First Take SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa says while the country has made significant strides since the dawn of democracy - Much still needs to be done to improve the lives of South Africans. President Ramaphosa was speaking at a Freedom Day rally in Klerksdorp, North West yesterday, as the country celebrated 29 years since the first democratic elections in 1994. Elvis Presslin spoke to Political Analyst from the...

The National Health Department has denied reports of shortages in the distribution of free condoms. This follows reports suggesting that there are shortages of condoms in Gauteng, which had resulted in a spike in sexually transmitted infection cases in the province. The provincial health department had earlier indicated the province has encountered challenges in the supply of condoms and is curren...

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi will today unveil an anti-crime unit that will be deployed to hostels, townships, and informal settlements in the province. The unit was mentioned in his State of the Province address earlier this year and will be tasked to combat crime in high-risk areas. The surge in the country's crime rate has once again prompted conversations on whether municipalities should hav...

Africa Brief 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... TALKING POINTS: ***We start off in Nairobi, Kenya where Kenya Airways (KQ) will now access more Chinese cities after the airline signed an interline agreement with China Southern Airlines. **...

Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter will today appear virtually before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, SCOPA to provide further information on alleged criminal activities at the power utility. SCOPA invited de Ruyter to brief the Committee following his scathing TV Interview in which he accused ANC officials and Ministers of corruption at Eskom. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to ou...

The ANC has proposed the deployment of the army to fight violent crimes around the country. The party announced the resolution yesterday following its NEC meeting. To discuss the matter further Elvis Presslin spoke to Independent Defence Analyst, Helmoed Heitman.

The Democratic Alliance has filed an application to access records of the decision that informed the government's plan to lease a portion of the Bhisho airport in the Eastern Cape to the President of the United Arab Emirates and his family. The DA says the Department of Home Affairs and the Eastern Cape government have failed to provide coherent answers on key legal compliance requirements since t...

The City of Johannesburg is once again without an executive mayor following the resignation of Thapelo Amad. This comes ahead of a motion of no confidence against him which was scheduled to take place today. Gauteng ANC Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi made the announcement on behalf of the political parties in the ANC/EFF alliance. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Al-Jama-ah president Ganief H...

African Transformation Movement, ATM President Vuyo Zungula has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to seek clarity on the controversial landing of the President of the UAE and his family on a strip in Bisho, Eastern Cape last week. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his family, and an entourage of 500 guests quietly landed on a reportedly R20 million runway which he pers...

The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal is calling for the immediate termination of the tender awarded by the provincial Education Department for the supplier of the Schools Nutrition Programme. Learners at over 5000 schools in the province have been affected by the late, non-delivery and in some instances, rotten food supplies since schools re-opened two weeks ago. It is believed that these challenges began aft...

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

Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF says it will "freeze" the accounts of people who they believe are kingpins in the mineral trade, following the Al Jazeera  Gold Mafia exposé, of gold and money laundering. The ruling party seems to be falling apart following the report which implicates the country's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and smugglers including cigarette manufacturers,  diplomats, and past...

Media Monitoring Africa wants the Constitutional Court to declare President Cyril Ramaphosa's delay in confirming a SABC board unlawful. This is despite the President appointing a board last week. This was after the Public broadcaster was operating without an effective board for six months. Elvis Presslin spoke to the Watchdog's Director William Bird who says there needs to be accountability to de...

The family of Katlego Bereng whose charred remains were found inside Mangaung Correctional Center is disputing the police's version of how their son was killed. The 32-year-old's body was used as a decoy during Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester's infamous escape from a Mangaung prison cell where he staged his suicide in May last year. Police have confirmed through a positive DNA match with...

The trial against four men charged with the murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa is set to begin in the Pietermaritzburg High Court today. Magaqa was shot dead in uMzimkhulu in 2017. Sbonelo Myeza, Mbulelo Mpofana, Mlungisi Ncalane, and Sibusiso Ncengwa, are charged with Magaqa's murder. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Spok...

The Special Investigating Unit says several legal practitioners signed acknowledgments of debt after the unit found more than R340 million in duplicate payments to several law firms. The unit says it has so far recovered around R18 million of the money. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Road Accident Fund Chief Executive Officer, Collins Letsoalo

The South African Human Rights Commission is assessing a complaint of air pollution at the Medupi power station in Lephalale in Limpopo. The Freedom Front Plus logged the complaint this week, alleging that there had been numerous complaints from residents of the Lephalale Local Municipality about air pollution at the Medupi power station. For more on this, FF Plus Limpopo provincial leader Marcell...

Residents of Florida and Fleurhof, in Roodepoort, are today expected to embark on a mass protest action over service delivery, crime, and illegal mining in the area, among other issues. Residents say the community protests will continue until Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi addresses their concerns. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Caleb Finn, a DA Ward 70 Councillor, in Johannesburg, who...

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.

Is G4S legally liable to reimburse the government for the R1.4 million costs to deport Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and his partner Dr. Nandipha Magudumana from Tanzania after fleeing South Africa? This question arose after Parliament recently learned from Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi that the private flight used to bring back Bester and Dr. Magudumana cost R1.4 million....

There have been several reports suggesting that President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to examine a plan to slow down the decommissioning of old coal power stations. The move is aimed at helping the country battle the problem of load shedding. To discuss this further Elvis Presslin spoke to energy expert at HOHM, Matthew Cruise

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it acknowledges and welcomes the Special Investigating Unit's (SUIs) report as presented in the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). The SIU reported that approximately R 5 billion in NSFAS funds were wrongfully awarded to 40,000 students who did not qualify for the funding. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to South African Uni...

South African Social Security Agency says despite the Post Office facing liquidation beneficiaries will still receive their grants. South African Post Office was placed under provisional liquidation on February 9 after a court application by a creditor owed for rent. The Post Office's most recent financial statements for 2021/2022 to end-March 2022, it owed more than R4.4bn to creditors and its de...

ActionSA is considering legal action against the ANC-EFF coalition after it accused the parties of deliberately collapsing a City of Johannesburg Council programming committee meeting. ActionSA was set to table a motion of no confidence in City Mayor Thapelo Amad yesterday when the meeting reportedly collapsed due to the ANC and EFF's no-show. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Action SA Ga...

German Prosecutors have applied for an arrest warrant against disgraced former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste after failing to make his first court appearance yesterday. Jooste was scheduled to face his first criminal case in Germany over accounting irregularities of various subsidiaries of the company. The public prosecutor's office in Oldenburg applied for the suspension of the proceedings and the...