Episode 21 Unite It Up with Special Guest Author Zukiswa Wanner
Watch Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 21: Unite It Up with Special Guest Author Zukiswa Wanner
Sunday 25th January 2026 / 05th Sha'ban 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Listen to Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 21: Unite It Up with Special Guest Author Zukiswa Wanner
Sunday 25th January 2026 / 05th Sha'ban 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Transcript
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To dear listeners, it's 8 well 9 minutes past 2:00 p.m. here in South Africa and
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it's our favorite day of the week, Yomul Aad. It's the fifth day of Shaan, 14:47
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AH, which corresponds to Sunday the 25th of January, 2026.
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I'm Zad Plchies and with me in studio are my co-hosts Nabia and Issa Plachies.
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Brother Zad will be looking after us this afternoon inshallah.
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Welcome to Level Up where we listen, learn, and grow inshallah with Allah subhanana wa ta'ala's guidance and we
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break down the week's news and talk about what really matters to young Muslims. Today we are coming to you live
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from the Radio Islam International studios right here in Johannesburg, South Africa. Our WhatsApp line is open.
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The number is 0727861548.
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You can call in on 0185472 or DM us on iilov.com. We're on
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Instagram, Facebook X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok as well as threads.
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But before we start today's program, we have an important announcement to make.
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So, please take note that next week Sunday, there will be a live broadcast of the Sir Jalsa from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00
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p.m. on Radio Islam International, which will take place during our program's usual time slot of 2:00 p.m.
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to 3:00 p.m. This means there will not be a level up program next week, Sunday the 1st of February, but we will be back
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on Sunday the 8th of February, 2026, inshallah. higher for your understanding.
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So, while on the announcements, don't forget today um for those sports fans,
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cricket fans, at 3:30 p.m. is the SA20 final in Newand's Cape Town. I don't
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know how the weather is in Cape Town, but here it's very hot and a nice day to go out and watch the
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cricket. Um, so those who are fortunate enough to be in Cape Town, um, head down to Newand's Stadium. I think it's going
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to, as they say, it's going to be a vibe.
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Um, so the Pritoria Capitals are taking on the Sunrises Eastern Cape. I think it's going to be a tough one because they've come head-to-head already three
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times in the tournament. In the group stages, the first match was on the 29th of December and SEC won by 48 runs. The
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second match was on the 5th of January and SEC had a tremendous 10 wicket win with 34 balls to spare. But in the
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playoffs last week, the 21st of January, the Pritoria Capitals came back and won by seven wickets with nine balls left.
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And it's not the first time that uh SEC has been in the finals. I think they've be this. If they win this one, it will be the third consecutive one. But
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they've been in the finals three times and they've already won twice.
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They're obviously at the top of the table with four more points than the Pritoria Capitals. U but in their last
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five matches, the Pritoria Capitals have won four out of five, while SEC has only won two and drawn one.
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So um yeah before I get carried away and our listeners think that this is a sports program let's look at what's
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ahead for today's program. So today in the program uh we are looking at what's affecting our um we're always talking
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about um social justice. We're talking about a global um and I think it's it's very apt that inshallah after the half
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hour we catch up with Zukisna Zukiswa varna after her heroic efforts on the flotilla and I believe she's got some
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exciting news for us as well inshallah but right now let's take a look at this week's news.
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Yes. So a major thing in the news this week where tributes and messages of condolences have poured in from across
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the country even across the globe including um from government officials, educators and from civil society
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organizations was the funail park school transport tragedy that claimed young lives.
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Um, South Africa is mourning the loss of school children following a devastating road accident that occurred in the
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morning of 19th January 2026 near Funbell Park in Kaogen. The tragedy unfolded during the early school commute
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when a school taxi collided head-on with a truck on the R553 Fred Drustster Road, which is Fred Rustster Road. Um, the
4 minutes, 58 seconds
minibus was transporting learners to different schools in the VA area when the crash occurred. We're told that the they were driving from fun bail park to
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civil king and emergency services rushed to the scene but unfortunately the impact of the collision proved fatal and
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at that time 12 school children lost their lives with several others sustaining injuries and being rushed to
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nearby hospitals for treatment. Some of the injured learners were initially reported to be in serious condition and
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we now know unfortunately that um the number has risen to 14.
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Uh so according to preliminary police investigation, the taxi was allegedly attempting to overtake other vehicles
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when it entered the path of the oncoming truck.
