Drivetime

2,330-year-old skeleton sheds light on human origin

A team of international researchers, including University of Cape Town (UCT) Emeritus Professor Andrew Smith and Professor Alan Morris, has unearthed remains of a skeleton from which they have extracted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that can provide clues to early modern human prehistory in Southern Africa. The 2,330-year-old male skeleton was…

7 Oct 2014 10AM 7 min

4th Annual Tutu International Peace Lecture

Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female president, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will deliver the fourth annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture at the University of the Western Cape Great Hall tonight. The Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture is an annual event presented by the Desmond & Leah…

7 Oct 2014 10AM 10 min

EFF controversy...again!

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have staged another dramatic walkout in Parliament on the instruction of party leader Julius Malema, this time from the Powers and Privileges Committee hearing in which 20 of its Members of Parliament (MPs) have appeared for heckling President Jacob Zuma in Parliament on 21 August…

7 Oct 2014 10AM 7 min

ISIS: Another beheading

ISIS have released a video which is thought to show British aid worker Alan Henning being beheaded. Mr Henning seems to appear in the video wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to previous execution videos.The dad-of-two travelled to Syria as an aid worker to help victims of the civil war and…

6 Oct 2014 11AM 16 min

Arms deal fraudulent from the start

The controversial 1999 multi-billion rand arms deal was “initiated with criminal intent”, the Seriti Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday. “I submit that the rationale for the arms acquisition was illegal, unconstitutional, and fraudulent right from the inception,” arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne testified at the inquiry in Pretoria. He…

6 Oct 2014 10AM 6 min

Ferial Haffajee to receive award

Drivetime producer caught up with SA's first female editor, Ferial Haffajee on her presigous award she is to receive. This is what she had to say…

6 Oct 2014 10AM 6 min

Dewani trial

Accusations that a man with a secret double life travelled halfway across the world to kill his wife is expected to dominate the highly anticipated trial of British businessman Shrien Dewani. Dewani is accused of orchestrating his wife Anni's murder while on honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010.Anni was…

6 Oct 2014 10AM 5 min

New SARB governor

South African President Jacob Zuma appointed Lesetja Kganyago as new central bank governor today, replacing the respected Gill Marcus, whose five-year term ends on November 8. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had predicted Kganyago, a deputy governor who has also served as Director General at the finance ministry, would get the…

6 Oct 2014 10AM 6 min

Day of Arafat

The Day of Arafat is one of the days of the month of Dul-Hijjah, which is one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar. As pilgrims gather in Arafat today for their most important ritual, it is worthwhile to talk about the merits of this blessed day and…

3 Oct 2014 11AM 18 min

Dalai Lama Debacle

Cape Town's mayor has officially confirmed the cancellation of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates that was set to be held in the city. It all boils down the Dalai Lama's refused visa application. It stands to reason, South Africa's close ties with China led to the refusal of…

3 Oct 2014 10AM 4 min

Ragged Glory by Ray Hartley

Its Friday and that means we have a book to give away! Today's feature, Ragged Glory, author Ray Hartley reviews the first three democratically elected presidents of the Republic of South Africa. He examines the way in which the leadership of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma has shaped…

3 Oct 2014 10AM 10 min

Bahraini citizenship act

Arab regimes excel at creating policies. They have outdone the world in creating and finding legal means to enrich their punitive history toward their people. Lately, one regime decided to strip its citizens of citizenship so it could continue its rule and silence the people, thus blocking out any interpretation…

2 Oct 2014 11AM 16 min

Ferial Haffajee to receive prestigious award

She was South Africa's first female newspaper editor -  at the Mail and Guardian and now at City Press. She has been rated as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Strategic Centre in Jordan, and has been at the forefront of  meaningful journalism…

2 Oct 2014 10AM 6 min

Dianna Buttu SA Tour

Next week, South Africans will host Dr Diana Buttu – who formerly served as a negotiator, on the side of the Palestinian Authority – and one of the people who have urged the world to impose sanctions on apartheid Israel, which continues to violate human rights in occupied territories. While…

2 Oct 2014 10AM 6 min

Shuttleworth wins back millions

In a statement published on his website on Wednesday, Shuttleworth announced the legal victory and said the returned funds would be placed into a trust to help fund litigation at a constitutional level. R250-million is what Mark Shuttleworth was forced to pay the South African Reserve Bank as a 10%…

2 Oct 2014 10AM 11 min

Haj Update

As 1.3 million muslims embark on the journey to Arafat to complete their Haj. Maulana Suhaib Lasanya has spared VOC a moment to give us an update on their journey thus far. He joins us from Saudi Arabia now…

2 Oct 2014 10AM 7 min

Al Imdaad's I Need You Campaign

VOC Journalist, Ra'eesah Isaacs caught up with the Al Imdaad Foundation's Hafez Abdusammad Mulla as they enter Syria for the 'I Need You Campaign'. We now listen to that interview…

1 Oct 2014 10AM 5 min

Moazzam Begg charges dropped

The collapse today of the prosecution of Moazzem Begg raises urgent questions of the UK authorities and their discriminatory treatment of British Muslims. A judge at the Old Bailey ordered Mr Begg's immediate release today after the Crown Prosecution Service admitted there was no reasonable prospect of securing a conviction…

1 Oct 2014 10AM 15 min

Marikana enters the final lap

The Farlam Commission of Inquiry has been granted its final extension. The oral and final arguments by the parties represented at the commission will have to be done by 14 November. After the oral arguments, the commission "will go into a report writing mode" until 30 March 2015. The findings…

1 Oct 2014 10AM 8 min

Hong Kong protesters remain on streets

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters have turned parts of Hong Kong into a massive street party last night, with the mood turning festive just a day after riot police fired tear gas in ugly clashes. The huge crowds defied government calls to go home after Sunday's chaotic scenes, bringing…

30 Sep 2014 11AM 17 min