Friday, 7 August 2026

Nomsa Chabedi said the SABC survives on commercial income for more than 80% of revenue, with TV licence evasion at 85%, while still carrying public-service and ICASA obligations.

Attorney Whitney Stevens said unpaid child maintenance is widespread, courts are often backlogged, and parents should formalise agreements in court so enforcement is possible when one side defaults.

Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo backed a harm-reduction approach to tobacco, saying South Africa should distinguish between combustible and less harmful nicotine products, following science rather than an all-or-nothing ban.

Peter Uko rejected harm reduction as tobacco-industry spin, saying vapes and heated products still addict young people and that the real solution is stopping smoking before it starts.

Tracy Lee Kortsen described quiet coping as women carrying unpaid labour, childcare, work pressure and old trauma in silence, leading to burnout, anxiety and neglect of their own health.