First Take SA

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport says payments have been made to Bus Company Putco following its announcement to suspend bus services today. In a statement issued yesterday, Putco cited a diesel shortage, caused by the non-payment of their subsidy from the government, as reason for the suspension. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Lesiba Mpya, Spokesperson for the Gauteng Depa...

The City of Johannesburg is without a mayor yet again. This, after a special council meeting intended to elect a new Executive Mayor in the city, was adjourned without electing a mayor. The City has been without a mayor since the resignation of Al Jama-Ah's Thapelo Amad as mayor last week. The Council will reconvene on Friday. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Political and Policy Analyst,...

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says she supports a centralized procurement system as it gives the contractors the opportunity to negotiate lower prices when buying goods. Motshekga was briefing the media yesterday about the school feeding scheme debacle in KwaZulu Natal. Scores of KZN pupils went without a meal at school for weeks, after the sole supplier was unable to deliver food for t...

Dr. Nandipha Magudumana and three co-accused will be applying for bail in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court today - In the case of the escape of the Facebook rapist and murderer Thabo Bester. The four accused are facing charges of murder, aiding the escape of a prisoner, and defeating the ends of justice among others. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to our SABC reporter in Bloemfontein Aph...

 The City of Joburg will convene an extraordinary council meeting to elect a new mayor today. This follows the resignation of Al Jama-ah's Thapelo Amad after a short stint in office. The Democratic Alliance's Mpho Phalatse who was ousted through a motion of no confidence in January, and was replaced with Thapelo Amad will stand as the DA's mayoral candidate today. For more on this, Elvis Presslin...

The All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa have expressed disappointment at the poor turnout of its planned national shutdown of roads yesterday. The group embarked on a shutdown over the employment of foreign truck drivers by local trucking companies. Meanwhile, the African Unite Borders Bus trucks association, AUBBTA is calling on the government, SADC, and other stakeholders to find sol...

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 Maruleng local municipality in Limpopo will commission a feasibility study on alternative energy, as South Africa continues to grapple with load shedding. The municipality hopes this initiative will minimize load shedding, and reduce energy consumption from Eskom while cutting down on electricity costs. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Tsheko Musolwa, the Mayor of Maruleng Municipalit...

Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, says he has instructed the province's Law Enforcement Advancement Plan, LEAP officers to arrest Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, should he set foot in the province in August. Winde was speaking during the DA national Freedom Day celebration in Nyanga on the Cape Flats. Putin is expected to attend the BRICS Annual Heads of State Summit in Gauteng in August. This...

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