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And the driver who was reported to be 22 years old survived the crash and was taken for medical treatment. Thereafter,
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he was arrested and is expected to face charges including culpable homicide and reckless or negligent driving.
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It was also confirmed that the school taxi driver was operating the vehicle with an expired driver's license raising serious concerns about compliance and
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oversight within the scholar transport sector.
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Sh. So um the department of education has released the names of the deceased learners but I believe I only have 12 of
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those names at the moment who range from grade 1 to grade 11. Um the the other two there was a statement
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that we did have uh after this that um included the other the the the two you do have that isn't it? I don't have
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their names but um um okay so basically why why it was sent was so that
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counseling and psychosocial support services can be you know like you know when you want to name someone in your
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duas in your prayers so just to keep the pe the children in your prayers um I will find that name and the the list of
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the names and we can say that out inshallah but yes um but it was so tragic because I don't know if you saw the pictures and they
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said that uh when it happened the police were trying to get the parents away from the scene and the parents wanted to see their children.
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Yes. because the last time they saw the children was early in the morning before they left and it's it's just such a such a tragedy. um the
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way everything unfolded and I mean this young man who's 22 years old um was
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obviously in a rush for whatever reason thought he could take on a couple of cars and and we guilty of it a lot of
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the time um on the road you know uh we're traveling to a certain destination maybe our families in in the vehicle or
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workers or whatever it is and we feel that we can um you
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beat the the the the oncoming traffic or whatever the case is, you know, like we think that that we and obviously he
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didn't make it and unfortunately um this is this is uh what happened. Now because of that in the wake of this um
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there there have been calls to um for for having stricter regulation and monitoring of scholar transport services
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and um even road safety advocates and unions have they they've urged authorities to strengthen the enforcement in and ensure vehicle driver
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qualifications to prevent similar tragedies in the future. And I believe that there is another article that I read where they impounded um quite a few
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taxis and you know took arrested quite a few of them because of these harsher enforcement that they have now recently
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started doing. Yeah, I think it's not a little bit too late, but you know, we've had this conversation before about um
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you know, the way the taxis drive or um you know, the so-called inverted commas lawlessness. Um but nothing constructive
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has been done. And I say nothing constructive in the sense that you know when we build these fancy cities like say waterfall city or whatever, it's
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easy to put up a bike lane. M you know like yeah okay fine it's a it's a bike um you know it's a smaller space
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or whatever but we've had 30 years or more uh since 1994
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when we've known that mini bus taxis are carrying the bulk of the nation to work or school
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right and there hasn't been anything in the sense that we have special lanes for
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them there's nothing uh regulating the the industry. The industry is a 100 billion 90 to 100 billion rand industry.
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It's employing over 6,000 people. It's uh um there's like thousands or millions
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of people that are going to school and and and work every day through this public transport because of the cost factor.
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Exactly. They're talking about uh the fact that we should rather have
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um the parents should rather look at a better transport system than using this cheap transport system for their kids
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because it's their kids' lives that are at stake. But the thing is maybe that's all they can afford.
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Exactly. Um you know we we think about it's not it's not negligence on the part of the parent where you know um they
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they want to you don't want to send your your ammana your your your your jewels and your gems out there to be in you
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know like endangered endangered kind of um public transport you the thing is it's a it's a cost factor as you mentioned what if that's all that they can afford.
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Yeah, but also the routes that they take. Cow train is phenomenal. It's got the the train has got the bus service, but it's not for everyone. Not everyone
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can afford it. A lot of the time if you want to go to the airport, it's tourist prices. You know, you know what I mean?
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But how for sending children as well? I mean, you're not going I'm not going to send my child alone where there's adults
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and children. this is um you know you you actually want something that's and I'm sure there are lots of um scholar
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transports out there where they just you know um transport just mainly children from children uh to the to the schools
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in the area but maybe they are quite expensive and maybe um I don't know well you see that that's that's where
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the thing comes in where I'm saying there needs to be um more uh uh what's
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it more engagement from the community, from the the departments, from the municipality.
