The View Point

Guest: Delta Mokoena, Better Residents Association President

Today, we shine a spotlight on the Better Residents Association, a minor political entity in South Africa with a turbulent history. Originally known as the Bushbuckridge Residents Association, this party emerged from discontent within the African National Congress in 2011.

formerly known as the Bushbuckridge Residents Association – was formed in 2011 by the Bushbuckridge community under the leadership of Delta Mokwena and its founding leader, Cleopas Maunye.

The party’s formation came after a number of service delivery concerns by the local community, claiming despite memorandums sent to key government officials, no response was received.

The party’s emblem represents a spring, symbolically reflecting new life.

Guest: Dr. Steven Gordon, Senior Research Specialist of the Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) division at the Human Sciences Research Council

 The study examines the mental health of external migrants in South Africa, a subject which has previously attracted little attention from researchers. Drawing on a unique survey covering ten township communities, the study focuses on depression as a key driver of mental health. Research results established material deprivation, discrimination, and contact with diverse host populations as significant contributors to depression within this group. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers to develop targeted interventions to support external migrants' mental wellbeing and facilitate their integration into South African society.

It's the first Monday if the month and today's Monday Lecture will be delivered by the  Mduduzi Vilakazi who is the Chief Executive officer of Mphumalanga Tourism

The theme for this evening's lecture is

- Positioning Mpumalanga as the Nation's Premier tourism province

 - Border management

 - LED - Environmental Management

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The mission of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency is to grow tourism and manage biodiversity to stimulate sustainable economic growth that is inclusive and creates decent employment.

The objectives of the Agency are to provide for the sustainable management and promotion of tourism and nature conservation in the province, and to ensure the sustainable utilisation of natural resources.

The Agency achieves this by: providing for effective management and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems within the province; developing and ensuring effective management of protected areas; fostering, promoting, and developing and marketing tourism sustainably; and promoting and creating socio-economic growth and transformation within the tourism and conservation industry, thereby creating economic and employment opportunities for previously disadvantaged individuals and local communities in the province.

Guest: Mduduzi Herman Vilakazi, Chief Executive Offcer , Mduduzi Vilakazi 

Guest: Advocate Tertius Wessels, Legal Director at Strata – G Solutions 

A Gauteng woman who was fired for smoking cannabis after work for medical reasons took her fight to the Labour Appeal Court of South Africa and emerged victorious. Bernadette Enever filed an appeal against Barloworld South Africa’s decision to dismiss her on April 20, 2020, for going against their zero-approach policy to drugs and alcohol. In June 2022, the Johannesburg Labour Court ruled in favour of Barloworld, but this week the appeal court set aside their ruling in what could possibly be deemed as a ground-breaking judgment. The Labour Appeal Court found that Barloworld’s policy was “overbroad” and infringed on Enever’s right to privacy. We find out more on the merits of this case and what this outcome means for employers…

Guest: Mrs Vuyiswa Ramokgopa , Party premier candidate for Gauteng and national chairperson

Political party Rise Mzansi recently launched its provincial election manifesto for Gauteng kick-starting its campaign and revealing its plan for the province should it emerge victorious at the polls. The Party premier candidate and national chairperson Vuyiswa Ramokgopa credited the province's collapse from being a bustling economic and cultural hub to years of neglect, mismanagement, and poor leadership. Ramokgopa says the party has developed unique plan for Gauteng , which will be our pillars for good governance.”

Guest: Ms Hester Venter , Deputy Master of the North Gauteng

Across South Africa, offices of the master of the high court are buckling, and attorneys who must deal with them daily are at their wits’ end. Lawyers are increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with the deepening dysfunctionality of the offices of the Master of the High Court. They highlight that the Master’s Office is causing significant delays, lasting months or even years, for crucial legal administrative procedures that should ideally be completed within weeks. The Master’s Office is responsible for overseeing numerous legal processes, including the winding up of estates of the deceased, handling bankruptcy and liquidation matters, and managing hundreds of millions of rands for the Guardian’s Fund. We find out more on the state of the Masters cause, and the offices plans to address this administrative nightmare.

Guest: Dr. Eileen Carter, Provincial Head: Eastern Cape of South African Human Rights Commission · South African Human Rights Commission

In 2022, 21 youths, aged between 13 and 21, died at Enyobeni Tavern in East London. Two years later there is no definitive cause of death for those in the tavern, and since then, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) conducted a probe into this tragedy. Through this investigation, they found that liquor regulations have not been adequately enforced by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB), and the police failed to address complaints. The SAHRC joins us this evening to unpack in details the findings of the report…

Guest: Dr Theo De Jager - Board Chair of Policy Research and Analysis at the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis (FANRPAN)

Southern Africa is in the grip of an urgent crisis with a record-breaking dry spell lasting over 30 days scorching eight countries - Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

El Niño and climate change are fueling this disaster, inflicting severe damage to crops and livestock over the past five years. Experts highlight that the situation is dire and demands immediate attention. Widespread crop failure looms in Malawi,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Livestock are dying at alarming rates due to a lack of water and vegetation. The movement of desperate people and animals is spreading diseases, including those transmissible to humans with over 9000 cattle deaths being reported since October 2023. This is a humanitarian crisis demanding immediate action to negate the worsening of the suffering of communities within the SADC region. We find out from our guest this evening the extent of this problem and the urgent interventions needed. 

Guest: Dr Linda Meyer -  Education expert, and Managing Director of Rosebank College

The practice of awarding honorary doctorates indeed carries a rich tradition, recognising individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their fields or society at large. However, controversies surrounding the legitimacy of such awards have also arisen, particularly when institutions not authorised to grant degrees confer them. In South Africa, where there's been an increase in both legitimate and questionable awards of honorary doctorates, scrutiny becomes essential with the Department of Higher Education's condemnation of certain institutions for awarding honorary degrees highlights the need for oversight and regulation.

With the recurring trend of bogus institution awarding these degrees we take a moment this evening to discuss the merits and credibility of honorary doctorates. Public awareness and education about the significance of honorary doctorates can also help mitigate controversies and ensure that these accolades retain their prestige and credibility.

 Furthermore we interrogate the role of the council for higher education maintaining the integrity of honorary doctorates.

Guest: Dr Caitlin Frisby - Postdoctoral Researcher and Audiologist at The Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at UP

In Africa, an estimated 136 million people are currently living with hearing loss, a figure expected to swell to 337 million by 2050.  This silent epidemic has profound social and economic repercussions contributing to a global cost of untreated hearing loss estimated at US$980 billion annually.

 In Africa it is exacerbated by a dire shortage of audiologists, with fewer than one for every million people, and the prohibitive costs of hearing aids for many in low- to middle-income countries. Only 2% of those who need hearing aids in Africa wear them. It is for this reason a University of Pretoria professor of audiology in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the hearX Foundation are Revolutionising access to hearing care by pioneering community-based hearing care initiatives in low-income communities in Kenya, as well as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Mbekweni, Atteridgeville and the Eastern Cape province in South Africa.