Drama/Umdlalo womoya

Officials from the Department of Correctional Service have been conducting raids at prison facilities to ensure safety and security this festive season. In a recent raid at the Drakenstein prison officials confiscated a number of illicit substances and other illegal items such as electrical wires, cell phones, chargers and cash. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Singabakho Nxumalo, National Spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services.

Police Minister General Bheki Cele has conducted the department's Safer Festive Season campaign in Gauteng. The campaign which will run through to the end of January next year aims to mobilise maximum resources to ensure that communities feel safe and secure this festive season and beyond. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Lirandzu Themba, Spokesperson for Police Minister Bheki Cele.

Missing Children South Africa says at least 23% of children who go missing are either never found, trafficked or found deceased. The organisation has teamed up with the SAPS in a call for parents and caregivers to be vigilant over the festive season. According to research done by the organisation 77% of missing children are found. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Bianca van Aswegen, National co-ordinator for Missing Children SA...

Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have arrived at four Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga. The soldiers will be deployed at the Camden, Majuba, Thuthuka and Groetvlei power stations. Their deployment follows allegations of sabotage at the stations which led to escalating levels of loadshedding. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the SANDF at several Eskom facilities over the weekend. SABC reporter, Eric Lubisi filed this report.

Women make up over 50 percent of the ANC's 80-member National Executive Committee. The NEC has been selected from the 252 names chosen during the branch nomination process for the 55th national conference. Young people also constitute a sizable part of the governing party's highest decision-making body. The Head of ANC Electoral Committee, Kgalema Motlanthe, announced the new members in Johannesburg on Wednesday. SABC Senior Politics Reporter, Ntebo Mokobo was there and filed this report.

As the festive season gets underway many South Africans will be looking to their stokvel savings to purchase groceries, fund vacations or pay for school essentials in January. However experts say while Stokvels continue to grow in this traditional form, the stokvel industry is taking on bigger and more sophisticated investments. Stokvels remain a popular saving and investment solution estimated to be worth around 50-billion-rand. SABC reporter, Naledi Ngcobo filed this report.

With just 24-hours before the KwaZulu-Natal government's extended deadline to relocate all flood survivors expires on December 22nd, families in a community hall in Ntuzuma say they have been neglected. Initially, the government promised that they would be relocated by December 15th, but this was subsequently extended by a week. Over a hundred families are still in this community hall. SABC reporter, Fanele Mhlongo filed this report.

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

Victims of apartheid have been sleeping outside the Constitutional Court for a month now demanding reparations for human rights violations under apartheid. According to Dr Marjorie Jobson the victims outside court are part of a group of people who never got an opportunity to submit their statements to the TRC but qualify to receive the grant from the Presidents Fund. The fund was established in terms of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995 and is administered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) unit within the department of justice and constitutional development. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Dr Marjorie Jobson, National Director at Khulumani Support Group.

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

Presenter: Big Joe

The Department of Social Development has launched an expert panel report on Basic Income Support Grant today. The expert panel was established as a part of an international labour organisation initiative to examine the feasibility of a Basic Income Grant option for South Africa. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Brenton van Vrede, Executive Manager for grants administration at South Africa Social Security Agency

There was a hive of activity outside the Parliamentary precinct and at the City Hall in Cape Town on Tuesday ahead of debate on the report of the Section 89 Independent Panel into the Phala Phala saga. National Assembly will this afternoon vote on whether to accept the findings of the Panel Of Experts which found that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have a case to answer regarding the theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.

ANC members under the banner of Kgalema Disputed NEC list have filed an urgent court application in the High Court in Johannesburg, to compel the ANC to provide raw data of all branch nominations for the NEC additionals. They want the matter to be heard by the court on Wednesday. The group says should the information it seeks from the Electoral Committee not be delivered to it by the start of the ANC National Conference on the 16th, then the matter must be placed on the agenda of the National Conference to be heard by plenary before the election of officials. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to senior SABC reporter, Busi Chimome.

