By Rachel Mohamed The upcoming budget speech, scheduled for March 12, comes after an unprecedented delay. A major point of contention has been the proposed 2% increase in VAT, which has sparked considerable debate within the governing coalition. Many members of the coalition oppose this decision. One member, the Democratic
Leading academics, activists, and civil society organisations have joined forces to confront South Africa’s growing hunger crisis by launching the Union Against Hunger (UAH). The newly established movement aims to push for urgent policy action as millions of South Africans face food insecurity. Currently, nine million children go hungry daily,
Hundreds of SASSA grant recipients have been waiting in long lines to replace their SASSA Gold Cards, which are set to expire on 20 March 2025. SASSA and Postbank have been urging social grant beneficiaries to exchange their Gold Cards for the new Postbank Black Cards, but this can only
By Daanyaal Matthews The latest crime stats have caused a stir in South Africa. While some crimes, like attempted sexual assault, have decreased, gang violence in the Western Cape remains rampant. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu echoed calls from residents for stronger intervention in high-murder areas. In response, Western Cape Government’s
By Kouthar Sambo CEO of the Energy Council of South Africa, James Mackay, said he was confident that the recent return of load shedding was a “once-off measure.” This comes after Eskom implemented stage six load shedding on Sunday, 23 February (2025). However, some analysts and critics expressed that load
Following the news that circulated on social media about a teacher stay-away on Wednesday morning, no major disruptions have been reported. Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Malvern De Bruyn, Provincial Secretary Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said the stay-away is to highlight the plight of so
According to political analyst Professor André Duvenhage of Northwest University, the Western Cape (WC) is seeing a surge in population because it offers more opportunities, and despite its slow pace, service delivery is being addressed, while other provinces are not witnessing significant change from those in authority. Speaking on VOC
With the most recent consumer inflation rising to 3.2% at the beginning of 2025, South Africans are eager to hear what the Minister of Finance will cover in his March budget speech. Mervyn Abrahams, Programme Coordinator from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, said the latest report from the
By: Sayed Ridhwaan President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the crucial opening of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday morning. Reflecting on the recent gathering of G20 Foreign Ministers in Johannesburg, he highlighted the importance of international cooperation. Speaking
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
