First Take SA

Civil action organisation, OUTA, says it has requested from Eskom the Denton report. This after Eskom held a media briefing earlier today, announcing that it will publish the contents of the 'sanitised' report into the state of the power utility. Outa and the DA are among the organisations which will be given access to the report, which was commissioned by Eskom over two years ago, but not made pu...

The signing ceremony for the minimum wage and labour law changes has been postponed until further notice after trade union Cosatu requested more time more time to consult its executive committee. A signing ceremony was to be held in Cape Town this afternoon. Earlier reports suggested that the National Economic Development and Labour Council yesterday agreed to a minimum wage of R20 per hour. Tsepi...

Eskom has cancelled coal transportation contracts with six companies in a bid to ensure clean governance. The power utility moves about 40-million tonnes of coal using two road transport channels through 58 trucking companies. The cancellation comes as investigations revealed the implicated trucking companies had introduced additional trucks into the coal road transportation system, therefore disa...

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) Minster, Senzeni Zokwana has confirmed the pest infestation to crops across Limpopo and North West provinces. Zokwana says the army worms as they are commonly called are affecting sweet corn and maize and that the department doesn't know the extent of the damage as yet. Tsepiso Makwetala speaks to the Head of Research team for Insect Ecology at Agricultur...

Former South African rugby legend, Joost van der Westhuizen, has passed away.... He was 45. Van der Westhuizen was rushed to hospital in a critical condition on Saturday, and despite showing signs of improvement yesterday, he passed away this afternoon (monday 6 January). Van der Westhuizen, who fought motor neuron disease since 2011, played 89 Tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 2003 and wa...

Advocate Busiswe Mkhwebane says since she started working, she has been called a Gupta puppet and Zuma puppet and a spy. She speaks to PMlive anchor Tsepiso Makwetla.

Section 27 says it will institute legal action for recourse against the Gauteng provincial government following the deaths of 94 psychiatric patients between March and December last year. Health Ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba released the report of the investigations into circumstances surrounding deaths of mentally-ill patients. Section 27's Sasha Stevens says the organisation will ensure that the...

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he's distressed and angered following the findings of a report into the deaths of psychiatric patients in Gauteng. Health Ombudsman, Malegapuru Makgoba, has revealed that 94 mentally ill patients died between 23 March and 19 December 2016. They died under the care of NGOs, where they had been transferred from Life Healthcare Esidimeni, after the department can...

Former Tshwane executive mayor Gwen Ramokgopa has been appointed Gauteng Health MEC following the resignation of Qedani Mahlangu. The resignation of Mahlangu follows a damning report on investigations into circumstances surrouding the deaths of 94 patients with mental disabilities. Health Ombudsman, Professor Male-ga-puru Makgoba, released the report earlier today. In it, he recommends that discip...

Former Tshwane executive mayor Gwen Ramokgopa has been appointed Gauteng Health MEC following the resignation of Qedani Mahlangu. The resignation of Mahlangu follows a damning report on investigations into circumstances surrouding the deaths of 94 patients with mental disabilities. Health Ombudsman, Professor Male-ga-puru Makgoba, released the report earlier today. In it, he recommends that discip...

Top prosecutor Gerrie Nel says his position at Civil Rights Organisation, Afriforum will be a new challenge. Afriforum's CEO, Kalie Kriel and Nel were briefing the media in Pretoria. Nell will join its newly established prosecuting unit as from tomorrow after he announced his resignation at the National Prosecuting Authority earlier today. Afriforum CEO Kallie Kriel says the unit's job will prosec...

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has visited Ha-Masia near Vuwani in Limpopo to congratulate schools that performed well in last year's matric results, despite the demarcation protests. She was accompanied by Education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe. They have also gone to a school that performed poorly and encouraged the learners. Thousands of learners in Vuwani and surrounding areas missed three m...

The department of Labour and Home Affairs have set up seperate investigations into the alleged import of over two hundred workers from China. Sephaku has reportedly imported hundreds of Chinese labourers to work at its plant in Lichtenburg . PPC cement company in Slurry near Mahikeng also recently imported over two hundred workrs from China on a project worth R1,7 billion rands. The company says t...

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has accused the Gupta family and its associates of launching an organised campaign against National Treasury and himself, according to court papers filed today. Gordhan filed his counter affidavit in the North Gauteng High Court in Tshwane this morning, after Oakbay Investments filed court papers on January 20. The papers revolve around a bid by Gordhan, in October...

ANC Secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe says Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe is not yet on the ANC's list for Parliament. Mantashe's statement comes as the party's secretary in North West, Dakota Legoete implied that Brian Molefe is heading to Parliament. During a press briefing at Luthuli House on the outcome of the ANC NEC and Legkotla meeting, Mantashe outlined the party's nomination process...

The DA says it is in possession of a forensic report that supports allegations by the Police and Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) of corruption in the forensic services, which at that time was headed up by the now Acting National Police Commissioner, General Khomotso Phahlane. The report allegedly contains evidence of procurement irregularities and irregular appointments, among other findings. The DA w...

The SABC has learnt that Acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane will approach a court to stop police watchdog IPID's investigation into the building of his house and acquisition of luxury cars. The investigation into Phahlane is centred around allegations that he received a stereo system, worth 80-thousand rand, from the same chemical company that supplied the SAPS during Phahlane's...

The Grace Bible Church has defended itself against those calling the church homophobic saying they do not discriminate against anyone. The Soweto based church has been responding after Ghanaian pastor - Bishop Dag Heward-Mills - a guest speaker from Lighthouse chapel international- said animals do not have same sex relationships and therefore its regarded as "unnatural" for humans to do so.

The family of a 33-year-old Ford Kuga driver who died when his car caught fire say they will go ahead with a class action lawsuit against Ford. Speaking to the media in Pretoria, Kaveen Jimmy, the brother of the late Reshall Jimmy says Ford should take responsibility and stop making a mockery of his brother's death in the name of saving their brand. About 30 drivers whose Ford Kugas caught fire ar...

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU)say it's still negotiating with workers who have staged a sit-in underground at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine in Carletonville on the west rand. About one thousand seven hundred workers have been refusing to come out since yesterday morning.

MOTORISTS are in for a few surprises. Transport Minister Dipuo Peters is working on some drastic measures aimed at reducing road fatalities, particularly over the festive season. Over one-thousand-700 people died on the roads during the recent festive season. Among other things the minister is planning to confiscate drivers licences.

There is 'smear campaign' engineered 'to eliminate the business of the Gupta family and gain obvious political achievement', this according to Gupta family lawyer, Gert van der Merwe. The Gupta family intend to prove their conspiracy claims in court documents due to be filed on the 20th of January, next week. This is in relation to the explosive affidavit submitted by Minister of Finance Pravin Go...

More than 40-thousand pupils are yet to be placed in Gauteng schools for the 2017 academic year, two days before schools re-open for the new academic year. This has been attributed to late applications, among other factors. The Gauteng Department of Education had implemented an online application process for grade 1 and grade 8 pupils in the past year.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will today announce the 2016 matric results here in Midrand, Johannesburg at 6 pm. The matric class of 2016 was the third Grade 12 batch to write examinations under the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements- CAPS. Earlier on Producer Ronald Phiri spoke to Nomaan Mulla from Rob Ferreira High School and Hannah Clayton of Rustenburg Girls' High, two top Matr...

The Department of Basic Education has welcomed the approval of the 2016 matric results. The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, UMALUSI has approved the results despite some concerns in the performance of learners regarding mathematics. This is the last matric exams written under Curriculum Assesment Policy Statement (CAPS).