The West African bloc Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalised their breakaway union. The head of the Ecowas commission, President Omar Alieu Touray says the move is a major blow to the 50-year-old bloc and could have serious consequences if they do not reverse their decision. This comes after the military leaders of the three countries said on Saturday that they were "irrevocably" turning their backs on the 15-member Ecowas to form a confederation of their own states. The bloc has appointed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to mediate the crisis. For a perspective on this and also why the three countries feel the need to cut ties, where is France and Russia in all of this?

Guest: Nixon Kathembo -African Affairs analyst and Channel Africa Producer

The West African bloc Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalised their breakaway union. The head of the Ecowas commission, President Omar Alieu Touray says the move is a major blow to the 50-year-old bloc and could have serious consequences if they do not reverse their decision. This comes after the military leaders of the three countries said on Saturday that they were "irrevocably" turning their backs on the 15-member Ecowas to form a confederation of their own states. The bloc has appointed Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to mediate the crisis. For a perspective on this and also why the three countries feel the need to cut ties, where is France and Russia in all of this?
Guest: Nixon Kathembo - African Affairs analyst and Channel Africa Producer

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

Ecowas falling apart: What does it mean?

There has been a national cry from so many people against the high electricity tariffs approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, NERSA.The energy regulator had completed the approval of 178 distributors’ tariffs applications for implementation on the 1st of July which allowed municipalities and other entities to increase the cost of electricity. So for this segment today we are trying to understand how much this decision has impacted the ordinary South African. 

Guest:  Natasha Gertse – Spokesperson for the Electricity Prices Must Fall movement

Guest: Julius Kleinhuns - Executive Manager for Local Government Division at OUTA and a member of the Joburg Crisis alliance alliance steering committee

Guest: Brian Sechothlo - Head of Electricity Pricing & Tariff at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)

There has been a national cry from so many people against the high electricity tariffs approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, NERSA. The energy regulator had completed the approval of 178 distributors’ tariffs applications for implementation on the 1st of July which allowed municipalities and other entities to increase the cost of electricity. So for this segment today we are trying to understand how much this decision has impacted the ordinary South African. 
Guest:  Natasha Gertse – Spokesperson for the Electricity Prices Must Fall movement
Guest: Julius Kleinhuns - Executive Manager for Local Government Division at OUTA and a member of the Joburg Crisis alliance alliance steering committee
Guest: Brian Sechothlo - Head of Electricity Pricing &amp; Tariff at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)

Citizens Corner: High Electricity Prices

As we wrap #MandelaMonth, we touch a matter that was very close to the heart of the former President Nelson Mandela: reading. Two decades ago, the former President reflected, in a quote, his concerns surrounding why so few people read books and if it remains unaddressed - our future generations may lose our history. According to the 2023 National Reading Barometer, 63% of our households still do not have access to a single fiction or non-fiction book. Our next guest work is calling for our society to address the barriers to reading for leisure and the importance of building a new culture that is based on positive reading habits. 

Guest: Masennya Dikotla - Director at Qualibooks Group

Guest: Gabrielle Kelly- Head of Research, Impact and Innovation at Nal’ibali

As we wrap #MandelaMonth, we touch a matter that was very close to the heart of the former President Nelson Mandela: reading. Two decades ago, the former President reflected, in a quote, his concerns surrounding why so few people read books and if it remains unaddressed - our future generations may lose our history. According to the 2023 National Reading Barometer, 63% of our households still do not have access to a single fiction or non-fiction book. Our next guest work is calling for our society to address the barriers to reading for leisure and the importance of building a new culture that is based on positive reading habits. 
Guest: Masennya Dikotla - Director at Qualibooks Group
Guest: Gabrielle Kelly - Head of Research, Impact and Innovation at Nal’ibali

The importance of reading for pleasure

Underage drinkingis a social ill that deeply affects our communities and stealing the future of young people.According to Aware.Org, Research indicates that about 19.9% of young participants claim to have had their first drink at the age of 13, highlighting the prevalence of alcohol use in communities and the ease of access to alcohol in South Africa. Many of these young people are engaging in binge drinking.According to the 2021 SACENDU report, alcohol was the primary substance of abuse for 1–10% of people under the age of 20 admitted to treatment facilities.

Given this backdrop, we wanted to have a conversation surrounding what interventions need to be made in addressing the lack of support in rehabilitation programmes as well as aftercare programmes. 

Guest: Mokebe Thulo - Head of brand AWARE.org

Guest: Adrie Vermeulen, National Coordinator at South African National Council on Alcoholism (SANCA)

Underage drinking is a social ill that deeply affects our communities and stealing the future of young people. According to Aware.Org, Research indicates that about 19.9% of young participants claim to have had their first drink at the age of 13, highlighting the prevalence of alcohol use in communities and the ease of access to alcohol in South Africa. Many of these young people are engaging in binge drinking.According to the 2021 SACENDU report, alcohol was the primary substance of abuse for 1–10% of people under the age of 20 admitted to treatment facilities.
Given this backdrop, we wanted to have a conversation surrounding what interventions need to be made in addressing the lack of support in rehabilitation programmes as well as aftercare programmes. 
Guest: Mokebe Thulo - Head of brand AWARE.org
Guest: Adrie Vermeulen, National Coordinator at South African National Council on Alcoholism (SANCA)

Ecowas falling apart: What does it mean?

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