Action by small businesses matters in creating big change – in a non-disruptive way. Small and medium-sized enterprises make up 90% of all companies worldwide, and are key to creating a stronger and more resilient global trading system. The first-ever Global SME Ministerial seeks to bring countries together to develop solutions that will take place at the grassroots level of small businesses.

The SME Ministerial Meeting 2025 arrives at a pivotal moment. This year South Africa holds the presidency of the Group of 20 leading economies. That highlights the importance of holding this meeting to show how small businesses drive growth within national economies.

By sharing success stories, lessons learned, and best practices, the meeting will strengthen global efforts to grow small businesses through trade. This is a unique opportunity to showcase innovations, engage in crucial policy discussions, and build partnerships.

For our Municipal Watch this morning we talk to the Gauteng Treasury about their relationship with municipalities. This comes after the province’s MEC for Finance raised concerns about the state of municipalities in Gauteng and calling on them to improve their financial management and service delivery. So we use this opportunity to get an understanding the sort of interventions the provincial treasury comes with and the sort of programmes they have to assist municipalities. To educate us on this, we are joined by… 

Guest (Telephone): Owen Witbooi - Deputy Director General of Municipal Finance at the Gauteng Treasury

Earlier this month (8 July 2025), the Competition Commission announced that it had reached an agreement with Vodacom and Maziv on revised conditions that allow the parties to proceed with a merger that had been prohibited by the Competition Tribunal. Vodacom acquiring a stake in Maziv, a South African fibre infrastructure company, with the goal of creating a leading fibre provider. Initially, Vodacom planned to acquire a 30% stake, with an option to increase it to 40%.

Our next guest is concerned that these updated revisions may lead to monopoly in the telecommunications sector & make finding an affordable internet connectivity difficult especially when it comes to providers and price regulation. They also question the basis of this decision made by Competition Commission to allow this merger to take place. To tell us more about this, we are joined by...

Guest: Koketso Moeti  - Executive Director at Amandla!Mobi

Last week concerned religious leaders and civic organisations got together to discuss the on-going problem of gangsterism in some of the Western Cape communities. They say that they want to lead a grassroots moral structural regeneration campaign to deal with what they say is a “constitutional, moral and humanitarian emergency”. If you listen to the news on a daily basis you are likely to hear of gang related shootings that often claim lives of children and innocent bystanders. Police have been making all sorts of promises to deal with the problem, but still the killings continue. Let's hear then from some of those who decided to do something about it. As far as they are concerned, what is behind the on-going problem and what would they say are the best solutions. Also what is it like to live in some of these communities? To tell us more, we are joined by.

Guest: Dr Llewellyn MacMaster - Founder of the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition 

Guest: Norman Janjes - Chairman of the Mitchell’s Plain Community Policing Forum  

Guest: Moulana Muhammed Ilyaas Samaai - Representing the Muslim Judicial Council, he is  based at Masjidul Mubarak in Belhar

Guest: Lerato Tsebe

This morning, Bryan Hirsch is back and he speaks to us about following topic: the use of trusts in South Africa has often been overplayed. However, they remain an effective estate planning tool in certain circumstances. So, when is it in your best interest to use a trust. To tell us more about this, we are joined by…

Guest : Bryan Hirsch, Chairperson of Bryan Hirsch, Colley & Associates (Pty) Limited (www.bhca.co.za)

There has been mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa's appointment of a commission of enquiry into allegations of corruption against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. The Minister has since denied the allegations and said he will corporate fully with the commission. This has no doubt further dampened the already bruised image of the South African Police Services. So this morning we hear what the public sector as this is affecting their members and also what do they make of how the issue is being handled. Let's welcome…

Guest: Mpho Kwinana - Secretary General of the Independent Policing Union of South Africa

Guest: Reuben Maleka - General Manager Public Servants Association

Guest: Lesiba Thobakgale - Spokesperson for the South African Policing Union

In the past year, young people took to the streets in Kenya against the proposed government tax bill. Kenya is facing an economic crisis and ate the second largest borrower from the International Monetary Fund. Meanwhile, young people in Kenya are facing the major challenges of unemployment, inequality, political exclusion and poverty. Violent clashes in the past month led to at least 16 people losing their lives has illustrated the issue around public order policing and excessive force being used to repress voices of the people. In this discussion, we outline the importance of this movement and how youth mobilization may play a role in the lead up to elective season in 2027. We are joined by…

Guest: Kim Heller - Writer, political analyst and social justice activist

Guest: Adv. Paul Kenneth Kinyua - Advocate of the High Court of Kenya & Senior Legal Researcher at the Environment and Land Court (the Judiciary - Kenya)

For many women and children trapped in abusive homes, a Helpline is the first life-saving step toward freedom and safety. Many victims of GBVF face stigma when they report violent incidents to the police. In this hour, we speak about the importance of the helplines as a first step for victims to be heard, get counselling and find a place of safety.

One of our next guests works for a national body supporting over 100 shelters that provide refuge for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy to keep its National GBV Helpline running. The Helpline not only provides trauma support, it also trains staff, houses victims and require critical resources such as safety planning materials to help train staff. To tell us more, we are joined by…

Guest: Anisa Moosa - National Coordinator at the National Shelter Movement of South Africa

Guest: Tandi Nzimande - Chief Executive Officer at the GBVF Response Fund