Drivetime

UCT students in poo protest against 'white imperialism

Students threw human excrement on a statue of Cecil John Rhodes on University of Cape Town (UCT) campus grounds during a protest on Monday. Two members of the dozen protesters threw faeces and urine on the base of the statue. UCT spokesperson Patricia Lucas confirmed in a statement that the…

10 Mar 2015 8AM 11 min

'Building unity

'Building unity' is a catchphrase that often features in the ANC, Cosatu and SACP statements, both in terms of their own organisations and the Alliance relationship. The divisions in Cosatu and growing possibility of a redesign in organised labour have repercussions for the Alliance, and could mark the final unravelling…

9 Mar 2015 7AM 7 min

Boko Haram pledges allegiance to ISIS

After months of teasing, Boko Haram has finally pledged allegiance to the Islamic State; an unholy alliance that, in theory, makes both sides bigger, badder and more brutal than ever before. But what if the theory is wrong? What if this is a sign of weakness, not strength? And what…

9 Mar 2015 7AM 18 min

International Women’s Day: SA agencies produce provocative domestic violence ad

International Women’s Day, on Sunday, saw at least two South African advertising agencies bring out hard-hitting adverts designed to draw attention to violence against women and the services available for women in danger. One took the risky step of using a silly internet meme to talk about gender-based violence –…

9 Mar 2015 7AM 6 min

Saudi becomes biggest arms importer

Saudi Arabia has overtaken India to become the world’s biggest importer of arms in 2014, a study found on Sunday. The figures show that Saudi Arabia now spends more on importing weapons than India, a country whose population is over 40 times larger than that of the Gulf heavyweight. Riyadh’s…

9 Mar 2015 7AM 13 min

Cops used stun grenades on pupils

Police maintained a visible presence in Cape Town’s CBD on Friday after a protest which saw officers apparently use crowd control weapons, including stun grenades, on a group of pupils from Philippi High School. Informal traders operating outside the Western Cape Education Department’s office at the Grand Central building on…

6 Mar 2015 7AM 9 min

Who is Jihadi John

During this week, "Jihadi John”, the masked Isil executioner and alleged British national, known for his role in the beheadings of hostages by the Islamic State has now been named as Mohammed Emwazi. We cross to Democracy Now for their special interview with Muslim advocacy group, CAGE, who has a…

6 Mar 2015 7AM 17 min

Media and civil society organisations fight to protect the public’s right to k

An urgent court application challenging Parliament's policy on filming and broadcasting was heard in the Western Cape High Court today. Five organisations, including Right2Know Campaign, want to ensure that Parliament's live broadcast feed captures everything that happens inside the National Assembly chamber especially when there are disruptions. Online from R2K…

6 Mar 2015 5AM 5 min

Raising The Bar

Raising the Bar is Songezo Zibi’s first book and seeks to provide a thorough, accurate analysis on the different issues preventing South Africa from moving forward. Zibi’s writing explores aspects of South African society by identifying challenges to the country’s development and examining possible solutions which would manage and eliminate…

6 Mar 2015 5AM 10 min

Netanyahu's speech to Congress

Tehran has called the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US Congress on Iran's nuclear talks deceitful and a desperate attempt to impose an irrational agenda. In his speech to Congress, Netanyahu said that the world must stand together to stop Iran from gaining access to a…

4 Mar 2015 5AM 23 min

Cosatu

It appears Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has survived any new action being taken against him for now, following a possible decision by the federation’s central executive committee (CEC) to hold an extraordinary meeting to deal with him. The possibility of a special CEC was discussed on Tuesday by the…

4 Mar 2015 5AM 6 min

New Expropriation Bill is unconstitutional and economically disastrous

The Expropriation Bill of 2015 (the Bill) has fi nally been released by the Department of Public Works. The minister, Thulas Nxesi, wants it pushed through Parliament before year end. However, the 2015 Bill is just as unconstitutional as its 2008 and 2013 predecessors. Crucially, the Bill still seeks to…

4 Mar 2015 5AM 7 min

Nigeria's Boko Haram releases beheading video echoing Islamic State

Nigerian group, Boko Haram, has released a video that purportedly shows members beheading two men, its first online posting using the advanced graphics and editing techniques associated with Islamic State. The film, released on Monday, opens with two men on their knees, their hands tied behind their backs, and a…

4 Mar 2015 5AM 8 min

Numsa affiliates pressure Cosatu

Seven affiliates assigned to the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) have called on the federation to postpone today’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting at which an application to have a new metalworkers union brought into the fold will be tabled. The unions are campaigning for Numsa’s expulsion to…

3 Mar 2015 9AM 5 min

Netanyahu

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…

3 Mar 2015 4AM 8 min

Boris Nemtsov killing

The shocking murder of opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, literally in sight of the Kremlin, clearly marks the beginning of a new era in Russian politics and Russia watching alike. And it is unlikely to be pretty. Who killed Nemtsov, who was behind it? At this stage, I have absolutely no…

3 Mar 2015 4AM 19 min

Medupi finally produces first power

The first power was produced out of Medupi’s unit 6 on Monday at 11:03, making it the first of the Medupi power station’s six units to be synchronised, according to Eskom. Synchronisation, or first power, is the process whereby the generator in the unit is electrically connected to the national…

3 Mar 2015 4AM 7 min

Cape Town Fire: what to expect after

Earlier today, Table Mountain National Park Integrated Fire Manager Phillip Prins said that the blaze spreading around Cape Town’s south peninsula is likely to continue for much of the week, depending on the weather conditions. The area under threat stretches from Hout Bay to Muizenberg and at least 3 000…

3 Mar 2015 4AM 7 min

Children of struggle stalwarts back IAW

Israeli Apartheid Week is a series of international events aimed at raising awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The children and relatives of anti-apartheid stalwarts, veterans and icons have come out in support of the…

2 Mar 2015 9AM 7 min

SA should expel all Israeli spies.

For the past week and years to come, people will always be talking about the Spy Cables. But as info trickles our from Al Jazeera and The Guardian, questions still remain. The mos important one is who jacked the docs? No one knows yet. We do know that they’re heavy…

2 Mar 2015 9AM 11 min