The Weekend View

School violence manifests itself in many forms including discipline problems such as fighting among learners, bullying, utterances of crude and sexist remarks against fellow learners and teachers, racism, stabbings, shootings at schools and even murder. According to a study by the the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation - CSVR - racialised violence is also rearing its ugly head. Its says while racism and racially motivated violence continue to play themselves out in the new South Africa there is never a deep engagement and unpacking of a culture of school-based violence. To unpack this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Gugu Nonjinge, Communications Manager at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation 

The murder of crime activist and whistleblower Pamela Mabini, who was shot and killed in the driveway of her home in Gqeberha, has rekindled calls to address the plight of whistle-blowers who dare to report crime as well as the insuffIciency of  measures to protect them. This has also brought the conversation on the Whistleblowers Protection Bill to the forefront once again. In 2021 , the murder of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was an indication of how unprotected  whistle-blowers are even though policies and safeguards for whistleblowers are available.  In his State of the Nation Address last month, President Ramaphosa announced plans to finalise a comprehensive whistleblower protection framework with the Whistleblower Protections Bill. To look at whether this is a step toward better protections for whistleblowers , Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Sentebale Makara, Director for Dispute Resolution at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr 

It has often been argued that tackling corruption could have a positive effect on South Africa's economy and the country's ability to deliver basic and essential services to citizens. If the state could tackle some of the current costs of corruption, this could have substantial positive effects not only for citizens' socioeconomic rights but will also relieve the endless pressure on Treasury to seek alternative sources of revenue as with the current budget's controversial proposal of a 1 % VAT increase over two years.  What makes this proposal unpalatable for some in the blatant corruption so often reported like the recent arrest of three SASSA officials allegedly linked to fraud of more than 260 million rands through ghost SASSA cards. This came hot in the heels of the arrest of six individuals were arrested for their involvement in a fraudulent procurement scheme at Kusile Power Station. An investigation revealed that in 2018, a pump was unlawfully procured for R857,977,00, despite an identical pump with the same serial number having been purchased in 2015 for only R18,835,00 leading to a direct financial loss for Eskom. These two recent cases are just a microcosm of the endemic corruption that has permeated our society leading to an erosion of the country's ability to deliver services.  In our Sunday Morning Discussion we are looking at the cost of corruption on service delivery and Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Kaizer Kganyago, Spokesperson of the Special Investigating Unit - SIU -, an organisation tasked with investigating serious allegations of corruption, malpractice, and maladministration related to state institutions, assets, and public money, with the goal of recovering financial losses and ensuring accountability and  Songezo Zibi, the chairperson of Parliament's Standing Committee On Public Accounts - SCOPA - which oversees the financial statements of all government departments and state institutions 

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.