First Take SA

ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala has reflected on the mistakes the party made leading to and during the Polokwane elective conference in 2007. Speaking at the party's Cadres forum at the Durban Exhibition Centre, Zikalala says both the policy conference and the national conference will either make or break the ANC. Sihle Zikalala spoke to Tsepiso Makwetla...

Human rights lawyer Dumisa Ntsebeza has been appointed as the chancellor of the University of Fort Hare. Advocate Ntsebeza takes the reins at the institution after the death of former sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile. He speaks to Tsepiso Makwetla about fees must fall campaign and transformation at higher learning institutions

The Competition Commission says it has filed with the Competition Tribunal a settlement agreement reached with Citibank for being part of the forex trading cartel. Citibank will pay an administrative penalty of almost 70 million rand . The Commission found that from 2007, Citibank and its competitors had a general agreement to collude on prices for bids and offers for the spot trades in relation t...

Are you looking for love but can't seem to find it? Statistics South Africa's handy Valentine's week data map, can help you narrow down your search. StatsSA has a series of maps based on the 2011 Census figures to help you fine-tune your search. They narrowed the statistics down to unmarried people between the ages of 20 and 34. They then plotted this data on maps, marked in pink or blue. South Af...

Some students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the Eastern Cape could lose their accommodation on campus if their approval for financial aid support delays further. Earlier reports suggested that some students have been stranded, camping out in TV rooms and halls as they waited for their funding to be approved. Meanwhile National Student Financial Aid Scheme says it has already pro...

Parliament has confirmed that former Eskom CEO, Brian Molefe's name, is to become a member of Parliament. He has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the list of ANC Mp's from North West. Recent reports have suggested that with Molefe becoming an MP, President Jacob Zuma may reshuffle his cabinet and appoint Molefe as Finance Minister. ANC Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo says it is not yet...

The Competition Commission has found seventeen banks guilty of price fixing and market allocation in the trading of foreign currency pairs involving the Rand since April 2015. Commission also found that the traders used trading platforms such as the Reuters currency trading platform and Bloomberg instant messaging system (chatroom). Tsepiso Makwetla spokesperson Bloomberg Journalist, Mike Cohen...

One child has died and 18 other people, including the deputy principal of Bhekizizwe School in the Eastern Cape have been rushed to hospital after an alleged incident of mass hysteria. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo

17 banks that were involved in the collusion of the rand are to face prosecution. The Competition Commission has been investigating a case of price-fixing in the trading of foreign currency involving the rand since April 2015. The banks include Absa, Standard Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan Chase, Investec, HSBC Bank, and Credit Suisse. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke...

The Competition Commission has referred a collusion case to the tribunal for prosecution against 17 banks. The commission has been investigating a case of price-fixing in the trading of foreign currency involving the rand since April 2015. The banks include Absa, Standard Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan Chase, Investec, HSBC Bank, and Credit Suisse. The Commi...

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride told Parliament's police committee that the acting national police commissioner, Kgomotso Phahlane is well aware of the investigations against him from as early as 2016. McBride has also denied that forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan had interviewed Phahlane. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Senior Researcher in the Crime...

Academic activities at Tshwane University of Technology's Pretoria west campus, are expected to resume on Thursday, following a shutdown due to over night protests. The motive of the protest is not known but some students cite a lack of student accommodation and tuition fees. Protesting TUT students have since submitted a memorandum of demands to their institution management. Tsepiso Makwetla spok...

The Economic Freedom Fighters says it is taking speaker of the National Assemby Baleka Mbete to court over parliament's failure to discipline President Jacob Zuma. This is after the constitutional court ruled, last year, that he violated his oath of office. EFF members were once again carried out of parliament by security officers last week after the party disrupted the State of the Nation Address...

A report by Statistics South Africa has revealed that South Africans are increasingly feeling unsafe and have lost hope in what police can do about crime. Most households interviewed in the Victims of Crime Survey released have indicated that they don't report crime as they believe the police could not or would not do anything. According to the survey, South Africans say violent and property crime...

The case of Forensic Investigator Paul O'Sullivan and his co-accused Sarah Jane Trent has been postponed to the 19 of May. The two appeared briefly at the Pretoria Magistrate's court- where he presiding Magistrate Estel Van Biljon granted the prosecution postponement to afford police enough time to conclude their investigations. Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to forensic Investigator Paul O'Sullivan....

Rhodes University Vice-chancellor Sizwe Mabizela says he's confident of a productive academic year and that it's all system's go. As many universities suffered from often violent fees must fall protests which disrupted learning, Rhodes believes they came out largely unscathed. The institution did experience violent scenes and a cessation of teaching over what students called a rape culture which t...

The KwaZulu Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has dissolved the embattled Nquthu Municipality in the north of the province. MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube made the announcement at a media briefing in Durban. The decision emanates from the multiple failures of the Nquthu Municipality to elect office bearers. Dube-Ncube says the ongoing political infighting between political...

The City of Cape Town says it will consider limiting its law enforcement contingent for next year's State of the Nation Address. The City says the recent increased security around the SONA means that other areas, with pressing safety needs, have to be sidelined to accommodate government's requirements. Parliament doubled the number of road closures last Thursday and 441 SANDF members were deployed...

US President Donald Trump has held talks with the leaders of Africa's two biggest economies. President Jacob Zuma spoke in a telephonic conversation with the US leader. Zuma's call came just after a call between Trump and Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari. Earlier on we spoke to Political Analyst, Dr Dale McKinely..

The ANC wants Parliament to lay criminal charges against the EFF for damaging parliamentary property. Chief whip, Jackson Mthembu says the party is shocked by what he called the reprehensible and embarrassing conduct of EFF members. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi ANC wants Parliament tot

The ANC has reacted to the incident in parliament yesterday which saw guards exchanged punches with opposition Mp's during the state of the nation address. The governing party has slammed the DA and EFF for the chaotic scenes, even accusing them of using the Life Esidimeni victims as political fodder. The guards in white shirts forcibly ejected about 25 members from the EFF who prevented Zuma from...

The Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, says over 400 members of the SANDF will only be on standby during the State-of-Nation Address, on Thursday evening. Mapisa-Nqakula was reacting to the outcry by some opposition parties, which have accused government of militarising the address. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says the military has no place in the maintenance of law and order as...

An all-new family comedy set in Chatsworth, Kwazulu-Natal, will be released in cinemas on the 3rd of March. Titled "Keeping up with the Kandasamys", the film's producers say it opens a window into the lifestyle and subculture of modern-day Indian South Africans. The producers say the film promises its audience some amusing takes on families, relationships and neighbourhood-envy. We are now joined...

Journalists from the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) and the Press Gallery Association (PGA) walked out of a meeting with parliamentary officials held on Wednesday. The urgent meeting was intended to clarify issues related to the covering of the State of The Nation Address. Journalists have accused parliament of introducing rules to restrict their movement during the address, somethin...

Human rights group Amnesty International says it has found evidence that as many as 13,000 people, most of them civilian opposition supporters, have been secretly hanged at a Syrian Government prison. In a new report, the human rights group alleges that no trials were held, and some prisoners were condemned to death in hearings lasting just one or two minutes. Research and Advocacy Director for th...