We’re stepping beyond borders, not just geographically, but emotionally, spiritually, and personally.

Because travel isn’t just about where you go; it’s about who you become along the way.

In conversations with us, is woman who has explored over 10 countries, with most of those journeys courageously self-planned. She’s a seasoned Human Resources professional of 16 years, a Business Transformation Leader, and a member of the board at a global organisation; but beyond the titles, she is a seeker of experience, connection, and meaning.

From the vibrant rhythms of Jamaica to the breathtaking landscapes of Italy, from the cultural contrasts of Turkey to the daring heights of Réunion Island’s active volcano… her story is one of curiosity, courage, and expansion. She so happens to have travelled to Botswana too!

We caught up with Neo Marokoane

According to radical Islam and the distorted way in which its tenets have been harnessed to the Palestinian national struggle, “death for Allah” is an important value. The main message of the Koran is that life’s purpose is to help one realize that the universe was created by Allah; one can then bear witness that there is no other God than Allah and Muhammad is his last emissary. Those who do so in this life will merit being in heaven in the next world, which is the truly important world, until the resurrection of the dead. Those who devote themselves to spreading this message, while fighting the enemies of Allah and Satan’s endeavor to convince people that there is no God and what matters is worldly happiness, will win further favors in heaven including the renowned virgins, especially if, during this struggle, one sacrifices one’s life and becomes a shahid.

Two verses from the Koran, often used in proclamations by the Palestinian organizations that glorify terrorists recently killed while carrying out attacks, explain an aspiration that to us seems to contradict human nature: to commit murder while risking one’s own death. One of these, verse 169 of the House of Imran surah, states: “Do not think of those who die for Allah as dead, for they are alive and receive their sustenance from their Lord.” The distortion involved in the use of this verse concerns the assertion that it descended (according to Islam, the verses of the Koran descended from heaven and were given to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel) in the context of a regular war, the Battle of Uhud, which Muhammad waged against members of his tribe, Quraysh, along with his followers, some of whom had left Mecca with him while others were from Medina. When these followers feared taking part in the battle, there was a need to boost their spirits. There is, of course, no similarity between that war and inhuman attacks on innocent people that are justified in this fashion.

Guest: Cassiem Khan – A scholar, writer and Activist. Also a Social

Worker And Educator

UNPAID CLAIM

Question: families and financial support after the loved ones passing and whether churches should be helping poor families in these type of situations. So many families are going broke because of the cost of funerals, especially when policy companies are not paying out benefits. Can you still bury your loved ones with dignity?

Guest:  Apostle MW Makhathini – Durban Miracle Center

Guest: Apostle Lungi M, Senior Apostle of Kingdom Life Ministries

Guest: Dr Firoz Osman, Executive member of the media review Network

From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.

The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," Noel Lenski, now a religious studies professor at Yale University, told NPR in 2011. Young women would line up for the men to hit them, Lenski said. They believed this would make them fertile.

The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.

The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.

As the holiday spread, it evolved

Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the fifth century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski added, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."

Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.

As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens du jour in the Middle Ages.

Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The Industrial Revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass-producing valentines. February has not been the same since.

How we celebrate now

Today, the holiday is big business. But that commercialization has spoiled the day for many. Helen Fisher, a sociologist at Rutgers University, said we have only ourselves to blame.

"This isn't a command performance," she said. "If people didn't want to buy Hallmark cards, they would not be bought, and Hallmark would go out of business."

And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. Some will celebrate in a SAD (that's Singles Awareness Day) way, dining alone and bingeing on self-gifted chocolates — while others will find a way to make peace with singlehood in a society that wants everyone to partner up.

Guest:  Nthabiseng Ngoepe - Attorney Author and Mental Health Advocate

Guest: Sheikh Solieg Ceres - Associate Imam of Highlands Waqaf Trust

Most of what we know about Jesus comes from the first four books of the New Testament, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. According to the Gospels, Jesus was a Jewish man born in Bethlehem and raised in the town of Nazareth, in Galilee (formerly Palestine, now northern Israel) during the first century.

We know Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23), but the Bible tells us virtually nothing about what he looked like―except that he didn’t stand out in any particular way. When Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane before the Crucifixion (Matthew 26:47-56) Judas Iscariot had to point Jesus out to his soldiers among the disciples―presumably because they all appeared similar to one another.

For many scholars, Revelation 1:14-15 offers a clue that Jesus's skin was a darker hue and that his hair was woolly in texture. The hairs of his head, it says, "were white as white wool, white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace.”

“We don't know what [Jesus] looked like, but if all of the things that we do know about him are true, he was a Palestinian Jewish man living in Galilee in the first century,” says Robert Cargill, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review. “So he would have looked like a Palestinian Jewish man of the first century. He would have looked like a Jewish Galilean.”

Guest: Pastor Israel Phiri - Co-founder and Snr Pastor at Shapers church - (Jesus wasn’t black)

Guest: Reece Phatudi - Spiritual Teacher, Author and Political Evangelist - (Jesus was black)

Guest: Paul Nzimande - Author, Life Coach and Mental Wellness Advocate 

Guest: Heinz Schenk - Sports Journalist

Guest: Phindile Mazindo - NLP Life Coach Practitioner, Personal Development coach and Pastor 

Guest: Mtomadlala Yizanemvula

Guest: Johannes Malherbe - Senior academic at South African Theological Seminary  

Guest: Yusuf Ismail - Trail court criminal defense lawyer and Debater on religion, political and contemporaneous issues.

Guest: Pastor Bafana Phalane - Pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist church 

Last week, we spoke to the Acting President Moulana Shuaib Appleby – Muslim Judicial Council asking if “Islam Support the attack by Hamas on Israel”? We didn’t get a clear answer there but this week we speak with a representative of South African Zionist Federation, asking the question: Does scripture support/justify the actions of Israel?

Children's deaths in Soweto and the West Rand have drawn attention to the risks associated with the continuous sale and consumption of fake items in spaza shops. Four kids passed away last week after consuming fake snacks and biscuits that were poisonous. It was a shocking discovery for South Africa as it was revealed that businesspeople from Pakistan and Bangladesh were running a covert fake food production facility in Swaneville, just 3 km from Krugersdorp. A production hub of fake beans, packaged as Koo beans, fake cornflakes, spaghetti, noddles, cough syrup, fake cool drinks such as Lemon Twist and Coca-Cola, milk, and Grand-Pa medication for headaches

Producing fake goods and food is not a recent development. Five men and a woman were detained by Northern Cape police in 2018 for manufacturing fake shoes, food, condiments, sanitary towels, and other products.

Communities are calling for these Pakistan/Bangladeshi shops to be closed.

Questions: What can the religious community do to mitigate this problem?

Guest: Bishop Rakuba Rakoba - SACC, Gauteng Province  

Guest: Mbuyiselo Landu - Elder in the Seventh day Adventist Church

1. Voting publicly recognises that we submit to the authority of the political system in our nation as established by God. (Romans 13:1-7)
2. Voting recognises the equality of all people and their right to speak and be heard. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)
3. It is one way that we can obey God's command to seek the good of those around us and our nation as a whole. (Jeremiah 29:5-6)
4. It shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf. (1 Timothy 2:1,2)
5. It is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in our nation. 'All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing', Edmund Burke. (Psalms 34:14)
6. It makes a difference the way a grain of salt makes a difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good. (Matthew 5:13)
7. It is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a democracy should play a part in upholding democracy.
8. Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions. (Luke 10:25-37)
9. Voting has biblical precedence for example Acts 14:23 describes that the early Christians elected elders by voting.
10. Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honor God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.

We all remember The fire that broke out 2 weeks ago in a five-storey building on the corner of Albert and Delver streets in Marshalltown, claiming 77 lives and injuring several people.

Another  fire broke out, only less than 600 meters away at what is believed to be a hijacked building in Marshalltown, Johannesburg.
On Friday, Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services media liaison officer Xolile Khumalo said the team got the call just before 10:00. She said the building appeared to have been hijacked and added that the fire started on the ground floor, where there was a maze of shacks.

Pastor Tshepo Tsotetsi  

Are there apostles today? No! Are there apostles today? No! (Eph 2:20). Are there evangelist today? Assuredly! Are there pastor-teaches today? Assuredly! Do you see the difference?  

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald opened a case against Malema with the police and laid a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission.

This comes after that despite last year, the Equality Court, sitting at the High Court in Johannesburg, ruled that “Kill the Boer” song does not constitute hate speech after the matter was brought before the court by AfriForum.

