Former South Africa's ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool is expected on home soil TODAY after his expulsion from Washington.  He was declared persona non grata and was expelled just over a week ago for comments he made about Donald Trump. The decision further tanked the diplomatic tensions between SA and the Trump administration. Some political parties and organisations are expected to welcome Rasool back home.  President Cyril Ramaphosa has been calling on South Africans to tone down the welcoming home of the expelled ambassador to avoid inflaming the current tense relations with the US. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC senior political reporter, Samkele Maseko 

South Africans strongly believe in the universality of human rights and democracy, despite perceiving an increasingly dangerous future world. This is according to a study conducted by IPSOS,  one of the largest market research and polling companies globally.  The study, conducted as part of the Halifax Security Forum's annual survey across 30 countries, shows that 8 in 10 online South Africans view democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as universal values that all nations deserve and can aspire to.  Mari Harris, Sub-Sahara Africa Knowledge Specialist at Ipsos in South Africa says these findings reflect the enduring impact of South Africa's struggle for human rights and democracy. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Ipsos Mari Harris 

The elimination of pit toilets in public schools has been an ongoing battle in South Africa. Schools across rural South Africa are still subjected to these degrading pit latrines. Plain pit toilets were banned from South African schools by the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure in 2013 and had to be removed and replaced by 2016. However, more than a decade later, all the initial deadlines (2016 and 2020), plus new deadlines have been missed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE). The DBE now plans to eradicate these pit toilets by 2025. Meanwhile, SECTION27 is closely monitoring whether the Limpopo Department of Education  will meet its own 31 March 2025 deadline to eradicate and replace all pit toilets at so-called "Priority 1" schools in the province. The department missed their initial 31 March 2023 deadline to do so and has repeatedly extended this deadline. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Demichelle Petherbridge , Senior Education Attorney at SECTION 27 

SASSA and Postbank are advising grant beneficiaries that they will receive their money even if they have not yet migrated to the new Postbank black cards. The deadline to migrate to the new cards expired YESTERDAY and the SASSA gold cards can no longer be used to access grants. However the replacement of SASSA gold cards with Postbank black cards will continue and beneficiaries with old cards will still get their grants but through an alternative payment method at Post Office counters. To tell us more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Thami Cele, Postbank Chief Commercial Executive....

This coming Friday , the 21st of March 2025 ,  marks World Down Syndrome Day.  According to Down Syndrome South Africa (DSSA),  Down syndrome is one of the most common occurring genetic conditions. It is caused by a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21, known as trisomy 21 which alters the course of development both physically and cognitively. This year DSSA will mark the day with walks  in Pretoria, Cape Town, East London, Kimberley, and Polokwane. DSSA is calling on South Africa to improve its support systems. For more we are now joined on the line by Annelise Boot, Office Administrator of Down Syndrome South Africa 

The Electoral Commission has set out a six-month period for further inputs and consultations on the discussion documents on e-voting, that will eventually be sent to Parliament. The IEC concluded a three-day conference on WEDNESDAY that discussed the feasibility, sustainability, and policy implications of electronic voting. More than 200 local and international delegates from various countries converged at the Cape Town International Convention Centre to share their experiences with regards to e-voting. The IEC hopes that e-voting could boost voter turnout and strengthen democracy. To unpack whether South Africa is ready to explore the idea of electronic voting Bongiwe Zwane spoke to IEC's Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Shiburi and Dr Yul Derek Davids, Research Director in the  Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES) research division of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) 

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola says it's regrettable that the US has expelled South African ambassador in the US Ebrahim Rasool. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement of X and called Rasool a race baiting politician who hates America and President Donald Trump. President Cyril Ramaphosa's office has also called for all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.  To discuss this further Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Risk Analyst and Former South African Diplomat, Dr. Kingsley Makhubela and Senior Research Fellow for the Centre of African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg, Dr. Oscar van Heerden.

The embassy of Ivory Coast in South Africa is preparing to host the first ever International Francophonie Day. The cultural event is set to put under the spotlight Ivorian gastronomy with ATTIEKE a local dish that is served around the world and is on UNESCO's list of cultural heritage of humanity, in the limelight. To tell us more about this historic event, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Pandora Mabai, Communications Consultant for the Ivorian embassy....

Calls for the introduction of lasting or enduring powers of attorney (LPA or EPA) into South African legislation from several quarters over many years have been falling on deaf ears. According to the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa this is an urgent matter. As things stand, the power of attorney extended to any other person lapses when the person who extended the power loses the legal capacity to act. This could be due to mental illness, advanced age, head injury or when the person enters a comatose condition. FISA says South Africans should be allowed to appoint someone who can look after their well-being and assets when they cannot do so themselves. To unpack this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Louis van Vuren, CEO of the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (Fisa) 

While Russian president Vladimir Putin says he agrees with the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, he has set out a number of tough conditions for peace. Responding to a plan for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to earlier this week following talks with the US, Putin suggested that Ukraine should neither re-arm nor mobilise and that western military aid to Kyiv be halted during the ceasefire. He also wanted to know who would ensure that was verified. The other demands Russia has had throughout the war is that Ukraine should never be allowed into NATO, and that the bloc roll back its military footprint in Eastern and Central Europe. Putin's comments quickly drew condemnation from Kyiv, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing the Russian leader of "deliberately setting conditions that only complicate and drag out the process". To tell us more Bongiwe Zwane by Olesia Horiainova, co-founder of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center in Kiev