Drivetime

Weekly Middle East Report

In this week's Middle East report in partnership with the London based Middle East Monitor, we look at the following: -Tunisians mark 10 years since fruit seller Mohamed Bou Azizi set himself on fire, kickstarting the Arab spring -Morocco fully normalises ties with Israel in return for US recognition of…

18 Dec 2020 8AM 17 min

UbuntuCare distributes 300,000 masks

UbuntuCare, a non-profit organisation has distributed more than 300,000 cloth masks to vulnerable communities in the Western Cape. The initiative gives women in impoverished areas the opportunity to produce masks and earn an income to support their families. On line for comment is partner in UbuntuCare, Fiona Hoadley.

15 Dec 2020 7AM 7 min

Ramaphosa calls for better race relations in the country

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South African to learn more languages as part of bridging racial divides in the country. Ramaphosa was speaking in his weekly newsletter ahead of reconciliation day on December 16. On line for comment is Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast, lecturer in the School of Security and African…

15 Dec 2020 7AM 8 min

Consumer Confidence continues to recover

The FNB /BER Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) lept by another 11 index points to a level of 12 in the fourth quarter of 2020, extending its third quarter gain of 10 index points. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent severe economic restrictions sent the CCI crashing from an…

15 Dec 2020 7AM 8 min

US adopts "new map" of Morocco

The US has adopted a "new map" of Morocco that includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara. It is a disputed and divided former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco's control, where tensions with the pro-independence Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s. On Thursday, Morocco became the fourth Arab country…

15 Dec 2020 7AM 9 min

India targeting EU & UN to serve its interest

Following a preliminary investigation published in 2019, the EU DisinfoLab uncovered a massive operation targeting international institutions and serving Indian interests. The 15 year operation targeting the EU and UN to serve Indian interests and undermine Pakistan. On line for comment is Salma Khan, Chairperson of the South African Kashmir…

15 Dec 2020 7AM 11 min

UWC celebrates Women in academia and leadership

The University of Western Cape is celebrating Women in academia and leadership, an initiative that is part of Reward and Reconciliation approach at UWC. On line is Professor Nicolette Roman, head of the child and family program at UWC.

14 Dec 2020 7AM 7 min

SA companies may require staff to take Covid-19 vaccination

South Africa may require staff to be vaccinated before returning to work, but business exploring mandatory vaccinations will need to tread carefully. Although employers have an obligation to ensure a safe workplace, employees have right to security and control over their bodies. So what are the legal implications? On line…

14 Dec 2020 7AM 10 min

Book Review: Hack with a Grenade

Hack with a Grenade offers a newspaper's editor social perspective on the characters that shape South Africa's physche. In a book that is one part humour and one part social commentary, Gasant Abader draws on his broad experiences as a journalist to tackle such issues as religion, prejudice and injustice.

14 Dec 2020 7AM 19 min

SANZAF women gain international recognition

Sanzaf women gained international recognition in the Womani report with chairperson Fayruz Mohamed and CEO Yasmina Francke featuring among the 300 most influential women in Islamic Finance and Business. They both join us on show.

11 Dec 2020 9AM 24 min

MSF urges health dept to improve emergency response

Doctors Without Borders has urged the national department of health to improve its national emergence response capacity by ensuring that medical staff are assigned to developing covid-19 hotspots throughout the country. We now chat to Claire Waterhouse, head of operations and care unit at MSF.

11 Dec 2020 8AM 7 min

Weekly Middle East Report

In this week's Middle East report in partnership with the London based Middle East Monitor, we look at the following: -Palestinian teen killed by Israeli forces during protest -EU delegation visits Gaza to assess coronavirus treatment -UN General Assembly votes in favour of affirming Syria sovereignty over Golan Heights. On…

11 Dec 2020 8AM 16 min

UCT law student graduate breaks boundaries

Tabeth Masengu became the University of Cape Town's( UCT) first recipient of a jointly awarded PhD in Law with Gent University in Belgium. He examiners were unanimous in awarding her the doctorate without corrections. We now chat to Dr Tabeth Masengu, Gender, Rule of Law and Human Rights expert, UGent…

11 Dec 2020 8AM 13 min

Socio-political impact of Brexit on Africa

As the Brexit cloak nears, both the UK and EU fear they will be unable to reach a deal before the Brexit transition period ends on December 31. While the debate in Africa about Brexit has only concentrated on the economic impact, there are also other socio-political impact Brexit will…

9 Dec 2020 10AM 14 min

Weekly Africa report

In this week's Africa report, we look at the following: -The two leading candidates in Ghana;s presidential election both pronounce victory. -DRC political crisis deepens as MPs debate to remove speaker -Liberia's George Weah faces test over planned constitutional changes by referendum. On line for comment political science lecturer at…

9 Dec 2020 9AM 12 min

Load shedding in the pipeline for SA until September 2021

Power utility Eskom says South Africa is likely to experience load shedding from now up until September 2021. In 2019, the company implemented stage 6 load shedding in an effort to ease pressure on the constrained grid. We now chat to Energy Expert, Roger Lilly.

9 Dec 2020 9AM 8 min

Why should the US be afforded the power to kill?

The US government's argument that it has every right to assassinate anyone, anywhere that it deems a national security risk, even its own citizens, heralds its descent into despotism. One such example is the case of Bilal Abdul Kareem, whose case is before the Court of Appeals. The Trump administration…

7 Dec 2020 10AM 17 min

Webinar: ''Fixing our democracy''

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation hosted a webinar titled “Fixing our Democracy”, tackling capture and corruption to prevent state failure. The panel discussed on what is state failure and how civil society can help prevent it. On line is Ahmed Kathrada Coordnator of Strengthening Democracy Programme, Zaakirah Vadi.

7 Dec 2020 9AM 7 min

Reshaping the value of procurement and post-covid roles

The current environment of reshaping the strategic value of procurement and its post-Covid-19 role has exposed several vulnerabilities. The supply chain is being discussed on all platforms in determining the growth and survival of companies. This was part of the discussion at the just ended Annual Smart Procurement World Indaba,…

7 Dec 2020 9AM 15 min

Book review: ''Six Years with Al Qaeda'' by Stephen McGown

In today's book review, we have a book called “Six Years With Al-Qaeda”, the story of Stephen McGown who in 2011 was held captive by Al-Qaeda while touring Mali. Steve was held in captivity for nearly six years, giving him the unenviable record of Al-Qaeda's longest held surviving prisoner. The…

4 Dec 2020 10AM 22 min