The Weekend View

In October 2017 the Johannesburg High Court ruled that it's now illegal to spank your child. The judgment means that parents who hit their children will no longer be able to raise a special defence if they're charged. Family First New Zealand has warned this will do more harm than good instead of addressing the real issue of child abuse. Many parents feel frustrated with how to raise children who seem to have a sense of entitlement. The question needs to be asked - who is to blame for what we find in our societies and families in general? Discusing this is Doctor Shandrey Thumbran, Executive and Relationship coach, speaker, author and blogger and his wife Pastor Reyhana Thumbran....

The Christmas fever has hit many homes across the country, with some residents going all out to decorate their homes in celebration of this holiday which is being celebrated tomorrow. Reverend Mantima Thekiso of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa spoke to our presenter Elvis Presslin about the history of how Christmas became a Christian holiday.

The Khoisan-four who have undertaken a three-week journey walking from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demand recognition of their culture and language, say they are willing to wait as long as it takes to meet either President Jacob Zuma or his Deputy Cyril Ramaphosa. They say they will not allow any other government official to receive their memorandum of demands. They want to be recognised as the first nation of South Africa and to have their languages recognised officially. Meanwhile the South African Council of Churches has urged national leaders to meet members of the Khoisan Mass Movement who are on hunger strike.Our presenter Elvis Presslin spoke to John Van Rooyen the Chairperson of the Gauteng Khoisan Council.

A draft bill giving the National Consumer Tribunal the power to cancel debt in certain circumstances has been released for public comment by Parliament's trade and industry committee. The draft National Credit Amendment Bill also provides for mandatory credit life insurance on all credit agreements longer than six months with a value of less than 50-thousand-rand. Our presenter Elvis Presslin spoke to Lesiba Mashapa, company secretary at the National Credit regulator.

Economist and Senior Lecturer at Wits University Lumkile Mondi says newly-elected ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa's role as a former unionist and businessman has gained him confidence from the both members of the public and the private sector. Ramaphosa was voted into the position during the ANC's National Conference in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg this week. He pledged to fight corruption when addressing delegates at the conference. Our presenter Elvis Presslin spoke to Mondi.

The The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) says the ruling by the High Court is making it difficult for parents to discipline children. In October the High Court in Johannesburg ruled that corporal punishment in the home is illegal and unconstitutional and parents who hit their children could face assault charges. Children Rights groups met recently to discuss alternatives to corporal punishment. The CRL commission's deputy chairperson, Professor David Mosoma elaborates...

The country's Gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter declined to 2 percent quarter on quarter from a revised 2-point-8 percent in the second quarter of 2017. Year-on-year, GDP came in at 0-point-8 percent in the third quarter, compared with economic growth of 1-point-3 percent in the second quarter. While the economy shows some a glimmer of hope, it's still not a rosy picture. To talk about what these economic growth figures mean 'and how SA emerged from its technical recession earlier this year' is Prof Raymond Parsons, from the North West University, school of business and governance...

The Social, Education and Economic Development Foundation South Africa, SEED, has urged men and women to stand in solidarity to fight violence against women and children. This year's theme of 16 days of activism against women and children is "Count Me In". Gender violence specialist, Lisa Vetten, speaks to Elvis Presslin about teh 16 days of activism and the campaign #notourleaders...

SADTU says the union is willing to acknowledge that more could be done to assist our grade 4 learners. This after it was revealed that SA ranked last among 50 countries in the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, Pirls. Mugwena Maluleke, General Secretary at the South African Democratic teachers union, SADTU says the union wants teacher training colleges to be reopened...

South Africa has ranked last among 50 countries in the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, Pirls. This study gauges the reading standards of Grade four's and is done every five years. Professor Servaas van der Berg, National Research Chair in the Economics of Social Policy at the University of Stellenbosch and spokesperson for the Basic Education department, Elijah Mhlanga speak to Elvis Presslin about this study and the impact on our children...