First Take SA

Wits University students say they will not stop protesting until their grievances are heard. This follows the firing of rubber bullets by the police to disperse hundreds of protesting students outside the Great Hall at Wits University.

Wits University students say they will not stop protesting until their grievances are heard. This follows the firing of rubber bullets by the police to disperse hundreds of protesting students outside the Great Hall at Wits University.

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

Two former employees of the South African Revenue Services (SARS) have teamed up in writing a book that allegedly exposes a "rogue unit" operating within SARS. The book , titled Rogue: The Inside Story of SARS's Elite Crime-busting Unit is the work of Johann van Loggerenberg‚ with Adrian Lackay.

Officials from the Competition Commission have raided six of the world's biggest container shipping companies on suspicion of colluding to inflate rates between Asia and South Africa. The six raided companies are local subsidiaries of Denmark's Maersk, Portugal's Mediterranean Shipping Company, France's CMA CGM Shipping, Germany's HamburgSud, Singapore-based Pacific International Line and Maersk u...

Wits University students are currently marching to the chamber of mines in Johannesburg where they'll hand over a memorandum demanding support for their call for free education. The University has been shut down for over a week now following protests by students demanding free education. Meanwhile the University of Limpopo in Mankweng outside Polokwane has suspended academic activities indefinitel...

In our Arts and Culture feature today we look at an Open Air Cinema aimed at providing alternative entertainment for rural parts of the country: Backyard Films SA. The outdoor cinema takes the youth off the streets and taverns and provides alternative entertainment for rural villages in the country who do not have a cinema nearby.

Hundreds were gathered at the Grace Bible Church in Soweto, to bid farewell to Kwaito legend, Mandoza. The 38-year-old musician - whose real name is Mduduzi Tshabalala - died from cancer on Sunday. Today we pay tribute to the musician with this tribute compiled by Aphiwe Honono...

A Weekly slot on PMLIVE where we dissect stories that made headlines not only on the news but social media too.

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has again warned that he will close down institutions which continue to be violent and ungovernable. Nzimande was speaking during an exclusive interview with the SABC this morning following the ongoing protests by students nationally demanding free education. Nzimande had issued a similar warning in Cape Town earlier this week. Nzimande also called on paren...

A large group of paramedics took part in a demonstration in Philippi on the Cape Flats calling for an end to violent attacks on rescue workers and ambulances in townships. In terms of a memorandum read during a gathering at a local stadium there's been more than 80 attacks on paramedics and ambulances in the Cape Metro this year.

In our Arts and Culture feature today we speak to Bukhosi Nyathi, a young artist whose work speaks about issues affecting humanity such as: child abuse, female hygiene as well celebrating successful women. Nyathi is among other young artists showcasing their artwork at the Dancing with the Devil Exhibition taking place at the Jo Anke Gallery in Bramley; Johannesburg

The managing director of the waste management company PIKITUP of the City of Johannesburg Amanda Nair has been relieved of her duties. Nair says she has no intention of taking legal action against her former employers. She was placed on special leave in July after trade union SAMWU accused her of maladministration.

Highlights of this week's top stories and social media trending topics

Learning at Lawson Brown High School in Port Elizabeth has been disrupted after protesting learners demanded an amendment to the Code of Conduct regarding hair restrictions. Earlier this week, four learners were allegedly told they would not be allowed to write their matric trail examinations if they did not relax and trim their hair in accordance with strict hairstyle policy. Several learners inc...

.Government has finally spoken out over the spat between Eskom and treasury. The power utility has been given orders to comply with treasury's investigation on coal contracts. It now has to submit a 172 page document to treasury on its coal related contracts. Treasury earlier accused Eskom for failing to comply with its investigations of coal contracts particularly those concluded between Eskom an...

A group of student organisations from the University of Pretoria have pledged solidarity with leaners from Pretoria High School for Girls who have allegedly been forced to straighten their hair. Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi earlier met with the school's learners. He will meet with the school's Governing Body at 6 o'clock tonight.

The situation outside the Pretoria High School for Girls is calm but tense as members of various student organizations are picketing outside the school in solidarity with the learners who accused some teachers of racism. The learners claim they are forced to straighten their hair. All gates leading into the premises have been locked and there is a high police presence in and outside the school. Ga...

Former Intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils will donate the money he won in his defamation case against the deputy defence minister to the woman who had accused President Jacob Zuma of rape in 2005. The high court in Pretoria has ordered Kebby Maphatsoe to pay Kasrils half a million rand after he labelled him as a traitor and accused him of trumping up the rape charge. Maphatsoe has been ordered t...

The ANC seems to have managed to retain the Ekurhuleni metro on the East Rand with the party's Patricia Khumalo narrowly winning another term as speaker. She defeated the DA's Shadow Shabangu by 117 to 106 votes. All 224 Ekurhuleni councillors will now nominate and vote for a mayor.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says if the members call for the current leadership to step down following its dismal peformance in the local government election it must be ready to do so. Mantashe was speaking to the media after it was relegated to opposition benches for the first time in the rich metros of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay metro. Mantashe says the party's structu...

Voting for the new mayor of Johannesburg is expected to get underway shortly after the DA's Vasco Da Gama was elected speaker. The DA's Herman Mashaba is widely expected to win that vote. Earlier Da Gama secured 145 votes against 126 for ANC's Constance Bapela. The counting process was delayed following scuffles between an EFF observer and an IEC official.

Coming "FROM ALEX WITH LOVE".On our regular Open Mic slot today we feature South African Hip Hop artist and producer Sean Pages. The Alex born rapper recently dropped his latest album titled From Alex With Love. SAfm Producer Ronald Phiri spoke to Sean about his latest offering....

KwaZulu Natal MEC for Education Mthandeni Dlungwane has met with the stakeholders at Ekucabangeni High School in Nquthu after a video showing a teacher and a learner at the school having sex in one of the cottages. Outraged learners went on the rampage and burnt the cottage where the sexual act allegedly happened. It is also being reported that another learner was inside the cottage when the pupil...

The DA's Athol Trollip has vowed to stop corruption, create jobs and deliver better service delivery in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. He was speaking after being elected mayor of the Metro. It's the first time a member of the ANC has not held the post since 1994. Councillors for the ANC, which suffered heavy defeats in recent local government elections, walked out after Trollip was voted in...