The Weekend View

With the recent release of the class of 2022 matric results, many matriculants who have achieved their desired results will be looking to enter the higher education stage of their academic careers by registering at various universities and colleges. While those who feel they did not perform to their expectations will be looking at many other options that offer them a successful second chance. However it is widely known that the matric year is very stressful for many learners. While some learners feel that they are ready to tackle higher education immediately after matric, there are students who may need a break from the anxiety of studying through what is known as a gap year. A year that is used for introspection, recuperating and planning ahead in order to make informed decisions about life which are rushed. However the phenomenon of a gap year continues to receive mixed reactions. For this conversation we are joined on the line by Ndumiso Ngcobo, Author, Sunday Times columnist and radio presenter.

The ANC, Patriotic Alliance and Minority Parties coalition in the City of Johannesburg will strengthen, rather than destabilise the local authority. This is according to  ANC Gauteng Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi while briefing the media alongside the coalition partners and the newly elected executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg Thapelo Amad. We spoke to the newly elected Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Thapelo Amad and Lindokuhle Vellem, Research and Advocacy Analyst at the Public Service Accountability Monitor.

If you have debt, your repayment amount has just gone higher. This comes after the Reserve Bank on Thursday hiked the repo rate by 25 basis points taking the new base interest rate to 7.25%. This means the prime lending rate -- the rate that banks charge when clients borrow money is now at 10-point 7-5%. Experts are warning that homeowners are likely to feel the pinch from the latest increase in the interest rate. Other economists say the effects of the rate increase on car financing would even be steeper. This has led to concerns that there may be a spike in home and car repossessions as consumers fail to meet their monthly payments. Let's now seek some advice from the National Credit Regulator for some of us who are struggling and suffocating to meet their financial obligations. We spoke to Jimmy Golele, Senior Education and Communications Office rat the National Credit Regulator.

Russia launched a wave of missiles on Ukraine on Thursday, a day after Germany and the United States pledged tanks to aid Kyiv's fight against the invasion. Eleven people died after 35 buildings were struck across several regions. The strikes also damaged two energy facilities.The barrage came as Russia said it perceived the new offer of military support as direct Western involvement in the conflict. We spoke to Denys Reva, Security  Researcher with the Institute for Security Studies.

 Diverse cultures in Matatiele near the border between the Eastern Cape in South Africa and Lesotho are still unified by an initiation ritual for young girls. Different ethnic groups that include the amaHlubi, amaXhosa and baSotho take their young girls for Female Circumcision. Fourteen girls from kwaSibi village in Matatiele were welcomed back after undergoing this rite of passage. However, views on this ritual differ. Some believe it to be a form of preserving indigenous cultures, while others view it as an extreme violation of human rights. Nkululeko Nyembezi reports...

We also spoke to Nkosikazi Nosandi Mhlauli The Chief of AmaHlubi Traditional Council in Peddie Eastern Eastern Cape, and Organiser of Imbumba Yamakhosikazi Akomkhulu (IYA) and  CEO of the Commision for Gender Equality;Phelisa Nkomo.

Finally, the much-anticipated 2022 matric results are out. Learners who were anxiously waiting for their results can now focus on the next big step of their lives as many of them enter the various universities around the country. And that presents a new set of problems including confirmation of registration, registration fees and securing funding from NSFAS. We now look at what's in store for learners as they apply for higher education and for this conversation we spoke to Dr Phethiwe Matutu, Chief Executive Officer of Universities South Africa...

The Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union - AFADWU - says it is deeply disturbed by the death of 7 farmworkers  who succumbed to heat stroke while working on a farm in Kakamas in the Northern Cape. Temperatures in the Lower Orange region peaked at over 40-degrees celcius over the past few weeks, and it keeps on soaring. It's also harvest time for table grape farmers and farmworkers are working during the extreme weather conditions. AFADWU is now calling on farmers to be sensitive to the extreme heat and protect their workers.  We spoke to the union's NC and FS Provincial Secretary, Thulani Klaas. 

In light of the ongoing continuous bouts of disruptive load-shedding and the recently announced 18.6% tariff hike for electricity, two civil society organisations have launched a legal case to force government to develop an inclusive energy plan to deal with the crisis. The Green Connection and the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute - SAFCEI - have initiated a legal challenge against President Cyril Ramaphosa to force him to bring Section 6 of the National Energy Act into operation. The organisations argue that the lack of a proper updated energy plan lies at the root of the country's current energy problems. We spoke to Executive Director at SAFCEI, Francesca de Gasparis.

Do you sometimes sign contracts or buy products without fully understanding the language on the terms and conditions or the packaging. The Consumer Protection Act - CPA - makes it illegal for companies and institutions to use ambiguous wording and vague language usually associated with some contracts and professional literature. The Act compels them to use plain language for labels, inserts, packaging and contracts, particularly when it comes to marketing.  Since 2008, the CPA has become an important part of South African law and has protected many South Africans. We spoke to Mishka Singh, Lecturer at The Management College of Southern Africa - MANCOSA - and Admitted Attorney 

Inland schools in South Africa started their 2023 academic year this week with some provinces like Gauteng facing a serious problem of learner placements.  Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has pleaded with parents of learners who have not yet been allocated places at schools, to give them at least ten days in which to address the problem. Motshekga says parents' preferences for certain schools over others, has led to some learners not being placed. Parents visited district offices hoping to find suitable schools for their children. Meanwhile South Africa continues to face many other educational challenges including a shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure, failure to establish new government schools in recent decades and many more. We spoke to Paul Esterhuizen, CEO of School Days.