First Take SA

Our Friday feature TRENDSWATCH. Molebogeng Sebidi looks at news that dominated social media this week.

Stats SA has continually warned that access to healthcare in South Africa is still very different for black and white South Africans. Now a Black-owned RH Bophelo is set to list on the JSE next Wednesday with the aim of providing competitive rates for lower to middle-income earners "who cannot afford private healthcare. RH Bophelo will list initially as a special purpose acquisition company vehicl...

The ANC has proposed that government communications be centralised to form part of the Presidency and that the provincial government communications should be allocated in the premier's office. The Chairperson of the Communication and Battle of Ideas Commission, Jackson Mthembu says this is to ensure that the presidency gets to tell and instruct in terms of the messaging that we are driving as gove...

ANC President Jacob Zuma says factionalism continues to cost the party its voter support. His Deputy Cyril Ramaphosa and former African Union Commission Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are vying for the contest to lead the ruling party ahead of its December conference. The party top brass and its leagues are divided as to whom should succeed Zuma. Delivering his closing address to the ANC five-day nati...

ANC delegates at the party's policy conference say they are not happy with the black shareholder percentage in the mining charter. The current charter contains a new clause that states that all mining companies must have 30 percent black empowerment shareholding within 12 months. The Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane says ANC delegates want the mining charter to increase its black own...

ANC NEC Member Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says the National Health Insurance (NHI), is not about closing down all private hospitals and practices but making healthcare universally accessible to all South Africans. Dr Motsoaledi was presenting the NHI white paper to ANC delegates in the Education and Health Commission, at the party's national policy conference, currently underway at Nasrec, South of Jobur...

The African National Congress has termed the Radical Economic Transformation policy as a tool to change the face of poverty. The party says the second phase of RET will go a long way in creating an inclusive economy. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the ANC Treasury General, Dr Zweli Mkhize...

As the land debate rages on at the ANC national Policy Conference it seems a number of structures within the party are on opposing ends on the matter . With the Women's league calling for a referendum on the land issues while the Youth league calls for expropriation of land without compensation. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to ANCYL President Collen Maine

The ANC says it needs to be careful, when trying to address issues around white monopoly capital, not to replace it with black monopoly capital. This is what the ruling party has been discussing over the past couple of days, regarding the ANC's documents on strategy and tactics in Nasrec south of Johannesburg. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Chairperson of the party's Strategy and Tactics portfolio, Nat...

The Board of Passenger Rail Agency, PRASA says to today's court ruling on the controversial locomotives tender to replace the country's ageing fleet, effectively renders the contract illegal. The High Court in Johannesburg has set aside the contract worth billions of rand awarded to Swifambo Rail Leasing by PRASA in 2013. PRASA had asked the court to review and cancel the contract after both the A...

President Jacob Zuma has urged delegates attending the ANC 5th National Policy Conference to find ways to implement all policies that will be adopted at the end of the week-long gathering. He was speaking at the governing party's fund raising gala dinner last night. The ANC begins its National Policy Conference in Nasrec outside Soweto later this morning. The first two days of the gathering will b...

SABC senior producer of RSG Current Affairs Suna Venter has died. Venter's body was discovered on Thursday morning at her flat in Fairlands. Venter made headlines last year when she was suspended from the public broadcaster, along with a number of colleagues who would later be known as the SABC 8. Elvis Presslin spoke to Angie Kapelianis, National Radio Current Affairs Editor at SABC News...

The Johannesburg High Court has ordered that public schools should cater for the needs of learners from all religious backgrounds. The Organisation for Religious Education and Democracy (OGOD) challenged the Christian focused culture of six public schools, saying they violate the National Policy on Religion. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Basic Education Department Spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga...

AngloGold Ashanti is planning to retrench over 8 000 mine workers as part of its restructuring process. In a statement the mining company says operational costs and mines that have reached the end of their economic lives are the reasons for this process. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Senior Vice President for Investor Relations at AngloGold Ashanti, Stewart Bailey...

The 2017 tax season will open for individuals on 1 July. The deadline for non-provisional and provisional taxpayers submitting their tax returns manually through the post or at a SARS branch drop box is 27 September 2017. Meanwhile, the deadline for non-provisional taxpayers submitting their returns via eFiling or electronic filing at a SARS branch is 24 November 2017. The deadline for provisional...

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says it has put together a "compelling" document detailing the extent of South Africa's alleged state capture. The organisations says it plans to present this to Parliament. The document is based on Outa's own investigation and reports by the Public Protector, the Council of Churches & the Public Affairs Research Institute. Outa says the move aims to ensur...

President Jacob Zuma has launched Operation Vula and the Radical Agrarian Socio-Economic Transformation programme in Ixopo, KwaZulu Natal. Operation Vula seeks to localise the economy by using the government's buying power to purchase from SMMEs and cooperatives. It aims to target specific societal groupings and assist targeted enterprises with skills, funding and markets. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke t...

Former Zimbabwe Deputy Prime Minister in the inclusive government Professor Arthur Mutambara has launched his engaging autobiography. Titled " in search of the elusive Zimbabwean Dream: An autobiography of thought leadership volume one", the book reflects a description of Prof Mutambara's very impressive academic record from his high school days to his brilliant achievements at University of Zimba...

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

Employment in the formal sector has shed 48-thousand jobs in the first quarter of this year. At the end of March around 9,6 million people were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector. According to figures released by Statistics South Africa, construction and mining are the only two sectors that have shown growth in employment. Most job losses were in the retail and manufacturing sectors. T...

Parliament has refused to be briefed by the Chairperson of the board of South African Airways, Dudu Myeni. Myeni arrived without other board members at Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance to brief it on the entity's quarterly report. She was accompanied by the CFO and acting CEO. The committee said it would be futile to engage Myeni alone while there are allegations that she has not been at...

Thirteen Correctional Services officers are facing suspension for alleged breach of security at the Johannesburg medium B Prison. This after explicit images of female strippers entertaining prisoners went viral on social media. The Department has launched an investigation into how the strip dancers were allowed entry. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to spokesperson for the department of Correctional Servic...

Deputy Finance Minister Sfiso Buthelezi has questioned the relevance of inflation targeting in the current economic environment. Buthelezi was addressing a Gordon Institute of Business' Forum in Johannesburg this morning. He has called for more discussions on whether inflation targeting is still the right government policy to pursue. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to independent political analyst Dale Mck...

The Automobile Association (AA) have called for urgent intervention into the rising number of accidents which occur on South African roads. Figures released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation have shown that 14071 people have died in 2016 from road accidents, with more than a third of pedestrians accounting for the deaths. As a result, the AA have decided to launch a campaign as a way to c...

The Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture has culled over 20 thousand chickens from a farm in Villiers on the banks of Vaal River bordering the province with Free State. This after samples collected from the farm tested positive for a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, H5N8 also called bird flu virus. Dr Mpho Maja, Director of Animal Health at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries s...