First Take SA

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back"...

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) says the Judicial Service Commission is attempting to misuse the constitutional power in the process of appointing a Chief Justice. The JSC has recommended that President Cyril Ramaphosa should appoint the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal Mandisa Maya to be the next Chief Justice. The other three candidates who were...

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says schools are ready for learners to return to the classroom full-time, from today. She says the scrapping of the rotational timetable, which was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had already been gazetted. The move comes after a cabinet decision at the end of last month, to end rotational learning with immediate effect and to remove social distan...

Many areas have been flooded following heavy rains in Gauteng at the weekend. Meanwhile, authorities say over one-hundred people have been left homeless following heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal. The provincial department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta says disaster management teams are continuing with assessments that will provide the extent of the damage in various municip...

Four North West police officers have been granted bail of R500 each by the Coligny Magistrate's Court in the province. They allegedly colluded with petrol attendants between January and December 2020 using fuel cards of police vehicles to pay for fuel that was never poured into these vehicles. For the latest, here is North West Police Spokesperson, Lieutenant colonel Amanda Funani

Chief Justice nominee Dunstan Mlambo has denied allegations of sexual harassment against him. He describes it as a poisonous rumour. Mlambo faced these questions during his interview by the Judicial Service Commission for the top position in the constitutional court. The Judge President of the Gauteng High Court Division also pleaded with the JSC to warn a candidate ahead of the interview -  ...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories, here is Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back"

The University of Cape Town says rape allegations against a senior member of the SRC are receiving urgent attention at the highest level. This follows protests on campus which were sparked by an anonymous social media post alleging that a member of the SRC had sexually assaulted and raped a first-year student in October last year. The SRC has since also issued its own statement condemning sexual v...

A hospital in Louisiana in the United States has become one of the first hospitals to install a robot designed to assist surgeons in the operating room. However, there are some things we can do to assist our bodies before we need a visit to the operating room. So will a "Chiropractor" be replaced by a robot? To answer this question and other medical matters here is Dr Travis Mitchell, a chiropract...

Community members of Umzinto on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast are threatening to boycott the upcoming census if their water challenges are not addressed urgently. Stats SA will be conducting a nationwide census up to the 28th of February. This community however says their water woes have been ongoing for more than 4 years without any concrete solutions. This comes after a protest in the area on Mond...

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has defended the government's decision to accept an R11-billion loan from the World Bank saying it is necessary. Briefing Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance yesterday, Minister Godongwana says there are no "specific conditions" attached to the mammoth loan. For more on this, here is Committee Chairperson, Mr. Joe Maswanganyi

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. Since the start of the coup in February last year, nearly 1,500 people were killed, 11,000 activists and citizens were illegally detained and over 400,000 residents were forcibly displaced. The coup also saw mass protests against the military but despite this, the military continues to commit crimes against humanity with im...

The Pietermaritzburg High Court is expected to deliver judgment in former President Jacob Zuma's application for leave to appeal the dismissal of his special plea, on the 16th of February. Judge Koen dismissed Zuma's special plea in October last year, in which the former president argued that state prosecutor - Advocate Billy Downer - should not prosecute the corruption case because of his alleged...

The Judicial Service Commission is expected to begin its long-awaited interviews for the position of the country's new Chief Justice. The interviews will take place in Sandton in Johannesburg, where four candidates will be interviewed publicly, until Friday. The candidates are Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, Supreme Court of Appeal President Man...

South Africans are in for yet another price hike, this time at the fuel pumps, as the price of fuel is expected to rise by 53c a litre for both grades of petrol and between 79c and 80c for a litre of diesel. The new prices come into effect as of MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. This comes just days after the Reserve Bank hiked the repo rate by 25-basis points and research showed an increase in the price of food...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories.....We are joined on the line by Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back".

Soweto residents working under the banner 'Operation Dudula' took to the streets of Rosettenville, south of Johannesburg, over the weekend marching against illegal foreign nationals who are trading without permits in South African townships. The group gained prominence after confronting suspected drug dealers and illegal occupants of government subsidy houses. The group marched through Rosettenvil...

Media watchdogs groups are calling for reports of possible political interference at the SABC to be properly investigated. This follows the sacking of the public broadcaster's head of news, Phathiswa Magopeni. Magopeni's dismissal follows a disciplinary hearing which found her guilty of failing to prevent the broadcast of an interdicted Special Assignment episode. Magopeni has been given until mid...

The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to increase rates by twenty-five basis points. This takes the Repo rate to four percent and the banks' prime lending rate to seven-point-five percent.  The Bank says the current repurchase rate reflects an accommodative policy stance that will keep financial conditions supportive of credit demand as the economy continues to recove...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back"

Economists say it is highly likely that the Reserve Bank's monetary policy committee will increase interest rates on the back of rising inflation in both local and international markets.  Eighteen of the twenty-three economists - polled by Reuters - said the central bank would add 25 basis points (bps) to the repo rate TODAY, pushing it up to four percent.  Five of the remaining economis...

Tributes continue to pour in for the oldest District Six claimant, Sharifa Khan who died yesterday at the age of 100. Forced to move from District Six back in 1966 as the apartheid government declared the area a whites-only area, Khan was forcibly moved from her home together with 74-thousand other residents. Aunty Khan as she was affectionately known, once expressed the pain and dehumanization of...

The NWU Business School has officially become the first school on the African continent to receive international accreditation from the Business Graduates Association (BGA) and the prestigious Association of MBAs (AMBA) renewed the school's international MBA accreditation for five years. Only 2% of recognized business schools around the world have AMBA accreditation. Prof Anet Smit - Deputy Direct...

The United Nations Secretary-General has publicly denounced the coup d'état in Burkina Faso. This after a statement from the global organization yesterday condemning the action of the country's armed forces and expressing concern at the whereabouts of President Roch Kabore. This was UN Chief Antonio Guterres says the role of the military should be to protect its people and country and not t...

Corruption Watch is calling for stricter oversight of government procurement services. This comes after a report by the Special Investigating Unit or SIU revealed that 62% of the finalized investigations into COVID-19 related procurement by the government have been found to be irregular. President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized the public release of the final report of investigations by the SIU in...