5 Mid Mornings

A gender activist and communications specialist joins 5 Mid-Mornings to unpack how coded language, euphemisms and social media censorship are changing the way we talk about gender-based violence.

After 12 years away from our screens, Soul City is back with a brand-new generation of talent in Soul City: Let’s Rise. The new 13-part series follows five young women navigating love, ambition, education, identity, relationships, family expectations and the realities of growing up in South Africa today. At the centre of the story are five new faces —  Pule Buys as Samke, Neo Malaka as Siza, Lufuno Mdau as Rhulani, Bohlokoa Nkalai as Neo, Asibonge Ntuli as Thando — who are stepping into a franchise that has been part of South African television for decades. Today we’re joined by Pule, Neo and Asibonge to talk about becoming part of the Soul City legacy, getting to know their characters, the stories they’re telling and what it means to be part of this new chapter.

There was a time when being independent meant doing everything yourself. You figured it out, kept your problems to yourself and, if you needed help, you probably tried everything possible before actually asking for it.  But that attitude seems to be changing. More people are becoming comfortable saying, “I actually need help with this". Whether it’s asking a friend for emotional support, asking family for financial help, admitting you’re struggling at work, asking someone to teach you something, or simply saying, “I don’t know how to do this.” There’s also more conversation around the idea that asking for help doesn’t mean you’re incapable. Sometimes it means you know your limits, you trust the people around you and you’re willing to learn.And maybe adulthood has taught us that doing everything alone isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re strong. Sometimes knowing when to ask for help is the stronger move.

When we talk about addiction, most of us immediately think about substances like heroin, cocaine or other drugs that are obviously associated with addiction. But what about something you picked up at a pharmacy? Painkillers are medicines. We take them because we have a headache, an injury, back pain or after surgery. And because they're medicines, we don't necessarily think of them as something we could become dependent on. In a 2024 study, more than 80% of pharmacy professionals surveyed said patients believe over-the-counter codeine medicines are safe, while almost 9 in 10 were concerned about a lack of awareness around codeine dependence. And dependence doesn't necessarily look like what we imagine addiction looks like. You could be someone who started taking something for genuine pain and then found yourself needing it more often, feeling uncomfortable when you don't have it, or taking it simply because you don't feel normal without it.

Project Co-ordinator Dolly Mapule Lethulwa joins us for a conversation about Phelela Bokamoso CDP and the various programmes they offer. We also learn about how Ubuntu is at the core of the organisation's work and the kind of impact that they've had on their community so far.

An organisation based in KZN, Take Me To Tertiary helps inspire highschoolers for tertiary. We are joined by the founder and CEO, Ayanda Zikhali for a conversation about the impact of the organisation on the communities it works in as well as how Mzansi can join forces and amplify this mission.

Inkosi Ivumile Community Organization is intentional about their focus on Teenage Pregnancy and GBV and we find out more about those programmes from the Founder and Director Ntombi Jacisa. We also learn about the importance of breaking the generational chains of GBV and how that can better impact South African families.

Founder and Project Manager at Ukhamba, Nthato Korolosi joins us for a conversation about the core values of the organisation and a strong belief in nurturing the talent found in communities. This Heritage Month, Nthato reminds us that our communities have many interconnected needs and how Ukhamba seeks to meet those needs with the programmes and offerings.

This week, we kicked off our Love Letter to Mzansi campaign by putting the spotlight on Gauteng.  From Tuesday to Wednesday, we asked listeners to send us voice notes telling us what they love most about Gauteng — from the food and music to the people, languages, neighbourhoods, hustle and bustle, and all the little things that make the province feel like home. We’ve started collecting your stories and memories, and this Friday, we’ll bring them all together and play our Love Letter to Gauteng, created with your voices. 

Amber-Rose Berry is an 18-year-old open-water swimmer from Pringle Bay, near Cape Town, who has just made history as the youngest South African woman to swim the English Channel. She completed the gruelling 33km crossing from England to France in an unofficial time of 10 hours and 27 minutes, battling cold water, strong currents, jellyfish stings and exhaustion along the way. This isn't her first major achievement. At just 16, Amber-Rose became the youngest person to complete the 33km False Bay crossing, finishing in 9 hours and 40 minutes. Her journey is particularly inspiring because she was actually frightened of water as a young child after a swimming accident. She is also using her English Channel swim to raise funds for the Ukukhula Institute, which provides scholarships for disadvantaged student-athletes from the Eastern Cape to study at Rhodes University.

The final Women Who Move Us Through the Arts, we’re celebrating two women who are making their mark behind the scenes in an industry where we often see men occupying many of the key roles. Vuyo Renene works at the intersection of talent management, music business and entertainment law, helping artists build careers that are not only creatively successful but also properly structured and protected.  And Koketso Kgogome is a producer and storyteller working across sport, culture and entertainment, with credits spanning major brands and sports platforms. They are both currently working on one of the biggest amapiano events, Scorpion Kings Live 2026, and contribute their skills to projects as big as that. Two very different journeys, but both are proof that there is so much power in the women working behind the scenes to make the culture we enjoy possible.

