First Take SA

The Communication Workers Union, CWU has declared a wage dispute against the SABC at the CCMA. The dispute comes after the SABC rejected a revised wage offer of 9% brought forward by CWU. The union has accused the SABC of not having any regard for ground workers as they have instead rewarded middle management with 5% and executive staff with 3% wage increases. To discuss this further Elvis Pressli...

Health experts say only a concerted multi-disciplinary collaboration and research will stem the tide of diabetes and diabetes-linked cardiovascular disease (CVD)They say diabetes linked Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death locally and worldwide, claiming 17,9 million lives a year. They also say globally, CVD takes more lives than TB, HIV and malaria combined, while 215 So...

The Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum says South Africa's decision to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court, ICC is futile, misinformed and bias. This after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the government submitted a referral to the ICC to investigate Israel's attacks on continued bombardment of Gaza. Speaking to our Senior Producer Ronald Phiri, Hassan-Nahoum says South...

Another bank reached a settlement with the Competition Commission for colluding in currency trades to manipulate the value of the rand-dollar exchange rate. Standard Chartered joined Citibank in a settlement with the local competition authorities. Yesterday, the Commission reached a settlement agreement with the UK-based, Standard Chartered to pay an administrative penalty of R42.7 million.  Stand...

Some 300 mine workers are on strike at the Blyvoor Gold mine in Carletonville, on the Westrand. The workers are unhappy that the mining company would not be able to give them their 13th cheque and other allowances. They also want the mine to grant other unions rights to represent them. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Carletonville region says it does not represent any workers at the...

The Media Development & Diversity Agency (MDDA) will today conclude its three-day Elections Coverage training for community media journalists in preparation for the upcoming 2024 National Elections. The training, held in Johannesburg, is aimed at capacitating community media to improve their coverage of elections and related issues. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to MDDA Acting Executiv...

Questions have been raised around the legality of the Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens. Experts say Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi erred by appointing and deploying under trained 6,000 peace officers to combat crime across the province without legal authorisation. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Mark Heywood, Editor of Maverick Citizen, who has written extensively and conducted investigat...

The Department of Correctional Services says it has a handle on the Diphtheria outbreak at the Pollsmoor Correctional facility in Cape Town. The national commissioner, Makgothi Thobakgale, says an epidemiological investigation is underway to determine how and where the disease was contracted, which includes contact tracing. A 19 year old detainee died nearly 10 days ago after testing positive for...

Transport unions SATAWU and UNTU have threatened a full blown strike if the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, Prasa does not meet its wage demands. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, Satawu and the United National Transport Union, Untu plan to lodge a labour dispute with the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration, CCMA to compel the state-owned enterprise to...

Congress of the People (COPE) says its Speaker in the City of Johannesburg, Colleen Makhubele ignored party lines when she became the chairperson of the South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA). Makhubele was seen in pictures of a new organisation which COPE said was in breach of the party' constitution. She reportedly encouraged South Africans to vote in her capacity as Chairperson of the South Afri...

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, 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

ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal is calling for Investigations after two suspects were arrested with stolen street lights from the eThekwini Municipality. Two Mozambican nationals were caught by Border Management Authority at the Kosi Bay port of entry, in northern KZN after they were found in possession of 52 municipal street lights worth an estimated R1.9 million. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin...

The government hopes the publication of the white paper on citizenship, immigration, and refugee legislation will address the migration crisis in the country. It intends to overhaul the migration system urgently. This due to the current migration legislation which the government says is weak, unworkable, and is being exploited and abused by criminal syndicates. The cabinet approved the White Paper...

A Cape Peninsula University of Technology student is fighting for her life in hospital following a brutal stabbing by her alleged partner. The 26-year-old woman is seen In a viral video being repeatedly stabbed while lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The incident took place at a private student residence in Belhar. The suspect was arrested and is currently under police guard in hospital after...

The Gauteng Health Department says it is investigating circumstances around the illegal disposal of medical waste items on a field in Ormonde, South of Johannesburg. The department was made aware of the illegal disposal on Saturday afternoon, when members of a local community watch structure came across the waste material while patrolling the area. To look into the issue of people posing as health...

It seems that EFF leader, Julius Malema's address in Kenya last week ruffled some feathers. Malema attacked President William Ruto on a number of issues, including a failure to deliver on election promises. Kenya's government has reacted angrily to Malema's comments. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua appealed to Malema and other visitors to respect the leaders of their host countries. Gachagua not...

The South African National Defence Union (SANDU) has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that he has authorised the deployed 3,300 soldiers to assist police in the fight against illegal mining.  The presidency says Ramaphosa set out the deployment including the cost of approximately R490-million to the National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Chairperson of the Nati...

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is threatening legal action against Thuja holdings CEO, Mthunzi Mdwaba following allegations of bribery against him. Mdwaba accused Godongwana and other top ANC officials of soliciting a R500 million bribe from a dodgy R5 billion Job creation project with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF.  Minister Godongwana has given Mdwaba 7 days to publicly withdraw his al...

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says disbanding the Scorpions was the "worst decision ever" in the fight against corruption. Zondo was speaking at the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's national dialogue in Boksburg, Johannesburg. The Scorpions, an elite crimefighters unit was established by former President Thabo Mbeki in 1999 to fight high-profile corruption cases. The Unit was eventually d...

The Health Department has assured the public that a Diphtheria outbreak at the Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Cape Town, is under control. This follows the death of a 19-year-old inmate more than a week ago. Health Department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says public health measures were undertaken to contain the outbreak. 

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories wtih Victor Kgomoesoana, 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,

 A third suspect arrested in connection for theft on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm is expected to appear in the Bela Bela Magistrate's Court today. The suspect's arrest follows that of two other suspects; Imanuwela David and Froliana Joseph. The trio are accused of stealing foreign currency from Ramaphosa's farm in Limpopo in February 2020. For more on this we spoke to Limpopo NPA s...

The African Council of Hawkers and Informal Businesses says government's decision to inspect and audit foreign spaza shops has come too late. This follows concerns over the recent surge in food poisoning incidents among children. The council says the damage has already been done to the local economy. It says government should work with traditional authorities to root out the manufacturing and sale...

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), in KwaZulu-Natal is calling for a motion of no confidence in eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda. This follows the City's failure to spend a conditional grant from national treasury of one-point two billion rand for disaster recovery projects. The IFP in the Durban Metro say Kaunda must resign or face a motion of no-confidence in the metro council. For more on this we s...

More than 20 small-scale famers in Thaba Nchu in the Free State province, are demanding 22 million rand that they say was promised to them by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. The farmers allege that they never received the funds after they were identified as beneficiaries for assistance and support. They say their efforts to engage with the department have yielded...