First Take SA

The South African Social Security Agency, SASSA is urging social grant beneficiaries to ignore escalating social media panic regarding routine compliance assessments. SASSA Head of Communications, Dr. Paseka Letsatsi, confirms that being selected for a mandatory status review does not equate to an automatic suspension or rejection of funds. The agency says these ongoing audits are standard verific...

The Gauteng Legislature's transport committee is demanding immediate behavioural changes from motorists as South Africa officially begins Transport Month. Committee Chairperson Greg Schneemann flags reckless behaviour, drunk driving, speeding and surging road rage as major factors compromising safety ahead of the high-pressure festive season. The legislative body says while fixing road infrastruct...

The state's first witness in the bail application of suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya told the Randburg Magistrates court that whatsapp messages confirm that Sibiya did in-fact communicate with a 16 year-old girl and asked her to send him explicit images and videos of herself. Sibiya was arrested last week on charges of rape, human trafficking and the alleged sexual g...

ANC NEC member Andile Lungisa's legal team has told the Johannesburg High Court that ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula did not have the power to remove Lungisa from the party's proportional representation candidate list. Lungisa is challenging his exclusion from the list ahead of the November 4 local government elections where he says he was the number one candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay. Zara...

 A look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back

ActionSA has welcomed the Public Protector's finding against former Ekurhuleni City Manager Imogen Mashazi. Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka found Mashazi guilty of improper conduct for appointing an unqualified official as Deputy Metro Police Chief. Mashazi appointed Ndumiso Gcwabe in 2022 despite him lacking the required degree qualification. ActionSA says the finding vindicates its stance at th...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given municipalities sixty days to carry out women's safety audits in all high-risk areas, following the discovery of eleven women's bodies in Ekurhuleni. He says broken streetlights, hijacked buildings, overgrown spaces and unsafe routes must be identified and fixed urgently. The President has also ordered police and the NPA to recover unresolved rape and murder case...

COSATU is lobbying Parliament for the immediate passing of the Second Special Appropriation Bill to unlock ten billion rands in emergency fuel relief. The federation wants the funds directed straight to the Central Energy Fund's Equalisation Fund to cushion consumers against volatile international oil markets. For spoke to COSATU's Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks.

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, DENOSA, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's address to the nation on the recent killings of women and government's renewed efforts to tackle Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Among the measures announced is a four-point action plan that includes stronger law enforcement interventions, community safety audits, and intensified efforts to ad...

Rhodes University says it is deeply concerned about the continued disruption of essential services on campus amid ongoing student protests. The university's leadership has accused the Student Representative Council of preventing staff responsible for critical services from accessing residences and campus facilities. These services include the provision of food, cleaning, and water, which the unive...

The South African Local Government Association, SALGA says ending gender-based violence and femicide requires urgent action from municipalities. SALGA was responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's address announcing interventions to confront the escalating crisis. The Association says it supports the directive for all municipalities to conduct women's safety audits within clear timeframes. We spok...

A multi-agency aviation probe is underway in Zimbabwe following a devastating helicopter crash that killed all six people on board in the Marondera Rural district. The private aircraft went down at approximately five o'clock yesterday evening east of Harare, completely destroying the cabin upon impact. Emergency response teams and forensic investigators are on the scene dealing with recovery opera...

South Africa has issued a third formal demarche against US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell the Third in nine months over alleged undiplomatic conduct. Dirco says both sides remain committed to resolving outstanding issues. Washington however says it has no interest in further diplomatic maneuvering and the ball is in Pretoria's court to repair ties. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says...

Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has withdrawn the reservation of high-demand spectrum for the Wholesale Open Access Network, paving the way for ICASA to license this spectrum to operators. The move could have significant implications for competition, investment, network capacity, and digital connectivity in South Africa. To unpack what this means for the telecommunications sector and consume...

South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of gender-based violence and femicide, with recent killings in Ekurhuleni and other parts of the country once again highlighting the scale of the crisis. In response, the GBVF Sector of the National Dialogue of South Africa is convening a community dialogue in Kempton Park under the theme "From Silence to Safety: Strengthening Community Response t...

The South African Law Reform Commission has proposed two new bills to radically change how the state handles massive medical negligence claims. The commission warns that an explosion of lawsuits over the last two decades is heavily draining public funds and crippling healthcare service delivery. The draft laws aim to set up an independent redress commission and enforce pre-litigation rules before...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions, SAFTU, has expressed support for the Employment Services Amendment Bill, saying it supports efforts to regulate labour migration and protect jobs, but warns that workers must not be divided along nationality lines while employers continue to exploit cheap labour. The federation says the focus should be on enforcing labour laws, protecting both South Af...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a four-point plan to effectively deal with the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide in the country. This follows a nationwide outcry after the killing of twelve women in some parts of Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg in the past two months. Addressing the nation at the Union Buildings last night, Ramaphosa instructed law enforcement agencies to focus...

A 23-year-old woman has become the latest victim of gender-based violence in Gauteng. Boitumelo Gift Mashita was brutally murdered in Tembisa yesterday, just as police continue to investigate the discovery of 11 women's bodies in Ekurhuleni. The Tembisa Tracking Team launched a manhunt for her estranged husband, who was wanted as a person of interest in the case. Hours later, he was found dead ins...

Zimbabwe's second-largest city Bulawayo is facing another severe water crisis. More than a million residents are under acute water stress as reservoirs deplete, with usable water now reported to be below 50 percent of capacity. The city says years of poor rainfall, a growing population, and ageing infrastructure are putting supply under pressure. Bulawayo has relied on strict water-shedding for ov...

A look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business  and Africa Bounces Back

The Afrika Mayibuye Movement says it is ready to contest this year's local government elections. The party, led by former EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu, has fielded over 400 councillor candidates in 240 municipalities across all nine provinces. Shivambu says Mayibuye is positioning itself as an alternative to established parties. He was speaking to SAfm's Elvis Presslin about the party's vis...

The United Nations General Assembly convenes a high level meeting in New York today to mark 25 years since the Durban Declaration. Adopted in South Africa in 2001, the Programme of Action remains the global blueprint against racism and discrimination. The meeting comes amid continued debate over the framework's legacy and implementation. UN Human Rights Regional Representative for Southern Africa...

Fear is growing in Ekurhuleni after the discovery of several women's bodies across the region in recent weeks. The African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association, AUBBTA says the killings have created panic among passengers, especially women using public transport. AUBTA is now calling for lockdowns, gated communities and tighter controls at highways and off-ramps in hotspots like Kempton Park and T...

The Special Investigating Unit, SIU has secured 42.4 million rand in cash, properties, pension benefits and investments linked to alleged bribery at Tembisa Hospital. The assets are connected to businessman Stefan Joel Govindraju, who allegedly paid 100 million rand in bribes to officials to secure procurement deals worth 600 million rand. The SIU says the preservation orders form part of its ongo...