First Take SA

Western Cape has approximately 121 days of useable water left. This after dam levels across the Western Cape fall to an average of 31%. Speaking during a press briefing, Cape Town's Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, outlined its medium to long term water resource planning to mitigate the water crisis. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Priya Reddy, Spokesperson for the City of Cape Town

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa wants the Minister of Social Department, Bathabile Dlamini, to appear before the Committee to give clarity on issues related to the Cash Paymaster Services, CPS' contract. Social grants agency SASSA has admitted to Scopa that there is no plan in place for an alternative entity to pay social grants on the first of April. The Constitutional Court decl...

The National Assembly has passed the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment Bill. The bill was sent back to National Assembly before the end of last year after president Jacob Zuma questioned its constitutionality. This came after he received two objections to the FICA bill. Among those who petitioned the president not to sign it into law was the Progressive Professional Forum led by Mzwanele Man...

Rail Agency Prasa's acting CEO, Collins Letsoalo, has rejected media allegations that he gave himself a 350 per cent salary increase. Weekend papers published damning reports saying that Letsoalo hiked his salary, uses a chauffeur driven car and has a company cell phone with unlimited calls. The acting CEO told the media in Pretoria today that he will weigh his legal options and seek either a defa...

The high court in Pretoria has ruled that all fines before the court where, traffic authorities failed to abide by the letter of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act be cancelled. This applies to millions of traffic fines issued in Johannesburg and Pretoria since 2008. Tsepiso makwetla spoke to Fines4U's Cornelia van Niekerk who brought the case before the courts.

Former president Thabo Mbeki has condemned the spate of attacks on foreign nationals in Pretoria last week. Speaking at his inauguration as chancellor of the University of South Africa today, Mbeki said many socio-economic challenges will not be solved by attacking foreign immigrants. Tsepiso makwetla spoke to Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana, a Professor of Politics at the University of South Africa.

The department of water and sanitation has warned of possible flooding along the Vaal River as Vaal Dam reaches full capacity. The Vaal Dam, among other areas in Gauteng, reached 100 percent capacity for the first time in six years. The Water and Sanitation Department says it's started releasing water from Bloemhof dam and will do the same for the Vaal dam. The department has also announced that i...

KZN MEC for Community Safety Mxolisi Kaunda has welcomed the swift arrests of two suspects in connection with a shooting that left four people dead and seven others wounded at uMlazi G-section over the weekend. The two are believed to be friends of the three men who allegedly killed four members of the Mzila family and also wounded seven others at a tavern nearby. The third suspect died in a shoot...

Acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane says they have the situation in the Pretoria CBD under control, this after violence broke out between locals and alleged illegal immigrants. Phahlane also indicated that over 130 people have been arrested in the past 24 hours. Ike Phaahla spoke to Mametlwe Sebei who is part of Coalition of communities against xenophobia for his reaction to the...

The ANC has called for tolerance towards foreign nationals and condemned the violence that broke out in Pretoria today. Police used stun grenades to disperse groups of people in the Pretoria CBD after a stand-off between locals and migrants. Earlier this month, similar scenes were seen in Rosettenville, south of Johannesburg, where houses believed to be drug dens and brothels were torched. The ANC...

During a press conference earlier today, Minster of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba condemned xenophobic attacks in the country, stating that crime has no nationality. The Director General of Home Affairs Mkhuseli Apleni spoke to Ike Phaahla about the departments sentiments and plan of action. We also spoke to the leader of Nigerian Youth Council Murtala Gamji who denies vandalism of a MTN building in...

DA says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan should consider alternative ways other than a tax increase, to reach the R28 billion budget for the financial year 2017/2018. Some of these alternative are economic growth, selling assets and cutting wastage and expenditure. These were revealed when DA finance spokesperson David Maynier and his deputy Alf Lees shared the party's "tax alternatives" at a brief...

As Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan prepares to deliver the budget speech tomorrow, President Jacob Zuma emphasised in his State of the Nation Address that the state will play a role in the economy to drive transformation. Zuma said Government will use legislation, regulations, licensing, budget and procurement as well as Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Charters to influence the behaviour of...

Dancing the Death Drill, journalist and author, Fred Khumalo tells the story of the SS Mendi

Madibeng municipal area branch chairperson, Bethuel Mmutle, former ANC deputy chairperson in the North West China Dodovu, and political analyst from the University of the North West, Professor Andre Duvenhage on Brain Molefe membership.

ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala has reflected on the mistakes the party made leading to and during the Polokwane elective conference in 2007. Speaking at the party's Cadres forum at the Durban Exhibition Centre, Zikalala says both the policy conference and the national conference will either make or break the ANC. Sihle Zikalala spoke to Tsepiso Makwetla...

Human rights lawyer Dumisa Ntsebeza has been appointed as the chancellor of the University of Fort Hare. Advocate Ntsebeza takes the reins at the institution after the death of former sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile. He speaks to Tsepiso Makwetla about fees must fall campaign and transformation at higher learning institutions

The Competition Commission says it has filed with the Competition Tribunal a settlement agreement reached with Citibank for being part of the forex trading cartel. Citibank will pay an administrative penalty of almost 70 million rand . The Commission found that from 2007, Citibank and its competitors had a general agreement to collude on prices for bids and offers for the spot trades in relation t...

Are you looking for love but can't seem to find it? Statistics South Africa's handy Valentine's week data map, can help you narrow down your search. StatsSA has a series of maps based on the 2011 Census figures to help you fine-tune your search. They narrowed the statistics down to unmarried people between the ages of 20 and 34. They then plotted this data on maps, marked in pink or blue. South Af...

Some students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the Eastern Cape could lose their accommodation on campus if their approval for financial aid support delays further. Earlier reports suggested that some students have been stranded, camping out in TV rooms and halls as they waited for their funding to be approved. Meanwhile National Student Financial Aid Scheme says it has already pro...

Parliament has confirmed that former Eskom CEO, Brian Molefe's name, is to become a member of Parliament. He has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the list of ANC Mp's from North West. Recent reports have suggested that with Molefe becoming an MP, President Jacob Zuma may reshuffle his cabinet and appoint Molefe as Finance Minister. ANC Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo says it is not yet...

The Competition Commission has found seventeen banks guilty of price fixing and market allocation in the trading of foreign currency pairs involving the Rand since April 2015. Commission also found that the traders used trading platforms such as the Reuters currency trading platform and Bloomberg instant messaging system (chatroom). Tsepiso Makwetla spokesperson Bloomberg Journalist, Mike Cohen...

One child has died and 18 other people, including the deputy principal of Bhekizizwe School in the Eastern Cape have been rushed to hospital after an alleged incident of mass hysteria. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo

17 banks that were involved in the collusion of the rand are to face prosecution. The Competition Commission has been investigating a case of price-fixing in the trading of foreign currency involving the rand since April 2015. The banks include Absa, Standard Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan Chase, Investec, HSBC Bank, and Credit Suisse. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke...

The Competition Commission has referred a collusion case to the tribunal for prosecution against 17 banks. The commission has been investigating a case of price-fixing in the trading of foreign currency involving the rand since April 2015. The banks include Absa, Standard Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan Chase, Investec, HSBC Bank, and Credit Suisse. The Commi...