First Take SA

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has announced plans to upgrade the Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant in Hammanskraal in the city of Tshwane, with an intention to provide clean drinking water to residents. Mchunu says the upgrade will increase the plant's treatment capacity by 50 ml of wastewater per day and involve desilting sludge at the Leeukraal dam. The minister and Tshwane M...

The Independent Electoral Commission says it is taking legal advice on the Electoral Court judgement on the Jacob Zuma-MK Party matter. The IEC says it will chart a way forward based on such advice as well as reasoned judgements that it may receive. The electoral court overturned the IEC's decision, which argued that Zuma's contempt of court conviction and subsequent 15-month sentence in 2021 made...

The DA in Gauteng says Construction mafias disguising themselves as 'business forums' are holding Gauteng infrastructure projects worth billions hostage. The party says the so-called 'business forums' are disrupting construction by threatening workers on site, and armed business forum leaders often arrive to demand work. Furthermore, the construction mafia demands subcontracts for a 30% stake in l...

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has reportedly revealed that about R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the expanded public works programmes (EPWP). Responding to DA MP, Sello Seitlholo, Zikalala reportedly said verifications done with the Department of Public Service and Administration Personnel and Salaries (Persal) management system have identified suspi...

The South African Supreme Court of Appeal has made a landmark decision overturning an order blocking the publication of a confidential intelligence report by the State Security Agency. The court ruled in favour of independent media and journalist Thabo Makwakwa. The ruling reveals the misuse of state mechanisms by the SSA to settle internal disputes within the ANC and highlights concerns about the...

Judgment in the case involving the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party and the Independent Electoral Commission is expected to be handed down today at the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Umkhonto Wesizwe is contesting the decision by the IEC that barred former president Jacob Zuma from becoming one of the party's candidates for parliament after the 2024 General Elections scheduled for May 29th. Elvis Press...

Deputy President Paul Mashatile plans to involve farmers and civic organisations such as Afriforum to help local governments repair struggling water-treatment plants. Government has warned that if efforts fail to address the deterioration in water quality and the increasing cases of water-shedding prove ineffective, national government will assume control of water management from municipalities.  ...

Western Cape authorities say schools in the Overberg and Cape Winelands education districts will remain closed today due to inclement weather. A 132 schools have been reported to have suffered damage due to current weather conditions in the province. Elvis Presslin spoke to Gift of the Givers Coordinator in the Western Cape, Ali Sablay...

The Democratic Alliance says it has written to the Powers and Privileges Committee about the progress made in its request to investigate former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The investigation request relates to a 70% salary increase which was given to the . George's salary was increased from  R2.6 million to R4.4 million, while having been in the position for less than three m...

The Durban Magistrate's Court has heard that the Gcaba family - prominent players in the KwaZulu-Natal taxi industry - denies any involvement in the killing of rapper Kiernan 'AKA' Forbes. The defence has handed in a statement by the family in the bail application of 5 men accused of killing Forbes and his friend - Tebello Motsoane - in Durban last year. This comes after the investigating officer...

The Independent Electoral Commission has urged all political parties and their supporters to exercise restraint and responsibility in how they communicate to voters in the buildup to the upcoming elections. The IEC, Media Monitoring Africa and relevant stakeholders held a misinformation dialogue session in Sandton, Johannesburg ahead of the 29 May polls. The dialogue aims to educate the public on...

Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back" brings you the latest business news from across the continent, including an offer made by French media group, Vivendi's Canal+ makes to South Africa's MultiChoice Group.

Gauteng MEC for Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has urged commuters in Soweto to find alternative transport arrangements due to the resurgence of violence between the Nancefield-Dube West Taxi Association (NANDUWE) and the Witwatersrand Taxi Association (WATA). Commuters in Soweto were left stranded and forced to find alternative transport after WATA withdrew its operations after the department...

The Emfuleni Local Municipality in Gauteng is currently deploying water tankers to places such as Palm Springs and other affected areas while also conducting tests on its water samples. This  comes after  a warning  issued by the  municipality urging residents to refrain from drinking tap water after it was found to be contaminated with sewage.  Kingsol Chabalala is the DA Emfuleni North Constitue...

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited has reached a five-year wage agreement with its five labour unions, including the Coalition, AMCU, and NUMSA. The agreement, which will take effect from 1 July 2024, will increase wages and conditions of service for employees in categories 4-8,  The agreement also includes an increase in the current monthly housing allowance and living-out allowance. Here is Jar...

The South African Weather Services says  the country is in for cold and wet weather  over large parts this coming week. An intense low pressure system is expected to result in showers and thundershowers across South Africa. Weather SA says a weather system known as a "cut-off low," is notorious for causing flooding, damaging winds and severe thunderstorms. For more on this we caught up with the So...

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development is currently evaluating the effects of the El-Nino-induced drought on crop yields and the financial status of farmers. According to the latest report from the Crop Estimates Committee, there's a projected 21% decrease in South Africa's 2023/24 summer grains and oilseed production, with an estimated total of 15.2 million tonnes.  Now...

New research by the University of the Witwatersrand's Futures Ecosystems for Africa Program has found that in the nine years between 2010 and 2019, the rate at which Africa released carbon into the atmosphere increased to an alarming 4.5 petagrams, or 4.5 billion metric tons, of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. According to the research, the continent has transitioned from historically being a...

Following the commencement of the second academic term for 2024, the Legal Resources Centre is dragging the Eastern Cape department of Education to the Makhanda High Court following the department's failure to provide scholar transport to over 40 000 learners in the province. The organisation will be pleading the case of thousands of pupils who are reportedly still subjected to walking long distan...

Elvis Presslin takes 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

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), have rejected an offer by the Kenyan government to end a three-week long strike. The union represents more than 7-thousand members. The strike has severely impacted health services in the country. A meeting between stakeholders on Wednesday discussed the impeachment of the cabinet secretary of health. For more Elvis Presslin...

The Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg says it is worried about the cost implications of VIP security protection for councilors as per adopted by a new policy. The party says the policy will essentially grant public officials a security detail comparable to that of the mayor and other executive members. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to DA Caucus Leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku

The Inkatha Freedom Party, IFP has welcomed the resignation of National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Mapisa-Nqakula resigned from her position and that as a Member of Parliament amidst corruption allegations against her. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to IFP MP and National Spokesperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa

The Johannesburg High Court has found the ANC and its secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, guilty of contempt of court. This after the party failed to submit its full cadre deployment records to the DA. The party approached the court after the ANC withheld records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to January 2013, when Cyril Ramaphosa became its chairman. For more on this, Elvis Presslin...

The Kwazulu-Natal Department of Education is reportedly suing the Auditor-General of South Africa over adverse findings against the department's School Nutrition program tender. The issue came out of a Scopa meeting recently where the department announced its intentions. The AG had found that there were material irregularities in the appointment of a new service provider by the department. For mor...