First Take SA

Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla says they are engaging National Treasury for additional budget to employ newly qualified doctors. He was responding to the delays in the placement of graduate doctors. Phaahla says most of the affected doctors have been allocated posts but were unable to work due to lack of funding. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Dr. Cedric Sihlangu, General Secretary of...

Labour Federation COSATU says it's optimistic about the increase of the national minimum wage, which comes into effect next month. The national minimum wage has been increased to 27-rand 58-cents per hour, from 25-rand 42-cents per hour. To speak more on the matter Elvis Presslin chatted with COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator and Spokesperson, Matthew Parks 

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

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the mining sector has seen significant growth and major transformation, with black ownership increasing from 2% in 2004 to 39% this year. Ramaphosa was addressing the 30th Investing in African Mining Indaba, currently underway in Cape Town. The 2024 African Mining Indaba, the world's largest gathering of influential stakeholders in the mining industry focuses on the...

The University of Kwazulu-Natal has introduced a compulsory module for its 9,000 first-year students, aiming to tackle societal issues like gender-based violence, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. The module will consist of eight online lectures and tutorials. Now for more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Professor Yanga Zembe-Zondi, an Associate Professor in the disciple of Community Development...

More than half a million South Africans registered to vote, on the first day of the registration weekend. The Independent Electoral Commission, IEC held its final voter registration at the weekend. This as the country prepares for a defining election this year. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Terry Tselane, Executive Chairman of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa and...

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu says no effort will be spared to resolve the water crisis in eThekwini, KZN. He was speaking during a community engagement with residents of Verulam, Tongaat and Phoenix yesterday. Last week, residents took to the streets demanding for water be restored after weeks of prolonged water outages. To discuss this further, Elvis Presslin spoke to Minister Mchun...

Tanzania's President, Samia Suluhu Hassan has joined a growing list of heads of states, who are offering messages of condolences following the passing of Namibia's President, Hage Geingob. Geingob, who was 82, passed away in a hospital in Windhoek weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. Elvis Presslin spoke to Namibian Political analyst, Rui Tyitende

Registrations for returning students at the Mangosuthu University of Technology have been postponed due to water challenges in parts of eThekwini Municipality. According to a statement from the university, MUT executives have postponed registration of returning students in favor of only registering first-time students. Students who are unable to register online will be assisted by staff members wh...

Ekurhuleni Finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga has accused the Auditor General's office of being politically motivated for delaying the release of the City's latest audit report. However the public audit body says the report was completed on time but the City's dispute over audit outcomes of the 2022-23 financial year stalled the release of the report. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Action SA Ek...

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS will today commence its loan-funding scheme for the so-called missing middle students. Last month NSFAS introduced a new loan scheme to provide financial assistance to a broader range of students from households with an annual income above the R350,000 threshold. The South African Union of Students, SAUS' Secretary General, Lukhanyo Daweti spoke to...

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

Johannesburg bus service, Metrobus is currently in talks with the South African Municipal Workers' Union, Samwu after bus workers down tools yesterday. Metrobus employees embarked on a strike leaving thousands of commuters stranded. Workers are aggrieved over wages and shifts at the city's transport entity. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to SAMWU Gauteng Treasurer, Karabo Ramahuma...

Tourism in South Africa is booming according to the recent numbers released by Statistics South Africa. International tourist arrivals from January to December 2023 totalled 8.5 million, representing a remarkable 48.9% increase when compared with same period in 2022. Of the 8.5 million visitors just over 2 million are from the African continent. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Depa...

The Economic Freedom Fighters, EFF say the suspension of its MPs from next week's State of the Nation Address, SONA - is to shield President Cyril Ramaphosa from accountability. This after the Western Cape High Court dismissed an urgent application by the EFF to rescind the suspension of six of its MP's, including leader Julius Malema. Last year, the National Assembly resolved to suspend Malema, h...

The ANC in eThekwini have rubbished claims by the DA insinuating the municipality would fund EFF and ANC rallies in the coming week. This as the two parties are scheduled to launch manifesto rallies ahead of this year's national elections. The ANC is demanding the DA to provide evidence to support their claims. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to ANC eThekwini Spokesperson, Mlondi Mkhi...

The South African National Defence Union, SANDU has welcomed the reinstatement of a military recruit who was denied employment due to her HIV status. In 2017, a woman had undergone two years of training before her contracts were cancelled due to her HIV status. The South African National Defence Force re-employed the woman in 2023 after threats of litigation by Section27 and the AIDS Law Project....

Thousands of South Africans living abroad have registered to vote in the upcoming national elections. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says nearly 30 000 people, across more than 100 countries globally have registered thus far. But Hayley Reichert, a passionate and committed South African based in London says there are still significant problems with overseas registration and voting....

Eleven licensing officials have been arrested for fraud and corruption in Gauteng, the Free State and Mpumalanga. The arrests follow a three year investigation called Operation Catfish. The operation identified examiners who allegedly fraudulently issued drivers licenses and roadworthy certificates at various testing stations. The suspects in the Free State appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates...

The Democratic Alliance says President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration is to blame for South Africa's drop in a corruption perception index. The latest global ranking of perceptions of corruption shows the country has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded - scoring 41 out of 100. The DA has accused Ramaphosa's administration of being more corrupt than his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. For more on t...

The International Monetary Fund, IMF has cut its economic-growth forecasts for South Africa. The IMF has cited the country's energy crisis and logistical challenges at its ports and railways. In its World Economic Outlook released yesterday, the Washington-based lender says South Africa will likely grow by a meager 1% this year. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Frank Blackmore, Lead Econo...

The South African Heritage Resource Agency, SAHRA have welcomed the suspension of a controversial auction of former President Nelson Mandela's personal items. New York-based Guernsey's auction house announced the suspension on its websites without further explanation. The auction, which was scheduled to take place in February, would have seen 70 personal items belonging to the global Iconic and an...

The U.N. Security Council has expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. This amidst the International Court of Justice's recent ruling ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in its war with Hamas. The Council says there is an urgent need to expand flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza strip. Meanwhile, President Cyril R...

Former President Jacob Zuma has 48 hours to respond to his suspension from the ANC. The party's National Executive Committee took a decision to suspend Zuma as a member after he joined and campaigned for the rival uMkhonto we Sizwe party ahead of this year's national elections. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Political Analyst Tessa Dooms

The ANC in the Greater Johannesburg Region has expressed shock after a Rand Water executive was shoot and killed at the Zakariyya Park community hall in Vlakfontein. The incident occurred during a Back-to-School campaign at the centre. The City of Johannesburg Council's Chief Whip, Sthembiso Zungu was shot and wounded at the same event. ANC Greater Johannesburg Spokesperson, Masilo Serekele spoke...