First Take SA

Kenya's President-elect William Ruto has promised to oversee an open and all-inclusive government after he was declared the winner of the presidential election. Ruto narrowly beat his rival, Raila Odinga, taking 50.5 percent of the vote, according to the official results. The announcement was delayed amid scuffles and allegations of vote-rigging by Odinga's campaign. Elvis Presslin spoke to Africa...

TALKING POINTS: *** Nigeria Hits 44.30 Percent Broadband Penetration, 84m Internet Subscriptions *** Zimbabwe: Reserve Bank to Release Smaller Gold Coins in November *** African e-commerce giant Jumia reported its second-quarter financial performance

ANC NEC member, Nomvula Mokonyane says a criminal case has been opened following the discovery of bogus delegates at the North West provincial conference. Briefing the media yesterday Mokonyane said the alleged duplicates would not compromise the election's outcome. The party's North West Conference has been marred by persistent delays, legal challenges, and allegations of registration rigging. Th...

The eldest son of late King Goodwill Zwelithini, Prince Simakade has been pronounced the new monarch by some members of the royal family. This after he performed the entering of the kraal ceremony at the Enyokeni palace at Nongoma at the weekend. The ritual was done privately. Entering the kraal is one of the key rituals following the death of an AmaZulu monarch and entails the recognition of a su...

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has called on the Department of Minerals Resources and Energy to outline how it plans to tackle illegal mining, following the gang-rape of eight women in Krugersdorp west of Johannesburg last month. Parliament visited several abandoned mines following the incident. This as the department says the government needs an estimated R49 billion to r...

Several July unrest suspects have been arrested In an operation by the Hawks targeting alleged instigators of last year's insurrection. The unrest saw a wave of looting, riots, damage to businesses and infrastructure worth over 50 billion rands, and violence that left over 350 people dead in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. In the aftermath of the unrest, the government said at least 12 instigators had...

State-owned arms manufacturer Denel has announced that all outstanding salaries owed to its employees have now been fully paid, after a two-year battle. Denel has paid 318 million rands in outstanding salaries. Head of restructuring, Riaz Saloojee, says the new restructuring plan will place the embattled arms company at the centre of defence industrial capability and excellence. Saloojee says they...

South African Airways has been given 90 days to provide details on Takatso deal or risk losing licenses. It has been reported that the Air Services Licensing Council wants SAA to address breaches of aviation law - including providing more information about the proposed deal and management changes. The airline, previously grounded for almost two years under business rescue, only resumed operations...

FOCUS POINTS: ***Central African ministers meeting in Cameroon have agreed to merge two regional blocs in a move to boost trade and growth.  ***The inauguration ceremony of the power generation second turbine of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is underway. ***The US and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have agreed to form a working group to protect the enormous Congo basin rainfores...

With less than four months to go before the ANC's 55th National Conference, the party is racing against time to conclude its provincial conferences. At least six out of the nine provinces have convened their conferences with the North West scheduled to hold its 9th provincial summit in Rustenburg this weekend. The ANC leadership under its former chairperson Supra Mahumapelo was dissolved four year...

Inkatha Freedom Party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa says the new premier of KwaZulu-Natal Nomusa Dube-Ncube is compromised and his party will hold her government accountable. Dube-Ncube became the new premier of KwaZulu-Natal after she defeated the DA's Mabatho Tembe in a secret ballot during a legislature sitting. The DA had fielded its own candidate to contest the position. Legislature members of b...

Workers belonging to the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) at the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, have downed tools, demanding salary increases. The union has vowed to continue with the strike action until their demands are met. This as the provincial Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (GoGTA) has condemned the strike, saying it is illegal. Elvis Pressli...

The government will pay the 48 outstanding Marikana litigation by the end of this month - 10 years after the massacre. Solicitor General, Fhedzisani Pandelani says 48 cases are outstanding. Families of slain Marikana miners are suing the state and President Cyril Ramaphosa for a billion rand. Elvis Presslin spoke to Khuselwa Dyantyi, a Candidate Attorney at the Socio-economic Rights Institute, SER...

A high-ranking ANC official In KwaZulu-Natal has reportedly been arrested for allegedly assaulting his estranged wife. One of the ANC's regional secretaries reportedly assaulted his estranged wife reportedly with the help of his current girlfriend. Elvis Presslin spoke to ANC Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Secretary Bheki Mtolo... 

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Naledi Pandor, will today host her counterpart, Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Frederick Shava in Pretoria. The purpose of Minister Shava's visit to South Africa is to review progress made in implementing bilateral programmes between the two countries. The meeting will afford the ministers the opportunity to...

Twenty people have been arrested in Marabastad, Pretoria for contravening immigration laws. The department of labour and home affairs raided the popular market on Monday in a joint operation following reports of criminal activities and lack of compliance with labour and immigration laws. Elvis Presslin spoke to Advocate Fikiswa Mncanca- Bede, Chief Director for Statutory and Advocacy Services at t...

Millions of Kenyans yesterday came out to vote in the country's hotly contested presidential and legislative elections. By 4 pm yesterday the electoral commission announced that over twelve million Kenyans turned out to vote - This equates to at least over 50% of the total 22 million registered voters. Although there are four candidates, there are only two front runners in this presidential race;...

Residents of Kagiso west of Johannesburg are calling on the government to deploy soldiers to clamp down on illegal mining operations in the Westrand. Yesterday disgruntled Kagiso residents took matters into their own hands by dismantling several illegal mining operations in the area. More than 20 illegal miners were caught and stripped naked by residents and rescued by Gauteng police before being...

Lesotho's Government says it is investigating allegations of its nationals committing crimes in South Africa. In an exclusive interview with SABC News, Chief of Staff of the Lesotho Defence Force, Major General Matela Matobakele, says they have been trying to negotiate with South African authorities to hand over the arrested illegal miners whom he says fled to South Africa after committing serious...

Action SA leader Herman Mashaba has come to the defense of the City of Johannesburg MMC for Economic Development Nkululeko Mbundu after he was accused by the Department of Justice of inciting violence against Socio-Economic Rights Institute staff. This week, informal traders represented by the Social Economic Rights Institute (SERI) trading along De Villiers Street accused Mbundu of inciting viole...

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

Members of opposition political parties represented in the National Assembly say President Cyril Ramaphosa should be held accountable for the violation of laws pertaining to the theft on his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo, in which he was implicated. Yesterday the DA, EFF, IFP, ATM, UDM, and ACDP held a meeting in Johannesburg to consolidate and strengthen opposition parties' resolve and commitment t...

Members of the Congress of the People (COPE) Constituency Congress Committees in Gauteng have called for the party president, Mosiuoa Lekota, to step down. This was resolved in a July meeting addressing challenges of growth, rebuilding, and renewal in the party. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to COPE's Ekurhuleni Secretary Mxolisi Ntobela

The National Prosecuting Authority's Asset Forfeiture Unit has frozen assets to the tune of R13 million belonging to former Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and his co-accused. The move is connected to the Slush Fund corruption case. The restraint order granted by the Gauteng High Court last month was served on Mdluli, former Crime Intelligence supply chain manager Heine Barnard and former c...

Elvis Presslin spoke to Advocate Simba Chitando, a Zimbabwean lawyer, who does high-profile litigation and is registered to practice in South Africa about the ruling issued that foreign nationals without a permanent residence in South Africa will not be admitted and enrolled as practising or non-practising legal practitioners of the High Court