First Take SA

An Eastern Cape District court prosecutor, accused of raping a 23-year-old university student last year, has been granted bail by the Mthatha Magistrate's Court. The 37-year-old Komani-based prosecutor Manzolwandle Xhanti Nkubungu was released on R3 500 bail yesterday and will make his next court appearance in November. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to NPA provincial spokesperson, Mr. Lux...

Another mine dam wall has collapsed at the troubled Jagersfontein mine in the Free State. Kopanong Mayor Xolani Tseletsele says the situation could have been a result of heavy downpours in the area yesterday.  The water from the dam is flowing through the neighborhood of Charlesville and Dennis Louw's farm which is nearby. The R706 near Charlesville has been closed. Motorists are advised to use an...

A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by his family's two Pit bulls in his house in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. It is alleged that the boy and two other children were in the house with the dogs. Police say they were forced to shoot and kill both dogs and are investigating the incident. Elvis Presslin spoke to Pit Bull Federation of South Africa spokesperson Lins Rautenbach

Bus company Putco is proposing a review of the disciplinary process for dismissed workers who embarked on an unprotected wage strike. Putco suspended its operations after workers went on a wildcat strike demanding a 6 percent wage increase and bonuses promised to them three years ago. The company has proposed that the disciplinary hearings for all 139 employees be expedited to ensure fairness for...

The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) is set to hold its two-day local government summit starting today. The department says the summit aims at strengthening local government and will bring to the fore, the importance of institutionalizing the District Development Model as an operating model for cooperative governance. This is as the auditor general has warned th...

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says a preliminary investigation suggests that the Soweto tavern shooting stems from violent turf wars over abandoned mines, rubbish dumps, and cable theft. Yesterday five people appeared in court in connection with the July mass shooting in which sixteen patrons were killed at Mdlalose Tavern in Nomzamo Park. At the center of the bloody feud are scores of...

Cosatu's 14th National Congress got off to a rocky start after ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe was booed off stage by delegates. They accused Mantashe and the ANC-led government of failing the workers by not respecting the resolution of the 2018 wage agreement.  For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to former labour unionist, author, and political analyst Dr. Ebrahim Harvey

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

Beaches at Plettenberg Bay in the Southern Cape remain closed for swimming, following a fatal shark attack yesterday*. A 39-year old woman from Cape Town was killed in the attack at Central Beach. Another fatal attack occurred in June this year. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Bitou Municipal spokesperson, Andile Namntu 

Environmental groups, local communities, and small-scale fishers will today picket at Saldanha and Pepper Bay in the Western Cape, against oil and gas exploration. The small-scale fishers are protesting the imminent arrival of oil and gas firm Azinam's oil rig, which is set to start offshore exploration activities in the next few days. Affected communities say they were not adequately consulted. F...

South Africa now ranks 19th in the world for the penetration of organised crime. That's according to a recent report by the Global Organised Crime Index, which has revealed that a major corruption market in South Africa is associated with the movement of foreign nationals, predominantly related to paperwork and the process of crossing borders with a bribe, instead of a valid passport. The report s...

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow lead the nation in celebrating South Africa's indigenous music and its immense contribution to sports, arts, culture, and heritage. National Heritage Day celebrations will be held at the Union Buildings in Tshwane under the theme "Celebrating the Legacy of Solomon Linda and South Africa's Indigenous Music". This year's theme pays tribute to the 60th annivers...

Tshwane residents and businesses guilty of tampering with the water and electricity meters have until the end of this month to apply for the Amnesty Programme, or face consequences. Residents who fail to fess up could get hefty fines which can go up to two hundred thousand rands. This was done in an effort to give people a chance to come clean and admit to the tampering before the city finds them....

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is expected to make an announcement today on whether law Professor Richard Calland will remain on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Impeachment panel. The three-member independent panel will determine whether President Ramaphosa should face impeachment over the alleged cover-up of a robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. The DA and EFF wrote to Nosi...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The multi-party coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has removed ANC mayor Eugene Johnson, through a motion of no confidence. 62 councillors voted in favour of Johnson's removal and 58 voted against the motion. The coalition blames Johnson for collapsing the metro. Her deputy, Buyelwa Mafaya, and council chief whip Wandisile Jikeka were due to face similar motions. The motion was tabled an...

Economists are expecting the South African Reserve Bank to deliver a hefty rate hike today when it announces the decision of its monetary policy committee. This is as the country's inflation rate is starting to show signs of slowing down after peaking in July. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Treasury Economist at Investec, Tertia Jacobs

The Constitutional Court has found the Copyright Act to be unconstitutional for unfairly discriminating against persons with visual disabilities. In a historical judgment, the Apex court confirmed that the Act of 1978 limits access to reading materials in accessible formats for persons who are blind or visually impaired. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Vice President of Blind SA, Chr...

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy will today sign a Power Purchase Agreement with three preferred bidders. This is part of broad measures to address the country's load-shedding crisis. The signing ceremony with the first preferred bidders will take place in Centurion, Pretoria. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, NUMSA says the introduction of privately owned renewable...

The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA has arrested six high-ranking police officials in connection with a police tender of over R54 million from 2016. The suspects, among them, a former national police commissioner, were arrested in Durban, Bloemfontein, and various areas around Pretoria, while two were arrested as they were boarding domestic flights from OR Tambo International Airport. For more...

One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane will run as a presidential candidate in the country's 2024 election. This is as Maimane prepares to launch a new political party on Heritage Day this weekend in Soweto. The party will be an umbrella body for independents. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mr. Mmusi Maimane

The Judicial Conduct Appeals Committee has ruled that a Tribunal should be established to investigate allegations made against Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe by Deputy Judge President in the Province Patricia Goliath. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Researcher and advocacy officer at Judges Matter, Mbekezeli Benjamin

Political party leaders who want to campaign for internal leadership positions will have to disclose those who are donating to their campaigns. President Cyril Ramaphosa has been ordered by the Constitutional Court to ensure that he remedies the defect identified by the judgment on the Executive Ethics Code, within 12 months. The Concourt has confirmed the Pretoria High Court's judgment which decl...

AfriForum Youth is preparing a criminal complaint against Constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos for allegedly sharing child pornography on his Twitter account. The University of Cape Town law lecturer has defended himself, claiming that his account had been hacked. Meanwhile, the EFF has called on the University to take disciplinary action against Professor de Vos. For more on this, El...

Public Service Unions affiliated with the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) will today picket outside the offices of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council in Centurion, also in rejection of the 3 percent salary offered by the government. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku