Update@Noon

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has written to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to ask that the National Treasury investigate possible irregularities in the procurement process for textbooks for Grade 1-3 pupils. Allegations surfaced that publishing company Lighthouse Publishers (Pty) Ltd, which stood to make more than R285 million producing textbooks and learning and teaching support materials for the Department of Basic Education, was registered three days after the contract specifications were issued. Minister spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa explains

Amnesty International South Africa says the promise of dignity and equality for all remains unfulfilled for millions of people as the country commemorates 32 years since the end of Apartheid. The organisation says millions of South Africans are still denied basic services in the new dispensation. Amnesty International says today, more than five million people live in informal settlements that are routinely flooded, neglected and forgotten, trapped in cycles of hardship that undermine the very freedoms won in 1994. Elvis Presslin spoke to Spokesperson for Amnesty International South Africa, Genevieve Quintal....

The South African Council of Churches and its counterparts the Reformed Church in America (RCA), Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) says they reject the false narrative of a so-called "White genocide" in South Africa. The SACC says on Freedom Day they gather to reflect on the shared and interconnected realities facing our contexts in the United States, South Africa, and Palestine/Israel. We recognize that the church is called not only to spiritual reflection but to prophetic engagement in the face of injustice, violence, and dehumanization wherever it occurs. To discuss this further we are joined on the line by General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, Rev. Eddy Alemán

The South African Federation of Trade Unions says Freedom Day must go beyond celebration, as the country marks the occasion today at Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein. The federation warns political freedom remains incomplete without economic justice, citing deepening inequality and unemployment. It says the vision of the Freedom Charter has been undermined, while urging government to prioritise redistribution and decent work. Elvis Presslin spoke to SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Government of National Unity is prioritising inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction and easing the cost of living, while building a capable and ethical state. Addressing thousands at National Freedom Day celebrations at Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, he stressed that strengthening local government is key to transforming municipalities into efficient, responsive service centres that meet citizens' needs amid ongoing national challenges and service delivery pressures. Elvis Presslin spoke to Political analyst Professor Lesiba Tefo