The Weekend View

As we review the term of the 5th Parliament, the National Assembly was unable to conclude its task of amending section 25 of the constitution to expropriate land without compensation before the end of the parliamentary term. Our Parliamentary correspondents Mercedes Besent takes us back to how the land question on expropriation debates started and filed this report......

AbaThembu King, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, could be released from an East London prison on a presidential pardon - if President Cyril Ramaphosa agrees to recommendations from Justice Minister, Michael Masutha. The Presidency's confirmed that Ramaphosa has received a recommendation from Masutha and that a decision will be made in due course. The King is currently serving 12 years in prison for kidnapping, assault, arson and defeating the ends of justice. Abongile Dumako reports...

Some political analysts say the criticism leveled against specifically the political party list of the ANC, is a sign that voters are maturing. The Independent Electoral Commission has received objections to 53 candidates appearing on the political party lists of nine political parties. The ANC's list contains names of those who have been implicated in allegations of state capture. But in terms of the Electoral Act and the Constitution, from a legal point of view these individuals do qualify to become members of Parliament. Meanwhile Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution says the legal grounds for formally objecting to the inclusion of particular candidates on the Parliamentary lists are extremely and inappropriately narrow. Zalene Merrington has the report and for more Elvis Presslin spoke to CASAC's Executive Secretary Lawson Naidoo about the party lists concerns

The Johannesburg High Court dismissed, with costs, the urgent application that the African Content Movement (ACM ) had brought against the SABC. Through the application, the ACM sought to compel the SABC to broadcast live its 2019 election manifesto, in Durban. For more Elvis Presslin spoke to Head of legal services at the SABC, Ntuthuzelo Vanara

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has called for a meeting with ward councillors of Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, next week, to address their grievances. Community members have been protesting. They have been blockading roads and disrupting business and schooling. Their grievances include lack of service delivery in the area. They say the city council has not developed the area nor clamped down on illegal structures. For more Elvis Presslin spoke to Municipal IQ economist Karen Heese and began by asking if there is a connection between service delivery protests and the election season.

This week Belgium apologized for the kidnapping, segregation, deportation and forced adoption of thousands of children born to mixed-race couples during its colonial rule of Burundi, Congo and Rwanda. Belgium's colonial-era segregation laws banned interracial marriage, and children born from a Congolese mother and Belgian father were considered to represent the abuse of those laws and shipped away. About 20,000 children are believed to have been affected and most fathers refused to acknowledge the paternity of their children. To engage us on the issue of forced separation and segregation during the colonial era we spoke to a man who lived in exile in Denmark for almost two decades and author of the book - THE ORIGINATION AND MEANING OF A RACIALIST ORDER as well as a Khoi-San Social activist Dr Leonard Martin….

Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni says the decision by the board of SANRAL to temporarily suspend summons to recover e-toll debt was a bad one and should be reversed immediately. The board of the South African National Roads Agency - announced this week that it was suspending the process of pursuing e-toll debt. This will include historic debt and summons applied for by SANRAL from 2015. This report by Boineelo Molebiemang and Elvis Presslin spoke to OUTA spokeperson for transport Rudie Heyneke...

Walk 4 access is a movement hoping to highlight their plight of students across the country. The group is currently embarking on a Cape Town to Pretoria walk which started on Human Rights day with the aim of raising funds to assist students who are struggling financially. For more Elvsi Presslin spoke to Walk 4 Access spokersperson, Luvuyo Menziwa

British Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed disappointment at the outcome of a parliamentary vote on Brexit in which MPs rejected the proposed deal governing withdrawal from the European Union for the third time. BUT before we get to Brexit - On Friday South Africans were waiting expectantly for a credit rating announcement from Moody's Investor Service, the only credit rating agency yet to downgrade the country to junk status. Economists were divided as to whether junk is on the cards or not.
To tell us more Elvis Presslin spoke to Prof Raymond Parsons from the Northwest University School of Business and Governance (SBG).

More than 200 thousand people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe affected by the cyclone Idai are homeless. The destruction and the devastation bear testimony to the impact that cyclone idai had on those areas where it landed. More than 700 people in 3 countries have died as a result of the cyclone ida. To get the latest on this Elvis Presslin spoke to the Mayor in Beira, Mozambiquer, Daviz Simango.....