First Take SA

A continued interruption in the supply of Phenobarb, an essential medicine used to manage epilepsy, is raising concerns about access for children relying on it in government hospitals. While the shortage has also affected veterinary care, the bigger concern is the potential impact on children with epilepsy who depend on this medicine to control seizures. The South African Veterinary Association ha...

Motorists are paying more at the pumps today after this month's fuel price increase took effect at midnight. Both grades of petrol went up by R1.34 per litre. Diesel also jumped by R3.14 for standard. But will this fuel surge force taxi operators to increase their fares? To answer this and more, we spoke to  National Taxi Alliance spokesperson, Theo Malele.

The Gauteng Provincial Government is standing by its decision to appoint former Health HOD Arnold Malotana as Johannesburg's Head of Public Safety. Government says an ongoing SIU investigation and allegations alone cannot bar someone from public service until due process is completed. But critics argue the move undermines accountability and public trust. We spoke to Gauteng Government Spokesperson...

Communities in parts of the Free State are raising concern over unfinished infrastructure and failing basic services. The African Liberation Movement says residents in Fouriesburg have relied on water tankers since 2017 after a R38 million reservoir project was left incomplete. We spoke to  African Liberation Movement National Chairperson, Monele Dlamini.

The arrest of Stefan Joel Govindraju was described as another breakthrough in the SIU's wider investigation into corruption at the Tembisa Hospital. Govindraju was granted bail of R200-thousand by the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, east of Johannesburg. He faces charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contravening the PFMA relating to 635-million of the Two-billion Rand...

Civic organizations and residents at Niani, near the Limpopo River in Limpopo, have called on government to deploy more resources and law enforcement personnel to intensify the fight against cross border crime. Police have on separate occasions, intercepted several stolen and hijacked vehicles, being smuggled across the river into Zimbabwe. While commending police for their efforts in fighting bor...

The DA says it is ready to contest all 112 wards in the eThekwini Municipality in the November4  local government elections. The party announced its ward candidates in Durban yesterday (Monday 31  August) as it outlined its preparations for the elections. DA KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson, Dean McPherson, says 65 percent of the party's ward candidates are new councillors, while 35 percent are...

The Gauteng Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee is opening applications for initiation school principals who want to operate during the upcoming 2026 summer initiation season. Applications open today, and close on 2 October, with the province stressing that only registered initiation schools with valid permits will be allowed to operate. We spoke to  Kiba Kekana, spokesperson for the...

The Legal Practice Council has dismissed reports that advocate Malesela Teffo has been readmitted to practice law. This comes after he made a surprise appearance at the Johannesburg High Court yesterday, during the attempted murder trial of alleged kingpin Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, where he tried to address the magistrate. The Council says Mr Teffo remains struck from the roll and cannot work as a l...

Suspended deputy Crime Intelligence head Major-General Feroz Khan is due to appear before the Madlanga Commission today. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says Khan's subpoena remains in force, but the Commission has not received official confirmation of his health status.   Michaels adds Khan's legal team may seek a postponement after reports that he's been readmitted to hospital. Khan...

South Africans are in for another tough month at the pumps. From today, petrol goes up by R1.34 a litre and diesel by more than R3 a litre. The South African Petroleum Retailers Association, SAPRA says the increase is driven by global oil prices, supply pressures and a weaker rand. But with transport, food and delivery costs set to rise, motorists, farmers and businesses will feel the impact most....

ACDP Ekurhuleni Councillor Palesa Yates says roads and facilities named after struggle heroes must be properly maintained to honour their memory. She says Atlas Road, renamed after Freedom fighter Solomon Jefferson Mahlangu in 2021, has unreliable traffic lights in Kempton Park causing daily delays for motorists and airport traffic. Yates is calling on the City to urgently attend to the infrastruc...

A look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back 

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says increasing the level of confidence in democracy and touching the lives of South Africans with  increased service delivery will help stop his party's worrying electoral decline. The ANC has been experiencing serious electoral decline over the years after having dipped to 46 percent in the 2021 local elections, and to 40 percent in the 2024 national polls. Wit...

South Africa is marking three years since a devastating blaze at the Usindiso Building in Johannesburg killed 77 people. The fire ripped through the five-storey hijacked property in the Marshalltown district, displacing hundreds of inner-city residents. An attorney and Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, SERI, Nomzamo Zondo says 12 of the deceased victims sti...

African Traditional Medicine Day has been marked in Mpumalanga on Sunday. The commemoration looked at research and development efforts to advance traditional medicine. This year's theme centres on using traditional medicine to help achieve universal health coverage in the African region. National Health Departmental Spokesperson, Foster Mohale elaborates.

As Women's Month draws to a close, Deputy Minister of Human Settlements Tandi Mahambehlala will host a dialogue in Tshwane on young women in the built environment. The discussion under the theme "Building Pathways, Opening Doors and Shaping the Cities of Tomorrow" will focus on leadership, transformation and access to opportunities. The Department says it wants women meaningfully represented acros...

A 37-year-old man arrested by the Hawks at OR Tambo International Airport is due in the Specialized Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge today. He faces charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to the R635 million Tembisa Hospital tender scandal. The Hawks allege hospital officials colluded with service providers to split contracts below R500,000 to bypass formal tender processes....

Trade union Solidarity has backed the safety record of South African pilots following social media backlash over a stadium flyover. The display saw twin Airlink commercial jets fly less than 50 feet above Cape Town Stadium ahead of Saturday's Springbok-All Blacks test match. Critics questioned whether the low-altitude stunt breached civil aviation laws or put rugby fans at risk. However, Airlink c...

The Western Cape High Court has ruled unlawful occupiers can be evicted without alternative accommodation where the occupation is linked to serious crime.  The judgment follows a Transnet case over 161 people on properties in Woodstock and Salt River that police linked to robberies, drug dealing and cable theft. The court found the city had engaged in good faith and that a lack of housing is...

The women's wing of the South African National Taxi Council, SANTACO has launched a national summit in Gauteng to combat gender-based violence. The initiative brings together government officials, transport leaders and community stakeholders to address female passenger safety and industry transformation. We spoke to SANTACO National spokesperson, Rebecca Phala to discuss the summit, the challenges...

The GOOD Party and Rise Mzansi have formed a strategic alliance to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections. The two political organisations have jointly submitted candidate lists across 32 municipalities spanning five different provinces. Leadership from both parties stated the agreement extends past mere resource-sharing to offer a distinct alternative to traditional party politics. We spoke...

Access to swimming skills and facilities remains limited across the country, with a only a few  South Africans having the lifesaving aquatic skills.  In North West, only One Olympic size public pool remains functional in the whole province, while many others have been left dilapidated. The custodian of the swimming, the potchefstroom based JB Marks Municipality says the maintenance of th...

Police say cases of illicit drug manufacturing facilities discovered on farms in Limpopo since 2020 are alarming.  Drug manufacturing laboratories have been raided in Marble Hall, Grobblersdal and recently in Musina.  A joint operation by the Hawks and SAPS led to the discovery of 600 million crystal meth farm at Musina last week.  Five people were arrested. They are scheduled to ap...

The Western Cape government is spending around 65-million-rand into its water resilience programme. This as it prepares for a hot and potentially prolonged summer. According to the province - the funding forms part of a longer-term water resilience programme. Immediate focus are on protecting water supplies and preventing municipalities from running out of water. Lerato Dlalisa reports.