First Take SA

The Democratic Alliance has filed an application to access records of the decision that informed the government's plan to lease a portion of the Bhisho airport in the Eastern Cape to the President of the United Arab Emirates and his family. The DA says the Department of Home Affairs and the Eastern Cape government have failed to provide coherent answers on key legal compliance requirements since t...

The City of Johannesburg is once again without an executive mayor following the resignation of Thapelo Amad. This comes ahead of a motion of no confidence against him which was scheduled to take place today. Gauteng ANC Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi made the announcement on behalf of the political parties in the ANC/EFF alliance. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Al-Jama-ah president Ganief H...

African Transformation Movement, ATM President Vuyo Zungula has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to seek clarity on the controversial landing of the President of the UAE and his family on a strip in Bisho, Eastern Cape last week. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his family, and an entourage of 500 guests quietly landed on a reportedly R20 million runway which he pers...

The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal is calling for the immediate termination of the tender awarded by the provincial Education Department for the supplier of the Schools Nutrition Programme. Learners at over 5000 schools in the province have been affected by the late, non-delivery and in some instances, rotten food supplies since schools re-opened two weeks ago. It is believed that these challenges began aft...

Time to take 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

Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF says it will "freeze" the accounts of people who they believe are kingpins in the mineral trade, following the Al Jazeera  Gold Mafia exposé, of gold and money laundering. The ruling party seems to be falling apart following the report which implicates the country's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and smugglers including cigarette manufacturers,  diplomats, and past...

Media Monitoring Africa wants the Constitutional Court to declare President Cyril Ramaphosa's delay in confirming a SABC board unlawful. This is despite the President appointing a board last week. This was after the Public broadcaster was operating without an effective board for six months. Elvis Presslin spoke to the Watchdog's Director William Bird who says there needs to be accountability to de...

The family of Katlego Bereng whose charred remains were found inside Mangaung Correctional Center is disputing the police's version of how their son was killed. The 32-year-old's body was used as a decoy during Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester's infamous escape from a Mangaung prison cell where he staged his suicide in May last year. Police have confirmed through a positive DNA match with...

The trial against four men charged with the murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa is set to begin in the Pietermaritzburg High Court today. Magaqa was shot dead in uMzimkhulu in 2017. Sbonelo Myeza, Mbulelo Mpofana, Mlungisi Ncalane, and Sibusiso Ncengwa, are charged with Magaqa's murder. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Spok...

The Special Investigating Unit says several legal practitioners signed acknowledgments of debt after the unit found more than R340 million in duplicate payments to several law firms. The unit says it has so far recovered around R18 million of the money. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Road Accident Fund Chief Executive Officer, Collins Letsoalo

The South African Human Rights Commission is assessing a complaint of air pollution at the Medupi power station in Lephalale in Limpopo. The Freedom Front Plus logged the complaint this week, alleging that there had been numerous complaints from residents of the Lephalale Local Municipality about air pollution at the Medupi power station. For more on this, FF Plus Limpopo provincial leader Marcell...

Residents of Florida and Fleurhof, in Roodepoort, are today expected to embark on a mass protest action over service delivery, crime, and illegal mining in the area, among other issues. Residents say the community protests will continue until Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi addresses their concerns. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Caleb Finn, a DA Ward 70 Councillor, in Johannesburg, who...

Time to take 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.

Is G4S legally liable to reimburse the government for the R1.4 million costs to deport Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his partner Dr. Nandipha Magudumana from Tanzania after fleeing South Africa? This question arose after Parliament recently learned from Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi that the private flight used to bring back Bester and Dr. Magudumana cost R1.4 million....

There have been several reports suggesting that President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to examine a plan to slow down the decommissioning of old coal power stations. The move is aimed at helping the country battle the problem of load shedding. To discuss this further Elvis Presslin spoke to energy expert at HOHM, Matthew Cruise

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it acknowledges and welcomes the Special Investigating Unit's (SUIs) report as presented in the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). The SIU reported that approximately R 5 billion in NSFAS funds were wrongfully awarded to 40,000 students who did not qualify for the funding. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to South African Uni...

South African Social Security Agency says despite the Post Office facing liquidation beneficiaries will still receive their grants. South African Post Office was placed under provisional liquidation on February 9 after a court application by a creditor owed for rent. The Post Office's most recent financial statements for 2021/2022 to end-March 2022, it owed more than R4.4bn to creditors and its de...

ActionSA is considering legal action against the ANC-EFF coalition after it accused the parties of deliberately collapsing a City of Johannesburg Council programming committee meeting. ActionSA was set to table a motion of no confidence in City Mayor Thapelo Amad yesterday when the meeting reportedly collapsed due to the ANC and EFF's no-show. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Action SA Ga...

German Prosecutors have applied for an arrest warrant against disgraced former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste after failing to make his first court appearance yesterday. Jooste was scheduled to face his first criminal case in Germany over accounting irregularities of various subsidiaries of the company. The public prosecutor's office in Oldenburg applied for the suspension of the proceedings and the...

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says it is deeply concerned about an increase in unilateral and concealed outsourcing of public services to the private sector. COSATU says it is particularly concerned about the ongoing outsourcing at state-owned rail operator Transnet. The labor federation says it rejects the ongoing unbundling and privatization of Transnet as it will destroy j...

The fraud and corruption trial against former president Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thales will resume at the Pietermaritzburg High Court today. During the last court proceedings, Judge Piet Koen recused himself from the case after Zuma instituted private prosecution against state prosecutor advocate Billy Downer and legal journalist Karyn Maughan.  A new judge is expected to preside o...

UDM Leader General Bantu Holomisa is calling for the appointment of an independent facilitator to mediate over the DA's "moonshot pact" ahead of the 2024 national elections. The so-called 'moonshot pact' is seeking to unite opposition parties to form a coalition agreement to unseat the ANC. The UDM, ACDP, and newly formed political party Xiluva have rejected the pact saying all parties need to be...

More than 55 civilians have been killed and hundreds of others injured in Sudan, as rival military factions fight for control. Heavy fighting and explosions erupted in the capital of Khartoum at the weekend, where Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo are vying for power to lead the country. A three-hour tem...

Trade union Solidarity says it is preparing for a huge legal battle over the Employment Equity Amendment Bill of 2020 signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Presidency says the Amendment Bill seeks to advance the transformation of South Africa's workforce by setting equity targets for economic sectors and geographical regions. However, Solidarity says the Act is unconstitutional and gra...

Police have conceded that they never questioned Dr. Nandipha Magudumana about the escape of Facebook rapist Thabo Bester despite her claiming bodies. Magudumana, the alleged partner of Thabo Bester, reportedly claimed three unidentified bodies from mortuaries in the Free State weeks before Bester's escape from Mangaung prison. This was despite officers raising the alarm in August last year. Appear...