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Daily briefing

Thursday, 24 September 2026

The day across South African radio, cited to the broadcast minute.

locl.co.za / briefing / 2026-09-24

Daily briefing

Thursday, 24 September 2026

The day across South African radio, cited to the broadcast minute.

Afternoon edition

Afternoon editionCovers Thu, 24 Sept 05:00 → 15:30 SAST

Afternoon edition · 5-minute listen

Heritage Day dominated the airwaves, but the mood was sober rather than celebratory — President Ramaphosa's Oudtshoorn address was overshadowed by fresh outrage over femicide and a KwaMakhutha mass shooting. Talk stations also wrestled with a surprise Reserve Bank rate hike, Scopa's frustration over toothless oversight, and the quiet death of a South African breakfast icon.

  1. Ramaphosa's Heritage Day address shadowed by femicide crisis

    President Cyril Ramaphosa led National Heritage Day celebrations at Bongolethu Stadium in Oudtshoorn under the theme of celebrating living heritage, but the speech was dominated by his promise to update the country within days on government's response to gender-based violence and the Ekurhuleni killings of nine women. Cape Talk, 702, SAfm and Power all carried the address live and cut to parallel protests — One Billion Rising's march in Princess Vlei, a farewell for slain Dineo Motopane in KwaThema, and Methodist Young Men's Guild calls for men to break their silence.

    Heard on Power FM · 14:00 SASTAsk locl about this: Ramaphosa's Heritage Day address shadowed by femicide crisis, heard on Power FM

  2. Reserve Bank hikes repo rate to 7.25%

    The Monetary Policy Committee's unanimous 25 basis point hike, taking prime to 10.75%, was picked apart across the business slots on 702, Cape Talk, SAfm and Power. Presenters framed it as a precautionary move against second-round inflation effects from higher fuel prices and Strait of Hormuz disruptions, with the Bank forecasting inflation above 5% into early 2027 before easing back to 3%. The ANC pushed back that consumers will suffer, while economists warned employment above 40% unemployment will stay stuck as firms rein in hiring and investment.

    Heard on 702 · 05:31 SASTAsk locl about this: Reserve Bank hikes repo rate to 7.25%, heard on 702

  3. KwaMakhutha mass shooting and Sydenham arrest

    Cape Talk, 702 and SAfm led bulletins with the KwaMakhutha attack, where masked, bulletproof-vested gunmen opened fire on a house party, killing 11 including a pregnant woman and wounding three more. Families pushed back angrily against KZN police suggestions that some of the deceased were linked to drugs. In a parallel KZN development, police announced the arrest in Melmoth of a long-wanted suspect tied to the 2021 Sydenham murders of nine people, closing a cold case that had lingered for five years.

    Heard on 702 · 13:44 SASTAsk locl about this: KwaMakhutha mass shooting and Sydenham arrest, heard on 702

  4. The death of ProNutro divides South Africa

    Cape Talk's early breakfast and 702's consumer segment devoted serious airtime to PepsiCo effectively killing off ProNutro — or at least the version South Africans grew up on. Presenters treated the breakfast cereal as a family member rather than a product, dissecting how the recipe change alienated loyalists of a brand woven into generations of school mornings. Nutritionists weighed in on whether the fortified, sugar-topped staple can be replaced, while listeners were warned that once retail stock runs out, there is no way for shops to restock.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 07:13 SASTAsk locl about this: The death of ProNutro divides South Africa, heard on Cape Talk

  5. Scopa admits it has bark but no bite

    Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts took stock of its own performance and MPs across parties conceded the watchdog is chasing too much and achieving too little. Chairperson Songezo Zibi told Cape Talk and 702 reporters that Scopa will lean on portfolio committees and Treasury to actually blacklist corrupt suppliers, while the MKP's Thalente Kubeka said officials should tremble when Scopa arrives. OUTA's Alan Beesley argued Scopa must back the SIU or its recommendations will keep gathering dust — a rare moment of cross-party consensus that oversight without consequences is theatre.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 08:01 SASTAsk locl about this: Scopa admits it has bark but no bite, heard on Cape Talk

Morning edition

Morning editionCovers Wed, 23 Sept 05:00 → Thu, 24 Sept 05:00 SAST

Morning edition · 5-minute listen

Wednesday's talk radio was dominated by hard news out of KwaZulu-Natal — a mass shooting at Kwamakhutha that killed 11 — running alongside heavy coverage of the Sibiya sexual offences case and the Reserve Bank's surprise repo hike. The IEC's code-of-conduct signing and ANC candidate-list fight drew election-season attention, while lifestyle segments on antimicrobial resistance and instant-noodle diets softened the edges of an otherwise grim news day.

  1. Kwamakhutha massacre: 11 killed in KZN mass shooting

    Stations across the dial led with the mass shooting at Kwamakhutha, south of Durban, where balaclava-clad, bulletproof-vested gunmen stormed a house on Tuesday night and killed 11 people, wounding three more, including a pregnant woman about to give birth. Cape Talk, SAfm, 702 and Power all carried the story, with the acting National Police Commissioner ordering a 72-hour tracking operation and confirming some of the deceased were already on police radar. Residents linked the attack to a suspected drug-fuelled gang war, and digital forensic teams were tying persons of interest to the bodies.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 00:01 SASTAsk locl about this: Kwamakhutha massacre: 11 killed in KZN mass shooting, heard on Cape Talk

  2. Sibiya in the dock and Masemola's police top-brass crisis

    Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya's first appearance in the Randburg Magistrates' Court dominated morning talk, with the NPA saying it would detain him at Kgosi Mampuru because the state fears people close to him will intimidate witnesses. He faces charges of sexually grooming a 16-year-old and raping an 18-year-old, allegedly having sent explicit pictures to the daughter of someone close to him. The Corder Report widened the lens, noting how colleagues at SAPS reportedly looked the other way as this behaviour played out over years, nearly landing him the top cop job.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 08:03 SASTAsk locl about this: Sibiya in the dock and Masemola's police top-brass crisis, heard on Cape Talk

  3. SARB hikes repo rate to 7.25% against oil-price shock

    The Reserve Bank's 25-basis-point hike to 7.25% blindsided some analysts and drove afternoon business coverage on 702, Power and Cape Talk. Governor Lesetja Kganyago said the MPC weighed a hold and a 50-point hike before settling on 25, citing escalating Middle East conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war disrupting refinery capacity, and fuel-price shocks that had appeared to be unwinding but have re-intensified. Analysts forecast average Q4 inflation above 5%, well above the 3% target, with two more fuel-price increases expected locally. Homeowners and vehicle-finance holders were warned to brace.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 01:00 SASTAsk locl about this: SARB hikes repo rate to 7.25% against oil-price shock, heard on Cape Talk

  4. IEC signs election code as ANC candidate fight heads to ConCourt

    The IEC's Electoral Code of Conduct signing at Gallagher Convention set the tone for the 4 November local government elections, with chairperson Mosotho Moepya warning of declining democratic trust, institutional disillusionment and the weaponisation of disinformation. Parties and candidates now have 36 hours to correct false claims. Running alongside, the ANC confirmed it is heading to the Constitutional Court to fight the exclusion of 181 councillor candidates after failing to press submit on the IEC's online portal before deadline — the IEC insisting non-compliance is a consequence, not a decision. SAfm's mayoral debates from Polokwane gave the story local texture.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 17:34 SASTAsk locl about this: IEC signs election code as ANC candidate fight heads to ConCourt, heard on Cape Talk

  5. Superbugs and salt: talk radio's health and lifestyle beat

    Away from the hard news, Cape Talk's Pippa Hudson gave a lengthy platform to UCT's Dr Eloise Du Toit on antimicrobial resistance, who warned superbugs now kill more people globally than HIV and malaria combined, with roughly 8,480 South African deaths a year, and flagged an open letter from hundreds of clinicians calling for the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AMR to be reinstated. SAfm and Cape Talk paired this with a conversation on South Africans' rising instant-noodle habit and ultra-processed food environment — high in salt, sugar and fat — and small tweaks households can make to eat healthier without giving up favourites.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 23:09 SASTAsk locl about this: Superbugs and salt: talk radio's health and lifestyle beat, heard on Cape Talk

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