The Weekend View

South Africa-based global corporate responsibility watchdog, Benchmark Foundation, has welcomed what it calls the government's change of tact following a meeting between the national police ministry and mine rescue experts. At the conclusion of Friday's stakeholder-meeting, Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu, told members of the media that the now-controversial Operation Val' Umgodi had serious shortcomings. Mchunu said the shortcomings included the failure to consider the socio-economic challenges of communities where illegal mining activities are rampant. He added that part of the challenge is the fact that the vast majority of illegal miners are from outside the country and there are continuous engagements with the affected embassies. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Benchmark Foundation researcher, David van Wyk..

The conclusion of lobola negotiations symbolises the formal union of two families, and once the negotiations are concluded the couple is considered as married under the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act (1998). This also means, unless otherwise stated in an antenuptial contract, couples are in fact married in community of property, and that assets – like a home or car –and liabilities – like debt – are equally shared. While this deeply rooted tradition is widely embraced, fewer people are aware of how customary marriage (or marriage in community of property) can impact current and future homeownership.  Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Director at STBB Attorneys, Hopewell Sathekge 

Each year, on the 1st of  December, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. The aim is to remind society of the need for global solidarity in the ongoing fight against HIV/Aids. According to the results from South Africa's latest HIV prevalence survey there's been a decrease in new HIV infections from 249 000 in 2017 to 232 400 in 2022. The number of people living with HIV has gone down from 7.9 million in 2017 to 7.8 million in 2022. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Professor Thumbi Ndung'u, an international expert on HIV/Aids and director of basic & translational science at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in KwaZulu-Natal says now that Africa is turning the tide on HIV/Aids, with most new HIV infections occurring outside the continent, the hunt is on for a cure..

Today is Eskom's deadline to update electricity meters across the country. This entails the introduction of a new series of electricity vending codes to all meters in South Africa. The aim of the change is to  ensure that the meters' key change code does not expire. Eskoms says Zero buyers can still go to their legal vending sites with their meter numbers to buy electricity. They will then be issued their Key Change Tokens by the vending agents to make their meters KRN2 compliant. For more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) CEO, Wayne Duvenage and Professor Samson Mamphweli, energy expert from the South African National Energy Development Institute

This week marked Global Entrepreneurship Week which comes to an end TODAY. The week celebrates entrepreneurs who create solutions for world wide economic growth.  But according to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South Africa Report , entrepreneurship in the country is on the decline. The report noted that fewer people than ever before are considering starting new businesses. To find out more Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Natanya Meyer, Associate Professor for Entrepreneurship Education at the University of Johannesburg and co author of the report  

A piece of conceptual art made up of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, THIS WEEK sold for over 110 million rands at an auction in New York. The work by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled Comedian, which  features a banana costing a few cents, was sold at an auction on Wednesday for 6.5 million US dollars. The piece attracted heavy attention at the busy auction as many people tried to figure out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or cheeky collectors art .The final hammer price was 5.2 million US dollars, which didn't include the 1 million dollars in auction house fees, paid by the buyer. To make sense of this unusual and expensive art work, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Johan Thom, Associate Professor of Fine Arts in the Humanities faculty at the University of Pretoria....

In soccer, giant slayers Magesi FC were last night crowned Carling Knockout champions  after thumping Mamelodi Sundowns 2 -1..In a match billed as the "David and Goliath" clash, Magesi produced one of the biggest shocks in South African football history...

Meanwhile in rugby, it was a clean sweep for the Springboks as they walloped Wales 45 -12 in Cardiff last night. The resounding victory means the Springboks will finish the 2024 test rugby season as the number one side in the world. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Renier Swart, SABC rugby commentator

Food fraud or the deliberate misrepresentation or adulteration of food products for financial gain, is a growing problem in South Africa. This is according to a report titled Unlocking food safety: a comprehensive review of South Africa's food control and safety landscape from an environmental health perspective. Authors of the report say the recent public outcry against food fraud practices especially in communities that have lost loved ones due to the consumption of allegedly adulterated foodstuffs, highlights the grave danger that food fraud poses to consumers and the potential for significant reputational damage to food manufacturers. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Vincent Mphaga, an Environmental Health Practitioner 

 Voters in Namibia will go to the polls on WEDNESDAY (27 November) to choose their next president and parliamentary representatives. The elections come after President Hage Geingob died in February and was replaced on a interim basis by his deputy, Nangolo Mbumba. The election could mark a historic shift in the country's political landscape if the ruling SWAPO party, in power since independence in 1990, loses control of the presidency or parliament for the first time. The president is directly elected by voters and needs to garner more than 50% of votes to win. Support for SWAPO dropped from 87% in the presidential election in 2014 to 56% in 2019.To look at these crucial elections Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Carika Middelberg, an analyst from the Centre for Risk Analysis 

Mamelodi Sundowns and Magesi FC will be aiming to become Carling Knockout cup Champions TODAY. The two top-flight teams will lock horns in the second cup final of the season at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein... 
MEANWHILE in Rugby...The Springboks say they are determined to deliver a complete 80-minute performance and finish the season on a high note against Wales in Cardiff TODAY. The test, which kicks off at 7:40pm - SA time- at the Principality Stadium, is the last of the Tour to the UK, and the Boks' 13th for 2024. Victory would see the Boks complete the season with 11 wins, while they are also aiming to win all their matches on their November tour for the first time since 2013. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Renier Swart, SABC Rugby commentator