Drivetime

AJ journalist Peter Greste released

Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was released yesterday after 400 days in a Cairo jail. He had been sentenced to seven years on charges that included aiding a so-called terrorist group. Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed remain in prison. They were jailed for between seven and 10…

2 Feb 2015 6AM 12 min

25 years of unbanning of political parties

Today February 2nd marks a watershed moment in South Africa’s history – on this day 25 years ago, former President FW de Klerk announced the unbanning of many political parties and made the first unconditional promise to free Nelson Mandela from jail after 27 years. And while there’s been heaps…

2 Feb 2015 6AM 7 min

The manufacturing of Muslim terrorism

Islam has come under heavy attack from various quarters in the past couple of months.This afternoon we look at the manufacturing and uprising of Muslim radical groups and their impact on the West. These radical elements have been used for various purposes by those that created them. On the line…

2 Feb 2015 4AM 18 min

Corruption watch

Vusi Pikoli is the Province's new ombudman, the first of its kind in the country. His job is to look at police inefficiency. There have been negative and positive reaction to his appointment. To find out more, we have executive director of Corruption Watch, David Lewis on the line…

30 Jan 2015 4AM 7 min

Ebrahim Rasool to lead Ghutba at Claremont Rd Masjied

The 4-6 pm current affairs Drivetime Show is hosted by veteran journalist Shafiq Morton, winner of two Vodacom Awards, and an AfriCAN author’s award. Analytical and thought-provoking, Morton brings his decades of experience as a photo-journalist, historian and broadcaster to the show, added with his unique brand of humour and…

29 Jan 2015 5AM 12 min

The mystery of Boko Haram: analysis

The New Year began with attacks in Paris inspired or orchestrated by al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula and ISIS and then reports of up to 2,000 residents killed by Boko Haram in a days-long massacre in Baga, Nigeria. While Paris has grabbed the majority of media attention, the events…

28 Jan 2015 6AM 23 min

Xenophobic attacks in South Africa

Six people have died during clashes between foreign shop owners and locals in Gauteng, with violence spreading to other townships in Durban and Cape Town. Last week, more than 160 people were arrested after looters swept through Doornkop, targeting foreign-owned shops.On Monday Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said a task team will now investigate…

28 Jan 2015 6AM 9 min

Economic Freedom in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa’s overall level of economic freedom remains low, yet the region experienced the most widespread improvement over the last year, according to the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom, published by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation. Online to chat about this is Mienke Mari Steytler, the head…

28 Jan 2015 6AM 12 min

Pakistani scholar Dr Mumtaz Ahmad

Instudio today, we welcome Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad, the Executive Director of the Iqbal Institute in Islamabad and VP for academic affairs at the International Islamic University-Islamabad. He was a guest at a conference on Political Islam in JHN this past weekend. He received an M.A in Political Science from Karachi…

27 Jan 2015 7AM 21 min

Kurds push Islamic State out of Kobani

Media reports are saying Kurdish forces are taking full control of the fiercely-contested Syrian city of Kobane after recapturing several key areas from the Islamic State. A Syrian Kurdish official told Al Jazeera that the situation in the town bordering Turkey was getting better and better as a result of…

27 Jan 2015 7AM 22 min

Islamic Relief Business profile

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the humanitarian situation in Malawi following the recent floods, and online to give us the latest is Islamic Relief’s fundraising coordinator Abdullah Vawda. Note: Also ask about their Syria blanket drive

27 Jan 2015 7AM 6 min

Zambia president inaugurated

Zambia’s sixth president Edgar Lungu rose from obscurity to Justice and Home Affairs Minister then to President in the space of just over three months, winning by one of the narrowest margins ever in Zambian politics. At his inauguration, Lungu the candidate of the incumbent Patriotic Front (PF) party, he…

27 Jan 2015 6AM 15 min

Loopholes in proposed drone regulations

Civil society activists are concerned about proposed amendments to civil aviation regulations which would legalise the use of drones. They say the regulations are currently silent on the need to protect the public against the massive potential for drones to be used in surveillance and invasions of privacy. The Committee…

27 Jan 2015 6AM 6 min

Malawi floods update

Two weeks after floods first swept across southern Africa, tens of thousands of people urgently need clean water, food, shelter and medical care. Torrential rain triggered floods in early January, affecting some 900 000 people across Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, with almost 250 000 people forced to leave their…

26 Jan 2015 7AM 8 min

Egypt protests on anniversary of revolution

Protests in the streets of Cairo left at least 20 people dead yesterday, a day after the death of a socialist activist who was shot and killed at a rally. Egyptians were marking the fourth anniversary of the Tahir Square uprising that overthrew Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Security forces had been deployed across…

26 Jan 2015 7AM 12 min

Tunisian scholar Larbi Sadiki

The situation in the Middle East has rarely been as fluid as today, the events seldom as fascinating to watch, as well as challenging to comprehend with the barrage of news reports we receive from the region every day. Since early 2011, heads of state of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya…

23 Jan 2015 7AM 21 min

Free Book Friday: The Texture of Shadows

Free Book Friday: The Texture of Shadows In our Free Book Friday segment today, we explore a novel called The Texture of Shadows by Mandla Langa. The Texture of Shadows is set at the turn of the decade 1989-90, a highpoint of hope in South Africa's political history. The central…

23 Jan 2015 6AM 14 min

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah passes away

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was laid to rest this afternoon after passing away last night from a lung infection. King Abdullah, who had ruled since 2005, was 90 years old. His 79-year-old half-brother, Salman, has been confirmed as the new king. Within hours of his accession to the throne…

23 Jan 2015 6AM 5 min

Yemen reaches deal with rebels to end violence

We’ve been keeping an eye on the situation in Yemen lately, as the country plunges deeper into chaos. The latest is that Shia Houthi rebels have agreed to withdraw from areas in the capital Sanaa after the president said he was willing to accept demands for power-sharing. Clashes broke out…

22 Jan 2015 6AM 17 min

R2K dialogue on media freedom

With media freedom being a hot topic right now, a range of media commentators came together for a panel discussion organised by the Right2Know (R2K) campaign in Cape Town last night. This comes amid a global debate on freedom of expression, following a deadly assault on the offices of the…

22 Jan 2015 6AM 11 min