The Weekend View

A month ago Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor, Gary van Niekerk made a public pledge here on SAfm's Sunday Morning Discussion to put in place measures that would significantly reduce criminality. Speaking to  the  The Weekend View Van Niekerk said by TODAY - the 6th of October - he would have report back on what had been done to effectively combat crime. This came at theh back of a Mexican Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice report which published its annual ranking of the 50 most violent cities in the world. The report ranked Nelson Mandela Bay (Gqeberha) as the most dangerous city in South Africa,  leaping past Cape Town and Durban.  The quarterly SAPS crime statistics released last month by National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola revealed that Mthatha and Gqeberha had also been identified as problem areas for extortion-related rackets. Last week's gruesome Lusikisiki murders also confirmed the Eastern Cape as the country's murder capital. Speaking with my colleague Udo Carelse, Mayor Gary Van Nieklerk, Pamela Mabini, a community activist based in Gqeberha and  Prof Kholofelo Rakubu, Safety and Security Management  Head of Department at the Tshwane University of Technology all agreed that a collective effort was needed to comabt crime. Here is what they said last month when they spoke with Udo 

Orlando Pirates secured their third consecutive MTN8 title with a 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch FC at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban YESTERDAY. Stellies took the initial lead, but the Buccuneers came back with 3 goals putting their name into the record books. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC Sports Analyst, Mathews Mpete

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has denied a request by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party to postpone tomorrow's sitting of Judicial Service Commission, after an earlier court suspended the participation of the party's Parliamentary leader, Dr John Hlophe, in JSC activities. In handing down judgement yesterday, Judge Stuart Wilson found that the decision of the JSC was rational as the body was bound by the order of the Western Cape High Court that temporarily interdicted Hlophe's participation in JSC duties. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to MK party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela... 

 It's almost exactly a year now since the October 7th attack which saw Hamas gunmen launch an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza - the deadliest in Israel's history, killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets.  Hamas took more than 250 others to Gaza as hostages. Israel immediately began a massive campaign of air strikes on targets in Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack. A year of relentless Israeli attacks on the enclave have killed more than 41,700 people and wounded almost 100,000, with thousands still missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Israel recently opened a second war front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, first with airstrikes which have killed and wounded thousands and now pursuing a ground incursion into southern Lebanon. Iran in turn launched dozens of missiles into Israel on TUESDAY NIGHT, another escalation in a tit-for-tat cycle that is pushing the Middle East closer to a regional war. Israel warned that the Iran attack would have "repercussions." To look at the Middle East conflict one year on, Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Naeem Jeenah, Senoir Reseacher at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) 

The furore that has erupted over the impending budget cuts to basic education has uncovered how this will disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining South Africa's Constitutional guarantee of the right to basic education. The major concerns highlighted so far include critical issues such as teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate scholar transport and infrastructure. Little has been said about how the move will negatively affect the school nutrition programme. The Healthy Living Alliance - HEALA - is concerned for the programme, which provides 9 million school-going children with meals in poorer primary and secondary schools. The Alliance is now convening a conference to come up with solutions on how to strengthen and expand the school nutrition programme and ensure food justice for all children. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to HEALA head of communications, Zukiswa Zimela

Not In My Name International has welcomed the sentencing of serial rapist Nkosinathi Phakathi by the High Court sitting in Palm Ridge. Phakathi received a staggering 42 life sentences for rape, along with 791 years and six months of direct imprisonment for charges including kidnapping, compelling minors to witness sexual acts, assault, sexual assault, and theft. His crimes spanned from 2012 to 2021, during which he terrorized multiple women in Ekurhuleni, with many of his victims being minors, the youngest just 9 years old. The Not In My Name Social Justice Movement has expressed hope that this severe sentence will serve as a deterrent to potential perpetrators. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  NotInMy international Secretary-General, Themba Masango

Did the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) act lawfully or rationally when it declined the request by the uMkhonto weSizwe party to postpone its interviews. This was the primary question before the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg and one that it will have to make a determination on. The official opposition is seeking a declaratory order that the majority decision by the JSC was unconstitutional.  The JSC is expected to conduct the interviews, which are meant to begin from Monday, to fill vacancies in various superior courts among them the position of Judge President of the Western Cape High Court - a role once held by Hlophe. Zoleka Qodashe reports...

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and its partners will march to Parliament in Cape Town TODAY, calling on the government to implement the Apartheid Bill. The group is pushing for legislation to enforce the UN Apartheid Convention, which South Africa ratified in May 2024. In a statement, the PSC says the Bill aims to hold Israel accountable for ongoing violence in Palestine, where over 41,000 lives have been lost since October 2023. The marchers are urging South Africa to lead the fight against apartheid by passing the Bill and supporting Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) measures. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Palestine Solidarity Campaign Chief Coordinator,  Usuf Chitke.

Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium will be pulsating THIS EVENING as it hosts Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC. The two teams will clash in the MTN8 final, first Cup final of the season. Pirates are aiming to become the first team in South African top flight football to win the MNT-8 trophy three times in a row. They will have to work hard to beat a very formidable Stellenbosch FC. Kick off is at 6pm and you watch the game on SABC 1 and SABC Sport. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC Sports Analyst, Mathews Mpete.

Residents are still in shock following the mass murder of 17 at Ngobozana area in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape. It is alleged that heavily armed people opened fire to a group of people in two different homesteads. The majority of those killed were women. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to our reporter Nomzwanele Bacela .