The Weekend View

So what process awaits in Parliament after all votes have been counted, declared and seats allocated? To tell us more we are joined  by Advocate Modibedi Phindela, Secreatry to the National Council of Provinces, NCOP.

#HOPE4SA is a small political party launched ...months ago and participated in the 2024 election. The party, which campaigned on the hope and a promise for change in South Africa's political landscape, has so far garnered  just above 26 000 votes or 0.17% of the national vote. To tell us about their experience we spoke to #HOPE4SA National Secretary, Dianne Kruger...

The Elders group of world leaders has said "no country is above the law" and Israel's "unlawful approach" to its war on Gaza cannot continue following the ICJ's order to halt military operations in the Rafah area. This comes as the ICJ on FRIDAY called on Israel to end its operation in Rafah. Over the last two weeks, Israel has reduced entire neighborhoods in Rafah to rubble and forcefully displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Israel has since responded to the ICJ ruling calling it "outrageous, morally repugnant and disgusting", adding that accusations of genocide in Gaza "are false".  As the International Court was handing down its ruling on Rafah, Israeli forces were intensifying their attacks on the city in southern Gaza, with missiles targeting the crowded al-Shabura refugee camp. To find out how Israeli citizens are seeing all this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Israeli journalist, Jonathan Schwartz....

The Department of Justice says it will hold engagements with officials in India following the arrest of Ajay and Anil Gupta on Friday for their alleged involvement in the death of a man in that country. Speaking to journalists at YESTERDAY's ANC rally at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola clarified that Gupta family members had indeed been arrested in India, but they were not the ones South Africa issued a warrant of arrest for. Reports say Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta were arrested on Friday for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent builder in Dehradun, India. South Africa however wants Rajesh and Atul Gupta, who left the country for Dubai, and are facing numerous investigations of large-scale corruption. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to our  International Editor Sophie Mokoena  to discuss this development....

The drive to Wednesday's national and provincial elections goes a gear up with over 1.6 million voters who applied for special votes casting their ballots TOMORROW and TUESDAY. According to Electoral Commission of South Africa - IEC -, a little over a million special voters will visit voting stations where they were registered, while the remainder will be visited by the IEC's officers at their homes or places of confinement. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have the most approved special votes for both home visits and voting station visits with 335 000 and 320 000 special voters respectively. The time of operations for special votes is from 9am to 5pm. To tell us more  about their readiness for special voters Bongiwe Zwane spoke to w the IEC's Electoral Operations Manager, James Aphane.

Part of the folklore of politics is that being first on a ballot paper is worth at least some extra votes in any general elections. Nkosikhulule Nyembezi , Policy Analyst and Researcher at Election Monitoring Network says for decades, specialists in voting mechanics have studied whether the order in which voters see candidates on the ballot impacts election results and that they have long recognised that the order in which candidates' names appear on a ballot influences voters' decisions. He says the ballot position clearly and robustly affects the number of undecided and switched votes for the top candidate. Meanwhile, the latest research by the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CDSA), shows that voter choice is not based on only one factor but a combination of many complex and intersecting factors. Social attitudes, political beliefs, socio-economic issues and a desire for a better life are but some of the reasons for their party-political preferences. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, Policy Analyst and Researcher at Election Monitoring Network and Prof Leila Patel, lead researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) 

THIS WEEK South Africa triumphantly returned to the world's greatest floral exhibition, the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London. The country not only secured a Gold medal from the judges but also won the "Best Exhibit in the Pavilion" and the "Best New Design" awards -  a first for South Africa. The last time the country competed at the Chelsea Flower Show, described as the Olympic equivalent of the flower landscape design, was in 2019. This was due to funding problems. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve played a significant role in South Africa's return to the Chelsea Flower Show. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to the reserve's owner Michael Lutzeyer

Some political parties are holding their final weekend campaign rallies TODAY in a last push to woo voters ahead of the national and provincial elections on Wednesday. Among them is the ANC which holds it's SIYAQOBA rally at the 95 thousand seater FNB stadium in Johannesburg. The Red Berets will have their TSHELA THUPA campaign rally at the 46 thousand seater Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. The uMkhonto we Sizwe Party is also holding it's MAYIBUYE rally at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium's people's park later today. Can this last push by political parties make any difference? Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Sanet Madonsela Solomon, Lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of South Africa - UNISA

INTRO: It's Africa Month and today is Africa day.
This is a time when the continent commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity.
While we reflect on what it means to be African as well, let's speak about another part of us that is often under scrutiny. This is monarchs. Is there still a place for them and given modernisation, how do they fit into modern democracy. Lets speak to Imboni Dr Uzwi-lezwe Radebe, Spiritual Leader and Author. 

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since fighting erupted on last year in April.  Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has seen more than 15,000 killed and many more displaced. According to humanitarian aid groups , the violence has worsened an already precarious humanitarian situation.  Last week the the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs  said  that half of Sudan's population needs aid as famine and disease outbreaks are "closing in. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO)  says disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria are spreading in Sudan while people are facing a lack of access to basic needs.  Now Doctors without Borders are raising their concern about the absence of UN and humanitarian actors and that this is further exacerbating the health needs of internally displaced people.... Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Juniper Gordon, Health Advisor of emergency pool at the Doctors without Borders