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We have very good um shuttles for tourists, buses and everything. But why
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aren't we supporting the local taxi industry and building that taxi entry making making sure that these ensuring
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that these vehicles are safe that they're roadw worthy making sure that the taxi ranks are safe for um our kids
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or our family members to go to um you know all all those type of things like I said and like you mentioned a special lane
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for them. I mean, we we know now that taxis there are taxis on the road, so why not make a special instead of keep complaining about it and
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posting videos to say, you know, there's this taxi driving on the wrong side of the road. Uh, I know a few weeks ago
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they had someone from Discovery, I'm not going to name him, but he was busy, Discovery Health was busy filling a
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pothole and they said, you know, like stay in your lane, sort out our Discovery medical uh, aids and our
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savings and all that before you worry about filling the potholes. That that hits close. No, and the thing is that is exactly it.
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If we come and we can, we always, we a nation, we're stronger together. we come together, we can do certain things and
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we can overcome this and we can uh you know build a better future for everyone.
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It's not just you know we we look at them when we in our private cars and we say oh look at these taxis look how
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they're driving let's film them and uh name and shame them and and whatever the case is. But the thing is these guys,
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I've spoken to some of these taxi drivers. They up at like 3:00 in the morning going out to pick up people,
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right? They have a certain time that they need to make sure because there is um the time in the morning that they
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need to take people to work and there's the time in the afternoon that they that they pick them up and take them home, right? So that's the bulk of their work and they have to make sure that they
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earn a certain amount because they have to pay the taxi owners and they need something to take home at the end of the
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the same with these e-haling services right um and I'm not saying that I condone
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what what they do and you know let them carry on or whatever but there are circumstances and everybody knows about it or if you don't know about it this is
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where the engagement and the discussions need to come about so that we can come to a solution, you know.
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So, um yeah, I think that there there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. I know a few years ago Bridgestone
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tried to get involved in SA taxi industry. I don't know how far they got.
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Um but the there's I don't know. I'm just going to go on and on about this and I think maybe if
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the listeners have something that they they want to um share or you know maybe the right people are listening
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and inshallah we can get together if I have any ideas I don't mind being part of the discussion. No because I think
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it's it's about time that that that we sort this out. The the president said that in other countries they have school buses.
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Yes.
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Okay. So, they have school buses and then and wait and let me just mention also that the transport minister Barbara Cesy
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also said that um it's terribly terribly important that drivers understand how to drive responsibly and defensively. So,
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she basically is saying that they need to um do driver advanced driver training. So, I mean that's all well,
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but it's not only only taxi drivers. The thing is, anybody that drives a car should nowadays have advanced driver
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training. I mean, you sit in a car that's can go to 0 to 100 in 4 seconds and you don't know how to drive the car uh but you so-called own the car, right?
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And um that should be something that comes with your driver's license. And you see that's that's the other thing is
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that again people buy their driver's license. Um you know there's all that bribery and corruption within the
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department as well that needs to be handled. But the thing is we we sticking to the taxi industry now. Yes, they need
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to be equipped um to to be able to drive, you know, responsibly and with
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integrity and um you know, and know how to get out of certain situations. We were in a situation now and
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alhamdulillah we we we made it out just on the way here right next to us uh a baky blew its tire
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and alhamdulillah because you know I've been for this this training and I'm aware of what's happening we managed to get out of that but with the duas and
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our uh listening to y sitting in the car and alhamdulillah Allah protected us as well not not taking all the the the
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plays or whatever to getting us out of the situation But the thing is um you know that we need to make sure that
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people can drive in a certain way because things can happen in a second. Yeah.
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And if if you can't get out of it, there's a 12 car pileup. Fortunately, the driver as well managed to um gain
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control of the car because he started swerving.
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He did managed to alhamdulillah gain control of the car and managed to get it on the side of the road. So there was nobody else that was uh affected.
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Um but these things happen on a daily basis and we have roads that have potholes. We have uh cars that are
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unroadw worthy. We have drivers that um like we said are not supposed to be on the road because they didn't get their
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license uh the leg legal way. But I think let's go for a break because I'm
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going to get in to a whole another discussion about this. Um, but if you want to join the conversation, uh, our WhatsApp line is open. It's 0727861548.
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You can call in on 0185472 or you can DM us ones.com
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on social media. Let's go for a break and when we get back we will be chatting to Zukiswa Vana about her latest book
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inshallah tutoring mentoring homeschool assistance concessions facilitation and more
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visit after grant academy the dawn of excellence
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and welcome back to level up if you've just tuned in we have been talking all
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about the SA20, the tragic tragic news of the learners who passed away this week in a scholar transport accident.
