Afternoon Drive withJoanne Joseph

Eskom's Molefe on R1,5 bn. catering spend for workers

Listen to the conversation Molefe had with Udo Carelse during 702's John Robbie Show:

Is assisted euthanasia lawful?

A recent Pretoria High Court ruling to permit 65-year-old terminally Advocate Robin Stransham-Ford to allow assisted euthanasia has left questions around the lawfulness of the medical procedure. Speaking to 702's Udo Carelse on the John Robbie Show, criminal law expert Dr James Grant says this question is complex at this stage:

We don't know what the Constitution says and the importance of the Constitutional Court is that it's up to the Constitutional Court to tell us what the Constitution says, but there's nothing in the Constution that directly says on point. The only issues we can draw from is that individuals have the right to life, dignity, the right to psychological integrity and these are conflicting, particularly in the place where an individual waives his right to life but asserts his right to psychological integrity, his right to dignity. So the problem is, we don't really know until the Constitutional Court tells us.

Meanwhile, on Cape Talk's Breakfast with Kieno Kammies, AllLife Co-Founder and Managing Director Ross Beerman weighed in on the implications for euthanasia for the insurance industry:

Most life insurance policies make reference to suicide exclusion clauses for the first two years of a policy; these kind of rulings would generally fall outside of that exclusion period. For most people, this wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. It is about bringing forward a terminal event anyway, so dependent on the policy, I don't think it would impact payout anyway. (On insurance payouts following suicide) the intent there is to ensure that someone doesn't take out the policy with the intention to commit suicide - that's what the original two year exclusion period covers - so if the circumstances change, then it may change and then it's priced then to the premium and the policy. Terminal illnesses take some time to develop and assisted suicide are linked to terminal illness; what this does is it brings forward a very certain event and it only brings forward the payout period.

Christopher Panayiotou to appear in court over wife's murder

EWN's Siyabonga Sesant on this story: the husband of slain Eastern Cape teacher Jayde Panayiotou is expected in court today in connection with her abduction and murder. Panayiotou (29) was abducted in Port Elizabeth last month and her body found just a day later. Panayiotou was found shot and killed in an abandoned area of the Kwanobuhle township in Uitenhage. Her husband Christopher and another suspect have been arrested for her killing. The second suspect was allegedly hired by Panayiotou’s husband.