South Africa faces a crisis of infant abandonment. Among the many dreadful repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown has seen a spate of unthinkable child abandonments – a toddler discarded in a dustbin; a six-week-old baby found at midnight in a hole next to a highway; a toddler left with a stranger in the queue outside a shop. 

Guest: Dr. Whitney Rosenberg – Childrens rights activist, child law expert and co-founder of Baby Saver

 Guest: Robyn Wolson Vorster – Adoption advocate and children’s rights activist

 

South Africa faces a crisis of infant abandonment. Among the many dreadful repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown has seen a spate of unthinkable child abandonments &ndash; a toddler discarded in a dustbin; a six-week-old baby found at midnight in a hole next to a highway; a toddler left with a stranger in the queue outside a shop.&nbsp;
Guest: Dr. Whitney Rosenberg &ndash; Childrens rights activist, child law expert and co-founder of Baby Saver
&nbsp;Guest: Robyn Wolson Vorster &ndash; Adoption advocate and children&rsquo;s rights activist
&nbsp;

Newsmakers and Guest Experts offer their insights and perspectives into the national and global discourse on politics, economics, education, social matters and comprehensive dialogues on cultural diversity and other essential issues of public interest like, poverty alleviation, unemployment rate and health related issues.

NewsmakersandGuestExpertsoffertheirinsightsandperspectivesintothenationalandglobaldiscourseonpolitics,economics,education,socialmattersandcomprehensivedialoguesonculturaldiversityandotheressentialissuesofpublicinterestlike,...

The Talking Point

An open dialogue: legislation around legal and safe baby relinquishment

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Basic Education Law Amendment bill into law after a consultation period of three months. The Government of National Unity clearing house sent a report to the Presidency stating that members of the GNU did not want the Bill to return to Parliament and it had found a concensus that the Act should be in operation. The Democratic Alliance and trade union Solidariteit raised their discontent over violation of rights of learners in clause 4 and 5. The Act presents changes in clause 4 on the powers of the Department of Basic Education when it comes to admission policy and section 5 speaks to the role of School Governing Bodies by setting a new requirement to submit language policy to the provincial department of Basic Education for approval.

The Act also sets Grade R as the compulsory school going age and formally incorporates early childhood development into the system. With the change in compulsory school-going age, parents may face up to 12 months in prison for not placing their children in school. Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube has tasked her team in National and provincial government to develop guidelines that will be shared with public schools by the end of January 2025. The Director-General has been tasked to build  draft regulations, norms and standards by June 2025. To get reflection on the President's  proclamation and how it will impact the start of the 2025 academic year, we are joined by...

 Guest: Mugwena Maluleke - General Secretary oder the South African Democratic Teachers Union 

Guest: Matakanye Matakanye - Chairperson of the National Association of School Governing Bodies

Guest: Prof. Mary Metcalfe - Professor of Education and Practice at the University of Johannesburg

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Basic Education Law Amendment bill into law after a consultation period of three months. The Government of National Unity clearing house sent a report to the Presidency stating that members of the GNU did not want the Bill to return to Parliament and it had found a concensus that the Act should be in operation. The Democratic Alliance and trade union Solidariteit raised their discontent over violation of rights of learners in clause 4 and 5. The Act presents changes in clause 4 on the powers of the Department of Basic Education when it comes to admission policy and section 5 speaks to the role of School Governing Bodies by setting a new requirement to submit language policy to the provincial department of Basic Education for approval.<a></a>
<a></a>The Act also sets Grade R as the compulsory school going age and formally incorporates early childhood development into the system. With the change in compulsory school-going age, parents may face up to 12 months in prison for not placing their children in school. Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube has tasked her team in National and provincial government to develop guidelines that will be shared with public schools by the end of January 2025. The Director-General has been tasked to build&nbsp; draft regulations, norms and standards by June 2025. To get reflection on the President's&nbsp; proclamation and how it will impact the start of the 2025 academic year, we are joined by...
<a></a>&nbsp;<a></a>Guest: Mugwena Maluleke - General Secretary oder the South African Democratic Teachers Union&nbsp;
<a></a>Guest: Matakanye Matakanye - Chairperson of the National Association of School Governing Bodies
<a></a>Guest: Prof. Mary Metcalfe - Professor of Education and Practice at the University of Johannesburg