The line was chanted during the EFF’s 10th anniversary celebrations at the FNB Stadium, in Soweto, on Saturday

South African-born tech billionaire, Elon Musk took to Twitter (or X, as it is now known), and called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action, accusing the EFF of “openly pushing for genocide of white people in South Africa.” And Non-South African people on social media are under the impression that there is a genocide happening in South Africa

Question: What is the role of religion? – Does religion/African leader condone this song or not?

We look at this matter from a South African and non-South Africa perspective

Guest on the line: Rabbi Naftali Silver - Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town. Non-South African

Gogo Dineo Ndlanzi – African Spiritual Leader and Healer

To be precise, the Prophet Muhammad [saws], he wedded Aishah when she was six but they only consummated the marriage a few years later after she had attained puberty. So, this marriage, in modern terms, seems problematic because of the culture we are used to, we are accustomed to. However, when you look at it in the historical context, there was nothing wrong with it because, at that time in Arabia, it was normal for people with such different age groups to get married. It was normal for men or women to get married at a very young age. People used to mature a lot faster in terms of their mental capabilities as they were raised to be husbands and wives, and so at a younger age, they were more prepared for marriage. If the Prophet Muhammad’s [saws] marriage was something bad, his enemies would have been the first to jump on it. But not a single enemy of Islam at the time picked on his marriage to Aishah. And if it was something bad, it would have affected her in a negative way. Normally when a young woman is forced into marriage to someone who she does not like, or she’s forced into marriage at a young age when she’s not ready, she grows intense dislike for that individual who she’s married to, and it stems into hatred. And this is seen in her life later on.

But with Aishah and the Prophet Muhammad [saws], the case is the opposite. Her love for the Prophet [saws] grew so much that she became his most beloved wife. And even after the Prophet Muhammad [saws] had passed away, she became one of the leading scholars to propagate his message to the world, showing that she was a mature woman who studied from the Prophet [saws], and loved him so much that she wanted to be one of the main propagators of his religion. So this marriage is something no Muslim should feel ashamed about or to try and distort historical facts about, it is something that was a blessing for the ummah. Aishah [ra] was the third woman that the Prophet Muhammad [saws] married. In the early part of his life, he was married to Khadija bint Khuwaylid [ra] and he remained in a monogamous marriage with her until she passed away. After she passed away, he married Saudah bint Zam’ah [ra], an elderly woman, to help raise his daughters. A few months later, he had a dream in which the angel Gabriel presented to him Aishah as his bride. And as we Muslims know, the dreams of the prophets are revelation. So acting upon this dream, he married Aishah [ra] and she became one of his wives.

The Prophet Muhammad [saws] had many wives. This is something which all historians agree upon. And his wives were the best of women. We call them ummahatul mu’mineen, the mothers of the believers. They were the role model women of this ummah. Aishah was one of them

Guest: Shaykh Moegammad Soliegh Ceres - Associate Imam of Highlands Waqaf Trust

MA Theology and Religion (University of the Western Cape.

PhD Candidate Arabic language Section of the Foreign language department (University of the Western Cape).

Deputy Principal of the Institute of Islamic Shariah Studies

It said both had no prospects of success, effectively sending Zuma back to jail without giving timelines for when that should happen.

Zuma was jailed in July 2021 for refusing to abide by the court’s directive to appear before the Zondo Commission and testify.

However, the then Commissioner of Correctional Services, Arthur Fraser granted him medical parole and freed him in September just three months into his 15-month sentence.

Guest on the line: Magezi Elijah Baloyi – Pastor and Research Professor - Research Institute of Theology and Religion - UNISA

Guest on the line: Thembi Monametsi - Author

The law states that certain categories of people may not marry. These include:

• Minors, unless the prescribed consent to the marriage has been given
• People who are already married. bigamy is a punishable offence in South Africa. Such marriages are also null and void under South African law
• In the columns below, a man may not marry any person mentioned in column 1; and a woman may not marry any person mentioned in column 2:

Guest: Aaron Motsoaledi - Minister of the Department of Home Affairs

Guest: Rabbi Naftali Silver – Sephardi Hebrew Congregation

I Believe: Healing For Trauma In the South African context

Guest: Khaya Kude – Founer of Indigenous Knowledge Consultancy: Ukudloza

Guest: Sheikh Muhammed West – Imam of The Long Market street Mosque in Bo-kaap

Guest: Bishop Nathanyel Israel

Guest: Deacon Malachi Israel

Guest: Captain Yawanathan Israel

Guest: Tebogo Buntu - Director of Ebukhosini Solutions

Guest: Dr Ezekiel Mathole – The Premium of Leadership

Guest: Pastor Israel Phiri, Co-founder and Snr Pastor at Shapers church

Guest: Khaya Ndwandwe – African Cultural Expert

Sheikh Ebrahim Charles – Imam at District 6 Mosque and High School Educator

When the then-Bantu Education Department ordered that Afrikaans and English be used equally in secondary schools as the language of instruction, protests in African schools broke out in 1975. The problem, though, wasn't really with Afrikaans so much as it was with the entire Bantu educational system, which was defined by segregated schools and universities, subpar infrastructure, crammed classrooms, and poorly qualified professors.

When the then-Bantu Education Department ordered that Afrikaans and English be used equally in secondary schools as the language of instruction, protests in African schools broke out in 1975. The problem, though, wasn't really with Afrikaans so much as it was with the entire Bantu educational system, which was defined by segregated schools and universities, subpar infrastructure, crammed classrooms, and poorly qualified professors.

37 years later, we continue to struggle for basic education and decent learning facilities in rural areas and in many townships

Run-down schools, with badly kept buildings, defective and unsanitary sanitary facilities, and a lack of essential equipment and learning materials, do not provide a suitable learning the environment.  This has long been a problem for South African learners and the Department of Basic Education.

Not to say there hasn’t been progress however lack of basic education is a big deal and it is stifling South Africa’s future and basic education is a right

How long should it take  just to have proper learning facilities all around South Africa? How much longer? Is the government doing it’s job?

Guest: Aasif Bulbulia is a post-graduate student at Stellenbosch University, studying towards a Master’s in Education Policy Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of the Witwatersrand as well as a BA(Honours) in the Study of Islam from the University of Johannesburg.

Guest: Pastor Israel Phiri, Co-founder and Snr Pastor at Shapers church

Guest: Khaya Ndwandwe – African Cultural Expert

Solly Nduku is the Traditional Health Practitioners (THP) Sector leader and Deputy Chairperson for the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC

Guest: Sheik Yusuf Bosman  - Chairman of Vukuzenzele Muslim Community of Eastern cape

Guest: Pastor Treasure Nkuna-Theologian and Pastor

Guest: Pastor Michael Swain FOR SA’s Executive Director

Guest: Qassim Chimeloane - Muslim and Arabic Speaker. South African who went to go live in Saudi Arabia to study quaran

Guest: Moulana Sulaimaan M. Ravat.

Guest:Pastor Langelihle Zuko Jadezweni-RUCC Real Life Ministries in Port-Elizabeth

Guest: Pastor Silakhe Singata. Seventh-day Adventist Church and theologian

Guest: Yagyah Adams, Councillor Cape Muslim Congress

We Africans understand instinctively the stories of angelic visitations, spiritual warfare, and demonic oppression that are in the Bible. However, major differences exist between the biblical and traditional African understanding of angels and demons.

Guest: Tshepo Matseba - Reputation 1st management

Guest: Ps Silakhe Singata – Senior Pastor and Theologist

Guest: Rev Professor Musa Xulu -Cultural Expert and Pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Community Church

Guest:Bishop Joshua Maponga  - Theologian and Motivational speaker, philosopher, leader, musician, entrepreneur

Spiritual gifts: We speak to Palm Reader on spiritual gift and how it works

A true account of a little girl’s journey to becoming a woman full of traumatic twists and unwelcomed surprises that drive her to a life of self-destruction and sabotage. At the age of five, grappling with a confusing reality of being moved from her first home to a completely strange environment, she is also confronted with a devastating new reality in her life when an ‘uncle’ (unofficially adopted young man) sexually molests her. This is when everything changes in her life and love as she knew it gets a new definition. She is forced to grow up quickly as her innocence gets ripped from her grasp. Her heart shattered into pieces, she fights to protect herself and in that process a hurt and angry bully is conceived and she vows to never ever open her heart again.

This experience leads her to a life of bitterness and rage. Her thirst for anger becomes the purpose of her life and she decides to live her life making every man pay for every woman ever abused. However, along her journey God steps in using the heart of a man I believe was chosen at that time, to reveal His unconditional love and sufficient grace. But, Sarahina responds the only way she knows how, with angry contention and vengeance. She tries to hurt him in a ploy to first destroy him and in the hope that he will react violently and prove her theory right, that all men are abusers. These were all attempts by her, first to detach herself from a relationship that challenged her emotional self which she buried a long time ago, and then to escape a love she was slowly opening up to. In spite of it all, this man’s steadfast love and God’s faithfulness and protection eventually prove to her that she is worth loving and fighting for, and she is able to give in to this man’s love and trust God with the process.

