First Take SA

ActionSA has expressed disappointment after Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana was elected chairperson of Parliament's Impeachment Committee. The party voted against Mr Gana, who was nominated by the ANC, saying the inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa requires an independent Chair. ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip, Lerato Ngobeni says the Committee's credibility depends on being free from political...

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

The Democratic Alliance says the Gauteng Health Department has defied the Legislature by missing a deadline to outline how it will honour slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran. The DA says the failure to consult her family and act on the resolution reflects ongoing disregard for accountability, especially as no criminal charges have been laid in the Tembisa Hospital corruption scandal she exposed. W...

Guinea held parliamentary and municipal elections yesterday, its first since the 2021 coup. Nearly seven million voters were reportedly eligible to elect 147 MPs and 342 mayors. President Mamadi Doumbouya's opponents called for a boycott of the process. ECOWAS deployed a 40-member team to observe voting, counting and results as a test of Guinea's democratic transition. For more on this, We spoke t...

Two 28-year-old men are appearing in Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court today for the murder of three people in Marite, Mpumalanga. Police arrested them on Friday after an intelligence operation by Calcutta and Acornhoek detectives. One suspect was found with an unlicenced firearm believed to be linked to the killings. Provincial MEC for Community Safety, Jackie Macie welcomed the arrests and called...

Parliament's Section 89 Committee is meeting for the first time today. MPs on the panel will elect a chairperson and begin the formal process of the Phala Phala impeachment inquiry. The Committee was set up to determine if there's enough evidence for President Cyril Ramaphosa to face impeachment over the 2020 robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. We spoke to IFP Chief Whip, Nhlanhla Hadebe.

The Democratic Alliance has raised strong objections to reports that the City of Tshwane may reinstate workers dismissed after the violent and unprotected strike in 2023. The DA warns that rehiring those implicated in violence and misconduct would undermine accountability and could entrench a culture of lawlessness within the municipality. We spoke to Cilliers Brink, DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate t...

A growing number of South Africans are struggling to get a good night's rest, and the consequences go far beyond feeling tired. A recent local study shows that nearly one in three people experience nocturnal sleep problems, affecting everything from mood and concentration to productivity and long-term health. Experts warn that what many dismiss as "normal" poor sleep could, in fact, point to more...

The All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa will embark on a national shut down tomorrow, in protest against the hiring of foreign national drivers. The group claims its long-standing grievances submitted to the Department of Employment and Labour have not been addressed. Disruptions are expected on major highways including the N2 and N3 in KwaZulu-Natal as the forum demands government int...

The City of Johannesburg says it will act on a High Court ruling that dismissed Marble Towers owners' bid to stop the demolition of unlawful trade containers. The court ordered the building to halt illegal construction and submit compliant plans within 20 days. Mayor Dada Morero has welcomed the ruling, saying it strengthens the City's authority to enforce building and fire safety in the inner cit...

Lobby group AfriForum has filed a High Court application to reverse the renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town, citing unlawful process. The civil rights group says the 240-year-old Eastern Cape town holds significant cultural and historical value for residents. Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie maintains due process was followed, as his department faces thousands of objec...

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

Civil society groups say Eskom's plan for up to 10 gigawatts of new nuclear power will drive up electricity costs, increase public debt and threaten sensitive coastal areas. They argue the Draft Scoping Report overlooks cheaper, faster renewable alternatives already identified in government studies. Producer, Tracey Boomgaard spoke to Dr. Anthony Reed, Energy and Environmental activist

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union has raised concerns over staff shortages, budget constraints and ageing infrastructure in South Africa's public healthcare system. The union says the challenges are affecting healthcare workers and impacting patient care nationwide. To unpack this further, we spoke to Donald McMillan, Managing Director at Allmed Healthcare Professionals, a s...

Police Major-General Feroz Khan's urgent High Court application against the police will be heard in Johannesburg today. Khan alleges officers abused a J50 arrest warrant to enter his Houghton home, citing changing reasons from defeating justice to a suspected drug search. No drugs were found, but police seized six cellphones, an iPad, a recording device and his firearm. He argues the devices were...

The SACP has rejected the ANC's criticism of the upcoming Conference of the Left, calling it arrogant and dismissive of working-class concerns. It says the ANC wrongly frames the conference as anti-ANC and ignores the reality facing the poor and unemployed. The party maintains Friday's conference is an open platform for debate and unity among progressive forces and insists it does not dilute class...

The Democratic Alliance in Tshwane, DA in Tshwane has rejected the proposed renaming of Wonderboom Airport, saying the city should rather focus on service delivery, infrastructure and economic growth instead. The party argues the airport should be used as an economic asset to drive investment, job creation and long-term sustainability. It is proposing a Public-Private Partnership model to improve...

ActionSA says it will  lay criminal charges today against eThekwini Municipal Manager, Musa Mbhele. The party alleges Mbhele misled Parliament during a SCOPA hearing on findings from a Special Investigating Unit report. We spoke to  ActionSA Member of Parliament, Alan Beesley.

The United National Transport Union, UNTU has accused PRASA of bad faith and underhanded tactics in a retrenchment process affecting over 600 workers. UNTU says its repeated attempts to engage PRASA leadership were ignored, forcing the union to take urgent legal action in the Labour Court. The union also alleges PRASA held separate talks with a minority union, raising concerns over transparency an...

ActionSA has written to Parliament's Speaker warning against delays to the Impeachment Committee. The party says the Committee's work must proceed unimpeded despite President Cyril Ramaphosa filing papers in the Western Cape High Court to review the Phala Phala panel report. We spoke to Lerato Ngobeni, ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip.

The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA has filed a formal complaint with the Magistrates Commission against Chief Magistrate Tuletu Tonjeni over rulings made in the Kwaggafontein court last week. The complaint concerns her handling of the State versus Madoda Johannes Sibanyoni matter, including convicting a prosecutor for contempt and issuing an arrest warrant. We spoke to Mbekezeli Benjamin, Res...

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs raised concern over the misuse of litigation by asylum and refugee applicants, saying it delays processing and undermines the system. Chairperson Mosa Chabane said the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa, RAASA received 2,733 judicial review applications. The Committee is calling for specialised courts and stronger system integration to stop duplicate...

EFF MP Veronica Mente says former Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe is being made a sacrificial lamb after the ANC ordered her resignation as MP and Women's League President. Tolashe was found guilty by the ANC's Integrity Commission and accused of misusing Chinese car donations meant for the league. Mente questioned why Police Minister Senzo Mchunu remains in office despite recent revela...

Security guards and cleaners will today march to Joburg Mayor Dada Morero's office to demand insourcing and the reinstatement of workers they say were unfairly dismissed. Unions say outsourcing has left staff underpaid and without benefits while institutions avoid accountability. We spoke to Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU)

New government statistics released ahead of Child Protection Week reveal a rise in sexual violence cases involving minors as perpetrators, including hundreds of reported rapes. Nearly 9,000 child abuse cases have also been recorded nationwide. Nelson Mandela Children's Fund Chief Programmes Officer Karl Muller warned the trend signals a normalisation of abuse that requires urgent national interven...