The Weekend View

Eyebrows have been raised following the revelation that prior to his visit, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),  Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, donated R20-million to the Eastern Cape government to enable it to upgrade the airport where he and his entourage landed. The Sheik and 500 of his guests reportedly landed at the Bulembu Airport for a visit meant to convince citizens of the UAE that the Eastern Cape is a tourist and an investment destination. Questions are now being raised as to how donations from foreign governments are handled and who is accountable for the transaction. Eastern Cape government spokesperson, Khuselwa Rantjie, in an interview with my colleague John Gericke, confirmed that the province received the monetary gift. To help us understand how donations from foreign governments are handled and who is accountable for the transaction, we spoke the Themba Godi, former Chairperson of Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts - SCOPA

Menstrual Leave is a concept that some employers are now starting to consider.  Spain recently approved legislation entitling relevant workers, who have medical approval, to menstrual leave - becoming the first European country to join the list of a few other countries that legally recognize menstrual leave in some form. The other countries that recognize menstrual leave are Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam).  To look at how this issue is being considered here in South Africa we are spoke to  Leila Moosa, Senior Employment Law Associate at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr..

This week, ministers and top officials from the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services (JICS), the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) faced questions from MPs in the Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on their investigations into Thabo Bester's escape. As officials scrambled to answer, what emerged was a string of events laced with clear characteristics of gross dereliction of duty, incompetence, corruption and passing the buck. On Friday Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi also provided fascinating insights into Bester's background announcing that although Bester is South African, he was never registered on any official system. In our Sunday Morning Discussion we are looking at how the series of oversights, blunders and errors in this case could expose and put at risk the reputation of South Africa's criminal justice system.  For this conversation we spoke to Specialist Investigator Mike Bolhuis  as well as  Brand and Reputation Expert, Solly Moeng.

The ACDP has dismissed as false and disappointing claims by DA leader John Steeinhuisen that it has rejected to be part of the opposition Moonshot Pact. This follows the DA's calls to form a coalition agreement that would see opposition parties united against the governing party and the EFF ahead of the 2024 national elections. Five other parties have agreed to talks with the DA at a national convention set to be held later in 2023, and they include ActionSA and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Steenhuisen yesterday singled out Reverend Kenneth Meshoe from the African Christian Democratic Party, General Bantu Holomisa from the United Democratic Movement, and Bongani Baloyi from Xiluva. As the party leaders that have rejected the plea for cooperation. We spoke to Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party - ACDP

As South Africans continue to battle with Stage 6 loadshedding throughout this weekend, Eskom workers affiliated to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are demanding a 15% salary increase across the board. The trade union confirmed that it has officially submitted its wage demands to the beleaguered power utility with negotiations set to start next week. Amongst a raft of other demands made by NUM include increases in housing, medical aid and cellphone allowances. We spoke to NUM's Eskom Chief Negotiator, Olehile Kgware…

The future of customer risk profiling shouldn't prioritise exclusion. This is according to Mishaan Ratan, Chief Marketing Officer at Rentoza. Ratan says throughout history, credit checks have been used by the lending sector to understand financial behaviour. However, this method  is said to completely exclude many consumers. Because of the credit check method, many people continue to be denied credit, even though they have the potential to repay their debt. Ratan says "behaviour analysis'' is something we need as an alternative to credit vetting.

Convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester's lawyers yesterday told the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court that since Bester landed in the country on Thursday he has not eaten anything because he fears being poisoned. The fugitive, who was recaptured in Tanzania and brought back to South Africa, was charged in connection with his escape from G4S-run Mangaung Maximum Security Prison on 3 May 2022. Bester entered the courtroom flanked by heavily-armed police and Department of Correctional Services officials. We spoke to Prof. Jaco Barkhuizen, Head of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Limpopo.

A European Space Agency satellite blasted off from Earth yesterday on an 8 year journey to the planet Jupiter. The mission, known as the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE for short, aims to establish whether the Jupiter's moons have the conditions needed to sustain life. There is plausible scientific evidence that these icy worlds - Callisto, Europa and Ganymede - hold oceans of underground liquid water. We spoke to Prof. Mike Kosch, Chief Scientist at the South African National Space Agency - SANSA.

Is there a real appetite by South Africa to extradite the Gupta brothers and other fugitives from justice?? This is a question that many South Africans are asking after this week's announcement of the failure of the Gupta brothers' extradition process in the United Arab Emirates. However yesterday's announcement of the re-arrest of escaped fugitive Thabo Bester in Tanzania  along with Dr Nandipha Magudumana and a Mozambican national who has been named as Zacharia Alberto, has some what re-ignited the hope that justice may be served. In our Sunday Morning Discussion we  want to examine whether the re-arrest of Thabo Bester improves the chances of other fugitives, like the Gupta brothers, to face justice in South Africa.
For this conversation we spoke to Advocate Paul Hoffman, Director at Accoutability Now, as well as  Independent Writer and Researcher, Dr Dale McKinley.

The tussle between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Parliament over the shortlisted candidates and reserve pool names submitted to serve on the SABC board continues and may end up at the Constitutional Court.  The President, who was provided with 12 candidates and an additional three names, questioned the legality of such a move in terms of the Broadcasting Act. This week Parliament's legal advisor, Adv Andile Tetyana, found that President Ramaphosa acted unlawfully when he wrote to Parliament, referring the matter back to the National Assembly. The public broadcaster has been operating without a board of directors for six months now. The President is also facing a challenge from media watchdog, Media Monitoring Africa, who have filed papers in the Constitutional Court to compel the President to appoint a board.  We spoke to William Bird, director at Media Monitoring Africa