Post-school system under pressure, urges shift beyond universities

Sharks rugby fullback Aphelele Fassi joined Stacey and J Sbu in studio ahead of what promises to be a humdinger clash against the DHL Stormers this weekend! Sports lead Nick Tatham started things off with a quick Q & A with Fassi before the team surprised him with a call from a loved one. Here's how it all went down...

Every Wednesday, the little ones of our province take over our airwaves with their cuteness. It’s a chance for the kids of KZN to share something with us. This week we asked the kids of KZN: What's the one thing girls your age should stop apologising for? Here's what your little ones had to say...

Stacey and J Sbu unpacked one of South Africa’s biggest post-school questions: is university still worth the cost, or are degrees being oversold? The debate touched on rising tuition fees, limited access, student debt and the pressure facing young people today. The YES side argued that degrees still open doors, offering valuable skills, stronger employment prospects and long-term career flexibility. The NO side pushed back, highlighting graduate unemployment, underemployment and deep inequality, backed by real-life experiences from KZN and beyond. Listener calls and voice notes shaped the conversation and brought the debate to life.

If you’re sitting with a matric certificate right now and wondering whether there’s space for you in the system, this one matters. Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela says South Africa’s post-school education system is not in crisis, but it is under serious pressure. Around 650,000 learners passed matric, but post-school institutions can only absorb just over 80% of them. Speaking in Pretoria, Manamela has challenged what he calls a “university-only mindset”, saying universities were never meant to be the sole pathway after school. If you missed it live, tune in!

There’s a moment that sneaks up on all of us, when you hear a song and think, “This still feels new.” And then you realise, it’s not. It’s ten years old, a full decade. Somewhere between loading playlists and saying “just one more song”, time quietly sprinted past us. We've created a montage of the songs that turn 10 years in 2026, the kind you still sing like they came out last summer, but in reality, they’ve been around long enough to have their own anniversary candles. These are the tracks that make you question time itself, the ones that don’t feel old enough to be nostalgic, yet somehow are.

Every Wednesday, Aunty Stacey and Uncle J Sbu let the kiddos of KZN take over. They pose a question and allow your little ones to share their thoughts. This week they asked your kiddos: "How much do you think it cost for all your school supplies?" Here's what the kiddos of KZN had to say...

Every Thursday around this time, we detail some of the wildest confessions from the streets of Mzansi. We get YOU to weigh in on your unfiltered thoughts. This week's confession went like this: "I fear that my boyfriend of six years has no intention of marrying me, not because he doesn’t love me, but because I refuse to replace his mother. I won’t manage his life, cushion his consequences, or pretend that adulthood is optional. I love him deeply, but love alone cannot compete with the comfort of a home where his meals are prepared, his laundry is done, and his responsibilities are postponed indefinitely. I want partnership, commitment, and the discipline that comes with choosing someone every day. He, on the other hand, seems content remaining a son before becoming a husband. And the more I push for growth, the more I am made to feel unreasonable, demanding, or impatient. What troubles me most is the quiet realisation that I may not be waiting on a proposal, but on a man to outgrow the safety net he has no incentive to leave. And I am left asking myself a difficult question: am I asking too much, or simply asking the wrong person?” Here's what you had to say...

South Africa’s highest court has just delivered a landmark ruling on how marriage law works when traditional customs meet modern civil law, and it could affect thousands of couples, especially here in KwaZulu-Natal, where customary marriages are common. The Constitutional Court has clarified that a civil marriage does not erase or override an existing customary marriage. Instead, the two forms of marriage combine into one continuous legal union, and that has big implications, particularly for property rights, asset division and how matrimonial property is governed when spouses decide to enter into a civil marriage after being married under customary law. To help us understand what this ruling actually means, especially for families and couples here in KZN, and how it might affect things like property, inheritance and asset protection, we turned to our Legal Expert on Family Law, Chulumanco Ncapai, from Shepstone and Wylie Attorneys for deeper insight.

There is something that’s been sitting with me for a while (add context on what it is), and I didn’t realise how heavy it was until I tried to put words to it. We talk about honesty like it’s a straight line, like you either tell the truth or you don’t, but real life doesn’t work like that. Sometimes the truth feels like it’s going to cost you peace, relationships, or stability. And that’s where the lie creeps in. Not because you’re trying to deceive, but because you’re trying to survive a moment you’re not ready for. This is where I want to pause us for a second, because what you’re saying is something a lot of people are quietly living with. You’re not talking about lying to hurt someone; you’re talking about lying to manage a situation. So let me ask you this: when you chose not to tell the truth, was it fear that drove it, or was it the belief that the truth would cause more damage than the lie? You shared why you lied, and this is how it went down...

South Africa is once again in the spotlight after President Cyril Ramaphosa approved a 3.8 percent salary increase for ministers and members of Parliament, as well as 4.1 percent for provincial office‑bearers, a move that adds tens of thousands of rand a year to already hefty salaries. Ministers will now take home around R2.8 million annually, while many MPs cross well over R1 million per year, even before benefits and allowances are included. We asked you if this is deserved or out of touch and this is what you had to say...