Drivetime

Dr Kemal Aydin

Welcome back to the show. Last week Gerontologist, Dr Kemal Aydin visited SA a guest of Awqaf SA to celebrate their 15th anniversary and the launch DaruShifa. Amidst his busy schedule, he was able to squeeze in an interview with us to educate on what exactly DaruShifa is and how…

16 Feb 2015 5AM 14 min

EFF press brief post SONA

Yes, SONA 2015 has come and gone and it will be talked about for the week ahead as members of Parliament and citizens alike express their sadness and disappointment in the events that unfolded last night. Earlier today, the EFF had a press conference post SONA. VOC reporter Raeesah Isaacs…

13 Feb 2015 5AM 6 min

SONA 2015: Eskom bailed out: economic perspective

In last nights SONA address, President Jacob Zuma announced that cash-strapped Eskom will be given R23-billion bailout by the government to stabilise the power utility’s finances. The government will also continue to utilise independent power producers in a bid to reduce the strain on Eskom. The utility has also been…

13 Feb 2015 5AM 7 min

SONA 2015: Eskom bailed out, SA Russia nuke de

al Shocking details have emerged about the South African/Russian nuclear deal, which seems to bind South Africa financially and holds the country liable for accidents at power plants. Last night, President Jacob Zuma reaffirmed the nation's commitment to nuclear power during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) but he…

13 Feb 2015 5AM 8 min

Chris Yelland

The energy crises plaguing South Africa is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems President Jacob Zuma will have to confront. As load-shedding continues and is predicted to last for the next few years, our economy and labour sectors are also affected. This ultimately is a negative for South Africa as…

12 Feb 2015 9AM 17 min

Labor sector

As we anticipate SONA and all things President Zuma should discuss, one key area that he should focus on is undoubtedly the labour sector. With the split between Numsa and Cosatu having taken place, the landscape of the labour industry definitely seems to be a big question mark. Online to…

12 Feb 2015 9AM 7 min

Tony Blair in CT

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is in South Africa as the keynote speaker for the 2015 Annual African Mining Indaba. Ironically, his visit to SA coincides with the visit of Palestinian liberation icon Leila Khaled. It is curious though that Blair’s visit has been met with warm and welcoming…

12 Feb 2015 5AM 8 min

Malaysian court upholds Anwar Ibrahim sodomy conviction

Malaysia's top court has upheld opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's conviction for sodomy after rejecting his appeal. He will now go to prison immediately to serve the five-year term that he was given in March 2014. It will be Mr Anwar's second spell in jail on charges which he has always…

11 Feb 2015 7AM 20 min

25 years since Mandela's release

25 years ago today, Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison in the Western Cape and made his way to City Hall in Cape Town to deliver his iconic speech from the balcony of the building. He was imprisoned for 27 years. Looking back at this momentous occasion in…

11 Feb 2015 5AM 15 min

Chapel Hill Shooting

After three American Muslims were gunned down "execution style" by an anti-Islam gunman in Chapel Hill, outraged people took to social media to express their opinions. The incident took place at a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, at 5 p.m. EST. However, the lack of…

11 Feb 2015 5AM 18 min

Ukrain Crisis

The Ukraine crisis is almost a year old and Russia is winning. The separatists in eastern Ukraine are gaining ground and Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, shows no signs of backing down in the face of Western economic sanctions. Unsurprisingly, a growing chorus of voices in the United States is…

10 Feb 2015 9AM 19 min

ConCourt hears party funding case

The organisation called My Vote Counts this morning told the Constitutional Court that South Africans have a right to know who is funding their political parties. It has requested the court to ask judges to force Parliament to bring in laws that would compel parties to explain where they get…

10 Feb 2015 7AM 7 min

UCT research aims to play role in consolidating peace in Northern Uganda

Research by the University of Cape Town has explored the potential for local communities in Uganda to have greater participation in conflict resolution in future. In his study, UCT PhD graduate Samson Barrigye focuses on the role of ordinary citizens in peacemaking and conflict resolution, and advocates for more bottom-up…

10 Feb 2015 7AM 10 min

Tribute to Andre Brink

Tributes are pouring in for renowned author, Andre Brink. The 79-year-old novelist, playright and academic died on a plane to Cape Town over the weekend after reportedly developing a blood clot. Brink was a key figure in an Afrikaans literary movement in the 1960s along with Ingrid Jonker and Breyten…

9 Feb 2015 9AM 9 min

Mining indaba to kick off in CT

The exodus of people from the mining financial and investment capitals of the cold northern hemisphere to Cape Town’s balmy summer climate is already under way, and will become something of a flood as the week continues. They are all headed to the Investing in African Mining Indaba whcic kicked…

9 Feb 2015 9AM 12 min

Jordan executes prisoners after ISIL murder of pilot

Jordan hanged two Iraqi prisoners today including a female in response to an Islamic State video showing a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive by the group. Islamic State had demanded the release of the woman, Sajida al-Rishawi, in exchange for a Japanese hostage whom it later beheaded. Sentenced to…

5 Feb 2015 5AM 14 min

SA an attractive destination for terrorism funding networks

Claims that South Africa has become a hotbed for terrorist organisations have again raised eyebrows. According to the latest Global Terrorism Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, South Africa ranks in the top 50 countries where terrorist activity took place. Werksmans Attorneys in Johannesburg addressed some of…

5 Feb 2015 4AM 6 min

Kashmir day of solidarity

Kashmir Day is being observed in Pakistan to express solidarity with people of occupied Kashmir. Pakistan observes Kashmir Day every year on February 5 against Indian oppression in occupied valley. To chat about the significance of this day is Salman Khan, the founder of the South African Kashmir Action Group…

5 Feb 2015 4AM 14 min

Leila Khaled exclusive

Palestinian resistance icon Leila Khaled will be jetting into South Africa tomorrow for her week long speaking tour with BDS South Africa. Most of us know Leila Khaled as a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and more infamously, as an airline hijacker during 1969 and…

5 Feb 2015 4AM 18 min

Lesotho elections]

So there we have it: another coalition government in Lesotho, and yet another term for Pakalitha Mosisili. But before his victory gets the full democratic whitewash, let’s remember who started all this trouble in the first place. These are the words of Simon Allison in his latest piece on the…

4 Feb 2015 7AM 9 min