19 minutes, 31 seconds
But right now, we have Sukiswa Vana on the line. If you would like to join the conversation, our WhatsApp line
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is open. The number is 0727861548 or you can call in on 0118547022
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or you can even DM us on Instagram that's I L O V E Z A M.
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On the 30 on August the 31st, 2025, Zukisa Vana left Johannesburg for Tunis, hoping
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to join civilians from 43 other nations on boats in an attempt to break the then
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18-year siege on Gaza, Palestine to create a humanitarian corridor for much needed food and medication. Her account
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of the preparations, the journey, the garin and multinational conversations along the way and the eventual unwanted
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destination is a darkly humorous and self efficacing as it is philosoph
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philosophical. If Varna's vanets of a people in an apartate state was a witness account of settler colonialism
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and Israel as a genocidal apartate state. Flotillaa a journey of conscience is a rallying call for the 99% to
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understand Palestine as ground zero for colonist and capitalist struggles and the urgent need for a globalized
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interifada because a free Palestine is the first step in freeing us all.
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Good afternoon, Zukisa. I hope you're keeping well. Welcome to the show.
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Good afternoon to you. How are you doing? I'm well, thank you.
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So Kisa, so we last caught up with you last year as you just boarded the flotillaa and um the first few days on
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your journey and we didn't have a sorry and we didn't have a chance to touch a
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base since then but we wanted to congratulate and thank you for your efforts and may the almighty reward you abundantly.
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Amen. But may he reward all of us and particularly the Palestinians as well.
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Definitely. Amen. So Zuki so can you briefly tell us or share a bit of insight and your experience.
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Okay. Um essentially we the moment we got on the boards uh every evening we'd
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uh have a roster on who was uh going to take guard duty and we usually had two
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people per shift and guard duty would be you needed to be able to spot if there
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are any drones because we'd already had two boats that had been attacked by drones by Israel in Tunisia in Tunis. So
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we're constantly uh so you have uh two people at any given time and then you know another two people come in. Usually we do three hours at least on our boat.
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Other boats had uh different ways of doing it. Uh we also then uh were
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sharing the cooking, the cleaning uh and uh everything else that needed to be
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shared. uh you know amongst the rest of us uh the crew obviously would be the ones that were sharing the moving the
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boat. So you had the first mates and you had the captain and then you had uh uh two other uh uh crew people but with
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sailing experience so that anytime we'd always have people doing some work.
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Okay. Sure. And then when you were detained, um, I'm sure that must have been like, uh, an traumatic experience
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for you. I I know, you know, it obviously wouldn't compare to what the Palestinians and the Kazins go were going through and are currently going
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through, but as a mother and a wife, what was running through your mind when the occupation forces, you know, boarded the flotilla and you were detained?
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uh you know with so one of the things that happens before you uh even get on a boat is you do uh training and we had uh
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a long time of training where you know what to expect if you get intercepted what to do if you make it there what do
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you do etc. So, uh, we had the training, um, I think because we'd had, uh, them
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teasing us, uh, quite a bit the night before they had, uh, come and splashed
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water on our boat. So, we, um, we looked at it and we thought to ourselves, uh, by the time they did it, we're just
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like, okay, you know, can you just get it over and done with, you know, type of thing. Uh uh because uh but with us as
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well on my bots it was um it was we it was a bit different because we everybody
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else had been intercepted at night and usually they intercept at night. They came for us at the break of dawn just after the fajger prayers.
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And uh so we were we're we're we're like we're we're kind of like oh we're like we're relieved cuz we're like okay my
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god maybe we'll make it to you know because we're literally like 28 nautical miles when they intercepted us. So I
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think the the biggest feeling wasn't fear. The biggest feeling was disappointment that we didn't make it.
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Oh but you were almost there. And then I mean God knows your intentions.
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But you know what? This entire flotilla movement has created more um what can we
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say more uh awareness in a lot of people's minds you know like there's a lot more people who are who want to
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understand what's happening and um yeah so I believe you have a book that's coming out maybe that would give a
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little bit of a um insight into all of this the flirtatilla a j journey of conscience
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Yes, I I I I shadow to call it a book because I'm actually like I write long books. So, this is like a a long form
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essay type of thing. It's a it's a journal. So, it's almost like a documentary in a book form, is it?
