First Take SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to answer questions in the National Assembly today about allegations of the theft on his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo. President Ramaphosa will answer questions posed by opposition parties over the alleged use of state institutions to cover up the 2020 burglary on his farm. Ramaphosa will also update the Assembly on key interventions of government. For mor...

The Democratic Alliance, DA has accused the ANC in Parliament of failing in its Constitutional obligations by protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa from accountability for the alleged abuse of state power on his Phala Phala game farm. This was after the National Assembly rejected the party's motion for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to conduct an inquiry into the matter. For more, Elvis P...

COPE counselor, Colleen Makhubele is the new speaker of the City of Johannesburg Council. Makhubele beat DA candidate Alex Christians by 12 votes after receiving 141 votes. Makhubele's election comes after the DA's Vasco da Gama was removed in a motion of no confidence last month. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to DA regional Counsellor Mr. Alex Christians

We put Cardiovascular diseases under the spotlight as today marks World Heart Day. Statistics show that over 17 million people die every year from cardiovascular diseases worldwide, yet most of them are preventable and treatable if risk factors are reduced. Elvis Presslin spoke to Dr. Willem Petrus Van Staden, the Senior Coordinating Doctor at International SOS

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has finally made its pronouncement on their preferred leaders to contest the upcoming party's elective conference in December. The party in the province endorsed former Health Minister, Doctor Zweli Mkhize as its preferred presidential candidate and Paul Mashatile as deputy president. Meanwhile, NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has not been included in the province's top...

The ANC in the Eastern Cape says it is shocked by the newly elected coalition government of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan which is male-dominated. Yesterday the new executive Mayor Retief Odendaal announced his mayoral committee which the ANC criticized as an indictment of the constitution and to the rights of women for only having one female. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the ANC's...

An Eastern Cape District court prosecutor, accused of raping a 23-year-old university student last year, has been granted bail by the Mthatha Magistrate's Court. The 37-year-old Komani-based prosecutor Manzolwandle Xhanti Nkubungu was released on R3 500 bail yesterday and will make his next court appearance in November. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to NPA provincial spokesperson, Mr. Lux...

Another mine dam wall has collapsed at the troubled Jagersfontein mine in the Free State. Kopanong Mayor Xolani Tseletsele says the situation could have been a result of heavy downpours in the area yesterday.  The water from the dam is flowing through the neighborhood of Charlesville and Dennis Louw's farm which is nearby. The R706 near Charlesville has been closed. Motorists are advised to use an...

A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by his family's two Pit bulls in his house in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. It is alleged that the boy and two other children were in the house with the dogs. Police say they were forced to shoot and kill both dogs and are investigating the incident. Elvis Presslin spoke to Pit Bull Federation of South Africa spokesperson Lins Rautenbach

Bus company Putco is proposing a review of the disciplinary process for dismissed workers who embarked on an unprotected wage strike. Putco suspended its operations after workers went on a wildcat strike demanding a 6 percent wage increase and bonuses promised to them three years ago. The company has proposed that the disciplinary hearings for all 139 employees be expedited to ensure fairness for...

The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) is set to hold its two-day local government summit starting today. The department says the summit aims at strengthening local government and will bring to the fore, the importance of institutionalizing the District Development Model as an operating model for cooperative governance. This is as the auditor general has warned th...

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says a preliminary investigation suggests that the Soweto tavern shooting stems from violent turf wars over abandoned mines, rubbish dumps, and cable theft. Yesterday five people appeared in court in connection with the July mass shooting in which sixteen patrons were killed at Mdlalose Tavern in Nomzamo Park. At the center of the bloody feud are scores of...

Cosatu's 14th National Congress got off to a rocky start after ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe was booed off stage by delegates. They accused Mantashe and the ANC-led government of failing the workers by not respecting the resolution of the 2018 wage agreement.  For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to former labour unionist, author, and political analyst Dr. Ebrahim Harvey

Time to take 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

Beaches at Plettenberg Bay in the Southern Cape remain closed for swimming, following a fatal shark attack yesterday*. A 39-year old woman from Cape Town was killed in the attack at Central Beach. Another fatal attack occurred in June this year. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Bitou Municipal spokesperson, Andile Namntu 

Environmental groups, local communities, and small-scale fishers will today picket at Saldanha and Pepper Bay in the Western Cape, against oil and gas exploration. The small-scale fishers are protesting the imminent arrival of oil and gas firm Azinam's oil rig, which is set to start offshore exploration activities in the next few days. Affected communities say they were not adequately consulted. F...

South Africa now ranks 19th in the world for the penetration of organised crime. That's according to a recent report by the Global Organised Crime Index, which has revealed that a major corruption market in South Africa is associated with the movement of foreign nationals, predominantly related to paperwork and the process of crossing borders with a bribe, instead of a valid passport. The report s...

President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow lead the nation in celebrating South Africa's indigenous music and its immense contribution to sports, arts, culture, and heritage. National Heritage Day celebrations will be held at the Union Buildings in Tshwane under the theme "Celebrating the Legacy of Solomon Linda and South Africa's Indigenous Music". This year's theme pays tribute to the 60th annivers...

Tshwane residents and businesses guilty of tampering with the water and electricity meters have until the end of this month to apply for the Amnesty Programme, or face consequences. Residents who fail to fess up could get hefty fines which can go up to two hundred thousand rands. This was done in an effort to give people a chance to come clean and admit to the tampering before the city finds them....

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is expected to make an announcement today on whether law Professor Richard Calland will remain on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Impeachment panel. The three-member independent panel will determine whether President Ramaphosa should face impeachment over the alleged cover-up of a robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. The DA and EFF wrote to Nosi...

Time to take 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

The multi-party coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has removed ANC mayor Eugene Johnson, through a motion of no confidence. 62 councillors voted in favour of Johnson's removal and 58 voted against the motion. The coalition blames Johnson for collapsing the metro. Her deputy, Buyelwa Mafaya, and council chief whip Wandisile Jikeka were due to face similar motions. The motion was tabled an...

Economists are expecting the South African Reserve Bank to deliver a hefty rate hike today when it announces the decision of its monetary policy committee. This is as the country's inflation rate is starting to show signs of slowing down after peaking in July. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Treasury Economist at Investec, Tertia Jacobs

The Constitutional Court has found the Copyright Act to be unconstitutional for unfairly discriminating against persons with visual disabilities. In a historical judgment, the Apex court confirmed that the Act of 1978 limits access to reading materials in accessible formats for persons who are blind or visually impaired. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the Vice President of Blind SA, Chr...

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy will today sign a Power Purchase Agreement with three preferred bidders. This is part of broad measures to address the country's load-shedding crisis. The signing ceremony with the first preferred bidders will take place in Centurion, Pretoria. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, NUMSA says the introduction of privately owned renewable...