African Dialogue

South Africa has been placed on Adjusted Alert Level Four of the national lockdown for the next fourteen days, as the country battles the rising number of covid-19 cases. All social gatherings including political, religious and cultural events are prohibited with the exception of funerals which will only be limited to 50 people.President Cyril Ramaphosa made this announcement in his address to the nation last night. This as the country grapples with new Delta variant of the Coronavirus which has hit the country leading to South Africa recording the highest number of daily infections in the past few days. To assist us on this we are joined by: • Mugwena Maluleke Secretary General South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU)• Michael Swain Executive Director Freedom of Religion South Africa (ForSA)• Wendy Alberts CEO: Restaurants Association of South Africa

Ivory Coast's former President, Laurent Gbagbo, landed in his country, last week Thursday, after battling charges of war and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court for many years. After being acquitted in 2019 his return has been expected hence this homecoming saw crowds welcoming Gbagbo in Abidjan where he landed with a heavy security scattered across the city. As much he has not made his political ambitions clear the support of his return was a signal that he could still be enjoying a support base in his country. Today on the program, we look at whether Gbagbo’s return to Ivory Coast has any ramifications to the politics of the country. On African Dialogue, Benjamin Moshatama speaks to Koffi Kouakou, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Africa China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, Dr Mohammed Diatta, researcher at the Institute for Security Studies and Brian Kagoro, commentator and Pan-Africanist Development Practitioner…

As she made her exit as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda denied accusations, tainting the court while she was heading it, that the ICC was only interested in prosecuting Africans. In a BBC interview, she said the accusations were part of a propaganda campaign by those wanting to discredit the court. Under former United States (US) President, Donald Trump, Washington opposed decisions made by Bensouda to examine war crimes allegations in Afghanistan, including against US troops, and alleged atrocities in the Palestinian territories by Israeli troops, Palestinians and other armed groups.The incoming Chief Prosecutor, British barrister Karim Khan, took over last week Wednesday with a pledge to improve the ICC’s track record by taking only its strongest cases to trial. Khan, who is only the third person to hold the role, faces many challenges at a time of fierce political pressure on the world's permanent war crimes tribunal.To assist us on this we are joined by: • Professor William Gumede, Executive Director of the Democracy Works Foundation • Sanusha Naidu, Foreign Policy Analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue …

Zambia’s “founding father,” Kenneth Kaunda, who died last week in Lusaka at the age of 97, was the last of the first generation of African leaders who fought for the liberation of their countries. Kaunda led Zambia to independence in 1964, governing the country for 27 years until 1991.The charismatic President who won accolades for bowing out peacefully after losing an election was also the authoritarian who introduced a one-party state. The revolutionary who gave sanctuary to liberation movements was also a friend of United States Presidents. He was also known for his endearing quirks: safari suits, waving white handkerchiefs, ballroom dancing, singing his own songs while cycling and crying in public. And yet there was also a hard edge to the politics and persona of the man, whose powerful personality helped make Zambia a major player in Africa and the world for three decades.To assist us on this we are joined by: • Mavuso Msimang African National Congress veteran • Macdonald Chipenzi, Executive Director of Governance, Elections, Advocacy, Research Services Initiative

Ethiopians have voted in a crucial parliamentary election taking place against the backdrop of war and famine in the northern Tigray region and questions over the poll’s credibility, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expected to cement his hold on power.Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate who freed political prisoners, welcomed back exiles and ended a long cold war with neighbouring Eritrea before sending troops to confront the dissident leadership of Tigray late last year, has promised this election will be Ethiopia’s most competitive in history, free of the repression that marred previous ballots. To assist us on this we are joined by Isabel Bosman, a Researcher in the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute for International Affairs and Andualem Sisay Gessesse, a journalist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Former SAA CEO, Vuyani Jarana, says the SAA deal intended to sell a 51% stake to an equity partner with government will give the airline the opportunity to operate as a functional business. Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, announced last week that the Takatso consortium would acquire a 51% stake in SAA - with government due to keep a 49% shareholding.Gordhan says Takatso also intends to inject over three-billion-rand into the deal. Today we were joined by Guy Leitch, SA Flyer Magazine Editor, Dr Joachim Vermooten, independent aviation consultant and researcher and Professor Jannie Rossouw at Wits Business School.

