First Take SA

Mozambican human rights champion Professor Adriano Nuvungo has issued an urgent open letter to President Daniel Chapo challenging a controversial funding pact with the United States. The deal allegedly ties critical international health subsidies to the mandatory sharing of citizens' private medical data and biological samples. Nuvungo warns that trading personal medical details without public con...

The Department of Basic Education is moving to tighten rules around teachers communicating with learners on WhatsApp and other social platforms. The move follows a string of cases, including a Gauteng teacher suspended after alleged inappropriate chats with a 17-year-old learner and 469 sexual misconduct cases recorded since 2018. The Federation of Governing Bodies, FEDSAS says schools need clear...

The MK Party is calling for urgent government intervention as South Africans brace for a record fuel price increase. The party says rising fuel costs will push up the price of basic goods and transport, hitting the poor hardest. It wants Treasury to consider cutting the fuel levy and other relief measures. We spoke to  MK Party MP, Visvin Reddy. 

Dismissed Crime Intelligence deputy head Major-General Feroz Khan will appear before the Madlanga Commission today BUT behind closed doors. The Commission has ruled his testimony will be heard in camera after his legal team cited sensitive evidence. Khan had previously failed to appear despite being subpoenaed, prompting the Commission to order criminal charges be laid against him. We spoke to Leg...

A look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back

Ekurhuleni residents continue to grapple with failing services, crumbling infrastructure and crime, despite the metro's economic importance. Today on our podcast feature we sit down with BOSA mayoral candidate Nongelo Chiume on his practical plan to fix the city. And in this series we will also be hearing from various other mayoral candidates from other small parties. 

Trade union Solidarity is warning South Africa could be cut from the AGOA trade deal before Christmas. The 2000 American law gives South Africa and 30-odd other African countries, duty-free access for over 1,800 products. For more, we're joined by Jaco Kleynhans, Head of Public Liaison at Solidarity.

Suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya is expected to file an urgent legal bid to block his internal SAPS disciplinary hearing today. His defense team says they are pushing for a postponement to prepare for his compounding legal woes. Sibiya faces internal misconduct charges tied to the Madlanga Commission alongside separate criminal counts of rape, grooming and human trafficking. Si...

Trade union Solidarity is warning South Africa could be cut from the AGOA trade deal before Christmas. The 2000 American law gives South Africa and 30-odd other African countries, duty-free access for over 1,800 products. For more, we're joined by Jaco Kleynhans, Head of Public Liaison at Solidarity.

US President Donald Trump has promised five-thousand-dollar checks for American adults if Republicans win the midterm elections. The announcement has sparked debate over voter incentives and the state of the US economy. Trump said the rationale behind the proposal was the country's "tremendous economic success" We spoke to former US diplomat and international relations expert, Mr. Brooks Spector.

The South African Social Security Agency, SASSA is urging social grant beneficiaries to ignore escalating social media panic regarding routine compliance assessments. SASSA Head of Communications, Dr. Paseka Letsatsi, confirms that being selected for a mandatory status review does not equate to an automatic suspension or rejection of funds. The agency says these ongoing audits are standard verific...

The Gauteng Legislature's transport committee is demanding immediate behavioural changes from motorists as South Africa officially begins Transport Month. Committee Chairperson Greg Schneemann flags reckless behaviour, drunk driving, speeding and surging road rage as major factors compromising safety ahead of the high-pressure festive season. The legislative body says while fixing road infrastruct...

The state's first witness in the bail application of suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya told the Randburg Magistrates court that whatsapp messages confirm that Sibiya did in-fact communicate with a 16 year-old girl and asked her to send him explicit images and videos of herself. Sibiya was arrested last week on charges of rape, human trafficking and the alleged sexual g...

ANC NEC member Andile Lungisa's legal team has told the Johannesburg High Court that ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula did not have the power to remove Lungisa from the party's proportional representation candidate list. Lungisa is challenging his exclusion from the list ahead of the November 4 local government elections where he says he was the number one candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay. Zara...

 A look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back

ActionSA has welcomed the Public Protector's finding against former Ekurhuleni City Manager Imogen Mashazi. Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka found Mashazi guilty of improper conduct for appointing an unqualified official as Deputy Metro Police Chief. Mashazi appointed Ndumiso Gcwabe in 2022 despite him lacking the required degree qualification. ActionSA says the finding vindicates its stance at th...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given municipalities sixty days to carry out women's safety audits in all high-risk areas, following the discovery of eleven women's bodies in Ekurhuleni. He says broken streetlights, hijacked buildings, overgrown spaces and unsafe routes must be identified and fixed urgently. The President has also ordered police and the NPA to recover unresolved rape and murder case...

COSATU is lobbying Parliament for the immediate passing of the Second Special Appropriation Bill to unlock ten billion rands in emergency fuel relief. The federation wants the funds directed straight to the Central Energy Fund's Equalisation Fund to cushion consumers against volatile international oil markets. For spoke to COSATU's Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks.

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, DENOSA, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's address to the nation on the recent killings of women and government's renewed efforts to tackle Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Among the measures announced is a four-point action plan that includes stronger law enforcement interventions, community safety audits, and intensified efforts to ad...

Rhodes University says it is deeply concerned about the continued disruption of essential services on campus amid ongoing student protests. The university's leadership has accused the Student Representative Council of preventing staff responsible for critical services from accessing residences and campus facilities. These services include the provision of food, cleaning, and water, which the unive...

The South African Local Government Association, SALGA says ending gender-based violence and femicide requires urgent action from municipalities. SALGA was responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's address announcing interventions to confront the escalating crisis. The Association says it supports the directive for all municipalities to conduct women's safety audits within clear timeframes. We spok...

A multi-agency aviation probe is underway in Zimbabwe following a devastating helicopter crash that killed all six people on board in the Marondera Rural district. The private aircraft went down at approximately five o'clock yesterday evening east of Harare, completely destroying the cabin upon impact. Emergency response teams and forensic investigators are on the scene dealing with recovery opera...

South Africa has issued a third formal demarche against US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell the Third in nine months over alleged undiplomatic conduct. Dirco says both sides remain committed to resolving outstanding issues. Washington however says it has no interest in further diplomatic maneuvering and the ball is in Pretoria's court to repair ties. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says...

Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has withdrawn the reservation of high-demand spectrum for the Wholesale Open Access Network, paving the way for ICASA to license this spectrum to operators. The move could have significant implications for competition, investment, network capacity, and digital connectivity in South Africa. To unpack what this means for the telecommunications sector and consume...

South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of gender-based violence and femicide, with recent killings in Ekurhuleni and other parts of the country once again highlighting the scale of the crisis. In response, the GBVF Sector of the National Dialogue of South Africa is convening a community dialogue in Kempton Park under the theme "From Silence to Safety: Strengthening Community Response t...