The Weekend View

President Cyril Ramaphosa will next week travel to St Petersburg for the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit on 27-28 July. Ramaphosa will join at least 40 other African heads of state and senior leaders for the meeting focusing on deepening cooperation between Moscow and African capitals. The summit will convene just over a week after the Presidency announced that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will no longer attend in person the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. While African leaders are expected to continue their push for peace between Russia and Ukraine others view it as attempts by Russia to reclaim ground lost to other global powers vying for influence on the African continent. We spoke to Gustavo de Carvalho, Senior Researcher on Russia-Africa ties at the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs..

The National Truck Driver's Foundation says The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deploying soldiers to four provinces in response to a series of truck torchings is just a temporary solution which does not address the real challenges in the industry and does not guaranteer safety in the future. SANDF head of communication, Siphiwe Dlamini, said that members have been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the Free State to provide support to the police in their efforts to address the situation. More than 20 trucks have been set alight in these provinces since last weekend. Police Minister  Bheki Cele this week  also confirmed that 12 persons of interest have been identified in connection with the attacks and 3 have been arrested thus far.

For this conversation we are joined by  SAPS  National Spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe AND Dr Guy Lamb, Safety and Policing Expert from the Political Science Department at the University of Stellenbosch

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's was left fuming this week after his country's hopes of quickly joining NATO were dashed during a meeting of the military alliance in Lithuania.   Zelensky went to Lithuania with high expectations of an assurance that his country would join Nato after the war with Russia was over. Instead NATO was non-committal simply telling Ukraine that it would be invited to become a member "when allies agree and conditions are met". After an angry Zelensky called the NATO position absurd, a diplomatic row ensued when UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Ukraine should show more gratitude for the support it has already been given. We spoke to Denys Reva, a Security Researcher with the Institute for Security Studies.

Rising levels of hunger and poverty are now reportedly feeding the increase in cases of shoplifting in the country. About 6,001 shoplifters were arrested across South Africa between 2021 and June 2023. The National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro) has been tasked to curb the rising numbers of shoplifters in South Africa and rehabilitate them back into society. However, it's proving to be a battle against inflation and poverty. We spoke to Magda Reynolds who is the Area Manager and Clinical Unit Coordinator at  the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro)

India's struggling efforts to reintroduce the cheetah species, extinct since 1952, have been dealt another blow, with this week's death of the 7th cheetah in Kuno National Park. 12 cheetahs were trans-located from South Africa in February this year while 8 were brought in from Namibia in 2022. In total, four adult cheetahs and three cubs have died in the past few months, raising questions from numerous experts about the suitability of the Indian habitat and management of the project. We spoke to Prof. Adrian Tordiffe, a veterinary wildlife specialist from the University of Pretoria....

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has confirmed that it has deployed soldiers to four provinces in response to a series of truck torchings. SANDF head of communication, Siphiwe Dlamini, said that members have been deployed to KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the Free State to provide support to the police in their efforts to address the situation. More than 20 trucks have been set ablaze in these provinces since last weekend. Police Minister  Bheki Cele this week confirmed that 12 persons of interest have been identified in connection with the attacks and 3 have since been arrested. For their reaction to this deployment we spoke to Siphesihle Muthwa, secretary of the National Truck Driver's Foundation

Fire experts are warning of the potential fire risks associated with the installation of solar power energy systems. Last week, the head offices of cellular giant Vodacom in Cape Town caught fire. While investigations continue - there is speculation that the solar panels on the building's roof might be the cause. This comes as load shedding continues to plague South African - with many homeowners turning to solar energy as an alternative power source. For more on these risks spoke to Prof Richard Walls, Fire Engineering Expert from the University of Stellenbosch.

Today, July 9th marks exactly 2 years since the devastating July unrest that took place in Kwa Zulu Natal and some parts of Gauteng. This was allegedly as a result of the Constitutional Court's order that former president Jacob Zuma be arrested. KwaMashu in Kwa Zulu Natal became epicentre of the riots that saw shops and factories, including malls, looted over several days. Some parts of Gauteng were also affected.... Small business owner Ntombenhle Khathwane from Gauteng had to start all over again following the events of July 2021 after her enterprise was looted and destroyed during the riots. We also spoke to  Muzi Dladla: Executive Manager: Stakeholder Management at SASRIA  and  Independent Researcher, Stuart Mbanyele.

Workers fed up with corruption, crime, unemployment and the weight of rising inflation on Thursday downed tools in a national stay-away that had  the support among labour federation COSATU affiliates. Union members marched in cities across the country demanding urgent action on rising unemployment rates, wage cuts, inequality and attacks on collective bargaining. But political analysts and economists said although the call for industrial action resonated across the economic divide, from the lowest paid to higher income workers, the action did not have widespread appeal because those with jobs would rather work, given the difficult economic climate. They were also not convinced whether government will be galvanised to immediately respond to COSATU's demands made during the national day of action. The unions gave the government offices and departments in each province 14 days to respond to their demands. Joining us to talk about the effectiveness of Thursday's nationwide march is COSATU President, Zingiswa Losi ....

Parliament is calling for urgent intervention to curb the scourge of Zama Zama's in the country. This follows THIS WEEK's deadly cylinder gas-leak in Boksburg, allegedly linked to unlawful mining activities in which 17 people died and 11 others are in hospital.   Chairperson of parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, Sahlulele Luzipo says the body demands a comprehensive effective strategy to address the problem.  

We spoke to Chairperson of the Gauteng provincial legislature's portfolio committee on community safety, Bandile Masuku.