First Take SA

Ninety-seven illegal miners and an elderly farm owner have been arrested in Heidelberg, Gauteng. The suspects - Lesotho nationals between the ages of 18 and 35 were arrested by a national multi-disciplinary team during a clamp down on illicit mining activities. All suspects will appear at the Heidelberg Magistrate's Court on charges of illegal mining, human trafficking, flouting immigration laws,...

Award-winning Poet, author, and anti-Apartheid activist, Dr. Don Mattera has been laid to rest according to Muslim rites last night at the Westpark Cemetry, in Johannesburg. His family says Mattera, who was recovering after a medical checkup at the Military One hospital in Pretoria a few weeks ago, died peacefully at his home in Protea Glen yesterday (Monday). He was 87 years old. For more on this...

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 recent trend of mass shootings and killings continued at the weekend with eight people killed, four in Khayelitsha in Cape Town and four in Lenasia in Joburg respectively. Meanwhile, Free State police are also investigating the killing of six women and one man at the Lismore Farm in Kestell. In another shooting incident, six people were shot and killed in Alexandra township in Johannesburg at...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the mooted second state-owned power utility to solve the energy crisis is not for immediate consideration. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister and ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe - has suggested that the answer lies in the creation of another state-owned public utility to compete with Eskom. This is as the country grapples with rolling blackouts due to...

Rollance Mabula, The regional coordinator of Operation Dudula in Rustenburg, North West province, has resigned from the movement. Mabula has cited a number of reasons for his resignation, among them, that the movement has deviated from its mandate and principle of being 'apolitical'. The movement launched its North West branch in Rustenburg in April this year. Operation Dudula has been controversi...

The ANC Women's League's new National Task Team Convenor, Baleka Mbete says the party retrogressed in its previous elective conference when Jessie Duarte was the only woman among the ANC's top six. On the passing of Ms. Duarte, Ms. Mbete says even as Duarte lay in hospital battling cancer, she was trying to ensure that the party's elective conference in December would have more female representati...

The United Taxi Associations Front has given the government and the National taxi Association 21 days to allow it to increase taxi fares or face strike action. The association is demanding a taxi fare increase which it says has been caused by the ever-rising cost of fuel. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to United Taxi Association Front Spokesperson, Sipho Nkwanyana.

NUMSA says its preparations for the elective conference are well on course besides some factional efforts to derail them. The labour organisation recently suspended Second Deputy President Ruth Ntlokotse for undermining the NUMSA and its unity. Meanwhile, NUMSA is also demanding a 20% wage increase from the automotive industry or it goes on strike. So far the talks between Numsa and the Automobile...

Political parties who hope to form a coalition government in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, say there has been a breakthrough in negotiations for a new government.  The parties in the agreement are the ACDP, African Independent Congress, Abantu Integrity Movement, the DA, FF Plus, PAC, and the UDM. They recently met at least eight times to discuss a government to replace what they call a fractured and...

The EFF wants president Cyril Ramaphosa to step down. It's now approaching the courts to have the president investigated and answer questions on the Phala Phala farm robbery in Limpopo. Millions of dollars were allegedly stolen, but the case was never opened by the president. EFF leader, Julius Malema, says they will not back down in their bid for Ramaphosa to leave office amid this saga. Elvis Pr...

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...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the section 194 inquiry into suspended Advocate Mkhwebane's fitness to hold office is not a platform to make unsubstantiated allegations that fall outside of the scope of inquiry. Ramaphosa was responding to a call by the leader of the United Democratic Movement Bantu Holomisa, that he should be called to testify at the inquiry, regarding the CR17 campaign funding ma...

Trade Union Numsa has suspended its 2nd Deputy President Ruth Ntlokotse. The union accuses Ntlokotse of sowing divisions and undermining the union's leadership. This is as the union is set to hold its national conference on the 25th of July in Cape Town to elect new leadership this year. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Ruth Ntlokotse

The number of detectives at police stations across South Africa has declined by more than 1 300. This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele in a written reply to a parliamentary question from the DA. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has reportedly been understaffed, under-resourced and under-trained for four years. In another parliamentary question Minister Cele revealed that 20% of th...

The first day of a nationwide strike by SARS employees saw a number of taxpayers turned away from branches. Workers affiliated with Nehawu and the Public Servants Association downed tools yesterday after wage negotiations deadlocked. The employees have rejected a 1-point-39 percent wage increase offer tabled by the South African Revenue Services. For more this, Elvis Presslin spoke to NEHAWU Natio...

The National Prosecuting Authority has expressed shock at the decision by Advocate Malesela Teffo, to withdraw as legal representative for accused one to four in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case. Teffo cited harassment for his decision but says he will remain on a watching brief on behalf of Meyiwa's brother, Sifiso. Teffo has withdrawn from defending accused numbers one to four in the case being hear...

The Special Investigating Unit with the help of DENOSA has raided the Limpopo Health Department offices to investigate allegations of corruption. The nursing organization says the raid was long overdue and expects the SIU to find serious wrongdoing in multimillion Rand PPE contracts in the department. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Denosa Limpopo Chairperson, Lesiba Monyaki

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally resigned as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday but said he would stay in Downing Street until a successor is found. His ousting coincides with a particularly perilous period for the U.K. economy. Inflation hit a new 40-year high of 9.1% in May and the country is facing a cost of living crisis. But some analysts argue that the U.K. continues to ben...

CEO of the Black Business Council Kganki Matabane says the tavern shootings over the weekend point to a problem in security and intelligence in the country. A total of 21 people were killed in separate shooting incidents in Soweto, Katlehong, and Pietermaritzburg. At least 15 people died in the Soweto shooting. Matabane says people should work with law enforcement agencies to protect businesses ag...

Parliament's Section 194 committee will today enter its second day of hearings on the fitness of now suspended Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to hold office - with testimony from an expert witness. The DA in February 2020 filed a motion that Mkhwebane was incompetent, based on various negative court findings against her. Proceedings started yesterday, with Mkhwebane's legal representative,...

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...

21 people have been killed in 3 separate tavern shootings this past weekend alone. 15 people were shot and killed at a tavern in Soweto, 4 at a tavern in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, and 2 people at a tavern in Katlehong, Gauteng. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the suspects to be brought to book. For the latest update on the shooting in Soweto, Elvis Presslin spoke to Police Spokesp...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the families of the people who were killed in the Soweto tavern shooting. Fifteen people have been declared dead after a shooting in the Nomzamo informal settlement in Orlando West, Soweto. It's believed that the perpetrators arrived at the tavern and shot indiscriminately. Four people were also reportedly killed in Katlehong and Pietermari...

The ANC's Interim Provincial Committee in the Free State has welcomed a court judgment that reaffirmed it as a constitutional structure in the province. The High Court in Bloemfontein has struck off the roll an urgent application to disband the Free State ANC Interim Provincial Committee. Three disgruntled ANC members in the Mangaung region questioned the status of the party's IPC, which was estab...