Even before the horrific experience of being molested, she had known rejection and disappointment from her deep need for acceptance and attention because of being moved between homes and living without her biological parents. From these experiences, she learns what happens in life from an early age and accepts that people are untrustworthy and will break your heart and let you down. She learnt that love only means being wanted only to be used until you no longer serve the purpose. She teaches herself a very important

lesson, to protect her heart by never showing her feelings and burying her emotions. She swears to herself that no man (or woman) will ever have the ability to hurt her again. At twenty-three she believes that she knows everything about men and how to give it to them, even about life itself. When this rare man enters her life and expresses his love for her and intention to make her his wife, she is thrown off guard, but remains impenetrable and safeguards her emotions tightly

She is not about to relive the pain she has “successfully” buried of her past. She will not repeat the same mistakes of trusting people again. She will not allow herself to believe in love because love hurt her badly. Also, she will not make the mistake of allowing herself to feel a man’s love, even if this particular man’s love feels like the exact love she has been searching for.

Everyone has experiences in life that prevent their progress and make life burdensome, a

heaviness weighing them down wherever they go. Sarahina Mayoyo knows this too well, as she was the little girl whose story this is. Raped at age five, became prone to relationships with much older men, feeling empty because of life with no purpose, dropping out of school and watching peers succeed whilst life stagnates.

It is not until life presents her with a crossroads where she had to choose between dwelling in the comfort of the pain she knew or daring new injuries to move forward. Sarahina, after

countless efforts to run away from restoration makes a choice to risk being wounded again, for the sake of LOVE. And that is what saves her, Love, love which she knew as tainted and abusive. That’s the miracle she could have never even prayed for, let alone envisaged.

What’s keeping you from living the incredible life God planned for you? Ever wondered what’s holding you back from your purpose? Maybe it’s overwhelming feelings of hate. A hidden trauma. A painful loss. Pressing condemnation. Discouraging failure. Or insecurities and fears. Would you rather forget your past because it was valley of torment? Sarahina knows all about reaching a dead-end in life and throwing in the towel.

Sarahina shares the abundant life lessons she’s learned along the way with other individuals also struggling to believe they are worth being loved and deserve to be rescued from their pain and past mistakes. She inspires and encourages those who’ve felt disqualified from living purposeful, prosperous lives. She exposes scenes from her life such as self-

destructive patterns and the effects of being inhabited by un-forgiveness and vengefulness. She reveals the power of allowing the past to empower the present, choosing to step forward while still being afraid, facing struggles surrounded by community, finding intimacy with God outside preconceived notions of what it has to look like, and learning to focus on others. With deeply personal stories of her own, Sarah helps readers find their way to the right perspective and the confidence to walk toward the best God has for them.

Now an acclaimed speaker, author and coach, Sarahina writes candidly about what her past cost her—and what she gained. She wants to help you:

• View your history with positivity
• Demolish destructive patterns
• Connect with true purpose
• Manifest the gift you are

Let Sarah’s personal story mingled in God’s Grace empower you to leave behind the merely

“safe” and walk into your divinely-ordained destiny!

Guest on the line: Sarahina Mayoyo - Breakthrough Coach, Speaker, Author & Founder of FaceOff International Pty

Ltd.

Question: What does African culture and Christianity say about marrying relatives?

Guest: Lehogonolo Mazindo - Registered Counsellor | Marriage Therapist | Mental Health Practitioner | Psychology Lecturer – Representing The Cathedral of Restoration.

Guest: Khaya Ndwendwe – Historian and Cultural Expert

Leviticus 18:6-16 

“None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is 

The Bible doesn’t address the subject of cousin marriage directly. According to Leviticus 18:6-18, a man is forbidden to marry the following:

• Daughter
• Stepchildren
• Aunt
• Sister or half-sister
• Stepsisters
• Daughter-in-law
• Granddaughter
• Step-granddaughter

Notably, cousins are not included in the list. As a matter of fact, if the example of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah is any indication, it would appear that cousin marriage was fairly common in the ancient world. Their story begins in Genesis 28:1, 2, where Isaac charges his son: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.”

So much, then, for the scriptural aspects of the subject. In the absence of any specific biblical guidance, we’d suggest that there are two pressing questions you and your cousin should be asking yourselves: 1) How might your plans affect your relationships with family, friends, and the larger community? and 2) How are these social pressures likely to impact your chances of forging a successful and lasting marriage? Whatever you decide, you can be pretty sure of one thing: your choice could entail a great deal of emotional anguish for everyoneconcerned – you, your cousin, and the entire extended family

Question: Is it worthwhile to celebrate Freedom Day while unemployment is at a record-high 32,7%? Some South Africans still live in informal settlements and there is no electricity. Have we progressed in 29 years?

Guest: Dr Zahroh Gabriels - A medical doctor| Community leader

and a member of the Islamic Medical Association and the AMR Youth

Guest on the line: Thembi Monametsi is an award-winning author,

Question: Are the new parties going to bring about change or are they pushing their own agenda?

Guest: Dr VVO - President and founder of Umsamo African Institute and the South African Healers Association

Guest: Rabbi Emma Gottlieb of the Progressive Jewish Community

Guest: Dr. Nthabeleng Rammile - Co-Pastors a church in Bloemfontein named Global worship centre

Guest: Shaikha Basheerah Hendricks Gamieldien

Myanmar’s military junta sentenced Hkalam Samson, the former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention, to six years in prison on charges of terrorism, unlawful association, and inciting opposition. Hkalam denies the charges, which international rights groups and the Kachin diaspora believe to be politically motivated. - APRIL 10, 2023 10:00 AM

After unrest at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel curtails freedom of worship for Christians

The Israeli government, already criticized the world over for its brutal handling of Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, appears to be bent on proving that it is an equal opportunity violator of religious freedom. The Netanyahu administration is now being accused of violating the Christian faithful’s right of worship. The Israeli authorities are imposing restrictions on how many Palestinian Christians, a large number of whom are Orthodox, can attend the annual Holy Fire ceremony held on Saturday.

April 13, 2023 By Daoud Kuttab

 Presbyterian Church of Australia calls for right to ban LGBTQ+ and sexually active student leaders

The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, says students’ leadership qualities shouldn’t be tied to their sexuality as a major church group calls for the right to exclude gay pupils from roles like school captain.

In a submission to a review of anti-discrimination laws, the Presbyterian Church of Australia argued for the right to exclude students from leadership positions if they were in a same-sex relationship or having pre-marital sex. 16 April 2023

Christians are in danger under Israeli government, says Holy Land patriarch

The head of the Roman Catholic church in the Holy Land has warned in an interview that Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has made life worse for Christians in the birthplace of Christianity.

The Vatican-appointed Latin Patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said that the region’s 2,000-year-old Christian community has come under increasing attack, with the most rightwing government in Israel’s history emboldening extremists who have harassed clergy and vandalised religious property at a quickening pace.- 16 April 2023

The Dalai Lama is facing backlash for kissing a child on the lips and then asking the same child to “suck his tongue” at an event in northern India.

In the video, the young boy can be seen approaching the Nobel Peace Prize winner before asking, “Can I hug you?” The 87-year-old spiritual leader then invites the boy on stage and points to his cheek and says, “first here,” prompting the boy to give him a hug and a kiss. The Dalai Lama then points to his lips, and says: “then I think finally here also.” He then pulls the boy’s chin and kisses him on the mouth. “And suck my tongue,” he says after a few seconds, poking his tongue out.

The Dalai Lama has apologized after the video circulated on social media.  

In a statement Monday, the office for the Dalai Lama said he “wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused,” adding he “regrets” the incident. “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras,” the statement said.

Many have criticised the Dalai Lama over the incident, which was called out in reactions online as being “inappropriate” and “disgusting”. Some commentators and victims’ groups have compared the spiritual leader’s conduct to “child abuse”

Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (political leader) of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, said the Dalai Lama had been “unfairly labeled with all kinds of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers

Question: Was this an isolated innocent incident or child abuse? Or Is this a Tibetan traditions like some claim it is? or is His Holiness being protected by his supporters?

