First Take SA

Deputy Chair of the National Council of Provinces in Parliament, Sylvia Lucas has been criticized for downplaying the impact of power outages on South Africans. Lucas described load-shedding as a sabotage, stating "it is not the end of the world". Lucas made the utterances during the debate on President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address. Now for more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Syl...

The Supreme Court of Appeal is expected to rule on AfriForum's application for the recusal of one of the five judges hearing the "Kill The Boer" case against EFF leader Julius Malema. Afriforum wants Judge Raylene Keightley to recuse herself from the case alleging bias. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Afriforum CEO Kallie Kriel

Umalusi is urging employers and institutions of higher learning to verify qualifications of their employees and students following a surge in fraudulent certificates. This follows a series of individuals like bogus TikTok doctor Matthew Lani, embellishing their qualifications to secure employment or exploit institutions for other nefarious purposes. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Umalusi...

Hundreds and thousands of Turkish residents remain in shelters - a year after the country's deadliest earthquake. Last week Türkiye commemorated the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Türkiye, some 5,900 in Syria and left over 3 million people without housing. Earthquake survivors say they feel neglected by the Türkiye government. For more on this Elvis Pres...

Members of the University of Cape Town Employees Union have embarked on a wage strike at the Institution. The union is demanding a 7.5% salary increase and for the university to implement a unified bargaining forum. The strike follows a wage impasse between the University and union for a non-strike resolution. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Tsebo Litabe, the Deputy President of the Univ...

Prisoners' rights activist Golden Miles Bhudu says reports of poisoning and a sex ring inside Mangaung's G4S Correctional Facility, in Bloemfontein are not far-fetched. This follows media reports of female prison wardens moonlighting as escorts for inmates. Convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester was allegedly the head of a prostitution ring and drug syndicate inside the prison. For more on thi...

The Gauteng Health Department has issued a warning about the surge in sexually transmitted infections. The rise in STI's has reportedly been noticed in Johannesburg, Sedibeng, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane. The health department is appealing to the public to refrain from risky sexual behaviour. To discuss this further Elvis Presslin spoke to Dr. Nombuso Madonsela, Clinical Manager for HIV and AIDS, STI a...

The Communication Workers' Union, CWU says it's planning a protected strike that will bring the SABC to its knees. The union will today approach the CCMA to establish picketing rules over its wage dispute against the public broadcaster. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Nathan Bowers, National Bargaining Coordinator of the Communications Workers Union, CWU

The 13th of February marks UNESCO's World Radio Day which this year coincides with 100 years of radio for South Africa. South Africa and the world will today celebrate radio as an enduring and resilient medium that is still considered the people's medium of communication. This relevance and resilience is mainly due to radio being accessible, portable and relatable among ordinary people in Africa....

The ANC Youth League has welcomed a High Court ruling declaring the detention of undocumented individuals during an asylum application process as lawful. The decision comes after four Ethiopian and two Somali nationals living illegally in the country sought to interdict Home Affairs from deporting them until their Refugee Status was finalised. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Zama Khanyas...

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The South African National Roads Agency Limited, Sanral has announced an increase in toll fees. South African motorists will pay an additional 6.25% for their toll fees as of March. Will the new fees take a "toll" on the pockets of motorists, commuters and the freight industry? To answer this and more, Elvis Presslin spoke to the CEO of the Road Freight Association, Gavin Kelly

South Africa's association for the hospitality industry, FEDHASA, has called on the government to prioritize tourism, which was not mentioned in the 2024 State of the Nation Address.  The organization believes the tourism industry can be the fastest route to tackling unemployment, creating jobs, and equipping individuals with skills and livelihoods. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Rosemar...

DA Leader John Steenhuisen will today lay criminal charges against Deputy President Paul Mashatile. The move comes after several media reports implicated Mashatile in alleged corruption during his tenure as MEC for Human Settlements in Gauteng. Steenhuisen says last week they attempted to deliver a comprehensive docket of all of the corruption allegations levelled against Mashatile to the Presiden...

Eskom has dismissed claims of sabotage being behind the recent surge in load shedding. This after ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula took to "X", alleging acts of sabotage were behind the power utility implementing stage 6. Eskom's Head of Generation, Bheki Nxumalo says the failure of some units were unpredictable and law enforcement are still safeguarding the utility's power stations. Eskom ha...

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation, DIRCO says a proposed new Bill calling for the review of America's bilateral relations with South Africa will not pass. US law makers submitted a bill before Congress to review relations between Washington and Pretoria after South Africa hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice for acts of genocide against Palestinians. The...

Some opposition parties say President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address was nothing more than repetition of ideas and old broken promises. Ramaphosa delivered the last SONA of the sixth administration at the Cape Town City Hall last night. The DA says none of the promises made by Ramaphosa in his last five SONA speeches have been kept. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to DA Natio...

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has warned that a surge in trucks on national corridors is destroying road infrastructure in the coal belt. The N2 from Ermelo to Pongola is the hardest hit, as it now requires to accommodate around 2,500 trucks a day. The growth in heavy vehicles is outpacing the design assumptions of the road, which can cause roads designed to last for up to 25 ye...

Parliament says it is confident it will be able to implement its new rules during the State of the Nation Address today. The legislature had begun amending its joint rules as part of addressing disruptions during the SONA. The rules will be implemented for the first time this year. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Grace Boroto, House Chairperson for Internal Arrangements in the National As...

Ikageng residents, East of Mamelodi, say it's disappointing that they have entered the 5th year of the ongoing water crisis in their community. That's despite many promises by politicians to find solutions. In anticipation of the 2024 State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the community has pleaded with him to honour the promises made to resolve the water crises in the area. Ram...

With the African mining indaba currently underway in Cape Town, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is looking at innovations that can help make the mining industry safer. SA's mining industry recorded a total of 55 fatalities during 2023, a 22% increase from the deaths in the previous year. Several mining incidents and fatalities have been reported, with the major one last y...

Build One South Africa (BOSA) will host a gathering of the unemployed outside City Hall in Cape Town ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow (Thursday). BOSA Leader Mmusi Maimane says the unemployment line is 11 million and growing - so the unemployed need to be heard. Elvis Presslin spoke to BOSA leader, Mmusi Maimane

Motorists will pay more for fuel from today. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has confirmed that the price of both grades of petrol will increase by 75-cents per litre. The diesel price will increase by between 70 and 75-cents per litre. While Illuminating paraffin is going up by 71-cents per litre at retail level. The department has attributed the increase to the current geopolitica...

The Department of Employment and Labour is warning South Africans not to pay for employment services. The call comes after the latest scam where persons are asked to pay R250 for background checks at Pep stores. The department says it is illegal for private employment agencies to deduct any amount from employee's remuneration or demand them to pay for being placed in a job. To further discuss this...