On Wednesday 16 June 2021, South Africa and the world will commemorate the 45 anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising, the day now known as Youth Day in South Africa. On June 16 1976 between 3000 and 10 000 students marched peacefully to demonstrate and protest against the government’s directive to have Afrikaans as a compulsory medium of instruction. Meanwhile the greatest struggle faced by young people today us unemployment which is sitting at 45%.President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the government’s commitment to creating jobs. To assist us on this we are joined by: • Dr Pali Lehohla is the former statistician general • Soroya Jones is the Inyathelo Finance Director

Tensions seem stiff between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates despite them finalising a deal to assist each other with extradition and legal evidence of those accused of looting the state coffers. While the ratification of the treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance was welcomed this week, National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi said they would only accept that there was cooperation from the UAE once they received the evidence they had been requesting for over three years.To assist us on this we are joined by: •Wayne Ncube, National Director: Lawyers for Human Rights •Jo-ansie van Wyk: Lecturer, Unisa: Politics Department

The G7 nations have committed to sharing one billion vaccines doses by next year, however, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told the meeting held in the Britain in the United Kingdom ,that he believes a TRIPS waiver is still the best way to get the world vaccinated against Covid-19. The G7 nations have agreed to step up action on climate change to help poor countries cut emissions. African Dialogue’s host Benjamin Moshatama spoke to Elizabeth Sidiropoulos Chief Executive of the South Africa Institute of International Affairs, Victor Kgomoeswana, commentator and author of Africa Open for Business and David Ansara, Chief Operations Officer for the Centre of Risk Analysis within the Institute of Race Relations.

Let’s start our first segment with our one on one, and today we are joined on the line by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Ambassador to South Africa and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ben Mpoko. We are going to speak to him about the complex challenges that the DRC is currently facing, the weakening security, the DRC’s relationship with South Africa and how can the country be stabilised…What’s trending on Twitter? • The G7 leaders meet this weekend for the first time in nearly two years, after the global coronavirus pandemic forced last year's event to be cancelled. But the most interesting part perhaps is that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has bene invited.• This week we saw the move by Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, taking a leave of absence pending the outing of the investigation of the Special Investigating Unit regarding his role in awarding of a tender.Zooming into ZambiaOn our zooming into a country segment we look at Zambia where three renowned international Constitutional Lawyers have applied to join the eligibility case on the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu to contest the August 12 elections.The three are Constitutional Professor Lawyer, Chaloka Beyani, Professor Melvin Mbao, and Professor Cephas Lumina. We are joined on the line by Professor Cephas Lumina …Money mattersWe look at prevention versus treatment within a medical aid insurance. Here is an interview with Tracey Janssens from Alexandra Forbes Health…

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry says the current load shedding crisis facing the country will have a huge impact on economic recovery. Eskom started implementing stage four load shedding on Wednesday because of additional breakdowns of a unit in Medupi and high winter demand. The Chamber which represents more than 20 thousand small and medium sized business warns that businesses are struggling with the current power cuts and this will led to additional job losses. To assist us on this we are joined by: • Chris Yelland Energy Expert • Happy Khambule Political Advisor Green peace Africa• Dave Long General Secretary South African Independent Power Producers Association (SAIPPA)

South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize had looked to distancing himself from the growing scandal but has come under increasing pressure to step down. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on his special leave on Tuesday. Mkhize is implicated in the issuing of a contract to communications company Digital Vibes worth R150 million. The Minister is also preparing himself to appear before the ANC's integrity committee. Mkhize was speaking in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, where he inspected vaccination sites in the city.To look at the ongoing corruption scandals during Covid-19 Benjamin Moshatama speaks to Kaizer Kganyago, the Special Investigation Unit spokesperson, Mark Heywood, editor at Maverick Citizen and a social justice activist and David Lewis, executive director of Corruption Watch.

The National Assembly has passed three crucial Bills to fight gender-based violence and femicide. They are the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Bill, Domestic Violence Amendment Bill and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act. The Bills were introduced in Parliament following a Presidential Summit on gender-based violence and femicide in 2018.The summit resolved to fast track the review of existing laws and policies to fight GBV. The ANC Parliamentary Caucus says the Bills will ensure that the rights and lives of women, children, members of the LGBTQIA-plus community, and society at large are protected and perpetrators of gruesome crimes given deserving sentences.To assist us on this we are joined by Lisa Vetten, research and project consultant at the University of Johannesburg and Kerryn Rehse an advocacy, policy and research officer at MOSAIC (a training and service centre combating abuse and gender based violence).