Guest: Ngodup Dorjee, Represents the Office of Tibet in South Africa

Interview an author of: EmPOWERed: Transmu1ng Limi1ng Beliefs into Stepping Stones to Build the Life I Love

Through this book, Thule seeks to inspire and empower humanity to disentangle themselves from limi1ng beliefs, forgive their past and inten1onally design, create and live their best lives. She takes us on a journey of personal transforma1on from viewing yourself as a vic1m of your circumstances to becoming an empowered version of yourself in which you are a deliberate creator of the life you would love to live.

The book begins with a story of awakening: an account of how one experiences a life- defining childhood wound which defines the way we see ourselves; then our Higher Power prods us to take steps to heal that wound so that we can begin the process of defining our own dream life. This is followed by the process in which we define our dreamlife in all the four domains of our lives: Health & Wellbeing; Love & Rela1onships; Voca1on; Time & Money Freedom.

With our life’s vision clearly defined, Thule then teaches us how we uproot the “weeds “that could threaten to choke the seed of building our dream life. These include building a sense of deserving; cul1va1ng an abundance mindset; befriending your fear and Forgiveness. Next is how we build a mindset that will nurture our dream so that it con1nues to thrive. This part of the book focusses on how we show up daily with an empowered mindset that enables us to build our dreamlife. The focus is on how to nurture the partnership with our Higher Power as He empowers us to build our dreams and liSers some synchronici1es in our path that enable the results we are seeking.

Finally the last chapter defines the full journey of our transforma1on, who we started as to who we have now become as part of walking this journey. As long as we are live we con1nue on the transforma1on, therefore the journey mapped out in the book is life long, we encounter difficulty, we have to be inten1onal in healing wounds that result from that difficulty, we the con1nue to embark on the process of building our dreamlife.

Thule’s palpable belief is that within each one of us is the same seed of greatness that grows an acorn from a seed into a massive oak tree. The book seeks to inspire you to find,
nurture and bloom that seed into your own kind of beau1ful, your own upward spiral of becoming.

Guest on the line: Thuleleni Gcanga -  Author of EmPOWERed

Guest: Reverend PP Molehe - He pastors Uniting Reformed Church in Middleburg for 12 years now. He is also a Theology lecturer.

Guest: Rabbi Naftali Silver - Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town

This past week marked major holidays for three different religions across the world — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For the second year in a row Ramadan, Passover and Easter Sunday occurred during the same weekend. Typically, this event happens three times a century or once every 33 years.

Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, Passover celebrates freedom and liberation from slavery in Egypt, and Ramadan is a commemoration of Muhammad's first revelation. All three holidays are observed differently, which opens up a conversation and dialogue.

Questions: We will talk about the intersectionality of the three Abrahamic faiths and ask, "Why are they divided, and yet they all claim Abraham as their father?" How do they differ from one another?

All three of these religions trace their lineage to Abraham, the ''father of the Jews'' whose story is recorded in Genesis, the first book of the Torah. Because of this and the similarities among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the three are often called Abrahamic religions. Many of the stories that Jews believe in are also important to Christianity and Islam as well because of their common heritage. These stories include:

• the creation in Garden of Eden,
• the Flood and Noah's Ark,
• and the Ten Commandments.

Monotheism

In addition to ancestry, one of the central tenets that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a belief in is monotheism, the belief in one god. In Judaism, this god is called Yahweh, meaning ''I am.'' In Christianity, this god is just called God. In Islam, this god is called Allah, the Arabic word for ''god.'' Most people use ''God'' interchangeably for all three religions. In both Judaism and Islam, God is singular. In Christianity, many people believe that God is a trinity, or three-in-one: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Prophets & Beliefs

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all teach that there were prophets who were messengers of God. Prophets played a key role in spreading the messages of these religions to more people as well as receiving messages from God. Judaism has many prophets, including:

• Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God;
• Elijah, who assisted the Israelite kings, worked miracles, and was taken up to the heavens in a fiery chariot;
• Isaiah, who wrote about Israel's conflicts and shortcomings during the 8th century BCE;
• and Ezekiel, who wrote about Israel's return from exile in the 6th century BCE.

Although Christians view these prophets as important figures, they believe that Jesus of Nazareth surpasses them all. In Christianity, Jesus is the messiah who was sent to save God's people. Jesus was a prophet, a miracle worker, a human, a messiah, and the son of God. Most Christians believe that Jesus was crucified to save the world from sin, then rose from the dead to conquer death. Christianity was largely built on Judaism, as Jesus himself was Jewish, but many of the later Christian teachings departed from Jewish beliefs. These especially include belief in heaven and hell, belief in the trinity, belief in original sin (that humans are flawed from birth), and belief in Jesus as the messiah who redeemed the world.

Islam builds on many of the Jewish beliefs while incorporating some of the Christian beliefs as well. The Jewish prophets are considered prophets in Islam; in addition, Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam, though he is not considered divine. Islam teaches that the final prophet, called the ''seal of the prophets,'' was the Prophet Muhammad. Most Muslims believe that the stories of Judaism and Christianity—including those of Jesus, his followers, and Mary—really happened but that the texts were written for religious purposes and misinterpreted some of the facts, such as Jesus's divinity.

While all three share some beliefs about the ancestor Abraham, they also have various interpretations of the texts that are written about him. As an illustration, God assures Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that he would be "a great nation," "a blessing," and that "in him all the families of the earth will be blessed." The "blessing" will be wrought through Abraham's offspring, the Jews, according to the Jewish interpretation of the verse. For Christians, Abraham is the ancestor of both Jesus and everyone who follows him. Islam's interpretation of this verse holds that God designates Abraham as a leader of humanity, or an imam, and that Abraham himself is the conduit through whom the "blessing" is bestowed.

God and politics in South Africa: the ruling ANC’s winning strategy

Published: February 28, 2023 3.57pm SAST

Religion shapes some of the most controversial decisions that governments need to make: access to abortion, same-sex marriage, the death penalty and the legal status of sex work. Indeed, it is likely that most voters across the world consider religion to be essential to their lives.

Yet research on religion and political parties remains surprisingly inexact.

Much of the research to date has been waylaid by the wrong question: is a political party fundamentally religious or secular? Yet the “essence” of a party resists definition. Is it its manifesto, rhetoric, membership or leadership? What if these contradict each other? What would it mean if religion was integral to officially secular parties?

The difficulty of this approach is clear when considering a party like the African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since 1994. From one angle, it is obviously not a religious party: it remains committed to a secular state and many of its policies (such as those on abortion and civil unions) have been criticised by religious groups.

Yet the ANC is also religious in important senses. In most of the country, you would struggle to find an ANC meeting that did not start and end with a prayer. Nearly all leaders in the past century have been devout. For many supporters, religion is the water in which the ANC swims.

Rather than asking whether a party is religious, we should look at how it engages with religion. I examined the issue in a recent article. I sought to describe how contemporary parliamentary parties in South Africa had engaged with religion throughout their history, and how academics had analysed this.

It’s possible to learn a great deal about a political party by looking at how it uses religion. My study identified a consistent political strategy: the mix of religious rhetoric and a secular policy agenda by the ANC over the past century.

This strategy has been popular with the party, which has won every national election with a margin of at least 34 percentage points ahead of the second-largest party. It’s a strategy that works in countries that have the unusual combination of religious electorates and secular governments, such as Kenya and Senegal.

Rather than being a threat to secular democracy, religious rhetoric may be important for ensuring a largely religious electorate feels politically at home in a secular state.

Religion and political parties in South Africa

My review of academic publications on religion and political parties in South Africa looked at three sets of rules governing party members:

informal rules (such as what you can say at public events)

party rules (such as disciplinary codes and who makes decisions)

the kind of laws proposed by the party.

I distinguished between the religious or secular emphasis in each of these, and noted whether this emphasis was inclusive of other be

The framework offered three key insights.

First, political parties engage with religion with nuance and ambiguity. This applies elsewhere in the world too: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi in Turkey, for example, relies on a religious electorate for support. Yet it must navigate an officially and sometimes militantly secular state. However, in contrast to South Africa’s major political parties, it manages this tension by insisting that it is an inclusive and non-religious party in its rhetoric, while simultaneously pursuing laws that privilege Sunni Islam.

Second, the ANC sometimes uses religious rhetoric while pursuing secular laws and party rules – a combination it has used for most of its history.

Third, this nuance might be important to voters in South Africa. Parties that pursue policies underpinned by religion do very poorly in elections. An example of this is the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), which claims to offer policies based on the Bible.

About 78% of South Africans identified as Christian in 2016. While estimates vary significantly, between 45% and 74% report being “very” or “highly religious”, and 76% agree that

God’s laws about abortion, pornography and marriage must be strictly followed before it is too late.

