First Take SA

The Nelson Mandela Foundation says it will continue its focus on dealing with poverty and inequality as South Africa marks Mandela Day today. Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place today on the 18th of July in honour of the late statesman's life and legacy. The Foundation and its partners will be capacitating a community food garden in Diepsloot, Johannesburg today as part of...

Two statues of the late former President Nelson Mandela will be unveiled in the Eastern Cape today. The statues will be unveiled in Mthatha and his home village of Qunu as part of the Nelson Mandela Day celebrations. Elvis Presslin spoke to Eastern Cape Provincial Government Spokesperson, Khuselwa Ranjtie...

Disgraced celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana will learn her fate today - As the Bloemfontein High Court is expected to hand down its judgement on her application for leave to appeal. This comes after the Free State High Court dismissed with costs her application to declare her arrest in Tanzania unlawful. The court found that her arrest in Tanzania was unprocedural but dismissed it because she c...

Current Top African economic stories ***Ghana- Tullow Ghana limited partners begin Jubilee south-east project oil production ***Access Bank expands reach in Africa -they want to buy Standard Chartered subsidiaries in 5 countries  *** Kenyans to travel Visa-free to Senegal Elvis Presslin spoke to Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back. Victor is also the E...

The unveiling of the tombstone of the late poet and author Dr Donato Francesco Mattera affectionately known as Bra Don, will take place tomorrow 18th July 2023 at the Westpark Cemetry, Heroes Acre, Beyers Naude Drive, Montgomery Park in Johannesburg from 10.30 am. Elvis Presslin spoke to the Deputy Chairperson of The Don Mattera Legacy Foundation DMLF, Dr Teddy Mattera (Don's Son) 

Questions have been raised about former President Jacob Zuma's departure to Russia for medical treatment. This comes days after the Constitutional Court upheld a ruling by a lower court to set aside Zuma's medical parole. Elvis Presslin spoke to Mzwanele Manyi, Spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation... 

4 of the 5 suspects arrested in connection with the spate of arson attacks on trucks will appear in the Ermelo magistrate's court, In Mpumalanga today. Four suspects were arrested in Mpumalanga and another in Limpopo. Meanwhile, the South African Defence Force has been deployed in areas identified as hotspots, after 20 trucks were set alight last week in Mpumalanga, KZN, Limpopo and the Free State...

The Democratic Alliance has accused the Eastern Cape Health Department of paying 67 million rand in salaries to the Orsmond Tuberculosis Hospital staff, despite this hospital being closed to patients for almost 2 years. In response to a DA parliamentary question the department acknowledged that while the hospital has had no patients for almost two years, 45 medical employees have been paid for no...

Readers surveyed by UK's newspaper, The Telegraph, have named South Africa as the greatest country on earth to visit, and Cape Town the best city.  South Africa toppled New Zealand out of its ten-year running top spot position. The Telegraph Travel Awards stretch to 20 categories, covering everything from airlines and cruise operators to hotel groups and ski companies. Elvis Presslin spoke to Tshi...

The Constitutional Court has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma must return to prison to finish his sentence. The apex court dismissed with costs the application by Correctional Services for leave to appeal against a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling regarding Zuma's medical parole. The Appeals court found that Zuma was granted medical parole unlawfully by correctional services boss, Arthur Frase...

Lawyers representing Dr Nandipha Magudumana will be appealing the dismissal of her application to set aside her arrest directly to the Supreme Court of Appeal today. The legal team is challenging a High Court ruling, which dismissed Magudumana's urgent application to have her arrest in Tanzania declared unlawful. Meanwhile the National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Makgothi Thobakgale has...

The African Transformation Movement, ATM remains steadfast in its view that President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to suspend Advocate Mkhwebane was retaliatory and irrational in nature. This after the Constitutional Court overturned a High Court ruling that declared Mkhwebane's suspension invalid. In a unanimous judgment, the apex court found that President Ramaphosa stood to gain nothing by suspen...

Members of the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) will today march to the offices of the Limpopo Department of Health. The union is demanding that health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba fill all outstanding vacancies in healthcare in the province. They also want the MEC to ensure that contract workers employed during the Covid-19 pandemic, be reinstated. The union says the department has...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of  Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back. Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The Congress Of the People (COPE) has been de-registered with the Companies Intellectual Property Commission - CIPC under the Companies Act. The de-registration however does not impact on the party's standing with the Independent Electoral Commission as it remains registered as a political party. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem

Parliament will consider 38 candidates to succeed suspended Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. The Ad Hoc Committee to nominate the next public protector says it has received 70 nominations and applications for the position but 32 nominations were rejected due to nominators failing to comply with the requirements as stipulated in the advertisement. The term of office of Advocate Mkhweba...

The ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape will convene its two-day Provincial Congress starting today. The 7th Provincial Congress will be held at the East London International Convention Centre in Buffalo City Metro under the theme "Economic Freedom and Social Change, Now and not later ". The provincial league is reconvening its Congress again after ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula rejected th...

The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has condemned the manner in which the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) handled the payment of student allowances. This week, students at the Tshwane University of Technology blockaded the entrance into the University's Pretoria West Campus in protest against the eZaga app that facilitates monthly allowances to students. For more on this Elvi...

Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille will conduct an oversight visit to various sites within the Kruger National Park to inspect investment projects by the Department of Tourism and the private sector. Minister de Lille will engage the SANParks Management on general tourism matters as well as safety issues in and around the Kruger National Park. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to SANParks,...

Inkatha Freedom Party chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal Thami Ntuli has hailed the service delivery pact that the party has signed with the Democratic Alliance as a turning point in provincial politics. The two parties have signed the agreement to work together in hung municipalities across the province. Both parties say their ultimate aim is to dislodge the ANC from power. There are at least 18 hung m...

World Athletics has insisted its rules on differences in sex development will remain in place, despite the European Court of Human Rights ruling that they discriminated against two-time Olympic champion, Caster Semenya. Semenya, won the court battle in her fight to compete without taking drugs to lower her testosterone levels. She had approached the court 2021 after losing appeals to the Court of...

The EFF in parliament is calling for consideration for parole for prisoners over the age of 60 who are doing a life sentence. The EFF was responding to Correctional Services statement that there are 744 prisoners aged 60 and above who are serving life sentences. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Vusumuzi Khoza, EFF MP and member of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police

The Constitutional Court is expected to hand down Judgment today in OUTA's constitutional challenge to the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act, AARTO and the AARTO Amendment Act. The challenge of the introduction of a new strict demerit system for traffic infringements follows last year's High Court ruling which declared parts of the legislation unconstitutional. Judgment in t...

Johannesburg City Power together with Eskom will soon be rolling out electricity smart meters. The smart meters will reportedly allow customers to switch on and off their geysers remotely. The smart meter project is already underway in parts of Northern Johannesburg. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Joburg City Power Spokesperson, Isaac Mangena

Three trucks were torched by unknown suspects along the R574 road between Lydenburg and Sekhukhune in Limpopo. Police say a group of six gunmen stopped the truck drivers, ordered them to disembark and proceeded to set their trucks alight before fleeing the scene. The incident follows the torching of 12 trucks in separate incidents in Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal. For more on this, Elvis Presslin s...