The Weekend View

International Wildlife Charity,  Born Free is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an official sanctuary certification from global accreditation body, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Born Free's Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve has been officially recognised as a true sanctuary. It is the first big cat sanctuary in South Africa to be awarded the accredited status by GFAS. To find out more about what this means we are now joined on the line by Catherine Gillson, Born Free's Sanctuary Manager at Shamwari 

The Democratic Alliance has written to Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson, requesting SAPS be summoned for failing to update on the alleged VBS corruption by Shivambu and Malema. This comes after a leaked former VBS Chairperson, Tshifiwa Matodzi's affidavit saying EFF allegedly received donations to the value of around sixteen million rand. EFF spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys says their party is being harassed. 

South Africa has one of the lowest rates of savings in the world. In addition to being a problem for households, poor personal saving practices may also have a negative impact on the economy as a whole. Budgeting and understanding how to allocate towards savings is a skill that should be instilled in children from a young age, to help them build a better relationship with money. 

Orphaned baby rhinos drink about 20 litres (about 20 boxes)  litters of low fat milk per day!! Now.. with the adult rhino species being poached, de-horned and killed, most baby rhinos find themselves in danger of death unless they are rescued and taken care of. For a Mandela Day initiative we have various communities in the North of Johannesburg who have gone out of their way to collect thousands of low fat milk for the orphaned baby rhinos. 

Big Food companies are under scrutiny for potentially misleading consumers about the healthiness of their products. This issue is particularly urgent for children, who are increasingly suffering from obesity and related health issues. Globally, over 220 million children aged five to 18 are obese, with South Africa seeing one in five children under 13 affected – twice the global average. 

Next week The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is hosting the 25th International Conference of the African Languages Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) in collaboration with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). The conference will focus on exploring how African languages can unlock new opportunities in various sectors, including education, business, and technology. 

The youthful looking 48 year old award-winning multidisciplinary artist Robin Rhode has been working in South Africa in Florida West of Johannesburg for about two months in an abandoned park. The old tennis court that has been cleaned up and it's cracked floor is now a canvas for Robin's creations. He's known for his wall art but he is now shifting away from walls to work on the ground. 

The Springboks end their losing streak against Ireland which dates back to 2016. 

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government priorities are still based on the Medium Term Strategic Framework even under the Government of National Unity. Ntshavheni has hit back at criticism of the size of the cabinet saying other factors like the demographics of the country, geographic spread, youth- and gender representation were also considered.

An alliance of advocates for equitable cancer care in South Africa is calling on the new Government of National Unity to make cancer a political priority, with a dedicated National Cancer Institute to close legislative and policy gaps that are driving life-threatening treatment disparities.  The group says South Africa faces an impending cancer prevention and control crisis, with at least 3000 patients enduring potentially deadly delays in treatment access due to staff and equipment shortages.  Only 44 of the country's 200 oncologists, for example, are employed in the public health sector, which serves 84% of the total population.