The ANC and religion

Christianity has been important to the ANC’s values and practices since the party’s beginning in 1912. In 1949, for example, it called for an annual day of prayer to remember

Christ who is the Champion of Freedom.

Many regions in the country that participated most actively in the 1952 Defiance Campaign, a large non-violent campaign of civil disobedience against apartheid, were led by local churches. ANC president Albert Luthuli, who led the organisation from 1952 to 1967, was famously vocal about his religious convictions. This was also true of most presidents of the ANC before him, including Reverend John Langalibalele Dube and Reverend Zaccheus Richard Mahabane.

Read more: Can the ANC survive the end of South Africa's heroic epoch?

Yet the ANC has also always been an ideologically diverse organisation. It has included followers of other religions, communists, traditionalists and Garveyites who advocated transnational black nationalism.

In the 1960s the religious rhetoric of the ANC became more ambivalent. Within the context of the Cold War, the organisation worked more closely with the South African Communist Party and increasingly espoused a Marxist-Leninist ideology.

Yet even so, ANC president Oliver Tambo, who led the ANC in exile from 1967 to 1991, continued to publicly espouse the unbroken link between the ANC and the church.

The ANC would call for days of prayer, establish a department of religion, publicly affirm liberation theology and issue joint communiqués with churches. In the early 1990s, the ANC advocated a secular state in constitutional negotiations with the ruling National Party. Yet even in the 1994 election, the message was mixed.

ANC advertisements featured religious leaders who argued that the manifesto that best represented “gospel values” was that of the ANC. Conversely, the ANC also promised improved access to abortion: a policy criticised by religious leaders.

This mix of secular laws and religious rhetoric extended into the post-apartheid era. Former ANC president Jacob Zuma’s frequent references to religion, for example, invited concern about the ANC’s “creeping Christian conservatism”, while the party began exploring decriminalising sex work.

Religion and politics

Perhaps the combination of religious rhetoric and secular laws is a winning electoral strategy. After all, parties that advocate religious laws have surprisingly little support from voters: the ACDP and Al Jama-Ah, a Muslim political party, have at most won 1.6% (in 2004) and 0.18% (in 2019) of the national vote, respectively. At their best, the ACDP has been the seventh-largest party and Al Jama-Ah the 14th.

Conversely, parties that advocate secular laws but shy away from religious rhetoric, such as the main opposition Democratic Alliance, have also failed to win popular support, especially in rural areas. Of course, many other reasons contribute to this too.

In short, we can learn much about a political party by looking at how it uses religion. The ANC may have a winning strategy in its combination of religious rhetoric and a secular policy agenda.

Feature: I Believe

Interview an author of: Marriage Gods Way :This is a workbook, prayer manual and warfare guide focused on educating the Body of Christ on the original design and intent for marriage

Marriage Gods Way is a workbook, prayer manual and warfare guide focused on educating the Body of Christ on the original design and intent for marriage as a vehicle for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It aims to equip the saints to prepare for and defend the institution and territory of marriage. This book addresses the individual's character and spiritual development, in order to have the necessary maturity for the demands of marriage.

A CONFLUENCE OF KINGDOM INFLUENCERS.

Kingfluence.

How do we fulfil the great commission?

As of 2021, there are about 3.78 billion social media users worldwide. Statistics say that these are about 70% of the eligible population that have social media accounts.

Combined with print, television and radio, this presents an enormous opportunity for the Christians to reach out and to make Christ known. Disciples are being made, every single second, disciples of men, of tribes, of brands, of movements and even of other faiths. 

There are countless social media pages with the bio, child of God, and often it ends with the bio. Our personal branding has a lot to do with our ability to market ourselves and secure the bag. 

But think about this, Amla wouldn’t wear the alcohol logo on his shirt, though it was the emblem of the team’s official sponsor. Was he cancelled? No, he made himself indispensable

While more than 30 African countries including Uganda already ban same-sex relationships, the new law passed appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as LGBTQ, Human Rights Watch said.
In Kenya, a February ruling by the Supreme Court upheld verdicts by lower courts stating that the government could not lawfully refuse to register an organisation calling itself the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC).
But President William Ruto and many religious leaders and political pundits have been condemning the court’s conclusion that the constitution barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“I am a God-fearing man and whatever happened at the court, even if we respect the court, our culture, values, Christianity and Islam cannot allow women to marry each other, or men to marry fellow men,” local media outlet Citizen TV reports Ruto as saying.
Supporters in both nations say the lifestyle of the LGBTQ community threatens traditional values.
Here is what you should know about the latest developments:
What are the latest measures?
If assented to by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the bill will hand authorities broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence.
It bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality, in addition to same-sex intercourse.
Bottom of Form
Violations under the law draw severe penalties, including death for so-called aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex.
Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.
Same-sex relations are legal in only 22 of Africa’s 54 countries, and are punishable by death or lengthy prison terms in some, according to a global review by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
Africa accounts for nearly half of the countries worldwide where homosexuality is outlawed, according to the review.
In Kenya, a Supreme Court ruling that the constitution barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation sparked fears among some citizens who oppose the legalisation of same-sex relationships.
The registration of the commission was one of two cases concerning LGBTQ rights that have been under litigation.
Analysts say the reaction to the February ruling may be an effort to influence the second case, which directly challenges the constitutionality of the sections of the penal code banning sex “against the order of nature”.
Why is this happening?
Uganda is notorious for strict views on sexuality and intolerance towards homosexuality, which is criminalised under colonial-era laws.
But opposition politicians boycotted a speech by Museveni on Thursday, in which he described gay people as “deviations”, to protest against human rights violations and the illegal imprisonment and forced disappearance of their supporters.
In his speech, Museveni said: “Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their practices on other people.”
Under his rule, journalists have been attacked, lawyers jailed, election monitors prosecuted, the internet shut down and opposition leaders muzzled.
The increasing visibility and assertiveness of sexual minorities have also been attributed to the West.
Meanwhile, conspiracy theories accusing shadowy international forces of promoting homosexuality are gaining traction on social media.
In Kenya, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit of the Anglican Church speculated that the alleged spread of homosexuality was a sinister ploy by environmentalists to depopulate the globe in an effort to address climate change.
Meanwhile, during a parliamentary session, MP Joshua Kimilu condemned the court decision as violating the law and warned that Kenyan culture can “be ruined by the West”.
What was the international reaction?
The United Nations and the United States on Wednesday called for Museveni to reject what they said was an “appalling” anti-gay bill.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Museveni not to promulgate the bill into law.
“The passing of this discriminatory bill – probably among the worst of its kind in the world – is a deeply troubling development,” he said in a statement.
“If signed into law by the president, it will render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are. It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the legislation would “undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS” and urged Uganda to reconsider the implementation of the bill.
The United Kingdom’s special envoy on LGBTQ rights, Nicholas Herbert, said that “while many countries, including a number on the African continent, are moving towards decriminalisation this is a deeply troubling step in the opposite direction”.
Amnesty International also appealed to Museveni to reject the “appalling” legislation, describing it as a “grave assault” on LGBTQ people.
“This ambiguous, vaguely worded law even criminalises those who ‘promote’ homosexuality,” said Amnesty’s east and southern Africa director, Tigere Chagutah.
What’s next?
Critics say the latest developments are likely telltale signs of a continuing witch hunt.
In recent weeks, Ugandan authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ people after religious leaders and politicians alleged students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools.
This month, Ugandan authorities arrested a secondary school teacher in the eastern district of Jinja over accusations of “grooming of young girls into unnatural sex practices”. She was subsequently charged with gross indecency and is in prison awaiting trial.
On Friday, a day after Museveni’s speech, Ugandan police said they had arrested six men for “practising homosexuality”.
The police said on Monday they had arrested six people accused of running a network that was “actively involved in the grooming of young boys into acts of sodomy”.
Kenya’s Ministry of Education announced that it would be deploying chaplains to schools to prevent “infiltration” by LGBTQ people.

Follow the story of a forty one year old, mother of ten biological children, and pastor's wife who enters a beauty pageant after almost a decade of detoxing from the slay and beauty culture. The story takes you through twists and turns of how she ran in the pageant during a pandemic and fell pregnant with her eleventh child. Learn how she fought hard to make it to the finals, against all odds. This is a story about inner beauty, grit, tenacity and possibility. After reading this, you will find your inner drive to push for the fulfillment of your wildest dreams.

Guest on the line: Pearl Osa (born c. 1978-79) is a 43-year-old author, YouTuber, former Mrs South Africa semi-finalist, and personal life coach. She also mentors parents on home-schooling through several social media platforms

Guest on the line:Rev Moss Ntlha- General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa (TEASA) and the pastor of a church in Mohlakeng

‘Democracy is under attack like never before in the democratic dispensation of our country. Throughout South Africa, evil questions are being asked about who belongs. People are living in fear and the so-called vigilantes are running gun in hand, threatening the very social fabric of our society.

