The Weekend View

It is not yet clear whether any progress has been achieved by the SADC Panel of Elders sent to Zimbabwe this week to ease tensions in the disputed polls won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa against his rival Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa. The Panel's mission, ended YESTERDAY but there are still no reports on who they met and what was discussed. This comes as Chamisa also called for nationwide protests and a re-run of elections. Mnangagwa on the other hand claimed the vote was valid and has warned of a crackdown on anyone inciting violence. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to  Piers Pigou, Head of the Southern Africa Programme at the Institute for Security Studies... 

Some of the people who survived Thursday morning's deadly fire in the Johannesburg city centre have been housed at various shelters in and around the city. About 140 of them have been transported by bus to an accommodation facility owned by the municipality in Kensington, east of the city. The City of Johannesburg has identified a number of buildings around the city where the affected families are being accommodated.  Sebenzile Nkabule spoke to the City of Johannesburg Community Safety MMC, Mgcini Tshwaku.

The National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that 18 suspected cash-in-transit have been killed in a shoot-out with police in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo. He says officers have been tracking the suspects for three days. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Police National Spokesperson, Brigadier Brigadier Athlenda Mathe...

City of Johannesburg's member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for Transport, Kenny Kunene says the city is in dire need of property investors as it faces housing shortages. However, this has become a challenge as developers find it difficult to evict squatters. Kunene's comments come in light of the fire that gutted a city of Johannesburg building killing over 70 illegal occupants. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to the Black Conveyancers Association's Bangiso Mhlabeni

With more than 60 million people living in South Africa, only 410,000 are registered organ donors. Lack of awareness and understanding of tissue and organ donation is believed to be a cause of the inaction. The Organ Donor Foundation is now urging more South Africans to register as organ donors and to share their decision to donate with their families and friends. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Samantha Nicholls, Executive Director of Operations at the Organ Donor Foundation

The Inkatha Freedom Party - IFP - founder and President Emeritus, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi turns 95-year-old today. Buthelezi has been in hospital for weeks after he was admitted following back pain complications. In a statement released last week, Buthelezi's family said he is making steady progress under the supervision of his medical team and were happy with the state of his health. IFP spokesperson and MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa spoke to us about Buthelezi's birthday, his health and the current politics of the IFP.

Earlier this month the BRICS Young Scientist Forum highlighted artificial intelligence - AI -  machine learning and future skills as essential for advancing the goals of BRICS countries. At this week's BRICS Summit, the leaders of the bloc also pledged to secure fair artificial intelligence and announced plans to organize an "AI study group" to closely monitor AI technology's growth. It is against this background that the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference starting today is exploring the pivotal role of artificial intelligence in shaping South Africa, Africa, and the global economy. Dr. Mmaki Janties, Group Executive: Innovation and Transformation at Telkom, is attending the conference and spoke to us to provide further insights.

Zimbabwe's Elections Commission confirmed late last night that Emmerson Mnangagwa had won a second term as president. Mnangagwa received more than 52% of the vote, while Nelson Chamisa, the head of the opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) party, received only 44%. The opposition has accused the elections of rigging and voter suppression due to delays. Election observers have also said this week's voting violated democratic ideals. Although voting was peaceful, SADC said some aspects of the elections fell short of Zimbabwe's constitutional requirement and SADC principles and guidelines for democratic elections of 2021. 

To unpack the results of the Zimbabwean elections we spoke to Terry Tselane, Executive Chairperson of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa and Dr Tinashe Sithole, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg's Dept. of Politics and International Relations

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced the discovery of gas reserves in Amersfoort, Mpumalanga province this past week. Welcoming the find the Department said Kinetiko Energy, an Australian gas explorer that focuses on commercialising advanced shallow conventional gas and coal bed methane projects, confirmed the discovery of 3.1 billion cubic feet of maiden gas reserves. Natural gas forms part of the energy mix envisaged in the Integrated Resource Plan, South Africa's blueprint policy for electricity generation. The department says gas provides the flexibility necessary to run the country's current electricity generation system in a cost-effective manner. Environmental groups are however not happy with this discovery and have highlighted the negative polluting effects fossil fuels have on efforts to protect the environment and limit climate change. We spoke to Leanne Govindsamy from Centre for Environmental Rights on the matter.

The Springboks last night laid down a marker ahead of the Rugby World Cup with a record win over New Zealand at Twickenham. In their final warm-up fixture before the tournament in France, the Boks capitalised on the All-Blacks' indiscipline thrashing the New Zealanders 35-7. The All Blacks open the World Cup against hosts France in Paris on Friday 8 September, while South Africa begin their campaign against Scotland in Marseille two days later. They will also take on Romania, Ireland, and Tonga in the pool stages of France 2023. Are the Springboks ready to take on the world in France? To help us answer this question, we spoke to Craig Ray, Sports Editor at Daily Maverick.