Burning Issue

Combatting Cape Town's housing crisis

Twenty-six years after apartheid, Cape Town remains deeply divided along race and class lines. It’s clear that state-subsidised housing has done little to redress spatial apartheid, with housing delivery failing to keep pace with the considerable backlog. This has led to a housing crisis, in terms of which hundreds of…

7 Dec 2020 1 hr 04 min

Are good, critical teachers under threat?

The year 2020 has certainly been a challenging year for the education system, but most importantly for educators and learners as they grappled with the onset of the covid19 pandemic and its disruptions to learning. At the peak of the pandemic, several principals took a bold stand against the opening…

1 Dec 2020 1 hr 14 min

Gatesville traders object to relocation

So a few weeks ago, a meeting was held with informal traders and formal business operators in Gatesville in Athlone, to discuss the City’s plan to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infections as the festive season nears. The meeting came after a letter had been sent, notifying them that the…

24 Nov 2020 1 hr 12 min

Global umrah: adjusting to the new normal

Earlier last month, Saudi Arabia launched a plan for gradual resumption of the Umrah after suspension of around seven months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Saudi Press Agency is reporting that nearly 2 million pilgrims have now registered to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia via a smartphone app in one…

11 Nov 2020 1 hr 05 min

Unpacking the D6 local spatial development framework

Public consultation on a Local Spatial Development Framework for District Six has been underway with claimants and the City of Cape Town. The purpose of this plan is to formulate a vision and related policy guidelines and intervention projects for the area. However, questions have been raised by the D6…

3 Nov 2020 1 hr 04 min

#MeToo movement: Empowering or harmful?

Cape Town has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse within the Muslim community, as highlighted in a video which has gone viral on social media. Since then, more women have come out with their experiences of the alleged abuse. Is this the start of a local #MeToo movement? Have…

28 Oct 2020 33 min

#MeToo movement: Empowering or harmful?

Cape Town has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse within the Muslim community, as highlighted in a video which has gone viral on social media. Since then, more women have come out with their experiences of the alleged abuse. Is this the start of a local #MeToo movement? Have…

28 Oct 2020 32 min

City lowers its water tariff: How does this affect you

Cape Town’s water tariffs have been a contentious issue. In a few short years, we have gone from the worst drought to face our city and a potential ‘Day Zero’, to our dams being almost 100 percent full. And civic organizations have called on the City of Cape Town to…

20 Oct 2020 1 hour

Can South Africa afford a nationwide strike?

South Africans have been warned by trade unions in the country to expect services including transport, schooling, and government departments to be shut down from tomorrow. In a historic show of unity, the two biggest labour federations in the country - the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and…

6 Oct 2020 1 hr 24 min

The murder of Lt. Col Charl Kinnear and why a shift in the police force is needed?

Endemic corruption in the country’s law enforcement agencies has cost South African society dearly. On Friday, we lost one of the country’s top detectives - Lieutenant Colonel Charl Kinnear, a commander in the police’s Anti Gang Unit. Lieutenant Colonel was brutally gunned down outside his home in Bishop Lavis in…

22 Sep 2020 1 hr 20 min

Police brutality in SA: Why we need accountability?

The killing of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies outside his home in Eldorado Park on August 26, allegedly by a police officer, has provoked nationwide anger and condemnation. Not only was the teenager unarmed, he also had Down syndrome. The South African Police Service says Nathaniel was killed during a confrontation between…

1 Sep 2020 1 hr 15 min

Complaints against the athaan: What’s at stake?

The athaan – the call to prayer – has become a topic of conversation again this week, following complaints about the athaan at the Leewen Street masjid in Bo Kaap. The imam at the masjid said law enforcement officers investigated the complaint on Friday – said to be the third…

25 Aug 2020 1 hr 23 min

GBV: South Africa’s second pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis and social distancing measures have caused deep concerns about their impact on women and girls. We are bombarded with news headlines every day – another woman killed in intimate partner violence. These headlines point to the increased risk women in these relationships face under lockdown conditions. The…

11 Aug 2020 1 hr 19 min

Land occupation in the WCape: Have we reached a tipping point?

In tonight’s show, we are dealing with the thorny issue of land occupation. Land and housing and is always a sensitive subject, which lends itself to race and politics. Recently, our news has been dominated by reports of lady land occupation attempts in Cape Town, which have descended into violence…

4 Aug 2020 1 hr 32 min

Schools on the front line against COVID-19 - part 1

Following our discussion on the re-opening of schools about a month ago, we pick up this conversation again this evening amid the growing calls for schools to be shut down. There is a serious concern that since learning resumed on June 8th, there are 1169 staff members and 523 pupils…

1 Jul 2020 36 min

Schools on the front line against COVID-19 - part 2

Following our discussion on the re-opening of schools about a month ago, we pick up this conversation again this evening amid the growing calls for schools to be shut down. There is a serious concern that since learning resumed on June 8th, there are 1169 staff members and 523 pupils…

1 Jul 2020 44 min

100 days of COVID19: Challenges of Muslim

Friday marked 100 days since South Africans were informed of the first Covid-19 patient and the country has seen a steady increase in cases and deaths. At first, the bulk of the country's cases were "imported" cases from foreigners entering the country and citizens returning from overseas trips. And then…

23 Jun 2020 41 min

No Hajj for SA: What happens next:

It was heartbreaking for our local hujjaj as they dealt with the news that the hajj is off the cards for this year...it’s something many knew would be an option, but to hear the official decision was still very tough for many pilgrims. Due to lockdown restrictions, such as the…

16 Jun 2020 43 min

Is it time for the Muslim community to confront anti-black racism?

The past week has been an emotional trigger for many South Africans as we witnessed mass protests in the wake of the murder of an unarmed black man George Floyd, pinned on the ground by a white police officer in Minneapolis who forced his knee on his neck for more…

9 Jun 2020 1 hr 27 min

Reopening places of worship under level 3 of the lockdown

In Burning Issue this week, we look at the discussion amongst ulema for more defined regulations for masajid to reopen under lockdown level 3; the medical challenges of opening up congregational prayers; the potential risks placed on all places of worship, and whether religious freedoms should supersede the importance of…

3 Jun 2020 40 min