“Throughout the world, our climate is haywire as the deadly side of development and industrial progress can no longer be ignored. We see lots of refugees crossing treacherous waters in the Mediterranean. And when we see this we must realise that this Earth is that boat — if some of us are drowning all of us are drowning.”

These were the words of Shaeera Kalla, a former Wits University student leader who organised the #FeesMustFall protests, now a board member of Section27 and member of the #PayTheGrants campaign, during the launch on Thursday of the Defend Our Democracy campaign’s national document on democratic renewal.

The campaign aims to curb the corruption plaguing South Africa and reinstate the democratic constitutional rights of its citizens through democratic deliberation.

The Rev Frank Chikane, a prominent ANC member and former anti-apartheid activist, said the campaign is like a United Democratic Front for the modern era except that it is more focused, informed and determined to change the lives of people for the better.

“This is a very historical moment. Ten to 14 years ago we had a project of liberation to set up not just a representative democracy but a participatory democracy. The parliamentary system ends up in a representative democracy, but in our system and Constitution we find both representative and participatory democracy.

“We were in a project of changing the lives of the people of South Africa. The project consisted of civic struggles, the churches, trade unions and the then limited enlightened business sector. However, midway a rocket fell on us and we were derailed completely. We corrupted our government system, we got corrupted.

“For the last 10 to 14 years we were off the rails. But we came back about a year ago, campaigning to stop the people who were trying to destabilise the country. Campaigning for a whole year to stop this was never enough. We realised that the damage was severe and saw fit to start real conversations from grassroots levels on where we are going with this democracy.”

Chikane said the document is the product of conversations among Defend Our Democracy members and those who subscribe to the campaign. He said the purpose of the document is to instigate conversations that will focus on:

• Reversing the downward spiral of democracy in South Africa;
• Recovering values;
• Repurposing politics;
• Revisiting and reimagining the future of the country; and
• Re-envisioning political systems and values.

The briefing was hosted at St George’s Anglican Church in Parktown, Johannesburg. It was attended by members of the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), Ntwane Community Development Forum, South African Council of Churches, University of South Africa, the business community, civil society organisations and individuals.

At the briefing, the Rev Moss Ntlha, the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, encouraged more young people to be part of the campaign.

“It is important,” he said, “to state that the young are also part of this conversation, because the youth will probably find that they have to continue with the struggle 100 years from now. It is good to sustain that intergenerational character.”

Professor Rudo Mathivha, the head of ICU at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, said democratic change and renewal should start with undoing the injustice brought by the crippling of South Africa’s public healthcare system, mainly by maladministration and mismanagement.

“Today is World Health Day, it is also the anniversary of Charlotte Maxeke’s birthday. In terms of health, our country is experiencing a lot of turbulence. If you just look at the province of Gauteng there is so much disorder in the public healthcare sector.

“It’s now almost a year since Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital burnt down and it’s only back functioning at a capacity of under 50%, and nobody is explaining why it is taking so long to refurbish and get back to full function. This had a knock-on effect on the other public health facilities in Gauteng, and not only in Gauteng. Most of our other provinces refer patients to our academic hospitals in Gauteng. So that whole chain of referrals has been interrupted and causes a backlog.

“As I am speaking to you, there is a lack of beds at Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, Leratong, Thelle Mogoerane, Bertha Gxowa and Sebokeng hospitals. This is because our democratically elected officials have done a 180-degree turn and decided to practise some kind of leadership that we don’t understand.

“Do you think you can defend democracy in a nation that is sick? You need a healthy society to start a debate about democracy and to be active in democracy. Start with the health of your citizens then teach them and debate about democracy,” said Mathivha.

Civil activist Wayne Duvenage said: “The Constitution has become meaningless. We are hoping the Defend Our Democracy national discussion document will bring about the change we need, which is long overdue, and protect our democracy.

“We need extraordinary leadership. We need to make sure we don’t have an NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] and criminal justice system that is trapped and drowning in the paperwork of 10 years of State Capture and the everyday new murders, rape cases and new crimes.

“Democracy will only survive if we make it accessible and beneficial to all, if we re-establish trust in our democratic institutions.”

To follow up on the launch, in June the Defend Our Democracy campaign will host a National Conference for Democratic Renewal and Change. The campaign is inviting more organisations and individuals to join it

- SA’s dysfunctional public education system remains the elephant in the room during discussions about development, writes Mmusi Maimane.

Overpopulated classrooms

Deliberate strategy

South Africans must also realise that this may not necessarily be a failure due to incompetence on the side of the ANC, but rather a deliberate strategy to keep the population poor and dependent so that it can buy votes cheaply with social welfare programmes.

Keeping the poor on the periphery of the economy keeps them perpetually reliant on government for the meagre R350 used as a food bowl, drawing the hungry to the ballot.

Guest 1 on the line: Musi Maimane – Leader Build One SA BOSA

These questions lie at the core of this project. In order to answer them, we conducted a 18-month study that involved a literature screening, over 30 interviews with religious leaders of secular organizations in Germany, and a workshop with 15 carefully selected leaders from diverse sectors with a Jewish, Christian, and Islamic background.

The result: Religion plays a decisive role for many leaders and organizations, yet is a taboo in leadership research and practice. Like leadership, it is both deeply personal and profoundly social. Importantly, religion is a double-edged sword that can cause both harm and good in leaders and beyond. If its pitfalls are overcome and opportunities embraced, it can be an anchor and compass for individuals, organizations, and societies in a complex world.

Guest 1 on the line: Prof Christo Lombaard - Head of Department, Practical Theology and Mission Studies at The University of Pretoria

Guest 2 on the line: Khumbulani Elvis ntombela -a traditional healer ( inyanga) and the founder of doctor mabalengwe foundation.

A pastor in Mozambique has died after trying to fast for 40 days, emulating what Christ is said to have done in the Bible.

Francisco Barajah, founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church, died at a hospital in the city of Beira, where he was evacuated in critical condition.

After 25 days without food or water, he had lost weight to the point where he could not stand up. He was aged 39.

He had been taken to hospital at the insistence of relatives and followers.

Mr Barajah was diagnosed with acute anaemia and failure of his digestive organs.

He was rehydrated with serums and an attempt was made to introduce liquid foods, but it was too late and and he died on Wednesday.

Guest on the line: Businessman and Pastor, Thando Melane and he the author of the book called Key wisdom principles for daily living.

“A Fathers daughter” - by Swastika Juggernath

 Guest on the line: Swastika Juggernath, the author of the book “A Fathers daughter”

How does the Hindu Community grieve?

Thousands of Afghans held protests on Friday to express anger after a far-right politician publicly set fire to the Koran in Sweden last week.

This evening with reflect on just that, aiming to understand from our conversation.

Grieving /Mourning Requirements For A Spouse – Rastafari Community & Faith

Guest: Dr John Ostrowick-  PhD Philosophy of Science. Eight research papers, mostly on the existence of God and some on neuroscience. Senior member of SASS (Secular Society of SA). Currently employed by government.

Guest: Mkhulu Solly Nduku is the Traditional Health Practitioners (THP) Sector leader and Deputy Chairperson for the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC)

We got religious community’s position on loadshedding and energy regulator Nersa’s approval of an 18.65% tariff hike for Eskom for the 2022/23 financial year and 12.74% for the next.

Will Saudi Arabian authorities will "turn a blind eye" to accommodate for one of the greatest football players of all time.

Guest: Pastor Advocate Mo Afrika Wa Maila –Proffessional Lawyer and Chief activist at Active African Christians United Movement(AACUM)

Guest:  Yonela Sinqu Sisonke National Sex Workers Movement in South Africa

and the Movement's Communications Officer

On 30 November 2022 Cabinet approved the publishing of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill of 2022 regarding the decriminalization of sex work for public comments. The Bill repeals the Sexual Offences Act (previously Immorality Act), 1957 (Act No. 23 of 1957).

Guest: Apostle Derrick Moswana - President of Christians of South Africa

Rock Art - How South Africa's Coat of Arms Got to Feature an Ancient SAN Painting

A new exhibition in Johannesburg titled !ke e: xarra ke - People who are Different: Come Together celebrates the rock art of the San people, the first inhabitants of southern Africa. Presented by the University of the Witwatersrand's Rock Art Research Institute and the Origins Centre,

is an indigenous archive of San religion: their beliefs about how to transcend realms to heal the sick, influence the movements of animals and control the weather. It is not a "menu" of animals they liked to eat, and these are no idle doodles or simple "records" of events.

