AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: The Attack of Pitbulls

A Gqeberha mother barely had time to react before she saw her son on the ground, his face caught in the jaws of the family dog. The 30-year-old woman has now added her voice to the age-old debate around the safety of pit bulls. The 22-month-old boy, who was lucky to survive the attack, sustained several bite marks and a fractured skull due to the impact when he hit his head on the ground as the dog launched at him. Recalling the incident, the woman, who asked to not to be named to protect her son’s identity, said she did not think twice — risking her own life at the same time — to try to separate the boy and the male pit bull cross.

ANDY MASHAILE/ SECURITY ANALYST

Member of Parliament Fadiel Adams has laid criminal charges against KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and former Police Minister Bheki Cele. The MP wants them to be probed for fraud and corruption. Adams was previously mentioned in Mkhwanazi's testimony at the Madlanga Commission for being reckless with sensitive crime intelligence. Adams rubbished the allegations, saying information he allegedly used recklessly landed on his doorstep. His motive was to expose what was happening. He has shown interest in wanting to appear before the Commission and tell his side of the story. The National Coloured Congress leader has also previously opened a criminal case against National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola.

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW/ GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST

Tensions between South Africa and the United States reached an all time high on Wednesday night after US President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would be barred from attending the next G20 summit. Trump, speaking on his social media platform Truth Social, said he would block South Africa’s participation in the 2026 G20 summit – set to be hosted in Miami – and halt all financial support to the country. His remarks followed South Africa’s refusal to symbolically pass the G20 presidency to a senior US Embassy representative at the close of this year’s summit in Johannesburg. The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa because the South African government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific human rights abuses endured by Afrikaners and other descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers,” Trump posted.

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: Who Own's South Africa?

GUEST 1: LUTHANDO VILAKAZI /LAWYER AT OPEN SECRETS GUEST 2: SANDILE SWANA/ POLITICAL ANALYST

Judge Phahlane granted R50,000 bail in church succession bribery case

Gauteng High Court Judge Portia Dipuo Phahlane was released on R50,000 bail on Wednesday afternoon on allegations she accepted a bribe worth millions of rand in a long-running church leadership dispute. Phahlane and three others, one of them being her son, were arrested on Tuesday night by the  Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). The arrests form part of a major corruption and money-laundering investigation linked to the succession dispute within the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC).

AD HOC COMMITTEE RECAP (BULELANI PHILLIP/ SABC NEWS PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER)

Vusimuzi Cat Matlala says he can’t answer every detail surrounding his multi-million-rand tender to supply medical services to the police and how this could work against him in any future criminal investigations.

After 8 Is After 8: The support artists need in order to change this narrative and how creatives and artists should be creating opportunities for themselves

We all consume art on a daily basis, spending countless hours watching TV shows, listening to music, admiring beautiful photographs and fashion designs. This is clearly an important contributor to our daily lives, yet till this day many artists and creatives struggle to make their careers lucrative and financially beneficial over the long term. This evening we’ll be looking at the support artists need in order to change this narrative and how creatives and artists should be creating opportunities for themselves and taking advantage of the growing media landscape.

Are South African courts processing cases quickly enough?

Chief Justice Mandisa Maya released the Annual Judiciary Report for 23/24 and 24/25 respectively. The 24/25 report showed that all Superior Courts collectively achieved 71% compliance with the delivery of reserved judgments within three months, against a set target of 70%. The courts fell just short of meeting their targets when it came to criminal matters, with various factors affecting the ability of the courts to process these types of cases timeously. As many in society voice their lack of trust in South Africa’s judicial system, how is it actually performing?

GBVF declared a National Disaster - What now?

Activists have warned the South African government not to ignore the root causes of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), which include unemployment, poverty, and financial inequality. This follows last week’s announcement by the government classifying GBVF as a national disaster. A meeting on Friday is expected to outline a detailed plan and define the roles of civil society and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The Women for Change organisation - which led the petition to have GBVF declared a national disaster - says they now want to see action that equates to the magnitude of the crisis.

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: Normalised violence and aggression in media and society at large, and the impact it has on bullying amoungst children

Reseacrh has found that more than 3.2 million children in South Africa experience bullying every year, and experts are spotlighting normalised violence in media and within our communities as a factor that’s leading to more violent and agressive behaviour amoungts children. What role is the media & the rest of society playing in bullying amoungst children and how should parents be dealing with this?

How do you run a school on about R6 per learner per day?

That’s a question that FEDSAS - the national representative organisation for governing bodies of South African schools is asking as multiple provincial education departments fail to make much needed payments to schools which has harsh consequences on zero-fee paying schools. Meanwhile... Gauteng parents with children in quintile 5 - which are fee paying schools - may have to pay much more in fees next year with subsidy funding cuts from the province.

Patients at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital are relying on relatives to bring them food

Patients at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital are relying on relatives to bring them food. This after the hospital's food supplier was recently shut down after E.coli was found in its meals. According to reports, the hospital's kitchen can provide breakfast and supper, but is unable to supply plated food lunches for patients.

DOREEN MOKOENA - CEO OF CYBERSEC CLINIQUE & CYBERSECURITY EXPERT

DR NTHABISENG MOLEKO - ECONOMIST AT STELLENBOSCH BUSINESS SCHOOL

KHAYELIHLE KHUMALO - SABC NEWS INTERNATIONAL REPORTER

PROF. BHEKI MNGOMEZULU - PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8: We want to look at women and men who accepted their spouses who decided to come back from wherever they were

 Research published in February investigated the vow to stand by a marriage in times of sickness.  Marriages are about seven times more likely to end when the wife becomes ill than when the husband does.  Most marriages do not end in divorce after a spouse becomes ill, even when the wife is the patient.  People who love being single and want to stay single, such as the single at heart, are often taunted with the question, “But who will be there for you in later life? What if you get sick?” The assumption seems to be that married people have nothing to worry about. After all, they made the vow to be there for each other “in sickness and in health.”

PROF SETHULEGO MATHEBESI/ POLITICAL ANALYST

South Africa is abuzz with activity, we look at a few stories that made the headlines.  ANC’s Fikile Mbalula fires back at rumours over Ramaphosa’s resignation.   The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has distanced itself from Mary De Haas, saying she is not one of its employees  Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke's defence in the Nkabinde Inquiry

DENNIS BLOEM / SPOKESPERSON OF THE ACTIVISTS AND CITIZENS FORUM

The reckless threat from the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, to the Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, regarding a speech he made about the crisis that the SA Navy finds itself, must be condemned. Activists and Citizens Forum is indicating upfront that we salute Vice Admiral Monde Lobese. We support what he said in his speech. We view it as the truth and we know that the people of the country agree with him. What he said is not just fiction.

AFTER 8 IS AFTER 8 CONVO

RAYMOND MATLALA/THE CHAIRPERSON FOR Y20 SOUTH AFRICA 2025. A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL WITH OVER A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS, AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT. HE IS A PHD CANDIDATE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND HAS PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN GLOBAL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, PARTICULARLY THROUGH HIS  EXTENSIVE INVOLVEMENT IN THE G20 AND BRICS. GUEST 2: MMAPASEKA STEVE LETSIKE/ DEPUTY MINISTER OF WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES GUEST 3: KADI TOURE/HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, THE PARTNERSHIP FOR MATERNAL, NEWBORN AND CHILD HEALTH (PMNCH) (WHO)