Children having children. That's the shocking reality South Africa had to face over the festive season when children as young as 12 and 13 years old were recorded as new mothers in hospitals across the country. This prompted some premiers in provinces like Limpopo and the North West to institute probes of statutory rape into some of the fathers. Does this new technique signal a turning point in the fight against child and teenage pregnancy? To discuss this, we are joined by the MEC for Social Development in the Eastern Cape, Bukiwe Fanta. Centre for Child Law Director at the University of Pretoria, Karabo Azoh and Javu Baloyi, Commission for Gender Equality spokesperson. The digital audience also weighs in.

In this episode, we take stock of some of the major news stories that received widespread attention throughout the year.

This week we are looking at ways to stay afloat during the festive season and beyond. One of the mechanisms that are popular in South Africa is stokvels, with over 11 million people taking part in 800 thousand stokvel groups. Is this way of group savings your best option? To discuss this we are joined by John Manyike who is the Group Head for Financial Education at Old Mutual and Busisiwe Skenjana from the Stokvel Academy. The Digital Audience made up of Stokvel members, also weighs in.

There have been recent reports of Eskom infrastructure theft in SA. A collaborative operation involving Eskom Gauteng Distribution Security, the South African Police Service, City Power, and Eskom-contracted security personnel uncovered a large-scale illegal electricity operation during a raid at three houses located on a farm, in Leeupoort in Gauteng. Eskom says intelligence investigations uncovered that stolen electrical equipment was being used to supply electricity illegally to nearby informal settlements in exchange for payment. The elderly suspect appeared in court on a charge of tampering with essential infrastructure worth 90-thousand-rand, theft of electricity worth 6 million rand and theft of meter boxes worth over 400 thousand rand. What sort of dent are arrests like this making in reducing incidents of sabotage and criminality affecting Eskom?

'Equal Rights, Equal Care''. That's the theme for this year's World AIDS Day commemoration. No doubt, South Africa has made huge strides in tackling AIDS as a country. But do we have the same urgency and innovation we had when we were fighting the COVID pandemic or have we taken our foot off the pedal? Do you feel HIV/AIDS has become a forgotten pandemic? To answer these questions we are joined by a familiar face, especially during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic -Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa. Also on the panel is Prof. Geoffrey Setswe who is the Managing Director of Implementation Research at the Aurum Institute. The digital audience also weighs in.

Today is the deadline for millions of South African households to update their electricity meters. While many have heeded the call to do so, thousands of others could still be seen standing in long queues outside Eskom offices nationwide. What now becomes of those who miss the 20:15 deadline? To discuss this we are joined by Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena, energy analyst Ruse Moleshe and Soweto community leader Seth Mazibuko. The digital audience also weighs in.

With just five weeks to the EFF's National People's Assembly in mid-December the party's leader, Julius Malema, has scoffed at suggestions that the departure of some senior party members signals the beginning of the end for the party. This follows the resignation of the party's former national chairperson Advocate Dali Mpofu this week. He has joined a list of party members who recently left the red berets to join the uMkhoto we Sizwe Party, with others predicted to follow. Where does this leave the EFF's preparations for its elective conference?

On this episode of It’s Topical, we throw the spotlight on immigration. As South Africa's Government of National Unity marks 100 days, has there been any progress or regression in the immigration issue? To unpack this question we are joined by Sihle Lonzi from the EFF, Funzi Ngobeni from ActionSA and the Immigration law Expert, Ashraf Essop. People from various backgrounds, both locals and foreign nationals, voice their concerns about immigration.