BELA Act to be implemented in the new year

Long queues formed last week around the country as December the 17th marked the last day of a 21-day deadline for the registration of spaza shops which led government to extend the closing date to the 28th of February 2025. President Cyril Ramaphosa had given the business owners 21 days in which to register with their local authorities. This after the deaths of a number of children around the country in suspected food poisoning incidents. Seeing that so many of you still have a lot of questions to ask in terms of compliance, access to funding and which businesses qualify, we decided to invite the Department of Small Business Development to explain and simplify all that you need to know. We are joined now by…

Guest:Mhlanganisi Masoga Director: Regional Local Economic Development in the Department of Small Business Development

 

Long queues formed last week around the country as December the 17th marked the last day of a 21-day deadline for the registration of spaza shops which led government to extend the closing date to the 28th of February 2025. President Cyril Ramaphosa had given the business owners 21 days in which to register with their local authorities. This after the deaths of a number of children around the country in suspected food poisoning incidents. Seeing that so many of you still have a lot of questions to ask in terms of compliance, access to funding and which businesses qualify, we decided to invite the Department of Small Business Development to explain and simplify all that you need to know. We are joined now by&hellip;
Guest: Mhlanganisi Masoga Director: Regional Local Economic Development in the Department of Small Business Development
&nbsp;

Spaza Shop registration: What’s happens Next?

Our next guest part of an improv band that has set the world alight in 2024. Kujenga is an afro-jazz band based in Milnerton, Cape Town. The word ‘kujenga’ comes from the Swahili language, and it simply means “to build.” The name symbolises the band’s belief in their calling as musicians; to build and create meaningful experiences with every single listener, through their art.

The group has recently returned from an international tour in the United Kingdom, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz and performed at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. The band has received accolades including Newcomer of the Year at the 2024 Mzansi Jazz Awards, a SAMA Award nomination for Best Jazz Album, and recognition on the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans list.

The collective's journey started back in 2017 as a backing band for local artists. The band features Owethu Ndwandwe on lead vocals and keys, twin brother Zwide Ndwandwe on bass, Thane Smith on electric guitar and Skhumbuzo Qamata on drums. Kujenga’s music is a combination of different genres which come from the African diaspora, with Black improvisational music being the central point of the band’s sound. Today, they join us to reflect on their musical journey and the success of their second album: In the Wake and their upcoming appearance at the Journey to Jazz festival in 2025. We are joined virtually by….

Guest: Zwide Ndwandwe - Bassist, Composer and co-Founder of Kujenga

Our next guest part of an improv band that has set the world alight in 2024. Kujenga is an afro-jazz band based in Milnerton, Cape Town. The word &lsquo;kujenga&rsquo; comes from the Swahili language, and it simply means &ldquo;to build.&rdquo; The name symbolises the band&rsquo;s belief in their calling as musicians; to build and create meaningful experiences with every single listener, through their art.
The group has recently returned from an international tour in the United Kingdom, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz and performed at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. The band has received accolades including Newcomer of the Year at the 2024 Mzansi Jazz Awards, a SAMA Award nomination for Best Jazz Album, and recognition on the Mail &amp; Guardian&rsquo;s Top 200 Young South Africans list.
The collective's journey started back in 2017 as a backing band for local artists. The band features Owethu Ndwandwe on lead vocals and keys, twin brother Zwide Ndwandwe on bass, Thane Smith on electric guitar and Skhumbuzo Qamata on drums. Kujenga&rsquo;s music is a combination of different genres which come from the African diaspora, with Black improvisational music being the central point of the band&rsquo;s sound. Today, they join us to reflect on their musical journey and the success of their second album: In the Wake and their upcoming appearance at the Journey to Jazz festival in 2025. We are joined virtually by&hellip;.
Guest:&nbsp;Zwide Ndwandwe - Bassist, Composer and co-Founder of Kujenga

An open dialogue: legislation around legal and safe baby relinquishment

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