First Take SA

An uneasy calm has been restored in Diepsloot after protests against the rising crime rate in the area. Residents are calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele to intervene and reduce the scourge. Yesterday roads leading in and out of the township north of Johannesburg were blocked with burning tyres and rocks. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Diepsloot Community...

The Amatola Water Board says it will implement measures to ensure a consistent supply of water during the National Arts Festival starting this week in Makhanda. The town's water outages are well documented and there is concern about how this will affect the arts festival. The water board says the economic significance means they have to ensure there are no water challenges during the National Arts...

The South African National AIDS Council Civil Society Forum will today march in Durban ahead of the opening of the country's 11th AIDS Conference, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. The Forum will launch the "Love Picketing" Campaign for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights during the march. Meanwhile, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacit...

The EFF is calling for the Polish embassy in South Africa to be downgraded following the detention of Journalists and President Cyril Ramaphosa's security staff in Poland. The plane carrying journalists and security personnel, that was supposed to accompany President Cyril Ramaphosa to Ukraine and Russia on a peacekeeping mission, was grounded at Warsaw airport for over 26 hours. The EFF has also...

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

The DA in Knysna has strongly condemned the appointment of convicted offender Bruce Kannemeyer to a senior municipal position. In 2006, former ANC MP and former Stellenbosch municipal manager Bruce Kannemeyer pleaded guilty to theft charges and was fined R40 000 in the Cape High Court, for his role in the notorious Travelgate scandal. Kannemeyer was appointed to the position of Acting Director for...

African leaders have proposed a 10-point peace plan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A large delegation of African leaders traveled to Moscow and Kyiv, in Ukraine to promote their peace plan to the two warring countries. While some view the trip as a significant step toward finding peaceful and amicable resolutions to the conflict, the DA says...

The EFF in Gauteng is calling for the establishment of an independent body to monitor the Gauteng jobs initiative. The provincial government through its Nasi iSpani programme, is on a drive to fill up government departments vacancies. The program is expected to fill up eight thousand funded vacancies. Elvis Presslin spoke to Gauteng Premier's Spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga

Parliament has welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss suspended Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane's urgent application for direct access to the court. Mkhwebane required direct access in order to challenge various decisions relating to the Speaker as well as the Chairperson of the Section 194 Committee probing her fitness to hold office. To further discuss this Elvis P...

Trade union, Solidarity says it intends to legally challenge the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill by the National Assembly. The Department of Health says it welcomes the latest developments - however, other stakeholders have voiced concerns over how the NHI will operate in South Africa. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Solidarity, Anton van d...

Deputy President, Paul Mashatile says the government will be implementing targeted programs to empower vulnerable groups in its efforts on land reform and agricultural support. In his address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Mashatile outlined programs in place to address both financial and technical support for emerging farmers as part of fast-tracking the land reform process. Black A...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) will protest at the Department of Social Development in Pretoria today. The federation says this is part of its ongoing campaigns together with its allies in the working class to fight against austerity, unemployment, the rising cost of living, load shedding, and privatization. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Saftu National Spokesperso...

Residents in various low-lying areas in Cape Town have been severely affected by an intense cold front that is gripping the Western Cape, bringing with it cold weather conditions and heavy rain. Flooding has been reported at several informal settlements, in areas including Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, and Mfuleni. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to  Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Securi...

The National Assembly has passed the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill paving the way for "universal healthcare" in South Africa. Yesterday 205 MPs voted in favour of the NHI Bill while 125 voted against it. The NHI Bill proposes a withering away of medical schemes over time as they will not be allowed to insure or reimburse members for services offered by the NHI. Now that it is...

A group of U.S. lawmakers is calling for a U.S.-Africa trade summit planned for later this year to be moved from South Africa in response to what they say is the country's deepening military relationship with Russia. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior officials, they also suggested South Africa is in danger of losing its benefits under the African Growth and Opp...

The ANC has lost its bid to conceal its cadre deployment records. The party approached the Johannesburg High Court with leave to appeal application following a ruling that forced it to provide the Democratic Alliance with records of its deployment committee from 2013. The DA seeks to have cadre deployment declared unconstitutional and illegal by the courts. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke t...

The South African agricultural sector is being warned to prepare and plan as forecasts indicate a higher probability of an El Niño state developing. Scientists say all indications are that Southern Africa should expect to feel the heat of another El Niño spell in a few months to come. The El Niño climate pattern is characterized by drier conditions with less rainfall and warmer weather and can lea...

The ANC has rejected comments made by expelled former Secretary General Ace Magashule that he had not received any communication from the party that he provide reasons to the national disciplinary committee why he should not be expelled. Magashule missed the deadline to oppose disciplinary findings against him on charges of misconduct and bringing the party into disrepute. This relates to his unsa...

South Africa could import up to 1000 megawatts of electricity from Mozambique which could see load shedding reduced by one stage in terms of long-term power plans. This comes after South Africa secured 100 megawatts of electricity from Mozambique in the short term. The latest cross-border power purchasing agreement between the two countries is one of the three emergency procurement programs aimed...

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...

Parents in the Eastern Cape have urged the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education to reconsider a clause in the Basic Education Laws Bill that provides for the possession, consumption, and sale of liquor on school premises during any private or religious function. The committee held public hearings on the bill over the weekend in Komani as part of its three-leg hearings. Teachers have also highlig...

Police in Gauteng are investigating the death of a 12-year-old girl who was shot in Westbury, west of Johannesburg. The girl was believed to have been at a friend's birthday party when the suspects began firing shots. On Friday,  National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, revealed that there has been a notable decrease in gang-related crime in the area, since the Ministerial interventi...

The Council for Geoscience has urged the public to be vigilant as there is a likelihood of aftershocks following yesterday's earth tremor. The council says the seismic event was moderately larger with a 4-point-4 magnitude. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Manager of Minerals and Energy at the Council for Geoscience, Dr. Taufeeq Dhansay

The Free State has recorded a second cholera death. A woman from Parys is the second person confirmed dead by the provincial health department - Bringing the death toll from the cholera outbreak in South Africa to 32. At least 29 deaths occurred in the Hammanskraal area north of Pretoria. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Free State Department of Health spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi

Staff and students at the University of Cape Town have started a petition to prevent Kenyan scholar Professor Patrick Lumumba from addressing the EFF's upcoming 10th-anniversary lecture. The EFF invited the academic to give a lecture at UCT. The party is now facing backlash for its decision after Lumumba publicly endorsed the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda, which the EFF marched...