Mothers and their sons: Where do we draw the line?

Graduate season is here, and across South Africa, thousands of young people are stepping off campus and straight into a storm. After years of sacrifice, student debt and deferred dreams, they're entering a labour market that is increasingly indifferent to their qualifications. Graduate unemployment has nearly doubled over the past decade and a half, from 5.8% in 2008 to 10.3% today. Meanwhile, the world of work is shifting faster than any university syllabus can keep up with. We're watching a generation do everything right and still struggle. But does that mean the degree is broken or that the system around it is…So the question Stacey and J Sbu had for you was: Is a degree still worth it in South Africa or are we chasing a paper dream?

You know that feeling. It hits you out of nowhere. Maybe it's a Sunday afternoon, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you can smell the smoke of a braai you're not at. Or you're standing in a foreign supermarket, staring at shelves that don't have biltong, and suddenly your chest feels... heavy. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. Not even close. A new global study has just confirmed what so many South Africans living abroad already know in their bones: we are the second most homesick nation on the planet. Nearly every single South African living overseas, a staggering 96%, says they feel the pull of home. And it's not just the big things. Yes, we miss our families. We miss our friends. But we also miss the sound of our own language. We miss the sunshine. We miss understanding how things work, the way they just work back home. We even miss sleeping in our own beds. The study found that homesickness hits hardest during the moments that matter most. A birthday you couldn't get back for. A tough week when you needed your mum. A holiday where a video call had to do, but it didn't, not really. What keeps South Africans going? Calling home. Hearing a familiar voice. Finding a restaurant that does a proper boerewors roll. Watching Generations or a sport replay just to feel something recognisable again.

Every Wednesday the little ones of our province melt our airwaves with their cuteness. It’s a chance for the kids of KZN to share something with us. This week, aunty Stacey and uncle J Sbu asked the kiddos of KZN to warm up their vocal chords and send a voicenote singing their favourite song. Here's how it went...

Relationships are complicated, but betrayal? That cuts different. We live in a world where loyalty is preached on every podcast, every playlist, every late-night voice note to your best friend, and yet, cheating remains one of the most common relationship ruptures we know. Throw in the reality of emotional disconnection, that slow drift where you feel invisible in your own relationship, and the lines get even blurrier. Here's the real question we're asking you on the drive home: Is cheating ever truly forgivable… or are we just dressing up "understandable" to make it easier to swallow? Here's what you had to say...

here's something that might surprise a few of you out there. We all know drink driving is illegal, but did you know that jumping on your bicycle after a few too many is also against the law? It's not just a grey area either. This was actually put to the test over the weekend when a man cycling in Estcourt was stopped at a roadblock and breathalysed alongside other drivers. Apparently, when the Department of Transport posted a photo of that cyclist being breathalysed, it caused quite a stir online, with many questioning whether authorities were actually allowed to do that. But the KZN Transport and Human Settlements MEC was very clear on the matter. He confirmed that under the National Road Traffic Act, Road Traffic Inspectorate officers are absolutely within their rights to breathalyse cyclists on public roads, and yes, cyclists can be arrested if they are found to be over the limit. Same rules, two wheels or four.

This past weekend in Gauteng, what started as a minor car accident ended in death. Two drivers got into an argument, it turned physical and then the guns came out. A man is dead. A woman is in hospital. Another driver is walking away with minor injuries and a murder charge hanging over him. Police are now investigating murder and attempted murder. And this is not an isolated incident. According to the Institute for Driver Safety, more than 1,000 South Africans died in road rage incidents this year alone. Think about that. Over a thousand people. Gone. Not because of the accident but because of what happened after. Stacey and J Sbu asked you if road rage is an anger management issue or a blatant lack of respect. We heard from you before, registered counsellor Linda Turner looked at what is really going on inside our heads when we lose it on the road.

This week on the Great Drive Debate, we’re stepping into a conversation that’s as sensitive as it is real: mothers and their sons, where do we draw the line? Because for many, that bond is unbreakable. It’s built on love, sacrifice, and years of support. However, at some point, every son grows up, builds his own life, his own responsibilities, his own financial reality, and that’s where things can get complicated. We asked you: is it justified for mothers to expect ongoing financial support from their sons, even when he’s building his own family? Here's what you had to say...

This past Sunday, a normal shopping day quickly turned into chaos at a local mall. Gunshots rang out inside one of the busiest malls in the province, as heavily armed suspects hit a jewellery store. Shoppers ran for cover, businesses shut their doors, and in the middle of it all, security guards were injured during an exchange of fire as the suspects tried to escape. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: this isn’t the first time. Malls across the country, with tens of thousands of daily shoppers passing through, have seen multiple high-profile robberies over the years. From smash-and-grab style thefts to organised armed heists targeting electronics and jewellery stores, criminals aren’t merely opportunistic anymore; they’re coordinated, calculated, and increasingly bold. Across South Africa, malls, spaces we associate with safety, family, and convenience, are becoming targets. Heavily armed gangs, quick getaways, inside knowledge, it’s a pattern we’re seeing more and more. So now the question becomes very real: if armed criminals are willing to walk into a busy mall, in broad daylight, is visible armed security the solution? Here's what you had to say...

Every Wednesday the little ones of our province melt our airwaves with their cuteness. It’s a chance for the kids of KZN to share something with us. However, they are about to go on holiday, meaning when vacation mode has been activated it becomes really hard to reach them. This gives us some “we time” with you, the parent. This week, Stacey Norman asked you to share the real gems, the small things that make a big difference in the chaos of parenting. Every parent has that one trick, that one move, that just works. The thing that saves your sanity on the tough days, gets your child to listen (finally), or turns a meltdown into a manageable moment. These hacks aren’t in parenting books, they’re learnt in real time, through trial, error, and a whole lot of patience. Here's what you had to say...

On today’s Great Drive Debate, Stacey Norman called out a narrative you’ve definitely heard before, maybe you’ve even said it yourself: “You don’t have kids? Yoh, you must have time and money.” But is that actually true, or is it one of the biggest misconceptions out there? If you’ve ever felt misunderstood on this, whether you have kids or not, this is your conversation.