First Take SA

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...

The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA has arrested six high-ranking police officials in connection with a police tender of over R54 million from 2016. The suspects, among them, a former national police commissioner, were arrested in Durban, Bloemfontein, and various areas around Pretoria, while two were arrested as they were boarding domestic flights from OR Tambo International Airport. For more...

One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane will run as a presidential candidate in the country's 2024 election. This is as Maimane prepares to launch a new political party on Heritage Day this weekend in Soweto. The party will be an umbrella body for independents. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mr. Mmusi Maimane

The Judicial Conduct Appeals Committee has ruled that a Tribunal should be established to investigate allegations made against Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe by Deputy Judge President in the Province Patricia Goliath. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Researcher and advocacy officer at Judges Matter, Mbekezeli Benjamin

Political party leaders who want to campaign for internal leadership positions will have to disclose those who are donating to their campaigns. President Cyril Ramaphosa has been ordered by the Constitutional Court to ensure that he remedies the defect identified by the judgment on the Executive Ethics Code, within 12 months. The Concourt has confirmed the Pretoria High Court's judgment which decl...

AfriForum Youth is preparing a criminal complaint against Constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos for allegedly sharing child pornography on his Twitter account. The University of Cape Town law lecturer has defended himself, claiming that his account had been hacked. Meanwhile, the EFF has called on the University to take disciplinary action against Professor de Vos. For more on this, El...

Public Service Unions affiliated with the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) will today picket outside the offices of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council in Centurion, also in rejection of the 3 percent salary offered by the government. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku

Labour union POPCRU and its members will today march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demand the government increase salaries by 6.5%. This is after public sector unions rejected the government's three percent wage offer. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo...  

COPE has suspended its Chair of Chairs Colleen Makhubele as a party representative in the City of Johannesburg Council. The party's Gauteng Interim Provincial Committee resolved to suspend Makhubele with immediate effect. Makhubele previously voted with a PAC-sponsored motion to remove the DA-aligned speaker of the council, Vasco da Gama. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Dennis Bloem, Spo...

The construction mafia crisis is not only a criminal act but also, a clarion call for economic inclusion. These groups, operate under the banner of "radical economic transformation" and present themselves under the guise of "local business forums" and invade construction sites across the country, demanding money or a stake in development projects. Property Point founder Shawn Theunissen says crimi...

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 will return to South Africa after Queen Elizabeth's funeral today. The President will no longer be traveling to New York from London after cutting his trip short to address the energy crisis in the country - This is as Stage 6 load shedding continues. Last week Eskom announced the launch of an online skills database to crowdsource experts for the power utility to hire. Es...

After days of lying in state, the body of the late Queen Elizabeth II will begin its final journey this morning as part of a grand state funeral. The Queen died at the age of 96 on September 8. She spent 70 years on the throne, making her the longest-serving monarch in British history. President Cyril Ramaphosa will join world leaders who will bid farewell to the monarch before heading back to Sou...

Various parliamentary committees have concluded a three-day joint oversight visit to illegal mining hot spots In Gauteng. During the oversight visit the Portfolio Committee on Police, Home Affairs, as well as the Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy heard from the South African Police Service that more than 10 000 people had been prosecuted for illegal mining between 2012 and 2022. For more o...

The crash that claimed the lives of 21 people in Phongolo, Kwa-Zulu Natal was inevitable - according to a local resident. Last week Friday a truck driver collided head-on with a bakkie ferrying school children off the N2. In a viral video, the truck is seen speeding excessively, overtaking on a double barrier line, and crashing into the bakkie. 19 learners and two adults have died and the truck dr...

The deaf community is calling on authorities to act swiftly and ensure that there are Sign Language services available at key service points such as police stations, clinics, and hospitals. They say many incidents of gender-based violence against the community go unreported and may lead to the normalization of GBV against the deaf. This is as the International Week of Deaf People starts today and...

Law professor Richard Calland is facing calls to recuse himself from the Independent panel looking into whether there is prima facie evidence to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa over his conduct in relation to the robbery on his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. Some opposition parties and analysts say Calland has written favorably about the President and his alleged consistent bias towards Ramaphosa...