First Take SA

Whistleblower Patricia Mashale a former administrative clerk with SAPS in the Freestate, is pleading for protection from the government after exposing wide-scale corruption within the South African Police Service. Mashale first reported the alleged corruption back in 2009. She has since been fired from the force and is in hiding amid death threats against her. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spok...

The South African police and Interpol are continuing their investigations following the arrest of an Israeli most wanted gang leader, along with seven others at a house in Bryanston, Johannesburg. 12 firearms, 40 thousand US Dollars, and suspected stolen motorcycles were seized by authorities during the arrest yesterday. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Police spokesperson Colonel Athlend...

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

German software company S.A.P has been issued with a demand to pay back over R1 billion in fees paid to the company by Eskom. The Special Investigative Unit says S.A.P scored several deals with Eskom by paying development fees to Gupta-linked companies. AmaBhungane's Expert on SAP, Susan Comrie spoke to our Senior Producer Ronald Phiri about how companies owned or controlled by the Guptas were app...

The Section 89 Panel of Experts, considering whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer in relation to the theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm will continue with its assessment over the next two weeks. The panel was expected to conclude and report back to National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula today. However, Mapisa-Nqakula announced that the deadline has be...

Avis car rental has withdrawn its fleet from the City of Joburg due to non-payment allegedly by the DA-led multiparty government. This is according to ANC Joburg regional chairperson Dada Morero, who in a tweet, accused the multiparty government of "compromising the ability of the City to maintain road safety during the festive season" after some JMPD vehicles were withdrawn. The DA says the ANC i...

The fraud and corruption trial of former State Security Agency Minister, Bongani Bongo has been postponed once again - This time to June next year. He and 11 co-accused were appearing in the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court in Mpumalanga yesterday for the start of their trial. But the defense attorney of one of the accused wanted additional information from the state. Last week, the matter was po...

Former speaker of Parliament and ANC NEC member Baleka Mbete is retiring from politics. She says she will not be available for re-election during the party's elective conference in December this year. Mbete who ran and abandoned her own ANC presidential campaign at Nasrec, Johannesburg in 2017 to back Cyril Ramaphosa told our senior Producer Ronald Phiri that she will endorse any presidential part...

Disgruntled ANC Mangaung branches say the Interim Regional Committee has tempered with the nomination packages ahead of the party's elective conference. The members have threatened legal action if their grievances are not addressed. Members gathered in their numbers outside the provincial office demanding answers. ANC Free State Spokesperson Oupa Khoabane says they are in the process of resolving...

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...