First Take SA

Labor federation Cosatu is expected to picket outside Parliament and the National Treasury ahead of the country's national budget speech today. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will table his budget this afternoon at City Hall in Cape Town. Cosatu says this year's budget needs to move away from ineffectual and failing budget cuts which further exacerbate our struggling economy. For more on this,...

The ANC NEC has ratified outstanding party deployments with Reverend Frank Chikane taking over the chairperson position of the integrity commission in the ANC, replacing George Mashamba. Chikane will be the one to hear what the commission recommended about the Phala Phala scandal. Newly elected Deputy President Paul Mashatile has been appointed head of the deployment committee. Meanwhile Free Stat...

The ANC in the Eastern Cape have welcomed the two life sentences handed down to former ANC Ward Councillor in the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality, Lucky Bethwell Mbuzi. The High Court, Eastern Cape Division, sentenced Mbuzi for killing his political rivals; ANC members, Hleliphi Mashusha Thotshe and Comrade Mduduzi Madikizela in the lead-up to the previous local government elections....

Türkiye has been rocked by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit the country as it is still reeling from the effects of two previous earthquakes two weeks ago - which left over 46-thousand people dead. For the latest, Elvis Presslin spoke to Jasper Knight, a Professor of Physical Geography at the Wits University's School of Geography, Archaeology, and Environmental Studies

The Western Cape government says taxi operators continue to threaten and intimidate learner transport in Mfuleni, Cape Town. The operators have allegedly prevented about 1800 learners from going to schools. Principals have reported that some buses in Mfuleni were stopped and prevented from transporting learners, leaving children, some of them in primary school, stranded in the rain. To further dis...

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is encouraging all South Africans who are eligible to vote to register online to vote in the 2024 general elections. The IEC says it has instituted the 'Your Vote Is Your Voice' campaign as the beginning of its preparations for the elections. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the IEC's Electoral Matters Acting Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Granv...

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...

Heavy rains and subsequent floods continue to cause huge damage in some parts of the Eastern Cape. Six people died at Coffee Bay after they were swept away by the floods. Many households have been left devastated. Schools and clinics have been badly damaged.  For a national picture of the floods, Elvis Presslin spoke to Lungi Mtshali, Spokesperson to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Trad...

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to table the National Budget Speech this Wednesday, in Parliament, Cape Town. According to the ministry of finance, the budget allocation speech will aim to strike a balance between competing national spending priorities and the limited resources available to the National Treasury. For analysis, Elvis Presslin spoke to Treasury Economist at Investec Te...

The South African Zionist Federation has accused South Africa of leading a campaign to remove Israel out of the African Union. This after senior Israeli diplomats were removed from the AU's annual summit in Ethiopia at the weekend. The Federation says this is a breach of protocol as Israel has Observer status. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the National Chairman of the Federation, Rowan...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to his deputy David Mabuza, who has asked to be relieved of his duties. Ramaphosa used his reply to the debate on his state of the nation address to thank Mabuza for the work he has done in government. It is expected that Ramaphosa will name his new ANC deputy, Paul Mashatile as the country's Deputy President in a much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle. Elvis...

Public service unions will embark on a full-blown indefinite strike this month to Intensify their fight against the government's unilateral implementation of a 3% wage increase. Unions will submit strike notices to the employer next week Tuesday - on the same day Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivers his budget speech. Wage talks collapsed last year when public service unions failed to convin...

Limpopo Health MEC Dr. Phophi Ramathuba has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Dr. Ramathuba came under fire last year after a video of her ranting about Zimbabwean migrants abusing health resources in Limpopo went viral. The Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia - KAAX, along with several human rights and health advocacy organizations, laid...

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

Military activities leading up to Armed Forces Day on the 21st of February this month will officially kick off today in Richards Bay, KZN. This is as Russia and China are expected to participate in Exercise Mosi II, a multilateral maritime exercise hosted by South Africa. Armed Forces Day commemorates the worst naval tragedy in South Africa's history - the sinking of the troopship SS Mendi In the...

Mobile network operator Telkom says it will begin a formal retrenchment process that could affect 15 percent of its workforce as it looks to restructure some of its operations. The group indicated that it would initiate cost-cutting measures across the group as a result of the difficult trading environment in South Africa. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Communications Workers Union's Ge...

Trade union Solidarity is taking the government to court over the new state of emergency with regard to the country's electricity crisis. Solidarity says if the state of disaster is allowed to continue, a dangerous precedent will be set. To elaborate further on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Solidarity's deputy chief executive for legal matters, Anton van der Bijl

The Government has declared a national state of disaster to respond to widespread flooding in various parts of the country. Higher than normal rainfall has caused severe flooding in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and the North West provinces. The South African Weather Service predicts that current heavy rains will persist. For more on this, Elvis...

Five people have reportedly been shot dead in Marianhill, west of Durban in KwaZulu Natal. The incident took place at two separate car workshops yesterday. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda

The Communication Workers Union, CWU says plans are underway to challenge the looming retrenchments at the South African Post Office. SAPO has issued a Section 189 notice, which will see around 6000 workers lose their jobs. The Post Office turnaround strategy will also see it cutting staff salaries by as much as 40%. The Post Office recently incurred a loss of R2.3 billion in the past financial ye...

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

City of Tshwane mayor, Randall Williams, says he is resigning as mayor for the continued stability of the multi-party coalition. However, opposition parties in the City of Tshwane council have lambasted Williams for failure to deliver services to residents, especially those living in townships. Elvis Presslin spoke to Elections Analyst Wayne Sussman and asked him about the reasons why Randall Will...

The South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC will join the rest of the world in commemorating the 12th edition of World Radio Day today. This year's World radio day is celebrated under the UNESCO theme 'Radio and Peace'. Our senior producer Ronald Phiri spoke to the SABC's Head of PBS Siphelele Sixaso about Radio Day and some of the thought-provoking content the SABC has lined up to celebrate...

The R30-million fraud trial of former Eskom Senior Manager, France Hlakudi resumes today. Hlakudi is expected to appear in the Pretoria regional court on various charges amounting to an estimated 30 million rand. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Sindisiwe Seboka, Spokesperson for the NPA's Investigating Directorate.

Fans of the late South African rap star - Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA - continue to flock to the place where he and his friend were gunned down outside a Durban restaurant Friday night. Sharing a bond in their love for AKA's music, people have laid bunches of flowers on the sidewalk where the shooting took place. In a symbolic rejection of the violence that claimed the two men's lives - two white...