First Take SA

Over seven hundred thousand South Africans will cast their special vote today and tomorrow ahead of the May 8th election. The Independent Electoral Commission says the elderly, sick, disabled and pregnant voters who are unable to make their way to voting stations will be visited at their homes for the special vote if they applied for it.

People who deface election party posters could face a sentence of five to ten years imprisonment. This is according to IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo. It comes in response to the vandalism of party posters ahead of the May 8th elections

Activists from the Cape Town based pressure group 'Reclaim the City' yesterday invaded the Green Point Bowling Green in the mother city demanding that the property to be used for affordable housing, The activists dug foundations and layed bricks for several new homes on the property which includes the bowling greens, vacant fenced-off land and two clubhouses

The International Association of Athletics Federation - IAAF - has welcomed the Court of Arbitration for Sport's dismissal of Caster Semenya's appeal against the introduction of regulations to restrict testosterone levels in female athletes. But the decision has been met with disappointment locally by South Africans who feel its unfair.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation is today heading to the Equality Court seeking an order restricting the public display of the old Apartheid flag. The Foundation contends that displays of the Apartheid flag that serve no genuine academic or artistic purpose

Almost 30-thousand South Africans living abroad have cast their votes for this year's national general elections. Most took to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to express their joy and excitement at the opportunity to exercise their democratic right. London had the highest number of registered voters living abroad with just over nine-thousand while Dubai followed with just over...

President Cyril Ramaphosa remains tight-lipped about his decision on the recommendation submitted to his office for the release of the Abathembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. Ramaphosa met the acting King of the AbaThembu nation, Prince Azenathi Dalindyebo, behind closed doors in Mthatha yesterday. Lately, there's been calls by different traditional leaders for president Ramaphosa to pardon the ki...

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) says the notice of intention to de-register the union is an onslaught to its efforts for social justice and economic emancipation. This follows the announcement by government which described the union as not being genuine under the Labour Ralations Act. AMCU boasts over 200-thousand members within both the gold and platinum mines which a...

Mopping-up operations continue and residents count their losses, President Cyril Ramaphosa visted many of the areas that have been devastated by the storm

The death toll following the devastating floods in Kwazulu Natal has risen to 51. In the meantime the weather Service is warning that the rains will continue over the province today* - with the weather only expected to clear from tomorrow.

Three disgruntled ANC members in the Free State are today taking the ANC and the IEC to court to have names of 41 candidates nominated at the provincial list conference nullified. They say the ANC Provincial List Conference held in December last year to nominate eleven members to the National Assembly and thirty to the Provincial Legislature was unlawful and unconstitutional. The matter will be he...

24 suspects have been arrested in connection with Sri Lanka bomb explosions that left about 290 people dead and more than 500 injured. The bomb blasts ripped through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, in the first major attack on the Indian Ocean Island since the end of a civil war 10 years ago. But it is not yet known who carried out the attacks

The Ombudsman for Banking Services says there has been an alarming increase in credit card fraud over the first quarter of the year. The ombudsman says the increase in credit card fraud had grown from 12.2 percent to almost twenty-percent with more than half of the victims being of pensionable age. According to statistics from the ombud, those aged between 61 and 70 account for 21 percent of fraud...

Calls continue to intensify for president Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint the eight candidates to serve on the SABC board. Director at Media Monitoring Africa, William Bird says they will be writing a second letter to the presidency on why the public broadcaster's board has yet to be appointed. The presidency has meanwhile denied that it is employing delaying tactics citing vetting processes that have...

Alexandra residents, north of Johannesburg have vowed to continue with their total shut down today. The residents are demanding that Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba meets with them and address their concerns. Last week, protestors blockaded roads, over the mushrooming of shacks and illegal structures as well as a lack of service delivery. Alexandra Community leader, Patrick Baloyi speaks to Elvis Pres...

The Carletonville crèche where shocking videos of toddlers being physically abused by an employee were taken has been closed by the Department of Social Development. There was widespread outrage after the videos emerged. Police say the woman was arrested two weeks ago, and is currently out on bail

Energy expert says loadshedding will continue as long as systems remain offline and dont receive due maintenance on time. This follows Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gorhdan saying there is now a better understanding of Eskom's electricity supply issues and that there should be no loadshedding from this point on.

Residents of Alexandra north of Johannesburg, say they are fed up with lawlessness, illegal land invasions and poor service delivery in the township. They took to the streets YESTERDAY (wednesday) to protest. They say illegal structures are being erected close to the river banks and under electricity pylons posing a danger to communities. They say the illegal buildings also have illegal electricit...

Accountability Now director, Advocate Paul Hoffman, is concerned that populating parliament with questionable characters will not advance that which the constitution requires of politicians. Advocate Hoffman spoke to Elvis Presslin about this....

The ANC has referred its entire list of candidates for parliament and the provincial legislatures to its Integrity Commission for review. This emerged at a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday (Tuesday 2 April ) The governing party has reminded its prospective parliamentarians that representing South Africa and the ANC in parliament and the nine legislatures is an honour not a right. Ntebo Mok...

The ANC has defended its secretary general Ace Magashule following media reports of his alleged involvement in illegal dealings during his tenure as the Free State premier. The reports are based on a book tiltled " Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule's web of capture" by investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh, which alleges that Magashule was the head of a well-organised state-capture...

South Africa is hosting the 4th Annual Meeting of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) for the first time. The meeting in Cape Town started YESTERDAY (sunday) and will run till Tuesday. The BRICS New Development Bank is tasked with mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

The Africa Solidarity Network says President Cyril Ramaphosa is to blame for fresh attacks on foreign nationals in the KwaZulu Natal province. Meanwhile International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is expected to meet with African ambassadors today following last week's violence against foreign nationals in various parts of Durban.

The South African National Defence Force has rescued 525 people in Beira, Mozambique. The city is grappling with the after-effects of the Cyclone Idai which made landfall over a week ago. Latest estimates have put the death toll in Mozambique at over 450 people. Most survivors have been left in desperate need of help, many on rooftops and trees. Some are digging through rubble to search for victim...

Workers at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) could embark on a nationwide strike as early as this Thursday. Trade unions National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) and the Public Servants Association (PSA) are expected to meet with SARS management TODAY (Monday) in an effort to avert the imminent strike action over salary increases. Deputy general manager of the Public Serv...