying tobacco products. So why did government take so long to challenge the ruling?
Guest: Lungi Mtshali, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

World News: Yesterday, schools reopened in Kenya after being closed since March last year due to the coronavirus. However – anxious parents are worried about the safety of their children as the country continues to report COVID-19 infections.
Guest on the line (Kenya) Sarah Kimani, SABC Correspondent based in Kenya

The Covid-19 pandemic dominated headlines across the globe in 2020 and will undoubtedly continue to do so this year. But how has South Africa handled the pandemic? And how should the country continue to tackle this crisis going forward? To expand a bit more on this topic, I am joined on the line by various political parties, to share their respective sentiments on the discussion and also share their new year political resolutions for 2021 - what they are hoping to achieve as a party.

GUEST: Natasha Mazzone, MP and Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Parliament
GUEST: Mkhuleko Hlengwa, IFP MP and National spokesperson
GUEST: Dr. Pieter Groenewald, Leader of the Freedom Front Plus, FF Plus

Police officers have been attacked by community members while arresting undocumented foreigners at Greenside extension 44 outside Polokwane in Limpopo. Police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo says police were assaulted and police vehicles pelted with stones by some community members who managed to release undocumented foreign nationals from police vehicles over the weekend. Meanwhile, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) have condemned the attacks and say "it can be viewed as an unscrupulous means not only to undermine law enforcement but to also generate lawlessness within the community". To elaborate further on the union's sentiments, I am joined on the line by their National spokesperson, Richard Mamabolo...

GUEST: Richard Mamabolo, Spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU)

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is considering legal action to force the government to acquire a Covid-19 vaccine. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says government is still in talks with pharmaceutical companies and no deals have been signed yet regarding the procurement of a COVID-19 vaccine. The IRR say they will be approaching the Minister of Health, all MECs for Health, and other stakeholders to learn what vaccine-related supplies have been procured. The Institute's Head of Strategic Initiatives, Hermann Pretorius, joins us on the line...
GUEST: Hermann Pretorius, Head of Strategic Initiatives at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR)