First Take SA

The National Assembly is today expected to vote on whether to recommend Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka as the next Public Protector. Gcaleka has been acting in the position for more than a year, following the Parliamentary impeachment process of her predecessor, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to FF-Plus' Chief Whip in Parliament, Dr. Corné Mulder.

The CEO of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS Andile Nongogo has been implicated in alleged fraud and corruption. A damning forensic report found that Nongogo actively participated in the appointment of service providers, tasked to disburse allowances to students. The report has also accused Nongogo of having relations with some of the appointed companies. For more on this, Elvis Pre...

ActionSA will today picket outside the Durban International Convention Centre, following allegations by the party that the ANC-led eThekwini Municipality paid nearly R5-million for the ANC Women's League Conference that took place at the venue in August. ActionSA has written to the head of the City Integrity and Investigation Unit, Thulani Ntobela, requesting that he launches an immediate investig...

The death toll from severe flooding in the O.R. Tambo District, in the Eastern Cape has risen to four people. This after heavy rainfall affected various parts of the District, causing damage to property and infrastructure. For the latest Elvis Presslin spoke to OR Tambo District Municipality executive mayor, Mesuli Ngqondwana

The Institute for Economic Justice says the budget cuts that are currently being pushed through by National Treasury will cause economic contractions and that it views the cuts as rushed and indiscriminate . National Treasury recently proposed drastic cuts in government spending in the next six months as part of fiscal consolidation. The cuts are based on government's forecasts of a 22 billion ran...

A police officer has been killed and another wounded in a shootout between police and suspects in Ntuzuma, in KwaZulu Natal. Another police officer has been wounded. Eight suspects have also been killed. Police Minister Bheki Cele says another shootout in the Mzinyathi area near Inanda, also took place during an intelligence driven operation. The minister has revealed that in less than two months,...

Negotiations between the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) for salary increases for the 2023/24 financial year will resume this morning. The workers belonging to the PSA which represents the majority of employees at SITA are on day three of their national strike action following a deadlock in salary negotiations. Workers are demand...

The Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into the building fire that claimed 77 lives in Johannesburg is set to begin later this month. The commission says the date of the commencement of public hearings of the inquiry will be 26 October 2023. The inquiry will look into what led to the fire at a hijacked Marshalltown building. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin caught up with Commissioner for the Kh...

Eye Care Awareness Month is commemorated from 21 September to 18 October to raise awareness about the importance of eye health. On the 12th of October South Africa joined the rest of the global health community in creating this awareness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) at least 2.2 billion people have vision impairment or blindness, of which more than 1 billion cases could have b...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a yearly campaign to raise awareness, educate, and support people affected by breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Registry 2019, breast cancer remains the most prevalent of cancers amongst women, and females have a one in 27 lifetime risk of developing it. Just five percent of women regularly check their breasts for signs of cancer. The Cancer...

Veteran struggle activist Dr Allan Boesak, has turned down a proposal brought by the Patriotic Alliance, to have a street named after him. Boesak's decison comes after the party's statement of support for Israel in the Middle-East conflict. PA leader Gayton Mackenzie was attending a gathering at the South African Zionist Federation, and said the conflict there should not be compared to apartheid-...

The Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) says it is both unfounded and baseless that it is worsening the crisis of loadshedding by failing to supply Eskom with fuel. The fuel supplier says it engaged with Eskom in October 2022, requesting that the national power utility provides at least 3 months forecast of their demand due to losses that were realised by PetroSA linked to...

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

Workers of the Public Servants Association of South Africa have downed tools at the State Information Technology Agency- SITA offices countrywide over a wage dispute with the employer. The PSA workers are demanding a seven point five percent salary increase coupled with non financial benefits while the employer is offering five percent. SITA is the government IT service provider at Home Affairs, S...

Today marks World Food Day, observed on 16 October each year to raise awareness and take action against worldwide hunger and malnutrition. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), almost one in ten people globally are undernourished, and more than 3 billion can't afford a healthy diet. Conflict, climate change and rising prices are all contributing to growing food insecurity aroun...

ANC NEC member and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng has warned about the state of deteriorating municipalities. She was briefing media on the second day of the ANC National Executive Committee meeting in Boksburg in Ekurhuleni. Nkadimeng says while municipalities may be having difficulty in administration and governance - things are far better than...

Israel says its preparing a full scale land, air and sea invasion of the Gaza strip. The country has deployed military troops on the border fence with Gaza, in preparation to expand its offensive on the enclave, amid continuous bombardment. A week of fierce gun fire and airstrikes have left thousands of Israelis and Palestinians dead since the fighting began following an attack by Hamas in Israel....

WaterCan is demanding accountability from Johannesburg and Rand Water over constant water shortages. Residents in Johannesburg and Tshwane have been plagued by water supply interruptions in recent days as reservoirs in both metros were at critically low. Parts of Gauteng are still without water despite authorities reporting steady progress in reservoir recovery. WaterCAN, an initiative of the Orga...

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says it is deeply concerned about the significant risks that fake doctors pose to public health and safety. This comes after the Gauteng Health Department opened a criminal case against a man, who claims to be a medical doctor. The bogus doctor, Matthew Lani, who also uses the names - Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa - claimed that he was a medical g...

The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO has suspended eight South African UN peacekeepers following reports of sexual exploitation and abuse. The personnel involved were deployed at a MONUSCO base in Beni, east of the country, were arrested earlier this month. The men are accused of "fraternizing, after curfew hours, at an out-of-bounds bar known to be a place where transaction...

The South African Democratic Teachers' Union, SADTU will today march to the Durban City Hall over a myriad of challenges facing schools and teachers. Disgruntled educators in the province are threatening a full-blown strike if their demands and outstanding issues are not addressed. To discuss this further Elvis Presslin spoke to SADTU's KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary, Nomarashiya Caluza

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 Inyanda National Land Movement will today march to the offices of the Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in Bisho, in the Eastern Cape. They are demanding access to water. The province has been battling a growing water crisis, where water disruptions have affected residents in a number of municipalities. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Andile Mapisa...

Judgment has been reserved in the Western Cape High Court on the City of Cape Town's application to move homeless people to Culemborg Safe Space. The City says its Safe Space model is a cheaper and more comprehensive intervention than its emergency housing programme. However, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), representing the people living on the streets, says the Safe Sp...

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise will today visit the Lohatla Combat Training Centre in the Northern Cape. A memorial service is expected to be held for the six soldiers who lost their lives when a veldfire swept through the base last week. This as another fire has broken out at an army combat training centre in the same area. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to SANDF...