First Take SA

Advocacy group, #Unite Behind, will be protesting at the Cape Town Train Station this afternoon against service issues facing Metrorail. Train services have been negatively impacted by ongoing arson attacks on trains, as well as the vandalising or theft of rail infrastructure. Last month several commuters were aslo stabbed and thrown off a moving train in Stellenbosch. Metrorail says it's lost at...

The husband of a woman who's death sparked the violent protests in Westbury, west of Johannesburg, says the arrest of the perpetrators will not bring his wife back. Reuben Peterson was reacting to Police Minister Bheki Cele's undertaking that police will apprehend the remaining two suspects sought in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife within the next 48 to 72 hours. Two suspects are al...

South Africans must brace themselves for extrememly cold conditions starting later TODAY. The South African Weather Service has warned of a cold front which is expected to affect Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape . Snowfall is also expected in southern and northern parts of the Drakensberg. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to SABC Meteorologist, Sihle Kunene

Increases in taxi commuter fares are on the cards following fuel price hike. Petrol has rocketed by a record R1 a litre and diesel by R1.24 per litre. Fuel prices have increased every month for the past four months and motorists and commuters fear that there will be yet another substantial fuel price increase before the festive season. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Spokesperson for the National Ta...

TALKING POINTS *** MTN's Chief Financial Officer Ralph Mupita has indicated that it has become quite challenging for them to list their IPO in Nigeria- the company is even considering to scrap the IPO entirely. *** The Nigerian, President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration is making progress in the fight against corruption as shady oil deals and the brazen theft of billions of Naira is now a...

Consumers will have to fork out even more at the pumps this month. The price of petrol increases by 99 cents for 93 octane, and by one rand for 95. The hike brings the overall retail price of both diesel and petrol in the interior to around 17-rand per liter. Prices will officially go up on Wednesday, the 3rd of October. Meanwhile, the organisation- People against Petrol and Parrafin Price Increas...

Residents of Westbury, Johannesburg have threatened another shutdown this morning. On Friday they brought traffic to a standstill in the area by barricading roads with objects and burning tyres. This in protest against gansterism and crime in general. They marched to the Sophiatown Police Station, demading action against crime. Three people were injured when police used teargas and fired rubber bu...

Nine babies have died at the Rahima Moosa hospital in Johannesburg following a bacteria outbreak earlier this year. Acting CEO of the hospital, Dr. Frew Benson says they have now increased control measures at the facility. Elivs Presslin spoke to Acting CEO of the Rahima Moosa hospital, Dr Frew Benson

At least 832 people have now been confirmed dead in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Many people were reported still trapped in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in Friday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake. The Indonesian Red Cross has deployed experts in search and rescue and has dispatched emergency relief items With road and air transport compromi...

ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule has urged senior party members to respect their congress resolutions and decisions of their National Executive Committee. He was reacting to former President Thabo Mbeki Mbeki's take on the party's resolution on land. In a leaked document, Mbeki criticised the ANC resolution on the expropriation of land without compensation saying it is not in line with the part...

The largest ever National KHOI-SAN / COLOURED Consultative Conference (NCC 2018) which ended on Monday 24 September at the Melkbos Cultural Centre in Cape Town, concluded with firm resolutions to end centuries of injustice perpetrated against the descendants of the Khoi-San/Coloured people in South Africa. One of the objectives of the NCC 2018 was Unity, in order to overcome whatever blocks there...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says his drive to drum up support for South Africa's ailing economy has warmly received by big business. He was speaking following several meeting with business leaders and would be investors in New York, accompanied by a high level delegation from PRetoria. He also attended the United Nations General Assembly where he called for fair trade and economic practises. Senior...

South Africa and United Arab Emirates have signed mutual legal assistance and extradition treaties. Negotiations between the countries began in 2010. The department of justice and correctional services says the treaties will enable the two countries to assist each other in the investigation and prosecution of crimes through mutual legal assistance and the extradition of fugitives. Elvis Preslin sp...

The Greater Orange Farm Representative Council of Learners (RCL) Co-ordinating Team and the #NationalizePrivateSchools has called on young people in South Africa, to reject last week's Constitutional Court decision to legalize the private use of marijuana. The RCL co-ordinating team also calls on Parliament to draft strict legislation that will protect young people of school-going age, from using...

As global leaders are set to meet for the first-ever United Nations tuberculosis summit in New York on Wednesday, medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on governments to urgently scale up TB diagnosis and treatment, and commit more resources. The organization says while TB is the world's deadliest infectious disease, killing 1.6 million in 2017, it is still dr...

Ratings agency Fitch says the Stimulus Package announced by the president is unlikely to deliver a significant boost to economic growth. The agency which has South Africa's foreign and local currency debt at sub investment grade says the rand's recent plunge would also hinder the plan. Fitch says the plan does include measures that could support growth, but many relate to long-standing policy idea...

The City of Cape Town says a total shutdown planned for today in various communities on the Cape Flats is an illegal protest. The communities are protesting against rising poverty, crime and unemployment levels. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the city supports legal public protests, but it does not condone illegal marches. Elvis Pressling spoke to Mayoral Committe...

TALKING POINTS: *** This past weekend, the first dozen bodies were buried from the devastating ferry capsize on Lake Victoria that left people 224 dead *** Liberian President, George Weah has requested the assistance of the United States Treasury Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the International Monetary Fund to help probe the inflow of money into the country since 2016 *** Th...

The trade dispute between the United States and China saw the two biggest economies impose fresh tariffs on each other's goods yesterday. Washington's latest volley against Beijing sees tariffs on more than 250-billion-dollars worth of Chinese goods. This amounts to roughly half of Chinese exports to the United States. China has accused the Trump administration of using intimidation and extreme pr...

Tourism is the platform to showcase our heritage and heritage sites must be adapted to cater for a divergent clientele. But heritage sites in many towns are not well managed and in a state of despair. Elvis Pressling spoke to Tourism Lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology Unathi Sonwabile Henama

Nedbank Chief Executive, Mike Brown, says he felt pressured by former Mineral Resources Minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, to reopen the bank accounts of Gupta linked entities and take over as their primary bank. Nedbank is one of the four major banks that closed the bank accounts of companies linked to the Gupta family back in 2016. Brown is testifying at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in P...

The Dagga Party is ready to bring the next instalment on the fight to legalise banned substances. Party spokesperson Jeremy Acton says they will now approach the Constitutional Court to legalise the private use of magic mushrooms. This is after the party won the case to legalise the private use of dagga. The Constitutional Court ruled that it was a constitutional right to use dagga in private. It...

Western Cape Community Safety Minister, Dan Plato, has been nominated by the DA to be Cape Town's next mayor. Plato is set to take over from the current Mayor Patricia de Lille, who resigned in August following long standing differences with the party. Elvis Presslin spoke to Political Analyst, Sanusha Naidu

The country is still reeling from shock after nine-year old Miguel Louw, whose decomposed body was found two weeks ago, was laid to rest in Sydenham, Durban, at the weekend. The focus has now shifted to the safety of the most vulnerable in society. While reaction from social media users about his disapperance has been one of concern and panic -- what are you doing as parents to equip your children...

Communications minister, Nomvula Mokonyane has expressed strong opposition to possible retrenchments at the SABC. The public broadcaster's board has confirmed that it's looking into laying off hundreds of staff. Elvis Presslin spoke to Communications minister, Nomvula Mokonyane and Media Monitoring Africa director, William Bird