When we were younger, being an adult looked like the dream. Adults seemed to have everything figured out —they had their own homes, cars, jobs, money, they went on holidays and somehow always looked like they knew what they were doing.  But now that we’re actually the adults, why does everyone seem so tired and stressed all the time? Bills, work, rent, groceries, relationships, trying to maintain friendships, looking after your mental health and somehow finding time to enjoy your life — it feels like there’s always something to worry about. And the funniest part is, the adults we grew up watching were also complaining about how hard life was, but we just didn’t understand it because, from where we were standing, adulthood looked so much better. Maybe adulthood has always been difficult, but the pressure has changed. We’re constantly connected, constantly comparing ourselves to other people and constantly being told where we should be in life. So is being an adult actually harder now, or did we just grow up and realise that nobody actually knows what they’re doing?

We all know the unspoken rule: you don’t date your friend’s ex. But is that rule actually reasonable, especially when the relationship is over and both people have supposedly moved on? Because technically, once you’ve broken up with someone, do you still get a say in who they date? And does it make a difference if it was a serious, long-term relationship versus someone they went on a few dates with? What if your friend says they’re completely over them but clearly still has feelings? And then there’s the other side — if you genuinely connect with someone, should your friend’s past relationship with them automatically make them off-limits? Maybe the real issue isn’t whether you can date your friend’s ex, but whether you’re willing to deal with what it could do to the friendship.

Karabo’s Running Era Okay, so I’ve officially entered my running era! I’m taking on the Balwin Run Series on the 20th, which means we’ve got exactly one month to get me ready for #KarabosBigRace.  Now, I’m not just going to wake up and start running without a plan, so we’ve brought in a running coach to help me prepare properly, build my fitness and, most importantly, make sure I’mtraining safely and sustainably. So, if you’ve ever wanted to get into running or you’re preparing for your own race, hopefully you can learn a thing or two with me along the way!

We woke up this morning to the sad news that legendary country music icon Dolly Parton has passed away. Now, even if country music wasn’t necessarily your genre, it’s almost impossible to talk about music history without talking about Dolly Parton. She was a songwriter, singer, actress, philanthropist, and one of the most beloved figures in entertainment.

These days, staying at the same company for years can feel like a risky career move. Job-hopping is often seen as one of the fastest ways to increase your salary, learn new skills and move into better positions. If another company is offering you more money, better opportunities or a healthier work environment, why stay where you are?  But then there’s the question of loyalty - should you feel committed to a company that has invested in you, or is your career ultimately your responsibility? And if your current employer isn’t giving you opportunities to grow, how long are you expected to wait?

Do people still collect things? Gretel, a listener messaged in yesterday during our show asking this question and we decided to do some research, because back in the day, it felt like everyone’s parents had something they were collecting. Maybe it was stamps, coins, postcards, fridge magnets, or those photo albums filled with pictures from every family holiday. Collecting was something you physically built over years — you had a box, a shelf, an album, and eventually an entire cupboard dedicated to it. But now, with everything becoming digital and our lives moving so quickly, do people still have that same urge to collect?A 2023 survey found that 46% of people said they owned some kind of collection, so collecting definitely hasn't disappeared. What’s interesting is that collecting today can look very different. You might be collecting sneakers, vinyl, trading cards, LEGO, perfumes, jerseys, figurines, books, watches or even digital items. Social media has also changed the experience — instead of keeping your collection hidden in a cupboard, you can find other collectors, discover rare pieces, show off what you’ve found and even buy and trade with people all over the world. So maybe the shift isn't from collecting to not collecting. Maybe it's from collecting things because that's what people around us did, to collecting things that tell people something about who we are, what we're interested in and what we love.

There are some foods that people have VERY strong opinions about. Oysters. Olives. Blue cheese. Mushrooms. Tripe. Anchovies. Even coriander. You either love them, or you absolutely cannot understand why anyone would willingly put them in their mouth.  But then there are the foods we’ve convinced ourselves we’re supposed to like. Maybe you order the oysters because everyone else isordering them. Maybe you pretend to enjoy blue cheese because it feels sophisticated. Or maybe you’ve been saying you love something for years because you feel like you’re supposed to. And then there’s the complete opposite that one food you genuinely LOVE that everyone around you thinks is disgusting.

Concert season is officially back, the weather is warming up, and South Africa is becoming a serious stop for some of the biggest names in music. We’ve had artists like Doja Cat bring her show to Pretoria, and now we’ve got names like J. Cole and Limp Bizkit on the calendar, alongside artists like Bryan Adams and Boyz II Men. But with all these concerts, festivals and live experiences happening, we have to ask: how much is too much for a concert ticket? Because the ticket price is only part of the expense. There’s transport, parking, food, maybe accommodation if you’re travelling — and then there are those VIP and hospitality packages that can take the price into another universe. And let’s be honest, sometimes it’s not even about whether you can afford the ticket. It’s about whether that artist is worth spending your money on. Would you rather spend R2,000 seeing your favourite artist live, or use that same money for an entire weekend away?