First Take SA

The Democratic Alliance says it has entered into coalition agreements with COPE, the ACDP, FF-Plus, UDM and the IFP. The DA won the most votes in Tshwane and a number of other municipalities without securing an outright majority. The DA and ANC then embarked on coalition talks with a number of parties including the EFF - which had been touted as a possible kingmaker in Tshwane and Joburg. DA leade...

Residents of the Marikana mining town near Rustenburg in North West say little has been done to better living conditions in the area. It is here were exactly four years ago 34 mineworkers were killed during a confrontation with police. Thousands of mineworkers at Lonmin had embarked on an unprotected industrial action, demanding a monthly salary of 12-thousand 500 rand. Ten more people including m...

The latest Amnesty international report suggests that Lonmin platinum mine has failed to deliver adequate housing for its workforce in Marikana, in the North West. Today marks exactly four years since 34 mineworkers were killed by the police in Marikana during a strike where workers were demanding a basic monthly salary of 12-thousand 500 Rand. Ten other people including security guards and police...

Zambia's President Edgar Lungu has defeated his main rival Hakainde Hichilema in the country's presidential election. Zambia's electoral commission says Lungu, leader of the Patriotic Front, won 50.35 percent of the vote against 47.67 per cent for Hichilema of the United Party for National Development. The opposition party has already cried foul. It says it will petition the country's Constitution...

Condolences are continuing to pour in for the late Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile, who passed on earlier today. President Jacob Zuma is the latest to offer words of comfort to the family. He has described Stofile as a distinguished freedom fighter and a servant of the people. Stofile was the current Chancellor of Fort Hare university, where he had studied and lectured. He previously served as a Chief...

The South African National Defence Force - SANDF - will provide logistical support to the police at 650 identified hot spots in the country during Wednesday's municipal elections. This emerged during a media briefing conducted by the security cluster in Vuwani. Vuwani has been identified as one of the hot spots. Residents embarked on a three months long boycott of services that has seen at least t...

The major political parties have gone all out in campaigning for this year's municipal elections. Expenditure by parties on poll campaigns has come under the spotlight after ANC elections head of campaign Nomvula Mokonyane revealed that the ruling party spent R1-billion on its campaign. EFF leader Julius Malema also disclosed that his party spent less than R10-million on its election campaign. Ove...

The Independant Electoral Commission says it's satisfied with the start of the special voting today. IEC Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Moepya, says the vast majority of voting stations opened on time and home visit teams deployed as planned.

The Pro-Makhado Forum says it does not support an agreement signed by community leaders with Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen has signed a peace deal with community leaders in Vuwani Limpopo. Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to the Pro-Makhodo Forum spokesperson Nsovo Sambo.

Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen has signed a peace deal with community leaders in Vuwani. This in the build up to local government elections which will be help on August 3. Some members of Vuwani have voewed that no voting will take place in Vuwani. PM Live anchor Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Minister van Rooyen.

Vuwani community will continue engaging with government and the Demarcation Board over the demarcation issue in Limpopo. The community torched over 20 in protest of the amalgamation to the Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Community Leader, speaking on behalf of Tradition Leaders Khosi Jeffrey Ramovha.

An estimated 18 people have been killed or had attempts on their lives in suspected political killings since the beginning of this year. This is according to Police minister Nathi Nhleko. He briefed journalists in Parliament on the progress of a task team established to look into suspected political killings particularly in KZN In KwaZulu-Natal alone, the task team is investigating 25 cases of vio...

SABC management has announced that it will reiinstate the seven dismissed news employees. The public broadcaster has instructed its legal team not to proceed with further legal action in this regard. The SABC had fired Thandeka Gqubule‚ Busisiwe Ntuli and Lukhanyo Calata, Krivani Pillay‚ Jacques Steenkamp‚ Foeta Krige and Suna Venter after accusing the journalists of going public with their concer...

In light of Savings month, Rethink Africa has undertaken research on what people really want from their long term savings and how they engage with these services. The study, over several months, with Alexander Forbes, began with an online survey to hundreds of employed South Africans whose employee benefits were currently being administered by the conglomerate's Retirement Fund (AFRF). To talk mor...

The South African Reserve Bank has kept the benchmark repo interest rate unchanged at 7.0%, following its monetary policy meeting today. Earlier on, Governor LesetjaKganyago told a news conference that while it was still concerned about inflation, the weak economy had provided some room to delay further policy tightening...

The National Prosecuting Authority will now appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence. Earlier this month, Judge Thokozile Masipa's sentenced the former paralympian to six years for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his Pretoria home in February 2013. The judgement resulted in mixed reactions from the public and legal expertise, as the minimum prescribed sentence for murder is 1...

The Constitutional court has ruled that the City of Tshwane may replace Apartheid-era street names in the Pretoria CBD. The court's seminal judgment will no doubt influence future developments over controversial street name changes. Civil rights group, Afriforum says their fight is far from over, despite being dealt a blow by the highest court in the land.

Xikombiso Mashava from Johannesburg says she applied for a contract phone from mobile phone network provider MTN but the application was rejected. But months later she received a call and was told that she owes R8 000 and should start paying.

Municipal elections in South Africa are just over two weeks away, and levels of violent protest are increasing. Leading civil society organisations; the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and the Institute for Security Studies, held a seminar in Pretoria today, on Understanding and responding to protest and election violence in South Africa. The seminar aims to help government, bu...

Angolan Refugees in South Africa are alleging that the Home Affairs Department is forcing them to go back to Angola even though some still face persecution and others are married to South Africans. They say in 2013 an agreement was reached between authorities from South Africa, Angola and the United Nations Commission for Refugess. Many Angolans were voluntarily expatriated while some were given t...

With 15 days to go to the polls for the fourth democratic local government elections on 03 August 2016, and only 13 days before the casting of special votes for home visitation and at voting stations, government plans are in place to deliver free and fair elections. This is the sentiment shared by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Elections that met today in Pretoria

The "fastest brother in Africa' is no more. Gugu Zulu died while trying to summit Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, as part of the Trek4Mandela team. He had many roles including; motorsport driver and radio journalist, commercial manager, ambassador and TV presenter. To our SAfm listeners, he was the much loved Formula-One correspondent. Our Producer Aphiwe Honono pays tribute to the man in...

Occupier rights under the Extension of Security of Tenure Act or ESTA have been extended to the spouses of farmworkers, in a critical Constitutional Court decision. Seasonal farmworker, Elsie Klaase together with her family, are entitled to remain on Noordhoek farm in Citrusdal in the Western Cape. And although the court upheld the eviction of Elsie's husband, Jan, he may enjoy protection against...

Legal experts say it’s important for people who look after children whose parents have died to formalise their status as guardians in order to avoid legal complications. Tokollo Machea (not his real name) is from Phuthadithaba in the Free State. He says his 58-year old unemployed mother has been looking after his late brother’s daughter after both her parents died. The girl’s father Polelo Machea...

Violent protest action broke out in Meyerton this morning when municipal employees at the Midvaal Municipality barricaded roads with rocks and burning tyres. Public order police were dispatched to the area to deal with the violence that broke out at around 8am this morning.