The South African Weather Service issued a yellow level 2 for rain in KwaZulu-Natal as heavy rains continued to hit parts of the country. On Thursday, Johannesburg Emergency Services called off the search for a three month old baby who got swept away during a baptism ceremony at the Jukskei River near Sandton last weekend. Fifteen bodies have since been recovered. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC Meteorologist, Joel Guy

The Executive Mayor of Joahannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse, has made an urgent request for Eskom to suspend load shedding in the city for three days to allow for it to meet the escalating fault and outage reports being logged every hour. City's MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Michael Sun says power cuts are preventing the city from being able to effectively attend to the outages and to stabilise the situation. He spoke to Sakina Kamwendo on the latest on the ground.

The Johannesburg Emergency Services says it remains on high alert as heavy downpours continue in parts of the city. Several people have been displaced in many areas following heavy floods last week. The storm uprooted trees, drenched people's homes and swept debris across parts of Joburg. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to City of Johannesburg emergency services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe

A small group of ANC members is threatening to take the ANC to court ahead of the party's National Elective Conference next week. The group is objecting to the list of 200 names listed for the 80 additional members of the NEC by the Electoral Committee last week, saying the Committee flouted the rules governing nominations. The group under the banner "Kgalema Disputed NEC list" is demanding the Electoral Committee release raw data of the total number of branch nominations received per candidate during the recently held branch general meetings. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter, Busi Chimombe

Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo has lamented corruption and argues that it robs poor South Africans of decent living conditions. Speaking at the second day of the commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day at UNISA in Pretoria, Zondo zoomed in on state owned entities including Prasa. Prasa is a public entity wholly-owned by Government and reports to the Minister of Transport, however, the state entity has been a victim of corruption. In his State Capture report, Zondo recommended the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the corruption at the SOE. Zaleka Qodashe filed this report.

The Reserve Bank says load-shedding is posing a risk to the financial stability of the country. The Bank has added load-shedding as one of the main risks to the country's financial sector in its recent Financial Stability report. Nicola Brink, head of Financial Stability Department of the South African Reserve Bank, says load-shedding is a concern and is putting strain on an already weak economy. Amina Accram filed this report.

Several areas in and around Johannesburg have been flooded following heavy downpour last night and this morning. Authorities have advised residents to take necessary precautions as the rain continues to fall in the city. Affected areas include parts of Soweto and Lenasia in the south of Johannesburg. Roads have also been closed. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Joburg emergency services spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo.

Researchers at Wits University have identified sulphidation as one of the huge contributors to some of the break-downs at Eskom which ultimately lead to loadshedding. Sulphadation is a chemical process that degrades steel through the formation of brittle compounds of iron and sulphur. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Head of Wits School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Professor Josias Van Der Werwe.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says the stage six rolling blackouts that Eskom has implemented are totally unacceptable and he's directed management and the Eskom board to meet and act with a great sense of urgency to end stage six. Gordhan says stage six is having a devastating impact on households, business and the entire economy. The minister says in a statement that the frequency of rolling blackouts is to some extent attributable to malfunctioning within Eskom's systems as well as sabotage. Gordhan has appealed to law enforcement agencies to have a stronger presence at power stations across the country. Meanwhile... Britain's secretary of State, Michael Gove has approved the first new UK coal mine in 30 years despite concerns about its climate impacts among Conservative MPs and experts. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to energy expert, Ted Blom and SABC UK correspondent, Laura Isherwood

Today's update from the markets including reactions to recent political uncertainty, GDP print released yesterday and Raytheon Technologies. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Ricardo Smith, Chief Investment Officer at Absa Global Investment Solutions, Stockbrokers & Portfolio Management

Civil Society coalition group #UniteBehind says Parliament has ignored its complaints against six Members of parliament which include transport minister Fikile Mbalula. The group alleges that these MP's are implicated in state capture and corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The coalition first laid a formal complaint in August 2022 to Parliament's Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests, referring to article 10 of Parliament's Code of Conduct. Legal Officer for #UniteBehind, Joseph Mayson spoke to sakina Kamwendo