Drivetime

Loopholes in proposed drone regulations

Civil society activists are concerned about proposed amendments to civil aviation regulations which would legalise the use of drones. They say the regulations are currently silent on the need to protect the public against the massive potential for drones to be used in surveillance and invasions of privacy. The Committee…

27 Jan 2015 6AM 6 min

Malawi floods update

Two weeks after floods first swept across southern Africa, tens of thousands of people urgently need clean water, food, shelter and medical care. Torrential rain triggered floods in early January, affecting some 900 000 people across Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, with almost 250 000 people forced to leave their…

26 Jan 2015 7AM 8 min

Egypt protests on anniversary of revolution

Protests in the streets of Cairo left at least 20 people dead yesterday, a day after the death of a socialist activist who was shot and killed at a rally. Egyptians were marking the fourth anniversary of the Tahir Square uprising that overthrew Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Security forces had been deployed across…

26 Jan 2015 7AM 12 min

Tunisian scholar Larbi Sadiki

The situation in the Middle East has rarely been as fluid as today, the events seldom as fascinating to watch, as well as challenging to comprehend with the barrage of news reports we receive from the region every day. Since early 2011, heads of state of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya…

23 Jan 2015 7AM 21 min

Free Book Friday: The Texture of Shadows

Free Book Friday: The Texture of Shadows In our Free Book Friday segment today, we explore a novel called The Texture of Shadows by Mandla Langa. The Texture of Shadows is set at the turn of the decade 1989-90, a highpoint of hope in South Africa's political history. The central…

23 Jan 2015 6AM 14 min

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah passes away

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was laid to rest this afternoon after passing away last night from a lung infection. King Abdullah, who had ruled since 2005, was 90 years old. His 79-year-old half-brother, Salman, has been confirmed as the new king. Within hours of his accession to the throne…

23 Jan 2015 6AM 5 min

Yemen reaches deal with rebels to end violence

We’ve been keeping an eye on the situation in Yemen lately, as the country plunges deeper into chaos. The latest is that Shia Houthi rebels have agreed to withdraw from areas in the capital Sanaa after the president said he was willing to accept demands for power-sharing. Clashes broke out…

22 Jan 2015 6AM 17 min

R2K dialogue on media freedom

With media freedom being a hot topic right now, a range of media commentators came together for a panel discussion organised by the Right2Know (R2K) campaign in Cape Town last night. This comes amid a global debate on freedom of expression, following a deadly assault on the offices of the…

22 Jan 2015 6AM 11 min

Muslim Views January 2015 Issue

Every month we check in with Muslim Views to get a preview of what is to come in their editions. Since it is 2015, I'm sure they will be kicking off the year with a bang! Online to give us a taste of the January edition of Muslim Views is…

21 Jan 2015 7AM 9 min

World Economic Forum – Importance for Africa

All eyes are on Davos in Switzerland, as the 45th annual World Economic Forum kicks off today. Thousands of leaders from several spheres, including business, government and academia are set to converge on the small town over the next few days. To help us understand the significance of the WEF for Africa’s…

21 Jan 2015 5AM 10 min

Corruption Watch on dropping of Guptagate charges

Two South African Air Force officers have instructed their lawyers to initiate civil proceedings against President Jacob Zuma, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. This follows the South African National Defence Force dropping charges relating to their alleged role in allowing a chartered plane to…

21 Jan 2015 5AM 5 min

LRA leader facing the ICC: analysis

Dominic Ongwen, a Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander, arrived in the Netherlands today, to face charges of four counts of war crimes and three counts of crimes against humanity committed in 2004 in northern Uganda. The LRA, led by the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, has been fighting the government of…

21 Jan 2015 5AM 18 min

R2K dialogue on media freedom

The attack at Charlie Hebdo has dominated media headlines this past few weeks. And for journalists, it raises difficult but important questions about the challenges and place of media freedom. This will be discussed this evening at a dialogue in the city.

21 Jan 2015 5AM 3 min

Sub Saharan Africa and Intl Crisis Group's 10 wars to watch

The last year was a bad one for international peace and security. Sure, there were bright spots in 2014. Colombia’s peace process looks hopeful. The last round of Iran’s nuclear talks was more successful than many think. Tunisia, though not yet out of the woods, showed the power of dialogue…

20 Jan 2015 7AM 18 min

Zille weighs in on Dramat controversy

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be pushing for parliamentary review of the decision by Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko to suspend the head of the Hawks Lt Gen Anwa Dramat, in contravention of a ruling of the Constitutional Court. Ms Zille said the DA fully supported the urgent application filed by…

20 Jan 2015 6AM 47 min

Islamic Relief in Malawi

Islamic Relief Malawi will be distributing much-needed food supplies this week to families who have been affected by recent floods and heavy rains which has devastated the impoverished country. Scores of people have died across fifteen districts and more than 200,000 people have been displaced in the disaster. According to…

20 Jan 2015 6AM 8 min

Folly of Cape Town's name-change policy

Today, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille's office said the proposal to rename Table Bay Boulevard to FW de Klerk Boulevard will go ahead. According to the city's naming policy, citizens of Cape Town and South Africa may be considered in their lifetime if they have received international recognition of…

19 Jan 2015 6AM 12 min

Mass Mawlid

Mawlid 1436 culminated at the Athlone Stadium yesterday with over 5000 people in attendance. With respected ulema and both local and international guest speakers ranging from Mayor De Lille to Sh Bakikir Ahmed Babikir, it comes as no suprise that the event is described as 'spiritually electrifying' VOC's Nailah Cornelissen…

19 Jan 2015 6AM 6 min

Remembrance of Islamic Sacred Sites

The 4-6 pm current affairs Drivetime Show is hosted by veteran journalist Shafiq Morton, winner of two Vodacom Awards, and an AfriCAN author’s award. Analytical and thought-provoking, Morton brings his decades of experience as a photo-journalist, historian and broadcaster to the show, added with his unique brand of humour and…

19 Jan 2015 6AM 18 min

Hebdo satirical magazine.

Paris attacks, links to Al Qaeda and secret war in Yemen Later on this evening there will be a special two hour panel discussion with members of the MJC and respected ulema on the Paris attacks. Be sure to tune in between 7pm and 9 pm as they discuss. Al…

16 Jan 2015 5AM 13 min