Guest: Sam Challis - Senior Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand *** Sam Challis is Head and Senior Researcher at the Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand. His focus is on the interaction between hunter-gatherers, pastoralists and farmers, as well as Europeans, as expressed in rock art around the world. His DPhil focused on the acquisition of horses by creolized raider groups in

the nineteenth-century, and his research programme in the mountains of Matatiele in the Eastern Cape, aims to redress the imbalance of this neglected former-apartheid region while training local community Field Technicians

The Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld an application from a religious organisation after an Isipingo Beach resident interdicted them from sounding an amplified call to prayer.

In 2020 Chandra Ellaurie, Isipingo resident acquired a High Court interdict after complaining that the call to prayer interfered with his private space. This prevented the Madrasah Taleemuddeen Islamic Institute after they were prevented from sounding an amplified call to prayer.

Guest : Mkhulu - Solly Nduku General Secretary of NUPAATHPSA i.e Professional Association of Traditional Health Practitioners in South Africa also a National Chairperson / Sector Leader for THPs under the SANAC (South African National AIDS Council).

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder and director of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI) ) 

WHAT IS RELIGION’S POSITION ON MARRIAGE OUT OF COMMUNITY OR PROPERTY?

Marriage is a legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship (historically and in some jurisdictions specifically a union between a man and a woman).

Three types of marriages are recognised under South African law: civil marriages, customary marriages and civil unions. A marriage contract is an agreement signed before or after a wedding that provides a private and custom-made set of rules for dividing the couple's property should they separate and divorce or die.

There are 2 marriage contracts: community of property or an antenuptial agreement. If you choose to be married in community of property,

your assets are shared equally. If you don't want your assets to be shared, you need to sign an antenuptial agreement before you get married.

Marriage in community of property however means that if you and your spouse are married in community of property, this means that you share a joint, undivided estate that is made up of your respective assets and liabilities, including those that accrued prior to the date of your marriage.

That is at the core of our conversation today. Does religion favour a specific marriage contract over the other?

What Is Religion’s Position on Marriage out Of Community or Property?

Guest: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mandla Nkosi - Leader from the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council, he an Islamic Scholar and community leader

Guest: Ms Daniela Gennrich, Coordinator of the We Will Speak Out Coalition, which is hosting the Secretariat of 2 wider bodies-  a national Collective called Faith Action to End GBV and a Global movement for Gender Justice called Side by Side.

Guest: Easton Zinhumwe- Hebrew Israelite and Evangelist

For the past week or so, media outlets have reported on a document outlining the Department of Basic Education’s guidelines for gender inclusivity, proposes giving gender non-conforming students a place in South African schools. This document they said, proposes unisex toilets as schools, as well as gender neutral uniform colours, to allow gender non-conforming students options in the way they dress.

According to a statement by Department of Basic Education, it stated that they were disappointed in the reports as they where based on an initial draft discussion document which has since evolved following consultation before it is published for public comment.

For those who may it have a clear understanding of what it actually is, a Unisex public toilets (also referred to as gender-inclusive, gender-neutral, mixed-sex or all-gender, or without any prefix at all) are public toilets that are not separated by gender or sex.

Unisex public toilets take different forms. They may be single occupancy facilities where only one single room or enclosure is provided, or multi-user facilities which are open to all and where users may either share sinks in an open area or each have their own sink in their private cubicle, stall or room.

This evening, we firstly get response from the department about their position on this. What exactly what the document/s outlining?

Then…

We get in conversation with different faiths on the is position on unisex toilets, whether there is scriptural support and whether such would be practical for the South African society.

Objective:

-To get response from DBE on that they are actually saying, their position, and response to the news reports

-Get from a religious perspective, what different faith’s position is on this

Over the past few weeks we have seen increasing talks and opinions shares on Cadre deployment in SA.

Cabinet has weighed in, adopting a policy framework on the cadre deployment policy.

Cadre deployment was slammed by the Zondo Commission as a key driver of state capture, and described as unconstitutional.

Through being quite when they see GBV, through their interpretation of scripture and by themselves perpetrating sexual violence?

What should their role be in addressing GBV?

What role should government be playing in addressing this role played by faith leaders?

What should the role of the CRL commission be?

Is there a boy's club of faith leaders where perpetrated GBV is by one of their own / clergy?

Guest: Prophet Lucky Lebepe – Senior pastor of TLC Churches, media personality, a robust human rights activist, graduate of 5 Universities in SA and an environmental Assessment practitioner by profession.

Guest: Daniela Gennrich is a longstanding social, HIV and Gender activist, and a lay Canon in the Anglican Diocese of Natal. She has extensive experience as an NGO director, consultant and workplace, leadership and life coach.

Guest: Kully Ziphethe – Member of the Bahai Faith

Brij Maharaj believes that Diwali provides an opportunity to donate to charity and welfare, and promote basic values of sharing and caring – uplifting the poor and disadvantaged in a severely

fractured society. Scriptures compel all Hindus to engage in some form of charity (daan) and social upliftment, according to ability, selflessly.

He joins us to share his thoughts on how this should and can be done….

A new Zulu king has been crowned at a historic event attended by thousands in South Africa's coastal city of Durban.

King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini was formally acknowledged as monarch by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who gave him a certificate of recognition.

The ceremony was the first Zulu coronation since South Africa became a democracy in 1994.

All African Alliance Movement launched yesterday.

According to the party, three years ago, a group of concerned church leaders, traditional leaders, technocrats and civic organizations met to deliberate on the moral decay that had surfaced in both our political and religious spheres, and the on-going societal challenges faced by South Africa. The formation of the multi-organizational alliance is in response to the people’s dissatisfaction and increased disillusionment with the current government, born out of frustration with

corruption, lack of accountability and leadership, the collapse of the education system and unabated levels of crime, and the many societal ills that besiege this country.

The party has put forward former chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as its presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, saying it's responding to what it sees as a decay in the system.

 “The movement, they say, is united by a common cause of fighting inequality, addressing the imbalances in our judiciary, promoting peace, and social and economic justice. The movement is inspired by our unifying love of our country while giving voice to African independent churches, African indigenous spiritual structures, and civic organizations.” Talking Points: -Would you call yourself a Christian based Political party? -South Africa has a majority Christian society, why do you think many of those who ARE Christians have not backed a Christian based political party ACDP, and how do you think you will compare?

-We have moved into times where the majority party system doesn’t seem to be working, and more of a coalition system, might AAAM be willing to be part of a coalitions? -If so, which parties would you be willing to be in coalition with, and which wouldn’t you want to be in coalition with?

Guest: Apostle Derrick Moswana ,President of Christians of South Africa

Guest:” Bishop Joschua Maponga , Fighter of spiritual colonialism NB: SACC Were invited, but were unavailable for the interview

What is /should the role of Black churches be in our society today?

Objective:

- To understand –

· How should religious organisations respond to moments of need in society?

· Do religious organisations have an obligation, beyond prayer to respond further?

Guest: Dr Taj Hargey – Founder of the Open Mosque and Director of the Oxford Institute for British Islam

Dr Sheetal Bhoola lecturer and researcher who has a PhD and two MA degrees penned an opinion piece wherein she asks Hindus are celebrating religious festivals - but at whose expense?

In it, she says “An important conversation to be had should be one that intends to modify patriarchal traditions within the Indian South African community would be far more purposeful.” She further states that “Amidst a globalised modern society, I have to ask, why are we women still encouraging patriarchal lifeways? Changes that empowered the Indian South African women have also empowered the Indian South African men. They now have wives that are breadwinners, excellent homemakers, chefs and parents. In most of our homes, our husbands are the breadwinners and parents only. They occasionally choose to be involved in sharing household chores and daily food preparation. Meanwhile, we are doing it all.”

What are Hindu dictates of men within marriage?

Guest 2: Fika Mathe, lead pastor and founder of Living Stones Assembly

The South African National Christian Forum SANCF is of the view that the entire constitution of the country need to be reviewed especially since it doesn't serve or protect the poor and voiceless, instead it advance the powerful and rich political connected.

Democracy should be seen as an instrument of equalization, more broadly as a means of reaching and lifting up the lowest community groups.

Guest 2: Rafeek Hassen. Founder and Director at iiFRi. iiFRi ISlamic Interfaith REsearch Institute based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Guest 3: Apostle Derrick Moswana –President of Christians of SA

Does this is anyway affect the connectedness of those who have passed and those still living?

Objectives:

To understand the spiritual implications of damages, caused by natural disaster or otherwise to gravesides.