South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.6%, up 0.1 percentage point from the final quarter of 2020, the quarterly labour force survey was released by Statistics South Africa last week. The results of the survey show that unemployment in South Africa has reached some of the highest levels in the country’s history. In terms of the unemployed, Stats SA now records that there are more than 11 million people who are unemployed. This number of unemployed may be even bigger, considering that a large number of the so-called 17-million not economically active is made up of home-makers and/or previously discouraged workers, many of whom would readily accept decent work if on offer. The survey reveals that the official unemployment rate among youth (15-34 years) was 46.3% in quarter 1, 2021.To assist us on this we are joined by Labour Analyst, Mamokgethi Molopyane and Lelona Mxesibe, Researcher and Budget Analyst at the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute…

On our first segment, we are joined on the line by Ndumi Hadebe, an entrepreneur self-leadership coach.She is at the initial stages of writing a book about black tax.We will be talking to her about the concept of black tax, what it means for African people and how can it be embraced…

Zambia’s main opposition party, the United Party for National Development, has criticised what it called an effective ban on campaign rallies before elections in August, after President Edgar Lungu warned that such gatherings could accelerate the spread of the coronavirus. Lungu on Wednesday ordered police to ensure health guidelines are followed and said opposition parties should avoid public gatherings so that Zambia avoids a situation like in India, where political rallies accelerated the spread of the pandemic. To assist us on this we are joined by Dr William Mpofu, Political Analyst; Professor Sitwala Imenda, an academic and we are also joined by Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, listen…

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has suspended a vote on its presidency after it was already delayed by days of scuffles amongst members. PAP Secretariat, Spokesperson Jeffrey Onganga, says the suspension is indefinite and a date would be confirmed at a later stage. The session was supposed to run from May 21-June 4. The delay comes as a win for the southern African caucus who refused to go ahead with the vote unless the process was reformed to a rotational presidency. The sessions were marred with violence and intolerance by members where a delegate from South Africa was caught in the firing line…To assist us on this we are joined by Victor Chipofya, Independent Political Analyst, Santosh Vinita Kaylan, Member of Parliament from South Africa’s Democratic Alliance party and former PAP member…

The agency said in a statement it welcomes the DRC government’s “dedicated efforts” to protect people living in the Red Zone of eastern Goma from risks associated with further eruptions, and is warning of the potential that children would be at greater risk from further mass evacuation. Thousands of people fled Goma following the 22 May eruption, many of whom have headed to Sake.Meanwhile dozens of people have been killed in two new attacks in the Eastern part of the DRC a notorious group linked to the Islamic State has been blamed. On the 6th of May President Felix Tshisekedi proclaimed a 30 day state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri in a bid to curb the bloodshed by the Allied Democratic Forces, the armed group being blamed for recent attacks. To assist us on this we are joined by: Dr Shingai Mutizwa – Mangiza is an independent political analyst Everiste Kambanga spokesperson for the Congolese in South Africa Dr David Zounmeno is a researcher in the African Security Analysis Programme at the Institute for Security Studies.

Leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States held an emergency summit in Ghana's capital Accra to agree a response to the Malian military's ouster of a president and prime minister for the second time in nine months.Mali's neighbours and international powers fear the latest revolt will jeopardise a commitment to hold a presidential election next February, and undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants. In a communique after the summit, ECOWAS said Mali's membership in the bloc was suspended with immediate effect.ECOWAS and Western powers including France and the United States worry the political crisis could exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali, a home base for regional affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Today on the segment we ask “are medical aids still relevant in this day and age?” Portia Mahlalela from Alexandra Forbes Health explains.

The United States (US) of America‘s patience has snapped with Ethiopia, an important ally in Africa. Washington imposed visa restrictions this week on as yet-unnamed Ethiopian and Eritrean officials, saying they had “taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities” in a brutal six-month war in the Tigray region. The US also put curbs on economic and security assistance, though humanitarian aid which accounts for most of the $1 billion it spends in Ethiopia each year will continue. Jane Rabothata spoke to William Davison from the International Crisis Group about the latest developments.

• Former South African President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial went underway this week where he pleaded not guilty.• French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit South Africa.

This week we speak to author of “My Family of Super heroes” Zinhle Matthews about her new book. It is specifically written to be read by a parent or caregiver with a child, uses engaging illustrations and emotive language to tell a compelling yet accessible story of triumph over adversity. It introduces readers to a young girl named Precious who, inspired by her mother, uses the power of positive affirmation to overcome her insecurities and doubts.

A study has been launched in South Africa’s Umlazi township, south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, in which young women will receive a novel treatment aimed at lowering HIV risk. The treatment, called Lactin-V, is derived from a strain of bacteria known as Lactobacillus that is naturally abundant in women who have low levels of vaginal inflammation that is associated with decreased HIV risk. Prior studies in South Africa have shown that women who have a deficiency of Lactobacillus have higher levels of vaginal inflammation and up to three-to-four-fold higher risk of HIV infection.To assist us on this we are joined by Professor Thumbi Ndungu, Director: HIV Pathogenesis Programme at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and Patient No 1 (Anonymous)…

South Africa’s Department of Health says 3 084 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in the past 24-hours, taking South Africa's total number of reported cases to 1 640 932. At least 102 people have died of Covid-19-related illnesses, with the total number of fatalities now standing at 55 976. The department has warned that all provinces continue to show increases in new cases as well as a 17% increase in hospitalisations in the past week. At least 700 904 people have so far been vaccinated in Phase Two of the COVID-19 vaccine programme. The National Coronavirus Command Council is reported to have met this Tuesday to discuss the increase in cases with South Africa’s ministerial advisory committee…To assist us with this we are joined by: • Dr Angelique Coetzee, Chairperson of the South African Medical Association • Prof Ames Dhai, bioethics and health law expertLocation: SpeechTitle: AFR DIALOGUE 26 05 21

The day formerly known as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 5, 1963. The organisation was later transformed into the African Union on July 9, 2002 in Durban, South Africa, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on May 25. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world. The celebration however comes on a back heel of a number of issues: the Covid-19 pandemic having piled up pressure on the African economy. Only last week, Democratic Republic of Congo’s President, Felix Tshisekedi, who is also the current head of the African Union alongside a dozen other African heads of state, concluded a summit in Paris where they argued among other issues for an increase in the Special Drawing Rights from $33 billion to $100 billion.To assist us on this we are joined by Dr Jessie Kabwila, Chair of the Women Caucas Malawi Parliament as well as Izak Khomo, Channel Africa’s Senior Journalist and Analyst…

French President, Emmanuel Macron, convened a Summit on Financing African Economies in Paris recently in which it was emphasised that Africa’s economic recovery is key to global growth. South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, attended the summit along with representatives from 28 other African countries, China, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and United Kingdom among others. Ramaphosa made strong remarks at the summit on Africa’s vision for economic recovery and in this way, shaped the agenda. Summit participants discussed the issue of debt relief and support for African countries from the International Monetary Fund through Special Drawing Rights. The Summit welcomed the ambition to develop an Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa to help mobilise all partners, public and private, to support, through financial, technical resources, and capacity building, the development of the African private sector.To assist us on this we are joined by Dr Charles Sinkala Africa 55 States President and Organisation of African Political Parties; and Professor Patrick Bond from the School for Governance at the University of the Western Cape…

Time to zoom into the continent and today we look at sexual exploitation in areas of conflict. Here is an interview with senior researcher at the South African Institute for International Affairs Stephanie Wolters who says that in countries where security and governance is at its weakest crimes against women and children increase.

The State Capture Commission of enquiry was adjourned last night after for security concerns during the testimony of Noma Mngoma.Temporary ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.In Malawi the first woman to head the country's anti-corruption bureau Marthur Chizuma has been chosen.

According to Save the Children, a staggering 72 million children living in conflict areas, globally, or one in six are living near armed groups that perpetrate sexual violence against them.

The High Court in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, has ruled that the retired Chief Justice, Luke Malaba, cannot have his expired term of office renewed in line with the new Constitutional Amendment number two.

Users of the popular WhatsApp messaging service have until this weekend to accept its updated privacy policy.WhatsApp sparked a public outcry in January this year with a proposed update to its privacy policy to enable it to share information with its parent company Facebook. The backlash led to the service pushing back its deadline for agreeing to the terms to May 15. It also reassured users the update was focused on allowing users to message with businesses and would not affect personal conversations. To discuss this, we are joined by Journalist, Editor and Publisher, Toby Shapshak and Duncan Mcleod, Tech Central’s Founder and Editor…

Today our question is when the best time to take out a retirement plan is. The Director of Ascor Independent Wealth Manager Wouter Fourie now joins us on the line...

Time to zoom into the continent and today we look at Israel. Violence in Gaza and Israel shows no sign of abating amid continued rocket fire and air strikes. Dozens of people have so far died in the conflict. The Israeli army is believed to have put forward plans for a possible ground offensive in Gaza, which needs to be approved by army chiefs and various levels of government before any operation begins. This has been described as the worst violence since 2014, fuelled initially by weeks of Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem which led to clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Israeli journalist, Jonathan Schwartz is in Tel Aviv...

What’s trending on twitter?• The African National Congress drama continues, what is the latest on the Secretary General Ace Magashule?• Israel is a hot topic right now as tensions continue to rise.

South Africa’s Department of Health has confirmed variants of the COVID-19 virus first identified in India and Britain, have been detected in South Africa. Two cases of the B.1.617.2 variant - dominant in India - have been reported in Gauteng and another two reported in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 11 cases of another variant - B.1.1.7, first detected in Britain - have been reported in the country - eight in the Western Cape, one in KwaZulu-Natal and two in Gauteng. Wits University vaccinology expert - Professor Shabir Madhi - says new variants and mutations are inevitable. However, he says the challenge now lies with the country's vaccination programme and whether the vaccines will be effective against the new variant. Today we speak to: • Prof Ames Dhai, South African Medical Research Council & Vaccine Ministerial Advisory Committee.• Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association.• Prof Guy Richards, Critical-care Professor at Wits University

South Africa's ruling ANC Special NEC meeting enters its third and final day with mounting calls for NEC members to go on a retreat or to hold a special conference in a bid to find ways to save the party from imploding. For the first time in over 100 years, the governing party is holding its NEC meeting with its Secretary General suspended. And as if this is not enough, its Secretary Ace Magashule was kicked out of the meeting on Saturday for defying his suspension orders. Channel Africa’s Benjamin Moshatama speaks to political analysts Levy Ndou and Gogo-Aubrey Matshiqi.

We are taking you to Somalia where there are tensions rising and violence breaking out. Let’s now speak to Senior Researcher at the Afro Middle East Centre, Ibrahim Dean.

• What is happening with South Africa’s ruling party the African National Congress and Secretary General Ace Magashule speaking out?• The regent queen of the Zulu nation Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu’s memorial service• South Africa’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng is going on leave.

On the 12th of May nurses around the world will be saluted for their dedication and hard work over the past year especially their commitment to fight the covid 19 pandemic which has ravaged countries all over killing millions of people in its path. But young entrepreneur Sylvester Msuthwana says nurses need to be supported and given the tools to do their work more efficiently during these Covid-19 times, he has developed the AFrinurses app to help empower nurses to have access to helping people. He now joins us on the line to tell us more about the vision behind this development...

More people have been killed by Islamist militants in the northeast of Nigeria. According to Reuters, dozens of people were killed on Sunday including seven soldiers in the Mafa local government area of Borno state. It has been reported that in recent months jihadists have killed more than 36 00 people in the area, and the conflict has caused more than two million to migrate from their homes. In the past few weeks, there has been an increase of attacks on army camps which are reported to come from militants linked to the Islamic state. To get a sense of what is happening here we are joined by Matthew Page, Chatham House Associate Fellow who focuses on Nigeria and Dr Olayinka Ajala, Associate Lecturer at the University of York. We also talk to Teniola Tayo, Research officer of the Lake Chad Basin Programme Institute for Security Studies Abuja, Nigeria.

