The View Point

Guest: PROF. MUSA XULA, Executive Director at the Heritage Development Trust

INTERVIEW: Heritage preservation and celebration in the 30 years of democracy 

1. A brief history of the organisation you're coming from and what it does  
2. The milestones in the past 30 years when it comes to preserving heritage and being inclusive - what are the challenges   
3. The role of heritage and the arts in a fragmented society - how can it bring healing and cohesion 
4. The heritage economy - are we tapping enough into it? What do we have to offer? 

Prof Musa Xulu 

• He holds a PhD in Anthropology of Music; A PhD in Cultural Heritage Tourism; A PhD in Ministry 

The Heritage Development Trust 

• a public benefit organization that conducts research and development on heritage related issues including Heritage Economics ( Heritage Tourism and Local Economic Development). 
• They also hold annual awards recognizing achievers in the heritage sphere

Guest: Gugulethu Ndebele, Executive Director of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG)

Ms. Gugulethu “Gugu” Ndebele is currently the Executive Director of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG).

Gugu joined the organisation after a long and distinguished career as the CEO of Save the Children South Africa, one of the leading child rights organizations in the world, operating in 120 countries.

Previously, she worked at the Department of Basic Education where she was Deputy Director-General primarily responsible for Social Mobilisation and Support Services. Gugu was also one of the pioneers of the biggest Adult Literacy Campaign in SA (Kha ri Gude), the Recapitalisation of Vocational Colleges and the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).

Women leaders - the Intersection of culture, identity, self and business

Guest: Nonhlanhla ‘Nana’ Magubane, Managing Director and Co-founder of eYami Fashion and Lifestyle 

20h25 – THE TAKEOVER:

Title:                         [• Ms.] 

Name:                       [• Nonhlanhla ‘Nana’ Magubane]

Position AND org. [• Managing Director and Co-founder of eYami Fashion and Lifestyle  ]

Guest: HE Ms Ayşegül Kandaş, Turkish diplomat and Turkey ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the RSA were established in 1993. Embassy of the RSA in Ankara and the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria were established on 27 February 1993 and 22 March 1994 respectively.

Türkiye has an Honorary General-Consulate in Cape Town. There are RSA’a Honorary General-Consulates in İstanbul, İzmir and Mersin.

Recent high-level visits have contributed a lot for the enhancement of bilateral relations in every field.

There exists willingness on both sides and a great potential for the development of relations between Türkiye and RSA in all fields.

In the Sub-Saharan Africa, RSA is the leading trade partner of Türkiye. Türkiye’s trade with RSA, which is approximately 18 percent of our trade with the Sub-Saharan African countries. Trade volume between two countries in 2019 was 1,3 billion USD (export from Türkiye: 552,5 million USD; import to Türkiye: 757,5 million USD).

Approximately 70 Turkish companies operate in RSA. The value of the Turkish investments in RSA is more than 600 million USD. These investments are mostly in the mining and textile sectors. Moreover, there are many Turkish companies especially in Cape Town and Johannesburg which carry out retail and wholesale, as well as import of textiles, carpets and food products.

The number of Turkish citizens resident in RSA is estimated around 3.600.

Exchange of tourists between Türkiye and RSA has considerably increased since the Turkish Airlines started anew to fly between İstanbul-Johannesburg-Cape Town on 17 September 2007. Turkish Airlines also started direct flights to Cape Town (in October 2015) and to Durban (in November 2015).

Turkish Government, within the framework of Türkiye Scholarships, allocates undergraduate and graduate scholarships to the South African Government every year.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the RSA were established in 1993. Embassy of the RSA in Ankara and the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria were established on 27 February 1993 and 22 March 1994 respectively.

Türkiye has an Honorary General-Consulate in Cape Town. There are RSA’a Honorary General-Consulates in İstanbul, İzmir and Mersin.

Recent high-level visits have contributed a lot for the enhancement of bilateral relations in every field.

There exists willingness on both sides and a great potential for the development of relations between Türkiye and RSA in all fields.

In the Sub-Saharan Africa, RSA is the leading trade partner of Türkiye. Türkiye’s trade with RSA, which is approximately 18 percent of our trade with the Sub-Saharan African countries. Trade volume between two countries in 2019 was 1,3 billion USD (export from Türkiye: 552,5 million USD; import to Türkiye: 757,5 million USD).

 The SIU's investigation on the Medico Legal Claims against the Department of Health. Revelations we made about unscrupulous practices by legal and health practitioners. Though there are a number of legal practitioners who have been found wanting, Minister Aaron Motsoaledi only mentioned one. 

