The Weekend View

President Cyril Ramaphosa  delivered his first State of the nation address under the government of national unity (GNU) on Thursday and promised more support and reforms to turn around the embattled local government sector. Some municipalities across the country are in a state of dysfunction. Some of the issues contributing to the problems plaguing municipalities include lack of service delivery and capacity to implement government policies and programmes, financial mismanagement and  political interference in appointments of senior managers without required qualifications. In his SONA address, Ramaphosa announced the development of an updated White Paper on Local Government to chart the way forward for a modernised local government system.. To unpack this we are now joined on the line by Lindokuhle Vellem , programme manager at Afesis

Volvo South Africa has issued a safety recall for three of its models launched into the domestic vehicle market between January 2023 and October 2024.The National Consumer Commission (NCC) said Volvo Car SA had notified the commission about the recall of the three models. To find out more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Prudence Moilwa ,Head of Complaints at the National Consumer Commission 

The South African National Defence Force - SANDF- has announced the names of the 
 soldiers killed in Eastern DRC during the recent battle with M23 rebels who had attacked their base in Sake. In a statement released LAST NIGHT, the number of soldiers who died has now risen from 13 to 14 after one more succumbed to injuries in hospital.

The rebel leader whose fighters have captured Goma, the biggest city in eastern DRC, has vowed to continue their offensive all the way to the capital, Kinshasa. Corneille Nangaa, who heads an alliance of rebel groups that includes the M23, has announced that their ultimate aim is to topple President Félix Tshisekedi's government. Both the UN and the southern African regional bloc SADC have Troops and peacekeepers in eastern DRC, but they failed to halt the rebel assault. THIS WEEK 14 South African soldiers were killed alongside a few others from several countries. The deaths led to a flurry of accusations and counter accusations with Rwanda President Paul Kagame issuing a stark warning to South Africa on Wednesday, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government of distorting facts about the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC and suggesting that Rwanda is prepared for confrontation if necessary. South African officials have repeatedly blamed the escalating violence on the M23 rebel group and the Rwandan Defence Force. At their meeting in Harare on Friday, SADC leaders resolved to seek further dialogue with East African leaders to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC. 

To further explore the security situation in Eastern DRC and determine how South Africa should respond to the volatile situation there Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Guy Martin, editor of Defence Web, an online African defence and security publication. Also joining me is Lt. General Kayumba Nyamwasa, former Rwanda army chief of staff and ambassador to India. We also have Dr. Kingsley Makhubela, Risk Analyst and Former South African  Diplomat 

Bus operator PUTCO expects to fully resume operations TOMORROW morning (MONDAY) following the torching of 51 of their buses in Mpumalanga last Monday. The arson threatened to disrupt the company's over 20 thousand commuters. The torched buses represent 10% of the nearly 500-strong fleet operating in the area. Police earlier this week announced the arrest of two suspects linked to the fiery attack. For the latest details Bongiwe Zwane spoke to PUTCO spokesperson, Lindokuhle Xulu 

North West police YESTERDAY announced the arrest of four police officers, believed to have aided the so-called Stilfontein illegal mining kingpin Neo Tshoaeli. Tshoaeli who is popularly known as Tiger, escaped after being retrieved from underground at shaft 11, during the government led retrieval operation. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to North West SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone 

81% of cyber breaches in 2022 were due to weak, reused, or stolen passwords. Experts say  78% of the world's most common passwords can be cracked in less than a second. Even more worrying is that the most common password in South Africa is 123456. To unpack how weak passwords leave South Africans vulnerable to cyberattacks, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  Yaron Assabi, Founder and CEO of Digital Solutions Group

Power utility Eskom has announced the start of stage three loadshedding. The rolling blackouts started on FRIDAY at five in the evening and will be implemented until Sunday at midnight. Eskom cites unexpected breakdowns due to boiler tube failures at some of its power stations. The power cuts follow 10- months of uninterrupted power supply. For the latest Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Daphne Mokwena, Eskom spokesperson ..

The Southern African Development Community - SADC - has resolved to seek further dialogue with East African to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC. This came at the end end of a one day SADC summit held in Harare, Zimbabwe YESTERDAY. The leaders of the region, including President Cyril Ramaphosa also called for the immediate dispatch of ministers of defence, Chiefs of defence and Troop Contributing Countries to DRC to ensure that the SADC troops are safe and facilitate the immediate repatriation of deceased troops and those who are injured. While condemning the attacks on SADC troops by the M23 operating in the Eastern DRC, the leaders said they support all other diplomatic efforts to restore peace and security DRC. Thirteen SANDF soldiers were killed in fierce attacks with the rebels THIS WEEK and their bodies are yet to be repatriated. .For more on the outcomes of the summit Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC correspondent in Harare , Ephert Musekiwa.....

The Soul City Institute for Social Justice is deeply alarmed by the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule and the pause of foreign aid funding under the new Trump administration. The decision by the world's single largest donor has sent shockwaves across the world.  The Gag Rule prohibits U.S. federal funding to foreign organisations that provide, promote, or even discuss abortion services as part of comprehensive healthcare. The Soul City Institute says the decision is a direct attack on the health, rights and lives of women, girls, and marginalised communities across the globe, including in South Africa.  For more we are now joined on the line by Phinah Kodisang , CEO for the Soul City Institute for Social Justice