Point of View with Phemelo Motene
Point of View with Phemelo Motene, delves into the day’s current affairs, touching on real issues and sharing expert advice on the audience questions between 8pm to 10pm Mondays to Thursdays.
Trump Snubs Joburg: Says SA “Shouldn’t Be in the G20”
US President Donald Trump has sparked a diplomatic storm after dismissing South Africa’s place in the G20 and vowing to boycott this month’s leaders’ summit in Johannesburg. Speaking at a business forum in Miami, Trump claimed South Africa is “going in the wrong direction” and argued it no longer deserves…
5. Legal Matters: Defamation and HIV-status privacy, Protected disclosures and workplace retaliation
This week on Legal Matters, Nthabiseng Dubazana breaks down some of the legal questions that hit closest to home: protected disclosures and workplace retaliation, defamation and HIV-status privacy, neighbour disputes, parking wars and how the spirit of ubuntu should guide them. She also answers listeners’ burning legal questions.
60,000 people still awaiting trial some for over a decade
South Africa’s remand prisons are overflowing, with 60,000 detainees still waiting for their day in court including people who have been behind bars for more than 10 years without sentencing. Parliament heard this week that while many detainees are recent arrivals, thousands have languished in custody for years: 5,000 for…
Steenhuisen under pressure as DA tension deepens
The DA’s internal storm is far from over. As questions swirl about the shock removal of Dion George as minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, leader John Steenhuisen now faces scrutiny over his personal finances. Daily Maverick reporting shows Steenhuisen had a default judgment against him earlier this year…
ANC meets Gift of the Givers as party heavyweight steps aside
As South Africa scrambles to understand a wave of unexplained flights carrying Palestinians, the ANC says the country must not become an “easy target” for forced depopulation. ANC 1st Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane met with Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman to map out humanitarian cooperation following last…
Parliament shocked by statutory rape cases in schools
A parliamentary inquiry has laid bare disturbing gaps in protecting children in South Africa’s schools. Of the country’s more than 400,000 teachers, only 42,650 have been vetted a crisis the Basic Education Committee says leaves classrooms vulnerable to sexual predators. Chaired by Joy Maimela, the committee heard how reporting failures,…
Book Feature: Griffin Shea’s Top Reads
This week, we dive into the world of books with Griffin Shea, owner of Bridge Books, who shared five of his standout reads. First up is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, then there’s The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown and Sci-fi fans will recognise Andy…
Makhanda Education Summit: A New Chapter for a Rising Education Hub
Makhanda has spent more than a decade rebuilding its education system and this past weekend’s Education Summit at Rhodes University signalled just how far the city has come. Leaders from Early Childhood Development centres, primary schools and high schools gathered to celebrate major gains and push for solutions to the…
NCOP Delegates Head to Gauteng for Week-Long Oversight Drive
Gauteng’s permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will spend the week of 18–21 November assessing how well municipalities are delivering basic services and where they’re falling short. The oversight visits form part of the NCOP’s annual Provincial Week, this year themed “Building Viable Municipalities for Enhanced Delivery…
Why More Than 300 Joburg Vendors Will No Longer Be Trading
Johannesburg officials have confirmed that more than 300 informal traders will not be returning to their stalls in the inner city, mainly due to missing documents and unresolved immigration issues. After a two-week verification process ordered by the South Gauteng High Court, the city said only 161 traders from a…
Inside the mystery of planeloads of Palestinians arriving in South Africa
Two chartered flights carrying Palestinians fleeing Gaza have quietly landed at OR Tambo International Airport in the past three weeks triggering confusion and concern among local authorities. Rumours first surfaced around 6 November on civil-society WhatsApp groups: a plane of Palestinian families had arrived in Johannesburg with just seven days…
Nkabinde inquiry begins into Chauke’s fitness to serve as Gauteng DPP
A formal inquiry into the conduct of Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andrew Chauke kicked off on Monday, with National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi among the first expected to testify. Chauke, suspended with full pay since July, faces serious allegations including claims of bribe-taking, and recordings linking…
Ekurhuleni revives EMPD media unit, denies link to explosive commission testimony
The City of Ekurhuleni is reinstating the media and public relations division of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) and with it, officer Kelebogile Thepa, who returns as head of the unit. The timing has raised eyebrows. Thepa testified before the Madlanga Commission last week, revealing she had received two…
Call for vigilance as rains batter Gauteng
The Gauteng Provincial Government is urging residents to stay alert as relentless rain sweeps across the province. This comes after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a Level 9 warning for 16 November, signalling a medium likelihood of disruptive downpours that could trigger widespread flooding, dangerous fast-flowing streams and…
Sasria invests in the next generation
Sasria SOC Ltd, together with the IISA, has launched bold new youth development programmes aimed at reshaping the future of South Africa’s insurance sector. Phemelo speaks to Sasria’s Executive Manager for Stakeholder Engagement, Muzi Dladla, about how these initiatives will open doors for young talent.
SA makes vaccine history with homegrown cholera trials
A major milestone for South African science, local biotech firm Biovac has launched clinical trials for the country’s first fully home-developed oral cholera vaccine. Approved by Sahpra, it’s the first vaccine to undergo end-to-end development in South Africa in over 50 years. The SAMRC, led by Professor Glenda Gray, will…
Rise Mzansi takes on gambling ads
Political movement Rise Mzansi is urging South Africans to rally against harmful gambling advertising. The group will hold a Gambling Picket outside the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in Pretoria on 14 November. They’re demanding stricter ad limits between 10am–6pm and 10pm–midnight to protect vulnerable people and minors from…
SAHRC sounds alarm over unsafe, unequal schools
The South African Human Rights Commission has painted a grim picture of public education in its latest school readiness report. Inspectors visiting schools across all nine provinces found crumbling classrooms, pit toilets, and unsafe hostels - especially in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. Despite years of reform promises, many…
Trump’s false “Christian genocide” claims in Nigeria
US President Donald Trump is under fire for spreading a myth about a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria. The claim, amplified by US conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz, distorts a complex reality of extremist violence rooted in politics, inequality and history, not religion alone. Senior Professor at the Centre for Gender…
Book Feature: Neo’s Invisible Blanket by Salamina Mosese
Actress and producer Salamina Mosese is turning the page literally with her new children’s book, Neo’s Invisible Blanket. It’s a heartwarming story about Neo, a little boy with a big imagination who sometimes gets scared of new things. His brave sister Thandi comes up with a clever idea: she gives…