First Take SA

A Russian vaccine against COVID-19 could be ready for its final stage of testing as early as August, according to the head of the centre carrying out the trials. Russia's Sechenov University says the first trials are over and the vaccine has been shown to be safe. But more tests are needed before it can be put to use. Retired epidemiologist, Dr Jo Barnes weighs in on these tests...

Despite being the epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic in South Africa, Gauteng is the National Soccer League's preferred province for the completion of the ABSA Premiership and the GladAfrica Championship. This was announced by Premier Soccer League chaiarman, Irvin Khoza, at a media briefing in Johannesburg. He provided clarity on the process and progress made towards the completion of the 2019...

In a further blow to the hospitality and tourism sector, the sale, dispensing and distribution of alcohol has been suspended with immediate effect. Addressing the nation President Ramaphosa said the nationwide curfew coupled with the ban on the sale of alcohol will free up much-needed trauma and ICU care facilities across the country. The tourism industry had also been hoping for the re-opening of...

Western Cape Disaster Management has warned that the upcoming cold front could be the biggest storm that the province has been hit within recent times. This follows a warning by the South African Weather Services of an intense cold front that is expected to make landfall TODAY, bringing with it gale force winds of up to a 100 kilometres per hour. Storm surges and wave heights of up to 13-metres al...

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) says more than 800 evictions have taken place since the country entered into the national coronavirus lockdown. The most recent of these cases involves Bulelani Qholani from Khayelitsha township in Cape Town. He was violently dragged out of his shack naked as the Cape Town Anti-Land Invasion unit demolished his shack. This resulted in a hu...

The Zondo Commission of Inquiry investigating allegations of state capture has spent about 700 million rand since its inception in 2018. This was revealed by the Department of Justice during its briefing to the oversight committee yesterday (Wednesday) when it was presenting its budget. Acting Director-General, Adv JB Skosana says about 18 million rand per month is spent on investigations. Is this...

Gauteng has officially overtaken the Western Cape as the epicentre in the country of the coronavirus pandemic with 75,015 cases compared with the Western Cape's 73,292. The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in SA is 224,665 with 8,810 new infections. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the COVID-19 storm that he's been warning South Africans about had arrived. Professor Wolfgang Preiser,...

More than five hundred workers at industry giant, Media24, are likely to lose their jobs in the coming weeks. The company has announced that it is considering down-sizing, as a result of the impact of C0VID-19. The organisation says it could close five magazines and two newspapers and reduce the frequency of its remaining monthly magazines due to a drastic drop in sales since the start of the lock...

Some parents and learners say it is not a good idea that Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga is phasing in more grades from today. They say with more learners going back to school, exposure to the coronavirus is very high. They say some schools do not have enough space to adhere to the COVID-19 regulations. Yesterday, Motshekga announced that grades R, 6 and 11 will go back to school. CEO of...

The Gauteng government convened a meeting over the weekend to draft proposals to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) to allow for stricter enforcement of lockdown regulations. This in an attempt to curb the soaring Covid-19 numbers in the province. The meeting came as the SA Medical Association, SAMA, claimed that Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg hospitals have the lowest number of Covid-19...

The Basic Education Department has blamed its failure to provide meals to over nine million learners nationwide on logistics and lack of infrastructure. Equal Education approached the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis to seek an order to compel government to provide meals to learners, regardless of whether they have returned to school or not. The programme which feeds nine million learners wa...

While President Cyril Ramaphosa urges South Africans not to panic as COVID 19 infections rise rapidly -- some are calling for a return to higher levels of lockdown. South Africa has registered its highest number of infections to date within a 24-hour cycle. The number of confirmed cases has risen by over eight-thousand, bringing the national total to nearly 159-thousand-400. The number of COVID19-...

Four unions at the South African Airways have agreed to sign the voluntary severance packages offered as part of the national carrier's business rescue process. The Department of Public Enterprises announced yesterday that the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), the National Transport Movement, the Aviation Union of Southern Africa, Solidarity and representatives of non-unio...

Auditor General Kimi Makwetu has pointed that only 20 of the country's 257 municipalities received clean audits. Makwetu has blamed municipalities failure to adhere to prescribed regulations for the increase in irregular spending.

As millions of South Africans continue to bear the brunt of the of the Covid-19 economic lockdown, many medical general practitioners and private sector specialists are also feeling the financial pressure as numbers of patients in their practices decline. This is due clients' fear of contacting the coronavirus and limitations on hospital admissions and surgical procedures. Major representative org...

The Auditor General, Kimi Makwetu's report for 2018-19 has found that municipalities lost 32-billion-rand in irregular expenditure. This is an increase of 7-billion-Rand from the previous financial year. Makwetu says there continues to be a lack of financial management, accountability and wasteful spending among a number of municipalities in most the country's provinces. Makwetu was presenting the...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans not to panic and be alarmed by the rising number of Coronavirus infections in the country. He was speaking during the virtual Presidential Imbizo on the Covid-19 pandemic last night. The president interacted with communities across the country through over 80 community radio stations and some SABC platforms.

The ACDP Leader Kenneth Meshoe says government should carefully examine and consider studies that have been conducted to investigate whether there is a link between Gender Based Violence , rape and pornography. Meshoe was participating in the Debate of National Importance on GBV during a hybrid sitting of the National Assembly.

The Federation of Trade Unions says negotiations are underway between government, organised business and labour to extend the UIF Covid- 19 'temporary employer-employee relief scheme' which ended YESTERDAY. The Labour Department and the UIF had earlier pronounced that the scheme, which has been running three months, will not be extended beyond the June 30th deadline. The fund has so far paid out r...

The Passenger Rail Agency, PRASA is expected to resume its train services today with strict capacity limitation and high hygiene standards. Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula says the train lines to resume operations include those in the Eastern Cape between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, together with East London and Berlin. Four lines will open in Gauteng, including from Pienaarspoort down to Pre...

Board chairperson of Prasa Popo Molefe has told the commission of inquiry into state capture that the former administration under president Jacob Zuma failed PRASA. Molefe says irregularities and corruption at Prasa continued to thrive despite the board doing everything in its power to report malaise at the organisation. Molefe has accused the parliament portfolio committee on transport for failin...

In Mpumalanga, traffic was affected in the Mbombela CBD and surrounding areas yesterday following a standoff between the police and taxi operators. The taxi operators wanted to operate at 100 percent capacity in violation of the COVID-19 regulations which only permit taxis to carry 70 percent of their licensed capacity.