First Take SA

The Land Bank's CEO, Tshokolo Nchocho, has asked Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene to ensure that the right of the bank as a creditor is protected when land is expropriated without compensation. About 60 percent of the bank's funding uses land as collateral which can be sold in the event of a default. Nene asked the Land Bank Board to prepare for land expropriation without compensation. Tshepo Mongoa...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reassured South Africa and the Agricultural Sector that Land Expropriation without Compensation will be done in a just manner - and so there shouldn't be fears. He says there is an urgent need for a clear and explicit policy around land reform in the country. He was addressing the African Farmers Association of South Africa, AFASA Presidential Gala Dinner in Kempton P...

The first witness in the Commission of Inquiry Into State Capture is expected to give testimony on Tuesday. National Treasury Chief Procurement officer Ndleleni Mathebula has been named as the first witness. Mathebula is expected to give evidence on procurement processes and if these were flouted in the department. The commission officially started proceedings on Monday The hearings and investigat...

Victor Kgomoesoana, Director at "Africa Is Open For Business" looks at this week's top African economic stories

High-profile witnesses will finally be able to state their cases in the state of capture inquiry which will start in Parktown, Johannesburg today. The highly-anticipated inquiry will bring various key witnesses including former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and former ANC member of Parliament Vytjie Mentor. Various people from a wide section of the society have largely welcomed the start o...

Police Minister , Bheki Cele , says security agencies are working ceaselessly to combat cross-border crime at the country's border posts. Cele has visited eManguzi, in far northern KwaZulu-Natal, to give residents feedback on efforts to fight cross border crime. The area has been ravaged by syndicates, who smuggle vehicles across the border to Mozambique. Nhlanhla Nxele reports.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says Gauteng Premier candidate Solly Msimanga will bring much-needed change for the people of Gauteng. Maimane has announced 38-year old Tshwane mayor, Msimanga, as the DA's Gauteng premier candidate in next year's general elections. SABC News reporter, Pearl Magubane reports..

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says Gauteng Premier candidate Solly Msimanga will bring much-needed change for the people of Gauteng. Maimane has announced 38-year old Tshwane mayor, Msimanga, as the DA's Gauteng premier candidate in next year's general elections. Tsepiso M\kwetla spoke to political analyst, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke

Today we begin our Women's Month feature. We'll be speaking to phenomenal women who are in and outside of the media glare; influential women; those who are bringing change to their communities. We start the conversation with Dr. Tshepo Motsepe, a medical doctor who champions maternal, child and neonatal healthcare, and early childhood development. She's also been a pioneer in reproductive healthca...

A group of Movement for Democratic Change supporters arrested on charges related to post election violence that broke out in Harare, Zimbabwe, are expected back in court on Monday. Zimbabwe President elect, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has called for unity following the announcement of the country's election results. Six people died in protests that saw the deployment of the army in the capital. Tsepiso Ma...

The Afrikaans Sunday Newspaper, Rapport is reporting that three former National Party ministers‚ including Magnus Malan‚ have been identified as central figures in a paedophilia ring that operated during apartheid. The investigations into Malan‚ a former defence minister who died in 2011‚ John Wiley‚ former apartheid minister of environmental affairs‚ and a third person who is still alive‚ were al...

While the country celebrates the legacy and resilience of women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956 -- women in the LGBTI community say more still needs to be done. This includes making women's month more inclusive of the LGBTI community, and the challenges they face. Bafedile Moerane reports

July is South Africa's National Savings month and we have been running educational feautures on how you can make your rand stretch and also save enough for rainy days. Today, we are looking at household savings. According to analysis done by MyTreasury, South African's household savings rate comes last when ranked against the G20 countries. This means that too many South Africans are living in deb...

The Nelson Mandela Rules for the treatment of prisoners, meant to encourage the humane treatment of inmates around the world, have been officially launched. The rules were unveiled by Correctional Services minister, Mike Masutha, at a ceremony held on Tuesday at the Drakenstein Correctional facility in Paarl. The Mandela rules are a set of minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners to which...

The 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of BRICS countries begins today in Johannesburg. This is the second time South Africa has hosted the summit, since 2013. The summit ends on Friday, and will discuss various strategies that can strengthen the BRICS economic partnerships. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Professor Ari Sitas is chairperson of the South African BRICS Think Tank

The Khoisan community leader, Chief Khoisan SA, who led a group of protesters that staged a month-long protest and hunger strike outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria last year, has accused government of NOT taking them seriously. They claim that since handing over their memorandum of demands to then deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa more than seven months ago, they have not received any feedback...

As Mthatha residents prepare to participate in their first public hearings on land expropriation without compensation on Monday, some say the land must be owned by communities and not the state. Mthatha West residents particularly, those who have been embroiled in legal battles with their local municipality over land invasions, strongly believe that land should be registered under traditional coun...

National Police Commissioner - General Khehla Sithole - has given a team of top investigators 72 hours to trace and arrest killers of eleven men in Colenso, in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. The eleven deceased and six survivors belonged to the Ivory Park Taxi Association in Midrand, Johannesburg. They were on their way back to Johannesburg after attending a colleague's funeral at Matimatolo, in KwaZ...

There are growing calls for government to urgently set up a team to probe ongoing arson attacks on Metrorail trains. This follows Saturday's torching of 7 coaches, 2 motor coaches and 5 plain trailers at Cape Town Station. The damage is estimated at 30 million rands. But how will this affect metrorail operations in the Mother City this morning? Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Western Cape Metrorail spok...

National Police Commissioner - General Khehla Sithole - has given a team of top investigators 72 hours to trace and arrest killers of eleven men in Colenso, in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. The eleven deceased and six survivors belonged to the Ivory Park Taxi Association in Midrand, Johannesburg. They were on their way back to Johannesburg after attending a colleague's funeral at Matimatolo, in KwaZ...

Some members of a panel of experts on a Setswana language station of the SABC concurred that Section 25 of the constitution on land expropriation should be reviewed with the sensitivity it deserves . This was during a round table debate which followed public hearings by a delegation of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee which toured the North-West this week. The panel consisted of a constit...

Only twenty-two of the 46 Trek4Mandela climbers made it to Africa's highest peak, Uhuru on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Many climbers experienced altitude sickness. They started their expedition to summit Mt Kilimanjaro on Saturday 14 July, as part of the Mandela Centenary celebrations. The 2018 expedition also sought to raise enough funds to ensure that 500,000 girl children will not miss a day...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says its working class summit set to take place this weekend in Johannesburg will present the working class an opportunity to unite into a mass campaign for a free, democratic and equal society. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi

Economists say the Reserve Bank MPC statement indicates that the bank is not in a hurry to hike interest rates. The Reserve Bank's monetary policy committee has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 percent as widely expected. Tshepo Mongoai reports

The Public Works department has lost over 2-billion rands due to fraud and corruption as a result of 16 -thousand suspicious transactions. This was discovered during an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).These revelations were made during a joint media briefing by public works Minister Thulas Nxesi and SIU head, advocate Andy Mothibi in Pretoria. Phumzile Mlangeni reports