First Take SA

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories.....We are joined on the line by 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 City of Johannesburg Council has approved the implementation of the long-awaited Informal Trading Policy. The policy which was approved on Tuesday paves the way for an organized informal trade sector within the city. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Bongani Nkomo, Chairperson for the Economic Development Committee in the City of Johannesburg

Operation Dudula officially launched its first branch at Olympia Stadium in Rustenburg, North West yesterday. The movement says its focus in the province will be on illegal activities in and around the Rustenburg Platinum Belt. For more on this, Elvis Preslin spoke to Rollence Mabula, the Regional Leader of Operation Dudula

African Christian Democratic Party, ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe says his party is determined to fight for the freedoms guaranteed in the constitution. Meshoe and his members marched to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg to mark Freedom Day. The party has applied to be a friend of the court in the urgent application lodged by the Action 4 Freedom against the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla. Th...

The Democratic Alliance has launched its "Zondo Dashboard" in response to the release of parts of the State Capture Commission Report. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has released four parts to his State Capture Reports with damning evidence against senior government officials and their families. Close to 1 500 people, including former President Jacob Zuma and Minister Gwede Mantashe, have been implic...

Residents of Isipingo Hills, south of Durban say they are living in fear after some community members allegedly hijacked a water tanker in the area. It is alleged that over the weekend a group of residents with firearms stopped a water tanker and filled their own tanks before instructing the driver to deliver water to another part of the area. Some parts of Isipingo are still without water since t...

Emergency services workers in parts of the Buffalo City Metro and Amathole District in the Eastern Cape have downed tools over grievances including what they say are poor working conditions and staff shortages. The Health Department says the strike is unprotected. Trade union, NEHAWU, says it is not aware of a strike by any of its members. The department says 23 emergency fleet vehicles have been...

Time to take a look at the 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...

There was a heated exchange of words during SCOPA's oversight visit to Eskom on Friday. Eskom Board member Busisiwe Mavuso walked out of the meeting following a war of words with SCOPA chair Mkuleko Hlengwa. Mavuso said the ANC is to blame for Eskom's ongoing challenges. Meanwhile, the ministry of public enterprises called her comments "regrettable" and her conduct "unbecoming" as a board member o...

Health professionals say they are starting to witness a spike in the number of new daily COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. This has prompted concerns that the country may be at the beginning of a fifth wave which is possibly driven by a new Omicron variant. The latest daily infections recorded are fast approaching five thousand while the government continues to intensify its vaccination dr...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions is expected to hold a picket against jobs and retrenchment at the Union Building today. The Federation says neo-policies of the ANC-led government have led to an onslaught against jobs and further crippled the economy. Unemployment, the Federation notes, is above 50 percent among women and at a staggering 77 percent among the youth, while the black majo...

The ANC national government reportedly blew R1.4 billion on parties, dinners and hotels during lockdown, this according to the Democratic Alliance, DA. The party's Shadow Minister for Public Service and Administration Dr Leon Schreiber says 18 ANC Ministers, Deputy Ministers and their departments spent over R1.4 billion since President Cyril Ramaphosa's government took office on 19 May 2019. For m...

ANC National spokesperson Pule Mabe has confirmed that the party's Eastern Cape elective conference has been postponed to a date to be confirmed. He was speaking during the launch of the Letsema campaign in Mangaung in the Free State. Mabe cautioned media houses and journalists against reporting false or unverified news updates on the delayed conferences of the party describing them as sensitive....

The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial is expected to resume in the High Court in Pretoria this morning after a week's postponement. This was to allow legal representatives to consult with the accused and to adequately prepare. Meyiwa was gunned down at his then-girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo's mother's home in Vosloorus, Johannesburg eight years ago in October 2014. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to the...

Residents of Eldorado Park in Johannesburg have vowed to continue protesting until power utility, City Power re-connects their electricity. This comes after the area and surrounding areas have been left in the dark following a fire at a substation earlier in the month. Yesterday, residents blocked roads with stones and burning tyres in a demand for authorities to address them. For more on this Elv...

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

SASSA has put in place measures to assist those affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Families that have been affected by floods will be given a 1-thousand 2-hundred rand voucher to purchase essential items. At least 448 people have died from the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Thousands of people have been left homeless after their houses were washed away away floods. For the latest we're joined on t...

Government has set aside an amount of about 200-million rand for all the tertiary institutions that might have been affected by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal. This was announced by the Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande in Parliament. Nzimande says the department decided to re-prioritise this money as part of emergency undertakings for unforseen situations. For the lates...

Plans are in place to restore stability at the financially troubled Mangaung Metro Municipality, in Bloemfontein. This follows a visit to the metro by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The plans to bring stability to the embattled metro  come as Tebogo Motlashuping is reported to have been appointed as the new and fourth acting city manager for a...

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says the power utility is facing two decades of unattended maintenance. Briefing the media yesterday, de Ruyter accused his predecessors of delaying the introduction of the Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme for a number of years. He says currently there was an additional 200 Mega Watts of power available from independent power producers, but contract...

ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal has cautioned that President Cyril Ramaphosa's promises to the residents of the floods ravaged parts of the provinces should be taken with a pinch of salt. This follows assurances by the president that the national disaster relief funds would not be stolen. Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (COGTA) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma gazetted regulations for the...

The Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union says at least 58 healthcare services have been damaged by the KwaZulu-Natal floods with hospitals and clinics struggling to provide normal services. This situation has been made worse by the damage to roads and infrastructure including the power supply with several areas without any water supply due to the Umngeni infrastructure being damaged. Healthcare workers...

Home Affairs officials together with the police and soldiers have arrested hundreds of undocumented foreign nationals at the Beitbridge Border Post at Musina in Limpopo. They were arrested during the safety operation campaign at the border post. There's a huge police presence at the port of entry since the start of the Easter weekend. Koketšo Motau reports.

The KwaZulu-Natal Education Department says latest reports indicate that over 600 schools have been damaged by last week's devastating floods. The damage is estimated at over four-million rand. Mobile classrooms are being dispatched to prepare for the re-opening of schools on Tuesday.

Government has declared a National State of Disaster following the devastating floods in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In addressing the nation on Monday Night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the severity of the flooding and damage in both provinces, as well as the possibility of extreme weather in the North West and Free State provinces has necessitated this. The Minister of Co-ope...