South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has announced that the local government elections will take place on October 27, 2021.This will be the sixth time under South Africa’s democratic dispensation that voters will elect leadership and public representatives at metropolitan, district and local level. The announcement comes despite calls from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters and some sections of Ramaphosa's own party, the ruling African National Congress, for the municipal polls to be postponed. He said that Covid-19 had changed the way of life across the world so adjustments would have to made as how elections are conducted. Elections are known for their long queues at voting stations which, given the pandemic, could become super-spreader events.Is South Africa ready to host it's local elections this year? To answer this question Benjamin Moshatama in this podcast is joined by Grant Masterson, Programme Manager at the African Peer Review Mechanism of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy and Dr Ina Gouws, Senior Lecturer, Governance and Political Transformation at the Department of Politics, University of Free State and lastly Professor Kealeboga Maphunye, Professor of African Politics at the University of South Africa…

At least four people were reported to have been shot and wounded over the weekend in Chad’s Mandoul region. This took place on Saturday when security forces were said to have fired at a crowd demonstrating against the military taking over the country’s government.Protesters continued to gather over the weekend in other parts of the country such as in the town of Sarh, where they stood in defiance of the military junta’s takeover. On Sunday the military council, which is now run by late president Idris Deby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, announced its new government while reiterating it will hold elections within 18 months. Despite this promise thousands of Chadians protested against the militia and meanwhile the opposition has insisted on a call for a transitional government to be formed led by a civilian president and a military vice president. To assist us on this we are joined by: • Kwezi Mngqibisa, Director for M4Insight • Samuel Okunade, an academic in Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies

South Africa has the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the African continent with more than 50 000 reported deaths. The economic cost of the pandemic is evident on the streets, with healthcare facilities having been under considerable strain during the waves of the pandemic. Just over 300 000 people have received their jobs, however, the country’s rollout is proceeding at a pace much slower than expected. The government has been criticised for not actively engaging in vaccine procurement through other avenues at an earlier stage.We are joined by OB Sisay, Africa Covid 19 lead at the Institute for Global Change and Dr Aslaam Dasoo,Convenor with the Progressive Health Forum to discuss this…

On our money segment today we look at how to get out of personal debt. We are now joined by the COO of Debt Rescue Anneline van der Poel.

Time to go to our third segment where we zoom into a country on the African continent. Today we look into Mozambique. The Mozambican government says it plans to invest over a billion dollars in the country's Northern region. Already underway, it says, is a 100 million dollar emergency programme to support health and education. Meanwhile the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is pushing for 3000 military troops to help Mozambique fight terrorism and violent extremism in the region. To tell us more we are now joined by Milton Maluleke Channel Africa’s correspondent in Mozambique.

On the first of May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day. Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party and other labour movements in the struggle against Apartheid. According to Statistics South Africa more than 500 000 people lost their jobs between December 2019 and December 2020 when the country underwent different levels of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Stats SA said 565 000 of the 594 000 people believed to have lost their jobs during that period were full-time employees. Many of those who remained employed were earning less. As South Africa prepares to mark Workers Day tomorrow we speak to the first President of the congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU), Mike Shingange, on the past year’s highs and lows...

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is finally appearing before the State Capture Commission. Speaking about the ruling party African National Congress’ cadre deployment policies, Ramaphosa said the appointments of individuals, such as Brian Molefe, Matshela Koko, Arthur Fraser and Dudu Myeni, to key positions at state owned enterprises bypassed the ANC’s deployment committee. Meanwhile the opposition party Democratic Alliance has criticised Ramaphosa for defending the cadre deployment committee, which he once chaired.To assist us on this we are joined by: • Dr Ivor Sarakinsky Political Analysts Wits School of Governance • Dr David Monyae Political AnalystUniversity of Johannesburg

The United Nations Refugee Agency says it is in discussions with the Kenyan government on a way forward regarding the possible closure of the Dabaab and Kakuma refugee camps. The camps host more than 40 000 people. Last month, Kenya's High Court suspended the government’s move to shut down two camps that hold hundreds of thousands of refugees from war-torn neighbouring countries. On this programme we ask the question: Why is it that the refugee camps have been a sore point for the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government? To unpack this, presenter Benjamin Moshatama speaks to Professor Douglas Yates, an American Political Scientist residing in Paris and Dr Christiano D’orsi, Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at the South African Research Chair in International Law (affiliated with the University of Johannesburg)…

Freedom Day, a holiday celebrated in South Africa, commemorates the first elections to take place in the new democratic dispensation in 1994. We look at how the deepening inequalities, which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have impacted the social and economic freedoms achieved in South Africa’s democracy. We speak to Happy Khambule, political Advisor for Green Peace South Africa and Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa. We also get the views of rural transformation Advisor at Oxfam South Africa, Fundiswa Ndlela.