Guest: ALDRED HONA - Eastern Cape regional director: Legal Practice Council

1. The collusion between legal practitioners and health practitioners - could lack of audit and over sight be blamed - where should the health department turn to if the legal professionals are defrauding them? 

1. When lawyers are fingered in such cases, what would the LPC's involvement be (I suppose this dovetails with the overall role of the LPC  

1. Would it be enough for these lawyers to just be disbarred if they are found guilty (there are some who continue to offer some of legal consultancy even after being disbarred)   
2. Victims who turn to lawyers and end up being defrauded by the lawyers - when lawyers commit crimes against their clients 

Guest: Reece May, Senior Associate in the Competition Law practice at leading corporate and commercial law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

For Legal feature this week we unpack the topic of unemployment and how South Africa faces one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. This is the primary reason the Competition Commission must consider the effect on employment when evaluating a proposed merger.

According to our guest this evening, it has become standard practice in South Africa when there is a merger for restrictions to be imposed by the competition authorities – especially in respect of retrenchments. Competition authorities and courts have often had to decide whether a retrenchment is due to a merger or just a regular operational change. They look at both the facts and the law, but the main focus is always on what likely caused the job cuts. Reasonably, they allow retrenchments that aren't linked to a merger. All proposed retrenchments should be disclosed in a merger filing, along with evidence as to why such job losses are not merger-specific.

South African women entrepreneurs face a higher business exit rate compared to their male counterparts, signaling a critical need for enhanced support. The latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) South Africa Report 2023/2024 by Stellenbosch Business School reveals that while women are increasingly starting businesses, they struggle more than men to sustain them beyond the early stages. The report identifies challenges such as limited access to funding, greater personal responsibilities, and gender biases as key factors contributing to this disparity. Addressing these issues through targeted support

GUEST:  Natanya Meyer, Associate Professor at University of Johannesburg and lead-author of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report by Stellenbosch Business School

Guest: Dr. Pali Lehohla, Former statistician general, Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University ] 

South African women are outperforming men in getting more, so they are very much on top of their game. However, the sad reality is that gender-based violence and patriarchy is so prevalent in South Africa, women are still under this cloud.

This is according to Dr Pali Lehohla, Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg and South Africa's former Statistician General.

He further goes on to say that in the context of patriarchal dominance in South Africa women getting ahead of men leads to gender-based violence; and that cleansing ourselves of our brokenness as society is a necessary condition to normalise us as society. 

Guest: Prof. Elena Moore, Principal Investigator. I am an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cape Town

 A team from UCT’s Sociology Department, led by Prof Elena Moore, has out together a study which examines the tensions and struggles over elder care that  are happening in South Africa between family caregivers, care 

workers and the state.  These struggles are experienced and 

expressed at the familial and community level but are best understood by examining how the state has de-funded facilities  in favour of ‘ageing in place’ without any additional investment  in community and home-based care support. The findings reveal  that stresses on unpaid and paid carers are expressed in terms of  individual failings and interpersonal conflict rather than through a  socio-political contextual lens. These findings contribute to how a 

familialist care regime impacts the everyday personal relationships 

between paid and unpaid carers of older persons.

Guest: Henning Melber, Extraordinary Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria

The recent South African election results on 29 May, revealing a significant drop in support for the African National Congress (ANC) from 57% to 40%, underscore a pivotal moment in the country's democratic evolution. This decline not only highlights the waning popularity of former liberation movements across southern Africa but also confirms long-standing critiques of their governance. Since the late 1990s, I have examined the limitations and challenges faced by these movements once in power. As new electoral contests loom, such as Namibia's upcoming elections, these issues may further reveal the struggles of transforming liberation movements into effective, democratic governance structures.

Guest: Raymond Zondo, Chief Justice of South Africa]

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is set to retire at the end of the month, making way for Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya to assume the role on September 1, 2024. Zondo's tenure, though short at just over 24 months, has been eventful and impactful, drawing parallels to his predecessor, Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, whose term ended abruptly after 21 months. Beginning his career as a labour attorney, Zondo played a pivotal role in drafting the Labour Relations Act of 1995, marking the start of his distinguished judicial journey. His contributions as a justice of the Constitutional Court, particularly in labour law, and his leadership of the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, have cemented his legacy as a prominent figure in South Africa's judiciary. As Zondo steps down, the spotlight shifts to the achievements and challenges of his tenure, and we reflect this evening on his illustrious career.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo officially retires at the end of this month, and  Deputy Chief Justice Mandisa Maya will take over the top job on 1 September 2024.

At a little over 24 months, Zondo’s term was short – although not as short as Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo’s, which lasted for 21 months from October 2009 until its abrupt, court-ordered end in August 2011