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Yes. Yes. So, it's not it's not like it's not like uh you know like 60,000 words or 100,000 words. It's not like
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book form, but it's like you know small things. So if it were a movie, this would be maybe like like short f
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a short documentary or something. But yes, I I do have uh that coming out and uh it's actually in print right now. So
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we should be having some copies uh and um I think everyone will want to know this. Anybody who is interested in the
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flotilla from the 1st to the to the to the 6th of uh February uh the steering
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committee of um global summ flotillaa will be in Johannesburg. So there will be some events that they'll be doing. I
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know uh the Palestinian solidarity uh uh PSA uh is actually uh hosting them. So
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there will be some things at their places in uh Melville. Uh amongst them of course uh the final event will be my
27 minutes, 28 seconds
uh book launch on the 6th. Uh but you can also then uh be able to see them. So if anybody is interested in being on the
27 minutes, 36 seconds
flirtillaa I think the events on the on the second and on the third. So people
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can um people can uh look at PSA uh on uh on Instagram and I think on Facebook
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or and I think they're on Twitter as well and just see what the calendar of events is or you can go to their website
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PSA Palestine Solidarity Action and uh you'll be able to see what's happening.
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Uh and of course I mean uh right now we also understand the need for global solidarity with uh the Venezuelan
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president and uh his wife having been abducted by America. So one of the things that will also happen is on the
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6th of um of uh February uh during we are going to have a really large
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protest. So we need all the numbers you can get. All of you if you can get out that would be nice.
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Okay. We will be like protesting at the US consulate.
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Okay. Can you repeat when will when will that be the protest at the US?
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That will be on the 6th of February at the US consulate that uh one leak drive
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although you know of course D hasn't renamed it so we're still calling it sent drive but yeah just opposite Sentin
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square. So uh one leak drive. Uh so if anybody else one sentence drive if you can come in through uh we want as many
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numbers so that everybody knows you know we it's it's nice that people say free Palestine and uh and and they do it on
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Instagram and on Twitter and on Facebook but the only way that our government for
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instance can realize that this is actually a serious movement and we really seriously support is by us
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turning up and showing up. Our numbers matter. Exactly. Yes, definitely.
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So, is is um flotillaa a journey of conscience um like you said a docu basically like a documentary in your
29 minutes, 40 seconds
book all about your journey on the flotilla? Is it um does it mention
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anything about your um the people of Palestine? Gaza.
29 minutes, 56 seconds
Uh so it actually is uh it's an interesting one that one because um it's
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it's it's I journaled uh my journey into into uh Tunis you know so the first part
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it's it comes in uh four parts so the first part is um where you know when arriving in Tunis and the training that
30 minutes, 20 seconds
we're going so for instance one of the things that a lot of people don't know is that when you go on the filler uh because of a past incident that happened
30 minutes, 29 seconds
on the Mavi Mavara many years ago. Uh it's a nonviolent action. So you can't be coming with with thinking that if if
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uh the Israeli occupation forces stop us, uh I'm going to do this. So for instance, that was something that I had
30 minutes, 45 seconds
to learn on the first day of training and uh and I I had I had broad pepper spray. I was like, I'm going to spray
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this one if they touch me. You know, we're going strong.
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Yes. You know, so I I I I'd gone that way, but then I had to like, you know, like back off and realize, hey, you know
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what? Instead of doing like this is paper tray, these people have guns, you know. So, you have to think very strategically like that. And uh so
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that's the first part, the training. And the second part was when we're actually on the on the on the on the boat and uh
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just the everyday experiences. what is it like you know uh uh what happens uh and of course I mean for us every time
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the sun rose it was the most beautiful moment because uh if there hadn't been any incident because you know the the
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the Israelis uh the Zionists were were were bombing us uh they were attacking
31 minutes, 44 seconds
us even as we traveled so up until a time when which is so beautiful and I
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can't say thank you enough to the Italians for this when Italians decided that they were going to uh uh go on a on
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a protest as a country, you know, even the even the police, even the you know, but it was really like the Italian Union started it and everybody school
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children, everybody went on protest and I think the Italian government panicked and that's when they sent uh two navy
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ships to escort us uh part of the way and then later on I think they were pushed by the Americans and the Zionists
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and uh they were like well you know if you don't leave this in Cyprus there we are not coming with you anymore and we said all right we'll go ahead by
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ourselves but uh you know uh it was all that it was constantly like the joy of
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uh day uh dawn breaking so in on my boat we became really really close we became
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like family and we're still like family uh you know we talk uh very often we check up on each other and uh you know
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one of one of one of one of the people on my board sent me like Turkish coffee you know which is nice you know so um
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but we're family and uh another another person on my board is going to be coming through with a steering comedy as well so uh we're looking forward to that
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reunion you know yeah as we say inshallah but um Zuki so so I found something that
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I found very interesting besides you know your you what you mentioned about the Italian people you uh you know helping and and showing their bravery.
