First Take SA

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is strongly opposing the appointment of retired Judge Takalani Raulinga as the first Ombud for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, IDAC. In a formal letter to the Justice Minister and parliamentary leaders, party MP Mzwanele Manyi calls the move an error in judgement and wants it reviewed urgently. He points to the judge's long-standing alleged friendship w...

The Cape Forum has backed the City of Cape Town's plan to set up its own detective service within the metro police. The civil rights group says it's a step toward full devolution of policing powers, which it has campaigned for since 2022. Forum Executive Chairperson, Heindrich Wyngaard says communities must still share crime information and that the Forum will protest at Parliament in August over...

The Nigerian government has halted the repatriation of its citizens from South Africa, leaving some still sleeping outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria. A similar scene is unfolding at Malawi's diplomatic missions in Pretoria and Johannesburg. Authorities have not given a timeline for when the process will resume. We spoke to Dr. ABC Okokoh, President of the Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo South Afri...

SASSA in Gauteng says 143 contract workers started this week to help with grant reviews and eLife Certification at local offices. The agency says extra staff, queue walkers and a fourth monthly payment day aim to reduce waiting times. Elvis Presslin spoke to SASSA National Spokesperson and Head Of Communications, Dr. Paseka Letsatsi...

Author of  Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back , Victor Kgomoeswana, gives an update on the stories making headlines across the African continent. Elvis Presslin spoke to Kgomoeswana, who is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo.

ActionSA says it will today reveal damning internal police records that point to an alleged deliberate cover-up by SAPS in the Phala Phala matter. The party claims the documents show efforts to shield members of the Presidential Protection Unit over unlawful conduct. National Chairperson Michael Beaumont and MP Lerato Ngobeni will lead the press conference at Radisson Red in Rosebank this morning....

Veteran actor Seputla Sebogodi, has been described as one of the most prolific story tellers in the South African entertainment industry. Sebogodi passed away on Wednesday evening from complications related to diabetes. He was best known as Kenneth Mashaba on Generations and also starred in Rhythm City, The River and Scandal, among many others. Sebogodi also played in a theatre production 'Black M...

African Bank has started formal consultations with union Sasbo over a restructuring that could cut 1,200 jobs and close 90 branches. The bank says costs are outpacing risk-adjusted revenue, and it has already looked at savings in IT, procurement and property. Interim CEO Zweli Manyathi says no final decisions have been made and the bank will work with the union through the Section 189A process. El...

The Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB has voiced strong concern over reports of people facing discrimination based on the languages they speak during ongoing anti-immigration protests. PanSALB stresses that while illegal immigration needs addressing, no one should be targeted or suspected simply because of their accent or mother tongue. CEO Dr. Keaobaka Seshoka pointed out that in Africa,...

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to officiate a R10.4 billion investment by Toyota South Africa Motors in Durban, focused on cleaner energy and new automotive technologies. This comes as global automakers, including Volkswagen, face mounting pressure to cut costs, with potential job losses on the horizon. The developments raise important questions about economic transformation, labour impacts, and...

The Supreme Court of Appeal has granted the National Prosecuting Authority leave to appeal the acquittal of Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused on charges including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking. The trio were cleared by the Gqeberha High Court in 2024 after the state failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. This latest development reopens complex legal questions around prosec...

After years of complaints over service delivery, the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement will contest November's local elections. The civic group says it's time to move from protest to power in Durban. But can a civic movement successfully transition into political power? To answer this and Elvis Presslin spoke to the movement's Chairperson, Asad Gaffar, to discuss their plans...

The Madlanga Commission will subpoena doctors who issued medical certificates to North West businessman Sulieman Carrim. Evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson told the commission Carrim was allegedly seen at a Western Cape shopping centre while seeking a postponement on medical grounds. Witnesses have come forward and video footage will be presented to the Commission today in this respect. F...

 The National Union of Mineworkers has condemned De Beers' decision to suspend production at Venetia Mine for two years. The company has also started Section 189A retrenchment proceedings, placing 1,214 workers at risk of job losses. NUM says the move is a severe blow to employees, families and surrounding communities and that the company should have consulted workers earlier. We're now joine...

Concerns are mounting at the Public Investment Corporation after the suspension of CEO Patrick Dlamini and Chief Investment Officer August van Heerden. The DA says the removals expose deep dysfunction at the state asset manager responsible for public pension funds. The party is now calling for urgent parliamentary intervention to restore accountability and stability at the PIC. We speak next to th...

More than ten years after the Lily Mine collapse, the bodies of Pretty Nkambule, Solomon Nyirenda and Yvonne Mnisi are still underground. Their families say they continue to wait for closure and answers. ActionSA is leading a picket outside the National Prosecuting Authority in Pretoria today, calling for justice and accountability. The party says the delays have deepened the families' pain and er...

The EFF says it has written to Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela after allegedly finding four middleman companies are still working for NSFAS despite claims they were terminated. The party says NSFAS could be paying over R220 million a year in fees to the companies, based on R1.1 billion paid out in one 2026 payment cycle. EFF MP Sihle Lonzi says that money should go to students instead, and...

The MK Party is dismissing the Ad Hoc Committee's preliminary SAPS report as an attempt to shield the Government of National Unity. Committee members themselves say the second draft omits critical information. The panel was set up to probe allegations of criminal infiltration and political interference raised last July by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. For more on this, we're joined now by...

The Western Cape High Court will hear President Cyril Ramaphosa's urgent application today and tomorrow to halt Parliament's Section 89 impeachment proceedings. The President wants the process suspended while he reviews the Independent Panel report that found a prima facie case against him over Phala Phala. Parliament's Impeachment Committee says it will oppose the bid today, with Chairperson Maka...

In late June, public health experts warned that an unlawful anti-migrant deadline could spark a crisis, and that warning has now become reality. Within days, tens of thousands of people were displaced by violence or its threat and processed through sites like Musina and the Beitbridge border post. Despite the South African government's rapid response, serious concerns remain about overcrowding, po...

A South African court has handed down judgment in the extradition case of Zimbabwean activist Wellington Masiwa, also known as Comrade Nyoka-yema-bhunu. Masiwa is a vocal critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa but Zimbabwe says the request relates to fraud charges and not politics. The case has sparked debate over extradition law, political asylum and the protection of activists in South Africa. I...

The Madlanga Commission has hit another delay after IDAC Head Advocate Andrea Johnson was rushed to hospital yesterday. Her legal team submitted a medical certificate, while North West businessman Suliman Carrim will also miss Wednesday's sitting as he continues to receive treatment reportedly outside Gauteng. Suspended Deputy Crime Intelligence Head Major-General Feroz Khan and Mike van der Walt...

The Public Investment Corporation board has placed its Chief Executive Patrick Dlamini on precautionary suspension. The move follows a dispute over the Lanseria Airport investment and allegations that Dlamini appointed PwC for a forensic probe without board approval. Businessman Kagiso Matjila has also filed a R900-million damages claim against Dlamini personally. The PIC, which manages about R3.6...

Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede has officially joined the uMkhonto weSizwe Party. Gumede will serve as the party's deputy convener in KwaZulu-Natal. MK Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo described her as a committed and experienced leader who will strengthen the party's structures in the province. Gumede was mayor from 2016 to 2019 and still faces corruption charges linked to the Durban Soli...

The South African Medical Association Trade Union, SAMATU says government must immediately employ hundreds of unemployed South African doctors who remain jobless while the public health system is understaffed. The union says the move is urgent to ease pressure on hospitals and address what it calls an injustice against local graduates. This comes as ActionSA raises concerns over Gauteng Health rep...