First Take SA

More than 2,000 people have been arrested in France after days of violent protests throughout the country following the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. The youth, of Algerian heritage was reportedly shot by police at point-blank range during a traffic stop in Paris. Nahel's death has raised questions about police discrimination against minoritized communities in France. For more on what is hap...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended two Gauteng High Court Judges. This follows the recommendation by the Judicial Service Commission that Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela and Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi be suspended for failure to deliver numerous reserved judgments in the stipulated timeframes. There are now currently 5 judges on suspension, which include Judge President Hlophe, Judge Mushtak Parke...

Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi says he is studying a High Court judgement, which declared the termination of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit, ZEP, invalid, unlawful and unconstitutional. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria yesterday set aside Dr. Motsoaledi's decision last year to terminate the ZEPs saying the process was unfair and lacked adequate public consultation. The case was brou...

The Constitutional Court is expected to hand down judgment today in an application brought by a lesbian couple seeking to declare Section 40 of the Children's Act unconstitutional. As it stands, the Act excludes permanent life partners as the automatic recipients of parental rights. The couple is seeking to be recognised as equal parents of a child conceived through artificial insemination, withou...

Trade union Solidarity has reached a settlement with government on the Employment Equity Act. Solidarity launched a dispute against the minister and the Department of Employment and Labour with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), disputing the constitutionality of South Africa's new BEE and transformation laws. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Solidarity Chief Executive, Dr. Dirk...

Seven expelled Mangaung ANC Councilors are expected to hold a media briefing on their expulsion today. The councilors are expected to speak about their political future and upcoming bi-elections. The Councilors were expelled following a disciplinary hearing by the Free State ANC Interim Regional Disciplinary Committee. The ousted councilors recently lost their bid to legally challenge their expuls...

Disgruntled and expelled members of the Congress of the People, COPE held a meeting last night following the expulsion of party deputy president Willie Madisha and elections secretary Mzwandile Hleko. The duo's membership were terminated at the party's national committee meeting over the weekend. Madisha, Hleko and COPE spokesperson Dennis Bloem have been accused of leading a faction pushing for t...

The Gauteng Department of Health has acknowledged that some of its health facilities have faced food supply challenges in the past few months. It has emerged that patients at 26 of the 34 public hospitals in the province have suffered from food shortages since the beginning of the year. The department says it is in the process of instituting a multi-vendor approach to ensure the stability of food...

The situation remains volatile in Diepkloof, Soweto following protests in the area. Yesterday Diepkloof hostel residents clashed with police during violent demonstrations over the lack of electricity, water, ablution facilities and other service delivery issues. Residents barricaded several roads with burning tyres and stoned vehicles belonging to different media groups. Three people have since be...

Joburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele is seeking legal advice on the role former Mayor Mpho Phalatse and two senior DA members played in the appointment of former Gauteng Hawks boss Shadrack Sibiya, as head of the City's Anti-Corruption Unit. Makhubele has accused Phalatse, former Speaker of Council Vasco da Gama and DA Councilor Leah Knott of failing to report the appointment of Sibiya to Council and...

Public Interest SA say it is disturbed by reports alleging a secret luxury life and state capture links of Deputy President Paul Mashatile. This after News24 revealed that Mashatile is reportedly living a life of luxury, in expensive homes owned by businessmen benefitting from state contracts. Public Interest SA have called on Mashatile to allay public apprehension of his ethical conduct. For more...

Time to take 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

BlindSA and Section27 will today march to various government departments in Pretoria to raise awareness about the Marrakesh Treaty, to ensure equal access to information for the blind. Blind and visually impaired people have access to less than 0.5% of published works available in braille format. This despite last year's Constitutional Court ruling which found the Copyright Act unconstitutional, f...

Russian President Vladimir Putin's political career hangs in the balance, according to a Russian Expert. This follows a recent insurrection by the Wagner paramilitary group, headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin at the weekend. In a televised statement Putin described Prigozhin's actions as treasonous. Prigozhin, is expected to go to Belarus under a deal brokered by the Belarusian president, which effective...

ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, says the party's renewal journey in the Western Cape starts now, following its 9th Provincial Conference, in Cape Town. Vuyiso Tyhalisisu was elected as Provincial Chairperson and Neville Delport was elected as Provincial Secretary this weekend. Sharon Davids was elected as Deputy Provincial Chairperson. Tyhalisisu was up against party leader in the provincial legis...

The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape has resolved to serve DA member, Nqaba Bhanga with a notice of intention to suspend him from all party activities, pending the outcome of an investigation into claims of bringing the party in disrepute. This follows Bhanga's social media posts labelling DA member Helen Zille, a "racist" and alleging that Zille has been conspiring with the ANC to destroy...

The African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association, AUBBTA is calling on South African cross-border authorities to shut down all illegal cross-border bus ranks within Johannesburg CBD. AUBBTA has accused the illegal bus ranks of facilitating criminal activities in the country. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to AUBBTA chairperson, Phumudzo Mukhwathi

The South African Council of Churches is calling on government to demonstrate more urgency in implementing recommendations from the State Capture report. Yesterday marked a year since Chief Justice Zondo delivered the Report of the Commission on State Capture to President Ramaphosa. The Council of Churches says its concerned that there have been no serious convictions against any senior personnel...

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department, JMPD says plans are underway for the unit to introduce body cameras for its officers. The body cameras are aimed at combating corruption and bribery of officers by offenders. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Chairperson of the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, DR. Bandile Masuku

Time to take 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

Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele says the analog switch-off will be completed next year in December. Briefing the media yesterday, Minister Gungubele also announced a deadline of 31 July 2023 for analog services broadcasting on frequencies above 694 megawatts. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to the Director at Media Monitoring Africa, William Bird

The SATBVC Pensions Committee will institute legal action against the government for outstanding pension monies of former civil servants and military veterans from the Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei - known as TBVC States. The committee says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana who was tasked by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the whereabouts of the money during the State of the...

The national government has approved a R5.1 million disaster relief grant for residents of Warrenton in the Northern Cape. The area had been without water since February after the Vaal River flooded and damaged their supply pipe. Last week, the African Christian Democratic Party, ACDP called on Government to intervene in the water crisis in Warrenton. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to ACDP...

The blind and visually impaired are still struggling to access books in braille format, despite a Constitutional Court ruling which found the Copyright Act to be unconstitutional. South Africa's Copyright Act prohibits books from being published in Braille without the author or publisher's permission. Last year the Concourt declared the Act unconstitutional and invalid. Blind SA says blind people...

The ANC has until today to hand over its complete cadre deployment committee records to the DA. The ruling party was given until Wednesday to release its records to the official opposition. This follows a recent judgment in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, dismissing the ANC's bid to appeal an earlier ruling ordering it to hand over its documents. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to D...