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You also mentioned something um I don't know if if you're okay with me saying this, but I I saw it and it says, "May
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2026 give us the bravery to resist being passive resistors and getting shocked, but to hold those who cause harm
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accountable and come at them with the same energy that they cause us and society at large with accusations of woke or whatever the latest fascist
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phrase is." And I'll tell you why this resonates with me. It's because um you know it's very difficult for for for
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everyone who you know who wants to do the right thing to stand up for what's right you know as in most cases cases you're usually like a minority you know
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you're even alone amongst the so-called powerful you know the people who have um the most um pull in
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the media and so on. But what would you say to someone, especially a young person who believes that their voice
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doesn't matter or that activism is for other people?
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Uh listen, I would just make them relate to it from a very South African perspective, you know. Um so what
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happens is global capital you know uh the the 1% if you will and the people
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who look after them they are all united so you know uh Peter Thiel you know uh
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uh Tony Blair uh you know uh Ellen Musk all them those people and their children and whatever they all know each other
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they all um hurt but there's a man who died yesterday called uh Michael Parenti
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who was an American socialist and there's a saying that is said uh which is very important for us to know that
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you know when uh when we get aid from uh when when countries in the global north give aid the money is taken from the
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taxpayers so the people at the bottom but uh when it comes to the global south to us, it usually benefits our our our
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politicians, it benefits the the rich people. But when our resources are taken
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from our country uh and they are taken from us, we the poor people and then they go and they benefit the rich
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people. They don't benefit the poor the the rich people in the global north.
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they so if we don't understand that um when a when a when a when a motor vehicle company when when and and and I
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don't know whether you're familiar but Nissan just shut down in South Africa but uh if we don't understand that for
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instance when VW and and BMW and uh and uh and uh Mercedes uh when they close
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their factories in Germany and they say they're coming to uh to to to South Africa and Then uh our uh people in
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charge, they tell us that they've created jobs for us, but they're not quality jobs because the person who assembles a BMW is going to assemble it
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while taking a taxi. They can't even afford to buy the car or even a cheaper version of the car that they're making.
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So what does that mean to us? And how do we know that in three years time Sri Lanka is not going to say oh we can uh we can be able to assemble those cars
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cheaper than even South Africa and those jobs will leave South Africa and right now we've got a 60% youth unemployment rate
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so we really need to uh be able to start questioning about the South Africa that we want we still and what is our role in
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the global space and our government was was helpful in that by having enough of a concert and taking uh a bigger country
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uh weapons wise and everything uh Israel to the ICC and ICJ, but we also need to
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put there are still some things that the government needs to do and we need to put pressure on them, you know. Yes, it might hurt us in the short term, you
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know. So, if a if a if if if if for instance an external investor says they're leaving, right? So for instance,
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if Amazon leaves Cape Town, you know, uh somebody will tell you, oh, then there won't be any jobs. But in the long term,
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Amazon is losing a lot of money, but they're also on sacred land and whatever. And people in Cape Town cannot afford to stay in Cape Town anymore. We all know this.
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Yeah.