In the video, Ramathuba was heard saying the patient should seek medical care from Zimbabwean

President Emmerson Mnangagwa because her department does not have the budget to assist illegal foreigners.

In a recent conversation with Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono, the

Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba says leaders can do more to prevent hospitals from becoming overburdened.

There she conducts and coordinates social justice research and she teaches constitutional and administrative law. She is also the founder of the Thuma Foundation, an independent democracy leadership and literacy social enterprise.

Guest 2: Sheikh Rafeek Hassen-Founder of – Islamic Interfaith Research Institute based in Durban KwaZulu-Natal

Guest 3: Apostle Derrick Moswana – President of the Christians of South Africa

Guest 2: Sibobgile Nene-Traditional Health practitioner who underwent training in 1998

Guest 3: Ayesha Kajee-Human Rights Activist and practicing Muslimah (Muslim Faith)

Guest: Solly Mapaila-General Secretary Of The Soutb African Communist Party

Solly Mapaila is a South African politician who is the incumbent General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, he was elected unopposed on the 15th of July 2022 in his current position at the SACP National Congress.

The advert calling is for submissions of “abstracts on ancestral calling in schools – exploring ways to deal with the impact of ancestral calling on teaching and learning in schools.

This follows the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education is battling to deal with incidents of ancestral calling among pupils at its schools and has enlisted the assistance of cultural and religious experts to help it chart a way forward.

We get clarification on this from the department of education in KZN, then,

The African Christian Democratic Party reacts to this

Guest : MEC Kwazi Mshengu - MEC Education KZN Guest: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Meshoe - The African Christian Democratic Party

Critics in response to this claimed the Biden administration is trying to 'cancel mothers’.

Guest: Ipeleng haleluyah Mothusi – An African Hebrew Isralite, currently studying Hebrew Israelite

ian and The Founder of the Open Mosque which is based in Cape Town Twitter: @TajHargey

Guest on the phone: Reverend Tebo Moema – LGBTIQ and Christian Leader

Guest: CAREL BOSHOF JUNIOR - FORMER PRESIDENT OF ORANIA MOVEMENT, AND NOW MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

Guest: Iraj Abedian – CEO of Pan-African Investments and Research Services and member of the Bahai Faith

Objective: To better understand the relationship religious organisations have with the church

Guest : Easton Zinhumwe 

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassen 

Guest: Apostle Derrick Moswana

Guest: Letlapa Letlapa Mphahlele 

The Durban Muslim community felt they were being targeted about the processes to follow when

slaughtering for ritual and religious purposes for EID-al-Adha celebrations.

The South African Muslim Network (Samnet) said their offices had been inundated with calls and concerns from the community regarding a notice issued by the eThekwini Municipality and possible selective enforcement of legislation of the Red Meat Regulations 2004, Section 128(2)(a).

Guest: Dr. Faisal Suleman- Chairperson of The South African Muslim Network (Samnet)

Guest : Mkhulu Solly nduku -General secretary of NUPAATHPSA - Professional Association of Traditional Health Practitioners in South Africa Also a national Chairperson / Sector Leader for the THPs under SANAC (South African National Aids Council)

GUEST:Leaders-Frank Chikane

Guest: Ras Thau Thau - President of the Rastafari United front

Guest: Zolani Mkiva

The African Christian Democratic Party reacts to this.

Guest: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Meshoe - The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) President

We touch on this thoughts on whether the holy spirit dwells in Animals, and also his position on homosexuality.

Guest on the phone: Moulana Mthokozisi Maseko - - Muslim Theologian and former Imam 

Guest: Laurie Gaum – Gay Minister at the Dutch reformed church

Guest in studio: Bishop Joshua Maponga – Fighter of Spiritual colonialism and cultural activist

Guest: Apostle Justice Daniels: Founder & President of Spirit Tabernacle International Ministries aka The Kainos Life Church.

Guest: Mzwanele Nyhontso - Leader of the Pan Africanist Congress (Pac)

Guest: Bishop Templeton Mbekwa - president African Religious andTraditional leaders council

Guest: Ipeleng Thaleluyah Mothusi – An African Hebrew Isralite, currently studying Hebrew Israelite

Guest(Studio): Rabbi Julia Margolis –Chairman of the South African Centre for Religious Equality and Diversity (SACRED)

Guest: Sister Nkhensani Shibambu.  - The Superior General of the Sisters of the Companion of St. Angela

Guest: Reverend Kenneth Meshoe – Leader of the African Christian Democratic Party

Guest : Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder And director of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI)

Guest on the phone: Amir Muhammad Gadimang Leader of the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council

Guest: Vuyolwethu Zungula is a South African politician who is the president of the African Transformation Movement (ATM)

Guest: Bishop Marothi Mashashane, president of the SA National Christian Forum (SANCF)

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder And director of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI)

 Guest : Bishop Nathi Zondi, Secretary of KwaZulu Natal Christian Council ( KZNCC), Presiding Bishop : Truevine Community Churchill

Guest Pastor Mo Afrika Wa Maila- Who is an Advocate

Guest: Mr Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks - the founder and leader of Al Jama-aha, a political party intended to uphold Muslim rights and interests in South Africa

to global leaders & governments Kingdom Chamber Commerce in

Afrika- Apostolic/Prophetic minister

Guest : Easton Zinhumwe- Hebrew Yisralite and Evangelist 

Guest: Prof. Nadar holds the NRF/LMS Desmond Tutu South African Research Chair in Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cap

Guest: Eusebius McKaiser Contributor and analyst for Times Live

Guest: iNkosi Jongisilo Pokwana ka Menziwa, Director of Vusizwe sika

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder And director of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI)

Guest on the phone: Rev Laurie Gaum - From the NPO Gender works

Guest on the phone: Pastor Advocate MoAfrika Maila, Spokesperson - Pastors Against Church Closure and an Activist African Christian United Movement

Guest: Prof Mbaimbai Hlati President of SADC UNIFIED ANCESTOR TRADITIONAL PRACTITIONERS association

Guest: Iraj Abedian – Member of the Bahai Faith and CEO of Pan-African Investments and Research Services

Guest: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mandla Nkosi - Leader from the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council, he an Islamic Scholar and Community Leader

Contacts

Guest: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mandla NKOSI – Leader from the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council, scholar and community Leader

Guest: Pundit Lokesh M Maharaj  - Head of the Religious Committee of the S A Hindu Maha Sabha 

Guest on the phone: Easton Zinhumwe – Evangelist who is a Hebrew Israelite

Guest:  Bishop Templeton Mbekwa  -President of the African Leaders Council

Guest : Kully Ziphethe - Member of the Bahai Faith

Guest: Bishop Marothi Mashashane - President of the SA National Christian Forum (SANCF)

Guest: Apostle Justice Daniels: Founder & President of Spirit Tabernacle International Ministries aka The Kainos Life Church.

Guest on the phone: Rick Raubenheimer - The president of the South African Secular Society (SASS)

Guest: Advocate Devina Perumal - Retired Law Academic

Guest: Sihle Mthiyane- Head of policy for the Department of Homeaffairs

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder And director of the

Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI)

Guest:Seeham Saamai – Director of the womens legal centre

Guest on the phone: Easton Zinhumwe – Evangelist who is a Hebrew Israelite

Guest: Abdul Qadir Mandla Nkosi – Leader from the Gauteng Muslim Shura Council, Islamic Scholar and community leader

Guest: Sheikh Rafeek Hassan-Founder And director of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (IFRI)

Guest:Apostle Derrick Moswana - pastor Faith Chapel International and leader Of CHRISTIANS OF SOUTH AFRICA

Guest: Bishop Marothi Mashashane - South African National Christian Forum president

What are the requirements for one to become priest, pastor, father, Apostle, bishop? 

Guest: Bishop Dr Julias Moloi - President of the Christian Ministers of Southern Africa {HOLDING

Guest:Japie Nel - Senior Manager: Registration and Recognition at South African Qualifications Authority(SAQA)

Guest:Fr Ricardo da Silva - Catholic Priest and associate editor at America Media and an ordained Jesuit deacon from South Africa.          

Guest on the phone: Dr Taj Hargey – Founder of the Open Mosque

Guest: Associate Prof Sa'diyya ShaikhSa’diyya Shaikh is Associate Professor in the Department for the Study of Religions at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Guest: Dr. Fatima Seedat(PhD Islamic Law, McGill), is a Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies and has a specialisation in gender studies at the intersections of Islam, sexuality and law.

Guest on the phone: Easton Zinhumwe – Evangelist who is a Hebrew Israelite

Guest: Dr Qinisile Diale –Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist