POWER Talk

Friday, 18 September 2026

Power Talk focused on South Africa’s femicide crisis, institutional accountability, stalled legislation, healthcare fraud and the country’s widening gender gap.

1. 10:15

   The Commission for Gender Equality said femicide must be treated as a constitutional public-safety failure, holding SAPS, municipalities and other public servants accountable for unsafe infrastructure and weak systems.

2. 10:53

   Healthcare funders estimated fraud, waste and abuse may cost the medical-aid sector about R30 billion annually; whistleblowers underpin roughly 60% of reported investigations.

3. 11:16

   Parliamentary legislation now takes an average 34 months to pass, compared with six months in 2004; an academic warned that stalled laws create a constitutional crisis.

4. 11:37

   South Africa ranked 30th in the 2026 Global Gender Gap Report, with economic participation dragging performance; meaningful progress requires jobs, reduced poverty and action against gender-based violence.

5. 09:13

   The Constitutional Court struck down the Procurement Act after finding public participation flawed, forcing government to restart work following 16 years of drafting and eight years in Parliament.

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