First Take SA

Additional train and bus trips have been scheduled between Paarl and Cape Town, as part of the contingency measures to help commuters who have been left stranded by renewed taxi violence. This, as another person has been gunned down at a taxi rank in Milnerton near Cape Town. The shooting comes hours after a truce was announced by Transport minister Fikile Mbalula, including an immediate ceasefire...

As of THIS MORNING, the price of fuel has increased to record high levels that will have a domino effect on food prices, transport costs and services. Petrol now costs R18-30 cents per litre inland. Diesel is up by 58-cents a litre and illuminating paraffin by 50-cents a litre. While this steep increase is a major blow to consumers and motorists, it is a double blow for the unemployed and poor peo...

Co-operative and Traditional Affairs Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has proclaimed the local government election date as the 27th of October - until such time as the Constitutional Court postpones the elections. Dlamini-Zuma says she is bound by the Constitution and other legal statutes to timeously proclaim the date of the local government elections. She announced that gazetting the date does...

The National Department of Health is working on a program that will enable them to vaccinate undocumented foreigners against Covid-19. According to Stats SA and the United Nations, there are roughly four million undocumented foreigners living in South Africa. Liela Magnus has more... 

Employees at the SABC may soon be under surveillance, as the organisation intends contractually to intercept communications.  In clause 24 of the new contract, the public broadcaster says it reserves the right to act on any incoming and outgoing emails. It also says it reserves the right to read, save and block cellphone and telephone conversations as well as SMSs. Sashin Naidoo reports...

Trade unions representing Mango Airlines' workers are heading to court to demand that the low-cost airline be placed under Business Rescue. Their application will be heard in the Johannesburg High Court today (Tuesday). Unions want clarity on the airline's future, citing that the Public Enterprises Department has no intention of keeping the cash-strapped carrier in the sky. President of the South...

The inquest into the Life Esidimeni tragedy has once again stalled after proceedings were postponed to the 30th of August to allow legal parties more time to prepare. This is the second time that the inquest was postponed for consultations. The inquest is hearing witnesses testify about events in 2016 that led to the deaths of 144 Life Esidimeni patients when the Gauteng health department terminat...

Homeschooling is growing at an enormous pace in South Africa as parents opt to keep their children at home. Covid-19 has seen many parents looking for alternatives rather than sending their children back to normal mainstream school. Service provider, SEAT Academy began in July last year with a handful of students, currently, they have just under one thousand students registered with them. John Vol...

On today's episode of Africa Brief,  Victor Kgomoesoana, Director at "Africa Is Open For Business" looks at this week's top African economic stories, including Seychellois Cargo Service Now Exporting Fish to Nigerian And Ugandan Hotels, Production of Local Mahangu, a common staple food also known as pearl millet, Bounces Back and Hospitals Turn Back Patients As Resident Doctors Begin Strike

For the first time this year, the Gauteng education department has introduced a phased approach to manage the high volumes when online applications officially open later this month.  MEC Panyaza Lesufi, announced that online application process for the 2022 academic year will open from 10 August for grade 8 applications, and September 13th for grade 1 pupils. For some reaction to the online s...

Rifles, pistols and rounds of ammunition are some of the valuables that got stolen when three men robbed a police station in the Northern Cape Province this past weekend. The suspects reportedly pointed a gun at a female police officer who was alone when the incident happened.  Police union POPCRU has condemned the incident, raising concerns about the recent spate of robberies at police stati...

There are mixed reactions to a decision by cabinet to dissolve five North West municipalities. The five are among 45 others countrywide that the government has resolved to dissolve.  The ailing Ratlou Local Municipality in Setlagole just outside Mahikeng is one entity facing dissolution. The municipality is reportedly marred by allegations of corruption, fraud and political squabbles. Prof An...

To help us understand why a state-owned enterprise such as Transnet could be a target of cyber-attacks, here is Dr Jaco du Toit, the deputy director at the Centre for Cyber Security at the University of Johannesburg....

South Africa's citrus fruit sector is facing more losses as state-owned Transnet continues to battle a cyber-attack that has caused major backlogs at all the country's port terminals.  Transnet says their systems will be brought back in a staggered manner to minimize any further risks and interruptions. It is expected that some applications may continue to run slowly over the next few days. T...

Schooling in Kwazulu Natal, especially in Phoenix got off to a slow start this week as parents have been reluctant to send their children back to the classroom. SADTU's provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza has called on learners to get back to class and be agents of social cohesion and tolerance in their communities...

Civic groups which have mobilised themselves under the banner 'Justice For Phoenix Massacre Victims' are expected to march to the Durban City Hall in KwaZulu-Natal. They are calling for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the deaths of more than 20 people in Phoenix, north of Durban. Some bodies are yet to be identified at a Phoenix mortuary and over 120 people were killed in KZN dur...

The funeral and burial industry has raised concerns about the high number of people that gather at funerals, calling for greater regulation of funeral events. This as the industry continues to struggle with securing coffins for burial and space for corpses at mortuaries. The health department has recorded between 200 and 400 COVID-19 related deaths over the last 48-hour period bringing the total n...

The Road Freight Association has raised concerns about ships starting to bypass South African ports. Transnet says significant progress has been made to restore its IT systems after a cyber-attack last week. Transnet declared force majeure as the IT breach crippled its port operations. Group Manager for Corporate Affairs at Transnet, Ayanda Shezi, says it is expected that some applications may con...

A peace accord between the two Western Cape warring taxi associations, CODETA and CATA could soon be signed. This follows separate meetings with the two associations, facilitated by the United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader, General Bantu Holomisa and the general secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), Zwelinzima Vavi in an effort to find a solution to the  violen...

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union has rejected government's wage offer of 1.5 percent pay progression hike and monthly cash allowances of over a thousand rands for public servants. The new wage agreement was signed by the majority of unions represented in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council on Monday with Public Service and Administration Minister, Senzo Mchunu describing th...

While communities have welcomed the reinstatement of the R350 social relief grant, many say it is too little and does not go far enough to cover their basic needs. During his address to the nation on government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday that the grant will be paid out till March next year and will now include unemployed caregivers.  The...

Judgment in the bail application of Bruce Nimmerhoudt, one of the alleged instigators of the violent unrest that took place in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month, will be handed down in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court, west of Johannesburg, on Friday. Nimmerhoudt, who is a mayoral candidate for the Patriotic Alliance in the West Rand Municipality, was arrested on the 16th of J...

In its fresh bid to unseal the much talked about CR17 documents, the EFF has vowed to approach the Constitutional Court directly to hear the matter. The EFF lost the case with cost at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria earlier this month.  But addressing his party's virtual 8th anniversary on Monday, Malema said his deputy Floyd Shivambu advised them to approach the apex court after all...

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has weighed in on the response by the police to the recent unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, saying it was sluggish and resulted in the loss of faith in the structures meant to protect and serve the public at large. The foundation has also rejected what it calls the insidious efforts of the Indian ultra-nationalist party, the BJP, which wants to present...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that businesses impacted by looting and violence will get relief support including insurance payments and tax breaks. He also announced the reinstatement of the R350 Social Relief of Disaster Grant which will run until March 2022. He said government insurance SASRIA will expedite assessments and honour payments. He also said in order to assist economic recov...