First Take SA

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Zweli Mkhize, says he expects to see consequences for those found to have deposited municipal funds into the controversial VBS Mutual Bank. He told the SABC News that his department has also initiated its own investigation. The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) forbids municipalities from investing in a mutual bank. Tshepo Mongoai rep...

Very cold conditions with snowfalls as well as wet and windy conditions are expected in areas over southern Free State and north-western KwaZulu-Natalon Tuesday. Snowfalls are also expected over the high-ground areas of the Eastern Cape‚ including the mountains between Willowmore and Joubertina‚ the Sneeuberg‚ Winterberg and Southern Drakensberg. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Sihle Kunene, SABC meteor...

The ANC has vowed to make the drafting of its 2019 election manifesto an inclusive process. It held its manifesto consultative meeting over the weekend with its deployees in government comprising of ministers, their deputies, premiers and mayors among others. Last week, the party president Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the ANC's election workshop during which he urged South Africans to work with gover...

The price of Petrol and diesel will go up by 26 cents a litre on Wednesday. The energy department says the weak rand and international oil prices are the major contributing factors to the petrol price hike. Petrol will cost a record 16-Rand a litre. We are now joined on the line by Visvin Reddy, national convener of People Against Petrol and Paraffin Increases, an organisation that has urged motor...

The tax filing season has started in ernest. It has been cut by three weeks, which means that those who are eligible to submit their returns have until the end of October to do so. SARS is also urging taxpayers to submit their tax returns online, through the e-filing system. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to SARS Spokesperson, Janine Mqulwana

Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee will on Monday begin its public hearings in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. These are part of nationwide public hearings on the possible amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to make it possible for the state to expropriate land without compensation. Motsebi wa Monareng reports...

Heavy downpours and gale force winds have resulted in flash flooding across large parts of Cape Town. Lower-lying areas have been the hardest hit as an intense cold front makes landfall in the Mother City. The Cape Town weather office says wind speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour have been reported. Thandiswa Mawu reports...

ANC chairperson in the North West, Supra Mahumapelo says he will be serving thirteen people, including members of the ANC and opposition with court papers for tainting his image and bringing his name to disrepute. Mahumapelo made one of his first public appearance, since resigning as North West Premier. He spoke at a ANC Youth League Youth Month Memorial Lecture in Mahikeng. Here's a report by Luc...

Time now for our Youth Month Feature. This morning we feature 31-year-old Munene Khoza who wants to lead the pack of strategic communicators across all industries in South Africa. This feisty and creative young woman has used her love for languages to start her own communications consultancy company, which already plays in the space of established agencies. Our Executive Producer, Krivani Pillay,...

Non-governmental organisations, Treatment Action Campaign and SECTION27, together with corruption watchdog Corruption Watch have made public a Special Investigating Unit report that documents widespread corruption totaling to R1,2 billion in the Gauteng Department of Health between 2006-2010. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke Treatment Action Campaign general secretary, Anele Yawa

Director of 'Africa Is Open For Business' , Victor Kgomoesoana speaks Zimbabwean Government has slashed Mobile Data By 60 Percent a Month Before Elections, Nigerian court has ordered Shell to Pay 3-point-6 Billion dollars Fine Over Oil Spill and In Rwanda, Parents and Teachers have welcomed a Ban on Cell Phones in Schools

Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt says the National Health Insurance will only put more pressure on the overburdened taxpayers. He suggests that there are better alternatives that government could have considered. Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi released details of the National Health Insurance Bill and the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill yesterday. Elvis Preslin spoke to Efficient Group...

The presidency says the state will continue to pay former president Jacob Zuma's legal fees until the matter is concluded or a court decides otherwise. Zuma faces charges of fraud and corruption. He has called on the state to pay his legal fees due to him being in the Presidency at the time. Elvis Preslin spoke to visiting associate professor at the Wits School of Law and practicing advocate James...

As part of our youth month feature, we continue to highlight the issue of drugs and substance abuse. There are many reasons why people become addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking and even gambling. Several former drug addicts have spoken about the reasons for their addiction. Elvis Preslin spoe to a member of Narcotics Anonymous who does not want to be identified

Attacks and killing of civilians on the outskirts of Pemba and other towns in the Cabo Delgado province, north of Mozambique, has driven thousands of people out of their villages. And, some tourism businesses have closed down while international companies are evacuating their employees. This follows a spate of attacks where more than 39 civilians were beheaded and their houses torched, allegedly b...

Labour unions at ESKOM are keeping mum about their formal response to the 4, 7 percent wage offer that was tabled by management on Tuesday. But there were signals that the two sides may have inched closer to a deal. The negotiations are set to continue on Thursday with Eskom expected to give its response to the counter-offer by the unions. Unions have maintained that the negotiations are not only...

An independent inquiry into the Ashwin Willemse saga at Supersport led by advocate Vincent Maleka has found that there was no racism aspect in the incident involving the former Springbok. Willemse walked out of the studio after a Super Rugby match between the Lions and the Brumbies last month while he was on air with Nick Malett and Naas Botha. Before walking out of the studio, Willemse said he wa...

Eskom has revised its wage offer of no increase to a four-point -seven per cent increase. The unions staged protests last week against Eskom's announcement that it would not grant any pay increase this year. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to National Union of Minewrkers chief negotiator Helen Diatile

Unions affiliated to Eskom are expected to meet with the parastatal in Cedarwood Park in Woodmead, Johannesburg on Tuesday to begin another round of wage negotiations following a deadlock. Eskom had previously said it could not afford to give salary increases, citing financial difficulties. However, this changed after Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, met with unions and Eskom last week...

Youth unemployment in South Africa still remains high. According to Stats SA, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 34 was 38,2%. Recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government has put youth unemployment at the top of its national agenda. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Professor Lauren Graham, Deputy Director and Associate Professor for the Centre for Social Development...

South Africa has become the first country in the world to replace an inject-able drug with toxic side effects, with a new oral medicine in the standard multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has applauded the department of health following the announcement, saying this is a positive step aimed at making MDR-TB treatment more tolerable. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to...

Power utility, Eskom says its power system will take approximately ten days to recover from the effects of the recent industrial action. This is however dependent on whether not not all staff are back at workon Monday. Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe says during this recovery time the risk of stage one load-shedding remains high. Management and unions are however expected to meet only on Tuesday...

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe says following the release of the newly drafted Mining Charter on Friday, members of the public and other stakeholders have until the end of July to submit suggestions and inputs. Mantashe was briefing the media on policy and regulatory framework in Pretoria. He says they have already embarked on an intensive consultation with mining and organisations acro...

Victor Kgomoesoana, Director of 'Africa Is Open For Business' spoke to Tsepiso Makwetla on this week's top African economic stories including Nigeria gunning for another $500m Abacha loot, Zimbabwean president commissioning a $30M Varun Beverages plant in Harare and Kenya, Uganda urged to seize assets of S Sudan warlords

Priority crime busting unit the Hawks says the investigations into last month's attack on a mosque at Verulam in Kwa-Zulu Natal are at a sensitive stage. National Police Commissioner, Kehla Sitole, also confirmed that one of the victims in on Thursday attack on a mosque at Malmesbury outside Cape Town is a Somali. Sitole, senior police management and the Hawks were in Parliament to brief the Polic...