First Take SA

30 learners at Bothitong High School outside Kuruman in the Northern Cape Province are allegedly pregnant. Learners are accusing male teachers at the school of impregnating them. Some teachers are said to be having sex with more than three learners at any given period. The learners are allegedly paid stipends for having unprotected sex with the teachers. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our reporter Neo...

The new 2018-2022 National Drug Master Plan is currently being developed through a consultative national process between stakeholders from government, civil society and substance abusers. The Master Plan aims to prevent and reduce the abuse of alcohol and substances, as well as counter its associated social and economic consequences on South African society. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Dr. David Bay...

1.8 million HIV-infected people will die over the next 10 years in South Africa if US President Donald Trump cut foreign aid supporting HIV/AIDS treatment. This is according to a global study by the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to scientists and researchers globaly; sky-rocketing deaths in the African nations would far outweigh savings. The President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEP...

Treatment of psychiatric patients in Gauteng hospitals still remains a challenge. DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, Jack Bloom says Gauteng public hospitals admits thousands of psychiatric patients but many of them end up being placed in ordinary wards with other patients. Bloom says many hospitals have no dedicated psychiatric wards but still accept large numbers of psychiatric patients. Tsepiso Makw...

The search for two miners still trapped underground at harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near carletonville on Gauteng's West rand continues. The body of the third miner was brought to surface yesterday morning. About three thousand mine workers were underground when a tremor caused part of the mine to collapse. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Investor Relations Manager at Harmony Gold Mining Company,...

The Eskom board is meeting to discuss reports that global management consultancy Oliver Wyman had red-flagged the payments made to financial advisory firm Trillian and global business consultancy McKinsey. The power utility board, in a statement, indicated that the main objective of the meeting is to find a lasting solution to stem negative coverage. Meanwhile, the DA says it will be writing to th...

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a summit with several European and African leaders in a bid to strengthen efforts to curb migrant flows across the Mediterranean. Leaders from Chad, Niger, Libya,Germany, Italy and Spain will from part of the talks. The spotlight will be on Chad, Niger and Libya, which are the major transit countries for migrants who risk their lives trying to reach Euro...

Three City of Johannesburg theatres are reviewing their security measures following a fatal shooting at the Hillbrow theatre at the weekend. A man opened fire on patrons while watching a musical show, killing one person and wounding eight others. This is after he complained about his cellphone being stolen. Police have launched a manhunt for the alleged shooter who fled on foot immediately after t...

The search continues for two miners still trapped underground at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville on Gauteng's West Rand. The body of a third mine worker was brought to the surface earlier today. Two other bodies were also found and brought to the surface over the weekend. About three-thousand mine workers were working underground when a tremor caused part of the mine to collapse...

The Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Athol Trollip says they will not re-instate Mongameli Bobani as Deputy Mayor. This, after the United Democratic Movement (UDM) gave the DA an ultimatum to re-instate Bobani by the close of business today or they'll no longer be part of the coalition. Bobani has been voted out of office in a no confidence ballot. He is accused of, among other things, voting wi...

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say they view the removal of Mongameli Bobani as Nelson Mandela Bay deputy-mayor as bullying by the Democratic Alliance.. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to EFF National Spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

Eight City of Johannesburg employees working at the City's revenue department at Thuso House have been arrested for their alleged involvement in issuing fraudulent refunds on properties. A total of 17 officials have been accused of defrauding the city of 2.5 million rand. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba...

President Jacob Zuma has finally authorised the Special Investigating Unit to investigate issues at the SABC. There had been criticism from opposition parties and some civil society groups that Zuma was stalling the process of appointing the SIU. They said Zuma was stalling in a bid to protect axed COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, former Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and others. Tsepiso Makwetla sp...

Angolans yesterday voted in elections that will mark the end of President José Eduardo dos Santos's rule. The veteran leader steps down after nearly four decades in power. Counting is currently underway with results expected to be finalised tomorrow. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Angolan an anti-corruption activist and investigative journalist, Rafael Marques de Morais

The high court sitting in Middelburg, Mpumalanga has found Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson who shoved Victor Mlotshwa into a coffin last year and threatened to burn him alive, were found guilty on seven counts including attempted murder, kidnapping and assault. Judge Segopotje Mphahlele handed down judgment in Middelburg, Mpumalanga this afternoon. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our reporter, Abongi...

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has passed a motion of no confidence in Deputy Mayor, Mongameli Bobani. The motion, tabled by Patriotic Alliance's Marlon Daniels, succeeded by 60-votes. However, the opposition parties have refused to accept the results. They staged a walkout while the voting was underway. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to UDM Leader Bantu Holomisa

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has passed a motion of no confidence in Deputy Mayor, Mongameli Bobani. The motion, tabled by Patriotic Alliance's Marlon Daniels, succeeded by 60-votes. However, the opposition parties have refused to accept the results. They staged a walkout while the voting was underway. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Athol Trollip and Political...

This week's announcement that the Gupta owned Oakbay Investments sold Tegeta to a Swiss company, sent journalists in search of the elusive Charles King. What they found in Switzerland was a nameplate inside a building at Rue de Bourg 27 in Lausanne. Charles King was meant to be located on the fifth floor. What Bloomberg Journalists found was a largely empty space. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Blo...

UK Public Relations firm, Bell Pottinger has been found guilty of breaching the code of conduct of the Public Relations and Communications Association. Professional Practices Committee (PPC) has concluded that Bell Pottinger, one of the largest UK-based public relations consultancy breached the trade body's code of conduct in its work for Gupta-owned Oakbay Investments. The DA had complained to th...

Law enforcement agencies in South Africa are spying on over 70-thousand mobile phones every year, according to statistics by the Right2Know campaign. The non-profit advocacy organisation today released statistics from MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom that show that government accesses tens of thousands of people's sensitive communications information every year using a loophole in South Africa's su...

Gupta-owned Oakbay Investments today announced that it has sold its mining unit, Tegeta for 2.97 billion rand to Switzerland-based Charles King SA. Oakbay Chief Executive, Ronica Ragavan says the sale was part of the commitment to preserve jobs, provide certainty to employees throughout the group and to safeguard the value of the business. However experts believes that it may be opportunistic for...

Police in KwaZulu Natal are investigating the murder of yet another resident at the notorious Glebelands hostel in Umlazi, bringing the death toll linked to the hostel to 93. A 38-year-old man believed to be a former peace committee member at the hostel, was allegedly shot multiple times by unknown suspects. This comes as the Moerane Commission probing political violence in the province continues....

Voting is currently underway in Angola marking the end of President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos's 38-year reign. The current defense minister, Joao *Lourenco is widely expected to win the election. Dos Santos will remain in control of the governing party with the right to choose the head of the police and the army. The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) is said to be confident that...

The ANC caucus in parliament says the reported disciplinary action of former Minister of Tourism Dereck Hanekom is being handled by the Luthuli House. The party has asked Hanekom to explain why he should n't be removed as the chairperson of it's national disciplinary committee. This, after Hanekom's comment on social media saying ANC MPS "must vote against state capture, massive looting and corrup...

There is a global call for a ban on killer robots, warning that technological advances could revolutionize warfare and create new weapons of terror. More than one hundred robotics and artificial intelligence entrepreneurs intend on sending a letter to the UN calling for action to prevent the development of autonomous weapons. The renewed plea on autonomous weapons was released as the International...