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Yeah. they can afford this because uh now everybody uh those who are on Airbnb are renting out in dollars and euros and
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uh and you know everybody in this country we earn in rans if we're working and there's a high unemployment rate so
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if if if you are a youth and if you're in high school if you're in um in in tertiary right now a lot of people have
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have finished university and they don't have jobs right now but we need to you and and and and they
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will tell you uh they will tell you those people are in charge that oh if you can't find a job you should be an entrepreneur how do you become an
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entrepreneur without starting capital where do you get the money to start to become an entrepreneur yeah you see
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sure no definitely if only for self-interest we need to turn up and show up but uh even uh some
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of the problems that we have sorry I'm I'm just going to add this some of the problems that we have in in in uh in our societies. One of the problems that we
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have is drug drugs and another problem that we have is is is guns. But if you go for instance, you go to Sutoto or you
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go to Riverly or you go to, you know, you go to uh uh Eldors and there's and and the and there's and there's guns and
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the drugs, but the guns and the drugs are not are not coming from people who who stay in in Eldos or in Riverly or in
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Sutoto because they wouldn't know how to bring in uh uh 200 tons of of drugs. the
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people who are bringing those drugs are the people who are staying in in the bassonas in the Santons and stuff. So
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maybe we actually need when we when we're protesting instead of beating up uh our neighbors we should realize no
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somebody is doing this but the person that we should be beating up is D santo you know
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it was wonderful listening to you Suki so I wish we could carry on actually um I also wanted to congratulate you on
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this new um book flotilla the conscience um sorry let me just get that Right. Um
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but I also want to congl congratulate you on winning the Ahmed Kastrada award as well and um yeah
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just so that um you know listeners can learn more about you know more about you and follow your journey where can they find you?
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So I am on Instagram is risad.bana w an n r. I am on Facebook but not that
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much and of course I'm hoping to see all of you first at the protest on the 6th
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by the US uh consulate and then later on in the evening at my book launch at the PSA offices in Melbourne.
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So that will be on the 6th of Feb. On the 6th of February in the evening.
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Yeah. Thank you so much for your time, Sukisa. Thank you very much for having me. It was lovely. Thank you.
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Have a good one. Bye.
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Wow, what a what a lovely insight from Zuki. So, I think it was a lot of food for thought. It was a lot of things that um we were just
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talking about you know like the whole taxi industry and um you know we didn't even mention the fact that Cherry South Africa has taken
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over Nissen now but don't get more into it.
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No no no I'm not going to because that's another story. We actually got a message from one of the listeners here that says, "Asalamu alaykum by here's kappies I think chappies that you chew fact.
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Most government officials are taxi owners and the transport minister himself is part and parcel of taxi
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owners. So how is this matter going to be solved and there it is um Zukiswa
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spoke about it and uh we know that when we want to come together and want to do something even if the powers that be the
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1% or whoever it is is in control we can overcome this um even if it means that
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uh I mean we've got private hospitals we've got private security companies we've got private everything um even to the point where people are going off the
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grid from ESCOM. So why if if the taxi industry is not going to get on board
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then why can't there be inverted commas affordable private um public transport
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you know it's it's possible uh anything is possible inshallah I don't want to get into
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a whole another discussion once you start then you don't start yes but um right now I think uh we can end off with a is dua, a prayer.
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Okay.
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And then Yeah. Inshallah, a dua for protection.
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Oh Allah, our children from their
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Oh Allah, protect our children from their front, from behind them, from
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their right, from their left, and from above them. Oh Allah, we entrust to your
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care our offspring while they are in their
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schools and as they travel upon the roads. Guard those who
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guard those who walk long distances.
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Be their shade and their shield. Keep them safe in and around every taxi, bus, and car.
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Protect them from the dangers of the streets, from the harm of the envious,
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and from any who could who would seek the exploit, their inner sins. Grant
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them excellence in all they do and a sound mind to safeguard their dean.
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Protect their hearts from the anxieties of this world and let them follow the
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sunnas of our beloved prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam in every hallway. Oh Allah, grant them companions
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who will lead them toward good and shield them from the pressures of drugs,
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violence, and be harm. Let their schools be centuries of light and learning and
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may their teachers, coaches, and drivers act with integrity and care. Amen.
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Amen. And yes, that dua should also be for you. May it be for you as well, inshallah. Amen.
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Once again, if you would like to join the conversation during the week, you can do so on our social media pages at.com.
45 minutes, 20 seconds
That's iO.
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We are on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok as well as threads. And you are most welcome to read the articles on our website which is iOS.com.
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to our dear listeners for joining us on this lovely Sunday afternoon. Once again, please note that there will be a
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soul next week Sunday on the 1st of Feb, which will run from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. So, we will not be on next week
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Sunday, but inshallah we will be on from the following Sunday, the 8th of Feb.
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Inshallah, I mean from 2 to 3 p.m. right here on Radio Islam International.
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from myself, from Issa, and from Zad, as well as from our sound engineer Zad who's there.
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Enjoy your Sunday, and we wish you a wonderful week ahead, inshallah.
