The Weekend View

On Sunday the 13th of September, the late Benedict Daswa will be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in his home village of Mbahe in Limpopo. Beatification is a process where the church recognises a deceased person's entrance into Heaven, following which they are known as a blessed. Those who are beatifies are believed to have the capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name.
Sithakazelo Dlamini reports on the process of beatification....

Several incidents, where victims suffer at the hands of their partners were reported this week. Just to mention a few...a woman appeared at the Alexander Magistrate court after fatally stabbing her husband and his lover and an ANCYL member also appeared in in court after he sjamboked his girl friend to death. This is happening as the trial of Sindisiwe Manqele charged with killing hip hop artist Nkululeko Flabba Habedi was underway. Listen to Ike Phaala talking to Dr D about what could be wrong in our society...

North West Local Government MEC Collen Maine is the new ANC Youth League president. He was elected unopposed at the league's 25th national congress at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, north of Johannesburg. Maine's contenders, National Executive Committee member Pule Mabe and the league's former deputy president Ronald Lamola failed to meet the required threshold. This after they were nominated from the floor during a rowdy marathon nomination process that losers labelled as a farce. Mahlatse Gallens reports...

The Department of Education has condemned a decision by the Congress of South African Students (Cosas), which has called for pupils to assault teachers who are still using corporal punishment. The department says that the call is irresponsible and unacceptable. The Education department urged Cosas members to report incidents of corporal punishment, than to take action. We spoke to Naseema COSAS National Executive Member...

Recession has been a buzz word this week, following the less than stellar economic growth figures released this week. According to Statistics South Africa, the seasonally adjusted real GDP at market prices for the second quarter of 2015 decreased by an annualised rate of 1 point 3 per cent compared with an increase of 1 point 3 per cent during the first quarter of 2015. This, along with recent rates hike by the central bank, and turmoil in the global markets, has got people worried that a recession is looming. We spoke to Cees Bruggemans, associate economist at Bruggemans and Associates...

The National Credit Regulator (NCR) has called on the National Consumer Tribunal to fine JDG Trading and JDG Micro Life for contravening the Consumer Protection Act through their credit insurance practices. The NCR recently found that the group, which includes retail stores Joshua Doore, Morkels and HifiCorp, has been charging pensioners for retrenchment cover and disabled consumers for disability cover. The investigation also found that the group has been charging consumers for club fees, which is not allowed under the act. We spoke to company secretary the The National Credit Regulator, Lesiba Mashapa...

The 31st of August is African Traditional Medicine Day which seeks to shine a light on the holistic discipline of traditional healing which involves the use of indigenous herbalism combined with aspects of African spirituality. In the year 2000, the 50th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa met in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where Ministers of Health dopted resolutions recognising the role of traditional medicine in African health systems. We spoke to Acting Director of Traditional Medicine at the Department of Health, Bruce Mbedzi and Phephisile Maseko, National Coordinator at the Traditional Healers Organisation on the practise...

Packages and lives looking at the tragedy of Marikana on the 16th August 2012

As we mark the third anniversary of the Marikana killings at Lonmin mine in Rustenburg in the North West, a religious leader who tried to broker a deal between striking miners and Lonmin bosses in 2012 can vividly recall the nightmare that unfolded on the week leading up to that fateful day. Bishop Jo Seoka's attempts to resolve the Marikana protests failed. He heard the fatal shootings while on a telephone call to a miner. More than a year later he testified at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry. As we commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the Marikana Massacre, the SABC's Sithakazelo Dlamini, caught up with Bishop Seoka at a church service in Pretoria and filed this report…

A study by UNISA has shown that violent criminals believe they will get away with their first crime. On average, violent criminals will commit around one-hundred crimes before their first arrest. This could be as long as seven years after the start of their criminal career. We caught up with UNISA criminologist professor, Rudolph Zinn who says South Africa's low conviction rate for serious and violent crimes is compounding the situation in the country.....