First Take SA

Civil society organization, Democracy in Action and supporters of former president Jacob Zuma, will this morning hold a briefing addressing issues concerning South Africa's justice system. The organization says the country's courts are corrupt and are failing. They have also called for action to be taken against President Cyril Ramaphosa. They want the National Prosecuting Authority to pave the wa...

Trade unions Numsa and NUM have signed a wage deal with Eskom of 7% across the board. The agreement follows a weeks-long strike by Eskom workers and days of Stage 6 load shedding. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, NUMSA National Spokesperson

The Democratic Alliance marched to Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi's office in protest against the proposed Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the South African Schools Act and address a variety of issues including the language policy at schools, home education, and alcohol use at school premises among others. The DA says it seeks to capture schools and increase the...

The Democratic Alliance handed in its Fuel Price Deregulation Bill to Parliament yesterday. The Bill seeks to lower the price of fuel by removing what they term "the government's unnecessary control". This is as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced fuel increases from Wednesday. The price of petrol will increase by 2-rand-37-cents per litre, diesel is set to increase by 2-rand-...

Eskom has rejected the City of Tshwane Municipality's offer to enter into payment settlement arrangements for the R878 million owed to the power utility. Eskom says the city has failed to pay R908 million which was due on the 17th of last month and only made payments of R10 million on the 23rd of June and R20 million on the 30th of June. The power utility says the non-payment by the city has contr...

A woman, who was retrenched for refusing to take the Covid 19 vaccine a year ago, has won her case against her employer. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration - CCMA- has ruled that her dismissal was substantively unfair and ordered the employer to compensate her a year's salary by July 25th. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Senior Commissioner at the CCMA Pieter Vent...

AfriForum, the DA, and the Helen Suzman Foundation are challenging the decision by former Correctional Services Commissioner Arthur Fraser, to release Zuma on medical parole. AfriForum contends that Fraser was duty-bound to uphold the recommendations of the Medical Parole Advisory Board not to release Zuma on medical parole. The organization has accused the lawyers of former President Jacob Zuma a...

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

Political analyst, Professor Sethulego Matebesi says the office of the Public Protector is becoming a political battleground. This is after Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa in June. Professor Matebesi says the suspension of Advocate Mkhwebane underlines the need to depoliticize the Public Protector's Office...

President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya has dismissed reports of the President being personally liable for the Marikana tragedy as false and misleading. He was reacting to media reports that President Ramaphosa may be held liable for the 2012 Lonmin mine strike where police gunned down and killed striking workers. This after Judge Frits van Oosten on Friday found that Ramaphosa...

The government of eSwatini has declared Swaziland News and its editor Zweli Martin Dlamini terrorists. The government published a notice declaring Dlamini a threat to the Kingdom through his articles and online publication where he reportedly urged people to protest against King Mswati. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Zweli Martin Dlamini...Editor of Swaziland News

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) says a total of 3 point 4 billion rands has been voluntarily returned to the Fund by employers who benefited from the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). The UIF says that the over 14 billion rands that was disbursed through Covid-19 TERS has been audited during phase one of its "follow the money" project. This is after thousands of comp...

Yesterday Equal Education marched to parliament to demand the scrapping of the proposed changes to education infrastructure laws. The civil organization says the proposed changes will see the removal of deadlines for the delivery of necessities like water, electricity, and classrooms in schools. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to the Head of Equal Education Western Cape, Ntsiki Dlulan...

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 South African National Blood Service is currently experiencing critically low blood stocks. The Blood Service is pleading with South Africans to donate blood amid the shortage. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Khensani Mahlangu, Spokesperson for the Blood Service

The United Democratic Movement is calling for an urgent debate on the National Importance of load-shedding and its impact on South Africa. UDM Chief Whip Nqabayomzi Kwankwa has written to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula requesting the debate. Kwankwa says the UDM also wants Eskom to be called to account to Parliament. This comes at a time when Eskom has been implementing stage 6...

The Constitutional Court has given legal recognition to Muslim women married under Sharia law. The apex court delivered its judgment on Tuesday - confirming a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling which legally recognizes Muslim marriages, and declares certain sections of the Marriage Act and Divorce Act unconstitutional. The case was brought by the Women's Legal Centre. For more on this, Elvis Presslin...

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has denied suspending a pupil from school over her traditional attire. This is after a 15-year-old pupil and sangoma Mbalenhle Ngobese from Nombika High in the iLembe district reportedly committed suicide after the school suspended her. However, the education department in the province says the learner was not suspended but failed to show up to school for...

The National Union of Mineworkers, Num, and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, Numsa say there is no wage agreement with Eskom. Yesterday Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced the power utility had reached a wage agreement with striking workers. The two unions say this is false. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Livhuwani Mammburu, the National spokesperson...

Civil rights organization AfriForum has instructed its legal team to bring an urgent application to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, to compel law enforcers to take action against striking Eskom employees. The organization says Eskom indicated during a media conference that it is already in possession of a court order declaring the strike illegal but has thus far failed to enforce the ord...

The owner of Soweto Creamery in Jabulani, Soweto Thando Makhubu says load-shedding has Impacted his business negatively. This was after Eskom announced Stage 6 load-shedding. Makhubu, an entrepreneur who rose to prominence after he was mentioned by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation address, on how he started a business with his R350 social relief distress grant says he can n...

The body of Nomaqocwa Blackie who died mysteriously in her apartment in Shanghai, China will finally be repatriated back to South Africa. Nomaqocwa fondly known as 'Noma' left Motherwell, in the Eastern Cape in 2017 to pursue a career as an English teacher in Shanghai. In 2022, Noma was found dead in her apartment during the Shanghai lockdown which was implemented due to the surge in Covid-19 infe...

The DA in Gauteng has called on the provincial Infrastructure Department to urgently fix the emergency generator at the Garankuwa state mortuary in Pretoria. The generator has experienced multiple failures and is unable to function whenever there is load shedding in the area. During the rolling blackouts - bodies are temporarily stored in a freezer before being removed early in the morning for pos...

Police investigations into the horrific deaths of at least 21 young people at the Enyobeni tavern in the Eastern Cape are continuing.  A forensic team has been going through the site to try to understand what exactly took place. Post-mortem examinations have been completed but some bodies have not been identified and authorities have called on families to come forward. The youngest of those who di...

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...