First Take SA

Researchers at the Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, have described as "ground-breaking" the results of a drug trial, in the fight against Covid-19. The low-dose steroid treatment called Dexamethasone, is part of the world's biggest trial, testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus. The cheap and widely available drug is believed to cut the risk of death for...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged young people to lead the country's economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. He virtually delivered his annual National Youth Day message yesterday. The president also had an interactive panel discussion with four influential young people about challenges facing the youth, and how they can contribute to the country's recovery post the pandemic

The Educators Union of South Africa has given president Cyril Ramaphosa two months to get rid of Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga. EUSA's Kabelo Mahlobogwane says since the re-opening of schools more than two-thousand learners and teachers have tested positive for COVID-19. He adds that more than 100 schools across the country had to close and teachers have already died from disease. Howe...

The brutal murder of a 42-year-old woman has left the community of Eersterus, East of Pretoria reeling from sudden shock. The mother of two was reportedly stabbed multiple times, allegedly by her boyfriend whom the police are still searching after he fled the scene leaving the deceased in a pool blood. The deceased was discovered by relatives at her parents backrooms yesterday afternoon.

Student movement, Congress of South African Students COSAS has threatened to shut down all schools, from today, that have not fully implemented strict control guidelines to combat the spread COVID -19. The movement has also reiterated its call for covid-19 tests to be made compulsory in all public schools. Last week, a group of COSAS members forcefully removed learners at various schools in Bloemf...

The controversy surrounding the costly construction and use of nuclear power in South Africa is back in the spotlight. This as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has begun consultations in preparation for the development of the proposed 2,500 megawatt nuclear power plant building programme. The department says through the consultation process it aims to get some insight into the costs,...

News and Current Affairs show between 5 & 6 am on SAfm 104 to 107 anchored by Tsepiso Makwetla

South Africa's capital city remains under administration pending a court battle in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. MEC for Cooperative Governance, Lebogang Maile, has petitioned the Supreme Court of Appeal to appeal the Pretoria High Court ruling dismissing their appeal against the ruling declaring the decision to put the City of Tshwane under adminstraiton was illegal. The city was p...

Men are being called out to end the abuse and murder of women as Tshegofatso Pule is laid to rest. Pule was found murdered and hanging from a tree in a veld in Roodepoort - west of Johannesburg - on Monday. The 28-year-old, who was 8-months pregnant at the time, was found with a stab wound to the chest. She was buried at the Roodepoort Cemetery yesterday.

The Constitutional Court has declared parts of the Electoral Act unconstitutional - meaning independent candidates are allowed to contest for national and provincial elections without being a member of a political party. The case was brought by civil society organisation the New Nation Movement and others. They sought to have the Electoral Act declared unconstitutional as it did not make provision...

Smokers in South Africa are waiting anxiously for the High Court in Pretoria to deliver judgement in the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Assocation (FITA) case against a ban on the sale of tobacco products. FITA took the government to court saying Regulation 27 of the Disaster Management Act was irrational its impact on people's lives was not considered. A full bench of judges reserved judgement in...

Eight people have been died in a crash involving a truck and nine other vehicles in the town centre of Jozini in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The truck driver is suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol and has been detained by the police. It is alleged that he lost control of the truck and ploughed into the other vehicles. The KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department has instituted an investiga...

28-year old Tshegofatsho Pule is expected to be laid to rest today following the discovery of her lifeless body hanging from a tree in Rooderport, Johannesburg on Monday. Pule was eight months pregnant and found with stab wounds to her chest. In another gruesome killing in Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape, 26-year old Naledi Phangindawo was butchered to death with an axe by her husband and father o...

South African repatriates, who were forced into mandatory quarantine after arriving back into the country, say they were treated like prisoners while under isolation. They allege they were ill-treated and forced to live in unhgienic conditions, where they did not receive medical care. Now civil rights group -- Afriforum -- is taking their plight to court and wants repatriates to be allowed to self...

The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) will ask the Pretoria High Court to unban the sale of tobacco products. FITA consists of 7 independent tobacco companies. They are asking the high court to declare Regulation 27 of the Disaster Management Act, irrational and illegal saying it infringes on the rights of smokers.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Blade Ndzimande says the department remains committed to resume the 2020 academic year. This as the country grapples with the COVID 19 outbreak that so far claimed over a thousand lives. Thousands of students from the country's 26 universities and several TVET and private colleges have been affected. Nzimande says the reopening dates will be adj...

South Africans appear to be at different level of preparedness to deal with the worsening infection rates and deaths related to the COVID 19 pandemic. In his weekly letter to the nation Ramaphosa urged each individual household to look at how it can observe hygiene protocols, protect elderly people as well as plan for the possibility that someone in the family may become infected or sick. But as B...

Many Grade 7 and 12 pupils returned to schools across the country yesterday. Schools had been closed for over two months following the Coronavirus outbreak. However, the readiness of schools has been a source of concern, as hundreds were vandalised and robbed during the nationwide lockdown. There are also worries about whether schools will be able to observe all the safety precautions and regulati...

South African National Parks - SANPARKS - has opened its gates to day visitors for self-drive excursions. SANParks says the reopening of parks, after two months of closure during the Covid-19 lockdown, is being done under strict health protocols to safeguard both staff and visitors.

Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane is considering lobbying for the ban on alcohol sales to be reinstated under level 3 of the lockdown for the province. This follows a surge of trauma admissions and cases at various hospitals in the province which have strained facilities and measures to curb the spread of the covid-19 pandemic in the province. The Eastern Cape has been highlighted as one of the...

Most schools around the country are re-opening THIS MORNING with Grade 7s and 12s the first to return to class. While some of the teachers, learners and their parents may be excited, many have equal amounts of anxiety. With the prospect of contracting COVID-19 at schools remaning a real risk, levels of depression, anxiety and irritability have increased

Over 1 million grade 7 and 12 pupils are expected to return to school as the basic education department prepares to catch up after more than two months of NO schooling due to lockdown. Teacher unions, School governing bodies and other stake holders have finally given the department the green light following concerns over the department's state of readiness. The department says it used last week to...

Grace Bible Church in Soweto is one of the churches that opened it's doors to congregants again yesterday. When announcing the level three lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared churches could re-open again, but only under strict conditions. These included having no more than 50 congregants and no singing. The service was only attended by church elders.

The Minister of Public Service and Administration, Senzo Mchunu, says government needs to employ more civil servants to improve service delivery in the country. At the same time, Mchunu says there is still a need to reduce the Public Service Wage Bill. When tabling the budget earlier this year, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said this needed to be cut by 160 billion rand over the next three years.

Village Main Reef mine in Orkney near Klerksdorp in North West has until next Wednesday to finalize consultations around restructuring and possible retrenchments. This follows over two months of sporadic workers' demonstrations at the mines operations. Mine management refuted claims that it had taken a decision to retrench workers without consulting workers' representatives