First Take SA

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, Prasa has saved about R200 million by cutting 3,000 ghost employees. This was revealed by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula during a media briefing yesterday. He says 1159 employees at PRASA resigned following the launch of Operation Ziveze last year, aimed at identifying ghost employees at the parastatal. Mbalula says preliminary investigations have also...

The Thulare Royal House of Bapedi Kingdom is accusing Limpopo Premier Stanley Mathabatha of dragging his feet in issuing a certificate of recognition of Prince Morwamohube Thulare as Acting King of Bapedi. The royal house says since the court confirmed the family's decision to appoint Prince Morwamuhube and a letter was sent to the premier, there has been no correspondence. To further discuss this...

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

ActionSA says its decision to withdraw from the DA-led multiparty coalition in Ekurhuleni was based on concerns about the instability of the minority government. The party also says its decision was in influenced by the fact that almost 60 percent of residents say things were not going in the right direction in the last 12 months. The party says a number of coalition agreements were not implemente...

The Freedom Front Plus says ActionSA remains part of the Multi-Party Coalition in the City of Ekurhuleni. This follows reports of the party pulling out of the coalition due to its dissatisfaction with how the DA-led government is running the Metro. For clarity on the matter, Elvis Presslin spoke to Dr. Corné Mulder, FF Plus MP and chairperson of the Coalition Technical Committee.

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says the NEC meeting at the weekend dealt with critical challenges facing the party. Ramaphosa was giving his closing remarks at the party's National Executive Committee Meeting in Nasrec, Johannesburg yesterday. He also presented his political report, in which he spoke about the alleged theft of millions of US Dollars from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. To elaborat...

Disaster Management Teams in KwaZulu-Natal are on high alert in the Northern parts of the province following a weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service. The warning indicates that inclement weather conditions can be expected in these areas with 80 percent chances of rain that could lead to localized flooding. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Head of Communications a...

An Eastern Cape teen is hoping to become the first trans-woman to undergo the AmaXhosa male traditional rite of passage this year. This is as the summer initiation season has officially kicked off in the province. 18-year-old Cwenga Titi who was born male and identifies as female will be among 40,000 people undergoing the journey of manhood known as Ulwaluko, in isiXhosa. For more on this, Elvis P...

Two truck drivers arrested for theft of Eskom's coal at Kendal Power Station are expected to appear in the  Mpumalanga Ogies Magistrates Court today. The truck drivers were arrested at the power station after security personnel at the premises noticed their trucks loaded with coal and alerted local authorities. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selv...

The Department of Basic Education is investigating a Maths question worth seven marks that pupils said was impossible to answer. The suspected Maths Paper 2 mistake was reported nationwide after pupils had written the paper. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Basic Education Department Spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga

ActionSA has submitted a motion of no confidence against the City of Johannesburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele. The party says Makhubele presided over two council meetings that the South Gauteng High Court later ruled were held illegally. One of the meetings was to table a motion of no confidence against the Executive Mayor, Dr. Mpho Phalatse. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Zark Lebatlang,...

SAMWU members yesterday blockaded the M1 freeway in protest over wages against the City of Johannesburg. SAMWU is demanding that the city's mayor Dr. Mpho Phalatse address their issue with the agreement that was signed between the City and Labour, called the Politically Facilitated Agreement. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to SAMWU Provincial Treasurer, Karabo Ramahuma

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

Members of the Public Servants Association will be going on a wage picket today. The union which has a membership of around 235 000, failed to reach a wage agreement with the government in protracted negotiations. For more this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Claude Naiker, Spokesperson for the Public Servants Association

The Gauteng Department of Health has revealed that there has been an increase in the number of newborn babies abandoned in hospitals across the province.  The department released the figures in a written reply to questions in the provincial legislature in Johannesburg. It is reported that every year, over 10 thousand babies are abandoned in South Africa, with the vast majority of them found dead....

The ANC parliamentary caucus in the Free State says the explicit leaked video of Speaker Zanele Sifuba is an attack on her integrity. The video, which was widely shared on social media shows Sifuba in an explicit video call with an unknown man. The alleged Nigerian national reportedly released the video of Sifuba after she allegedly refused to pay large sums of money for the video not to be releas...

NUMSA National Spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says South Africa's climate deal will trap future generations into a permanent cycle of poverty and inequality. In an opinion piece written in her personal capacity about the 8.5 billion U.S dollars climate deal and its implications for the working class in South Africa, she says the bid to transition from coal towards green energy will see massiv...

Cash-in-transit heists are on the rise in South Africa. Four security guards were injured after a cash van was blown up on the N4 national highway in Pretoria yesterday. According to the latest crime statistics, cash-in-transit heists have gone up by over 30%. To discuss the issue of an increase in cash in transit heists during or in the run-up to the festive season, Elvis Presslin spoke to Crime...

Polls in the U.S. midterm elections have closed. Voters across the United States cast their ballots yesterday in elections that will determine who controls the House of Representatives and the Senate. For the latest, Elvis Presslin spoke to Independent Political Analyst and Researcher Dr. Dale McKinley

The United States has identified four individuals allegedly tied to the leader of an Islamic State cell in South Africa. The U.S Department of Treasury says it is targeting people linked to Farhad Hoomer, who they say led an ISIS cell in Durban, including some companies connected to them. Hoomer was among those arrested in 2018 for the Verulam mosque bombing, although the case was struck off in 20...

Families of the 21 youngsters that died at the Enyobeni tavern at Scenery Park in East London, in June, have filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), calling for an independent inquiry into their death. Families say they are willing to do whatever is needed to get answers, even exhume the bodies. The advocacy group, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance has...

The African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association will today stage a protest outside the Department of Transport's national office over alleged corruption and congestion at border posts. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Association's Chairperson Phumudzo Mukhwathi

The ANC in Ekurhuleni is disappointed by the re-election of DA Councillor Tania Campbell as Mayor. Campbell who was ousted two weeks ago following a vote of no-confidence against her was re-elected yesterday. Campbell defeated the ANC's deputy regional chairperson Jongizizwe Dlabathi who expressed his disappointment in an Interview with our senior producer Ronald Phiri

Minority parties in the City of Johannesburg will bring another motion of no confidence against City Mayor Dr. Mpho Phalatse. In a press briefing In Braamfontein yesterday, the minority parties within the ANC-led coalition said Phalatse is not the right person to lead the City. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Councillor Lubabalo Magwentshu, chairperson of the African Transformation Movem...

The Emfuleni Local Municipality says it strongly condemns actions by Eskom after the power utility obtained an order to attach R1.3 billion of the municipality's assets. Eskom says the municipality currently owes R5.3 billion despite several litigations brought since 2018 to get the municipality to service its debt. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Emfuleni Local Municipality MMC for Fina...