First Take SA

Outgoing Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has blamed his predecessor, Herman Mashaba, for the poor state of service delivery in the city. This follows Gwamanda's resignation yesterday as Mayor. Elvis Presslin spoke to ActionSA Gauteng provincial Chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni

The Democratic Alliance will today stage a protest outside the North Gauteng High Court, where the accused in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal will face pre-trial proceedings. The party is demonstrating against the alleged embezzlement of pensioners' savings and municipal funds, which were reportedly used to finance the extravagant lifestyles of politicians and officials. To discuss this further Elvis...

Build One South Africa (BOSA) Leader, Mmusi Maimane MP, will today lead a protest against gun violence at the Motherwell Police Station in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. The community has been plagued by a recent surge in gun violence, leaving families shattered and demanding justice. In a recent brazen attack a gang of armed men stormed a school's awards ceremony in Motherwell at the weekend, firing mul...

The Western Cape High Court has reserved judgment in a case by lobby group, My Vote Counts, challenging the Electoral Matters Amendment Act, which permits political parties to accept unlimited donations.  They argue that the annual donation limit should remain capped at R15 million, with all contributions exceeding R100,000 being declared. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Joel Bregman, sen...

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg is expected to hear a legal challenge by former President, Jacob Zuma and the Umkhonto Wesizwe party, against the use of the term 'Government of National Unity' by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). In papers before the court, they have argued that the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) and...

Healthcare workers have downed tools at Mpumalanga's Themba Hospital in Kabokweni, outside White River. The protest comes after hospital staff members were allegedly held at gunpoint by two men who were demanding that their friend be attended to ahead of everyone else already in line. In response to the incident, National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, has called for more conducive a...

The Gauteng Department of Education has expressed deep sorrow following news of the deaths of four learners in two seperate incidents. In the first incident, three siblings enrolled at Evaton Primary School in Sebokeng, south of the province, reportedly fell ill at around 08:00 yesterday morning. Department spokesperson, Steve Mabona says two of the learners, a girl in Grade 3 and a boy in Grade 4...

The inquest into the tragic deaths of 21 underaged patrons at the Enyobeni tavern is expected to resume today at the East London Regional Court, in the Eastern Cape. The aim of the inquest is to determine whether anyone can be held criminally responsible, either by action or inaction, for the June 2022 deaths in Scenery Park, East London. The court is hearing the case following a Human Rights Comm...

The Gauteng Department of Health has noted a recent ruling by the Special Tribunal which invalidated and set aside a R257 million COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) contract awarded to Nkhane Projects and Supply by the Department. The matter was brought before the Tribunal, a court with similar status to the High Court, by the Special Investigating Unit after the unit found that the cont...

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the top business stories coming out of Africa 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

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has strongly condemned the loss of civilian lives following an Israeli air strike on a school building, in Gaza, on Saturday. The attack claimed the lives of over 70 people who had sought refuge in the building. The United Nations reports that, as of last Tuesday, 477 of Gaza's 564 school buildings have been directly hit or damaged, with more than a dozen targeted...

Three Mexican nationals and two South Africans, facing charges of drug manufacturing and dealing, will continue their bail hearings at the Groblersdal Magistrate's Court this week. The court has directed the state to present a photo album showing the crime scene, after a group of suspects was arrested during a raid by the Hawks, where a massive illicit drug lab was discovered at Thaba Monate farm...

In a historic moment for South Africa, Mia le Roux has been crowned Miss South Africa 2024, making her the first hearing-impaired winner in the pageant's 66-year history. The 28-year-old from Oudtshoorn, diagnosed with profound hearing loss at just one year old, captured the judges' hearts with her vision for an inclusive society, stating that she aims to teach the included to embrace those who ar...

Police minister, Senzo Mchunu says his department is emphasizing the safety and security of South African citizens as investigations continue into the latest discovery of a suspected military training facility, this time at a farm in the Limpopo province. This comes after the Hawks discovered numerous licensed firearms, rifles and ammunition at the farm in Modimolle, last Thursday. Mchunu's Spokes...

Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer are increasingly becoming a public health crisis in South Africa. Diabetes, particularly Type 2, is the leading cause of death, making up over 90% of all diabetes cases. According to Percept, a Cape Town-based consulting firm, nearly 5.6 million South Africans were living with diabetes in 2019, with projections ind...

Today, President Cyril Ramaphosa will undertake a working visit to Angola, where he will meet with President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. The two leaders will use this opportunity to review the bilateral relationship between their countries. They will also discuss regional mutual interests, including the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the broader efforts to resolve con...

The Hawks In Ventersdorp, in the North West province, have arrested a school principal and an education department circuit manager for allegedly selling teaching positions for R15,000 each. The two were arrested following an investigation into allegations of corruption in the appointment teachers in Ventersdorp and surrounding areas. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to North West Hawks Spokes...

The NPA's Investigating Directorate (ID) says it will promptly reinstate the R280 million Estina dairy farm fraud and corruption case. This follows the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein removing the matter from the roll yesterday. The trial, which involves former minister Mosebenzi Zwane and 15 others, was originally set to run from August 5th to September 13th. The case centers around alleged...

The Democratic Alliance says it intends to refer the management of the Nasi iSpani programme and Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi to the office of the Public Protector for investigation, for what the party calls irresponsible promises made by Lesufi to thousands of job seeker. The DA says it wants answers after 32 000 teaching assistants, who were employed on a contractual basis through the Nasi iS...

The Department of Home Affairs says it has found prima facie evidence that the woman registered as the mother of Miss SA contestant, Chidimma Adetshina, may have committed identity fraud and identity theft when registering Adetshina. In a statement released last night, Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber says Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as...

King Jacob Lleka Kekana who claims ownership of over 56 million hectares of South African land through title deeds has been fighting for recognition as the monarch of 12 tribes of Amandebele. His extensive land claims span to four provinces: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Gauteng. Despite this, the democratic government of South Africa has not recognized his status as a monarch. King Kekana...

The ANC in Johannesburg says plans are afoot to recall Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda. According to ANC Joburg spokesperson Masilo Serekele, it's only a matter of days before the city appoints a new mayor. Calls for Gwamanda's resignation have grown louder amid allegations of corruption, inadequate service delivery, and the controversial R200 electricity surcharge impacting low-income residents. For more o...

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is today kicking off the inaugural two-day National Joint Sitting of the Council of Mayors and Speakers in Polokwane, Limpopo.  Mayors and Speakers from all 257 of the country's municipalities will convene in an effort to tackle critical issues in municipal governance and service delivery. The sitting is the first of its kind, following the Go...

RISE Mzansi says the party's Western Cape convener, Axolile Notywala will be joining the GOOD party caucus, as one of the latter's councilors in the City of Cape Town. The party says the move will strengthen its commitment to exploring long-term collaboration with the GOOD Party, following the 2024 national elections. In a statement announcing Notywala's appointment, the party said the poll result...

The Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed an announcement by newly-appointed Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson that his department will be initiating an independent investigation into the procurement and renovation of the South African Police Service headquarters, in Pretoria. The Telkom Towers Building was purchased in the year 2016 for over R700 million, and d...