First Take SA

Panyaza Lesufi has won the position of chairperson at the Gauteng ANC provincial conference. Lesufi and Lebogang Maile both accepted nominations for the position. Voting was underway by midday yesterday (Sunday), following the nomination process for the province's top political positions. Nominations followed a 10-hour debate about credentials. Credentials adopted included just over 1 000 delegate...

Parents of children who died mysteriously at Enyobeni Tavern in East London are calling for the establishment to shut down. At least 20 people died in an apparent stampede at the weekend. Devastated family members are calling on the Eastern Cape Liquor Board to revoke the tavern's liquor license. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mgwebi Msiya, Spokesperson for the provincial Liquor Board a...

Senior leaders of the Social Justice Coalition in Cape Town have been accused of corruption and mismanagement. One leader, in particular, is the organization's general manager, Xolani Klaas, who faces allegations of misusing funds for personal expenses. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mr. Klaas...

Human rights advocacy group the Black Sash Trust and other organisations are launching litigation against the government over what they say are unfair regulations that govern the social relief of distress grants. The organisations say they are challenging what they call the arbitrary means test of 350-rand , which they say deprives millions of people who are in need of social assistance. Our Senio...

Interview with Victor Kgomoesoana, Director and author of " AFRICA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS" to help us look at this week's top stories

 A 30-year-old man with no travel history was confirmed by health department to have been infected with Monkey Pox. Monkeypox is a rare viral disease from the same family as smallpox, but is much less severe. It occurs mostly in remote parts of Central and West African countries, near tropical rain forests. However, there have been unusually high numbers of people infected with monkey pox outside...

The 14th Provincial Conference of the ANC in Gauteng is set to start today until Sunday in Benoni, Johannesburg. The conference will see Deputy Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi and Lebogang Maile vie for the position of chairperson. This is despite a few branch disputes in the province which are still unresolved. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Political Analyst Dr. Levy Ndou

President Cyril Ramaphosa says state capture was an assault on South Africa's democracy. He was briefing the nation after receiving the fifth and final installment of the State Capture report yesterday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The handover has been postponed several times, amid mounting speculation over the reason for the delay. Chairperson of the State Capture Commission, Justice Raymo...

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says it is dismayed and angered at the continued persecution of Dr. Tim de Maayer by officials at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Gauteng. De Maayer was suspended for speaking out against poor conditions at the hospital which, he noted, directly caused the deaths and disability of children at the facility. His suspension was lifted followi...

Right-To-Die activist Professor Sean Davison says he does not regret assisting three chronically ill men to end their lives. Professor Davison was convicted and placed under house arrest in 2019 for the premeditated murder of three men he helped to end their lives. Speaking to our senior producer Ronald Phiri, Professor Sean Davison says he feels a great sense of relief after his 3 years of house...

Wearing masks could soon be a thing of the past - after Health Minister Joe Phaahla reportedly wrote to provincial health MECs recommending for all COVID-19 restrictions be lifted, as the country exits the fifth wave of the virus. Currently, wearing masks in indoor spaces is compulsory. Government and health officials are expected to hold a meeting later on today to discuss the removal of Covid re...

Forensic Consultant Paul O'Sullivan has accused the DA of political grandstanding after the party approached the United States' FBI, to investigate allegations of possible money laundering on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm. Briefing the media yesterday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said President Ramaphosa needs to come clean regarding the details surrounding the alleged robbery of mil...

 A gold-crowned tooth is all that remains of assassinated Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba. The tooth of the executed leader was returned to his family during a ceremony in Brussels. It will be taken back to DRC and tour the country before being buried. Lumumba was assassinated by a firing squad in 1961 with the tacit backing of former colonial power Belgium. A former police chief, Gera...

Associations and unions in the trucking and logistics industry together with the government's interministerial committee have reached an agreement to bring about stability in the sector. The agreement includes the formation of integrated joint multi-disciplinary law enforcement operations and the possible introduction of operating licenses.  The agreement comes after truck drivers blocked the N3 h...

Residents of Soweto will be marching to the Johannesburg Mayor's office to submit a petition over the lack of service delivery. The resident will also be marching against Eskom switching off electricity in the township. The march comes on the back of a violent protest in the township yesterday. Elvis Presslin spoke to City of Johannesburg Mayoral Spokesperson, Mabine Seabe..

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 Ankole cattle auction at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Limpopo raked in millions of Rands at the weekend. The Ankole Cattle Breeders Society of South Africa who organized the auction says the controversy surrounding the theft of millions on President Ramaphosa's farm has highlighted the Importance of Ankole in South Africa. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Jacques Ma...

ANC North West has postponed its provincial elective conference that was slated to start this week. The party says this is to allow for appeals on some of the disputes within branches.  ANC North West has been operating with an interim structure since the dissolution of the provincial executive committee led by former premier, Supra Mahumapelo. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to ANC North W...

ActionSA will picket in front of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe's Head Quarters in Sunnyside, Tshwane this Tuesday. ActionSA, as supporters of the Lily Mine Families, say the planned picket is over the government's failure to retrieve the bodies of Pretty Nkabule, Yvonne Mnisi, and Solomon Nyirenda, the three miners whose remains have not been retrieved unde...

Pro-Palestinian activists Africa4Palestine are threatening to disrupt Justin Bieber's concerts in Cape Town and Johannesburg if the Canadian pop star does not cancel his upcoming performance in Israel. The group says Bieber should boycott Israel altogether due to its "crimes against the Palestinian people". For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Muhammed Desai, the Executive Director for Africa...

Four men have been arrested for the blockade of the N3 by striking truck drivers in KwaZulu-Natal. Yesterday disgruntled truck drivers blocked the N3 near Van Reenen's Pass causing a major traffic backlog. The arrested men face charges of obstructing a national route, damaging or interfering with essential infrastructure, and economic sabotage. The striking truckers say they are against the employ...

The provisional liquidation of Comair still raises some questions on what will happen going forward. Comair has officially been placed in provisional liquidation by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. This followed the failure of attempts to raise cash to resume operations at Kulula.com and British Airways. All affected parties have until 26 July to provide the court with reasons why the...

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 Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein has ruled that the tobacco ban during the Covid-19 Lockdown was unconstitutional and invalid. Cooperative Governance Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, referred the matter to the Supreme Court after various stakeholders in the tobacco industry successfully challenged the matter. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Francois Rossouw, CEO of the Southe...

South Africa has taken out another loan from the World Bank. The Bank recently approved a loan of almost 8 billion to South Africa, to help the country in financing Covid-19 vaccine procurement. In January this year, the World Bank also approved South Africa's request for a loan of 11-point-4 billion to assist South Africa with its recovery plan in the wake of the pandemic. For more on this, Elvis...