The Weekend View

The commission of inquiry into the Usindiso building fire has concluded its work, with a final report submitted to Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.  The commission was established two years ago after 76 people lost their lives when a massive fire broke out and destroyed a hijacked Joburg CBD building. The commission was then set up to probe causes of fire and the broader issue of hijacked buildings in the inner city. The commission’s report now finds the City of Johannesburg has a long-standing record of neglecting its own buildings in the area. The report further points to systemic failures and poor by-law enforcement. It also highlights the city's failure to deliver basic services like water, sanitation, and electricity, leading to illegal and dangerous connections.  The Khampepe commission recommends the city must take responsibility for the dire living conditions in rundown properties.

To unpack the report Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Edward Molopi, Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) and Elijah Mhlanga, Gauteng Provincial Government spokesperson

The Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including 10 South African activists and the Swedish climate and political campaigner Greta Thunberg, will soon be setting sail for the Gaza Strip in an effort to break Israel's siege on the region and deliver aid to Palestinians. The boats left Spain last week and are now in Tunisia from where they will set sail across the Mediterreanian Sea to Gaza. The South African team includes Mandla Mandela, a grandson of Nelson Mandela and South African Jews for a Free Palestine's, Jared Sacks. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Dr. Fatima Hendricks

Former MK Party secretary general Floyd Shivambu YESTERDAY officially unveiled Afrika Mayibuye Movement as a political party, announcing himself as the president of the organisation. Shivambu declared the formation of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, abbreviated as "Mayibuye", alongside the release of its founding document, the Africa Mayibuye Restoration Manifesto. The new party's leadership structure includes two deputy presidents, a secretary-general, deputy secretary-generals, a national chairperson, a deputy chairperson, a national organiser and deputy organiser. To help us dissect this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to political analyst Dr. Sandile Swana

The second annual Combating Corruption Summit ended in JHB yesterday with participants demanding accountability, integrity, and active citizenship from every South African. The three-day event, hosted by the University of Johannesburg, brought together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, law enforcement, and academia to devise tangible strategies to tackle corruption. To tell us more about the outcomes of the summit, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Priscilla Molebatsi from the University of Johannesburg's Office of the General Counsel

In June this year we had an extensive interview with  Advocate Douglas Shaw, who is spearheading the R60 billion class action against the major banks, for repossessing homes and selling them off for a fraction of their worth.  Banks in South Africa have been criticised for using aggressive tactics to address home loan arrears. Some of these tactics include initiating legal action for repossession even when homeowners are actively reducing their arrears, imposing excessive legal costs that quickly surpass the actual debt and failing to engage meaningfully with customers before resorting to court action. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Advocate Douglas Shaw on the latest developments 

Rugby fans around the world are waiting to see if the Springboks can make history THIS MORNING in their highly anticipated showdown against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. New Zealand will be defending a proud 31-year unbeaten streak at Eden Park against the reigning World Champions and defending Rugby Championship champions, the Springboks, who last won at the famous Auckland stadium 88 years ago. The match, which kicks off - at 09h05 -  will be a clash of the titans as South Africa have won the last two Rugby World Cup titles in addition to last year's Rugby Championship, but the All Blacks have snuck ahead of them into top spot in the World Rugby rankings. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC rugby commentator, Renier Swart 

As we conclude Women's Month, we start the show with Women's Rugby.......
The Springbok Women's team is just hours away from a crucial game when they take on Italy in the second match at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England TODAY.  Kick off is at 4:30 this afternoon. Victory over the Italians in Pool D will secure a top two finish for the South Africans and guarantee a place in the quarterfinals. Should they pull through, the Bok Women will make history as the Springbok Women have never made it out of the pool stage of a Rugby World Cup. Last week, the Bok ladies swamped Brazil 66-6 to register their first win at a World Cup. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC sports reporter Simon Burke 

Energy regulator Nersa confirmed in a statement THIS WEEK that it has entered into a settlement with Eskom, following the mistakes it made in determining the utility's revenue for the current and next two financial years. As a result, consumers will have to cough up R54 billion more through higher electricity tariffs, phased in over 2 years. Electricity tarriffs, that had been set to rise at 5,4% and 6.2% are now expected to increase by 8,8 each year in 2026/27 and 2027/28.This is three times higher than the anticipated consumer inflation rate.

To help us understand this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Prof. Samson Mamphweli, energy expert from the South African National Energy Development Institute 

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains shockingly prevalent across South Africa. Despite the country's robust legal framework and policies aimed at tackling GBV, experts say the practice is deeply rooted in societal norms and incidents continue to escalate at an alarming rate. In 2024 , the HSRC released The First South African National Gender-Based Violence Study. The HSRC survey showed that a third (33.1%) of South African women over the age of 18 had experienced physical violence in their lifetime ..

To engage more on this topic,  Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Dr. Natisha Dukhi, Senior Research Specialist in the Public Health, Societies and Belonging from the research division at the Human Sciences Research Council and Gugu Nonjinge, Advocacy Specialist from the Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation 

Legendary actress Nandi Nyembe will be buried today ........ Nandi passed away on Sunday at the age of 75 . Her career, which began in the 1970s. She delivered unforgettable performances in iconic television series such as Yizo Yizo, where she portrayed a strong matriarchal figure. She was best known for her iconic roles as Nandi Sibiya on Zone 14 and sister Lizzie in Soul City. To find out more we are now joined on the line by our reporter Horisani Sithole .