First Take SA

This week on Africa Brief Elvis Presslin spoke to  Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo and author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back", Victor Kgomoesoana on some of the top African economic stories on the continent

The South African National Taxi Council, SANTACO's bid to acquire Mango Airlines has reportedly failed. SANTACO was one of the bidders trying to take over the low-lost airline. The airline has been in voluntary business rescue since last year July. The Taxi Council says they will release a statement this coming week. Aviation Analyst Phuthego Mojapele

What would you do with R350? Well, most social media users were shocked to find out that certain Individuals have managed to start businesses with their R350 social relief distress grants. During his State of the Nation Address, SONA last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Lindokuhle Msomi, an unemployed TV producer from KwaMashu Hostel, saved the R350 grant he received for nine months...

The Gauteng government has suspended at least nine senior officials implicated in irregularities related to the awarding of contracts for the refurbishment of the Anglo Gold Ashanti Hospital in the West Rand. The suspension of the officials from both the health department and the Department of Infrastructure development follows a recommendation by the Special Investigating Unit. The unit had been...

Travelers to Botswana will from today (14 February 2022) need to produce proof of being fully vaccinated to gain entry to the country. For more on this here is Sethomo Lelati-sitswe, Assistant Minister of Health in Botswana

Economic Freedom Fighters Leader Julius Malema says President Cyril Ramaphosa has passed a motion of no confidence in himself  by shifting government's responsibility of job creation to the private sector. However his sentiments were not shared by the Democratic Alliance which welcomed the Ramaphosa's pronouncement on the role of the private sector in growing the economy. His sixth SONA has b...

This week on Africa Brief we begin in Kenya where the Equity Group Ranked the Fifth Strongest Banking Brand in the World, in Morocco, the EU Unveils €1.6 Billion Investment in Morocco and Kiswahili Becomes AU's Working Language. Elvis Presslin spoke to  Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo and author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "A...

Some government departments, embassies, businesses, homeowners are without electricity and water after owing City of Tshwane seventeen-billion Rands in utilities. The City of Tshwane has embarked on what it says "an aggressive revenue collection campaign" by disconnecting services to defaulting customers. Elvis Presslin spoke to the acting chief of staff in the City of Tshwane Mayor's office, Jord...

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate says it is investigating a case of death as a result of police action, after an on-duty police officer gunned down his on-duty nurse girlfriend at the Tembisa Hospital in Johannesburg. The officer shot the 30-year-old woman several times before turning the gun on himself. He is now in a crital but stable condition at the Milpark Hospital in Johannes...

Social Justice Organisation, Black Sash says it will continue its call for President Ramaphosa to extend the Social Relief of Distress Grant and recommends that it be increased to at least the Food Poverty line of just over R600. Ramaphosa is set to focus on the progress made in the four key priority areas he identified last year when he delivers his State of the Nation Address on on Wednesda...

 In the build up to this year's State Of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, there are growing expectations that he will address calls for jobs in some sectors of the economy to be reserved exclusively for South Africans. The possible exclusion of foreign nationals from some sectors was reportedly discussed by the African National Congress, the Congress of South African Trade Uni...

Former DA Federal Chairperson, Athol Trollip has been touted as the latest new member that is about to join Herman Mashaba's ActionSA. This follows meetings by Mashaba in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape where the party tweeted it would be announcing its new members to lead the province. Trollip, a former mayor of the hotly contested Nelson Mandela Bay metro resigned from the DA following the departur...

40 Richards Bay High School pupils were hospitalized yesterday after a suspected gas leak at the Foskor plant. The plant is a producer of phosphates and phosphoric acid. The were also reports that other residents were also rushed to hospital after experiencing vomiting, nausea and breathing difficulties reportedly due to the unknown gas leak. KwaZulu Natal Provincial Education Spokesperson, Muzi M...

The Expert Panel looking into the July unrest says Cabinet must be held accountable for the violence which claimed over 300 lives. The panel, appointed in August last year, also found that the country's intelligence services failed to intercept and prevent the planned and orchestrated riots. The report released by President Cyril Ramaphosa says Cabinet must take responsibility for failing to conta...

Black First Land First, BLF is expected to hand over an affidavit to the Hillbrow Police Station in Johannesburg, which the party says proves that President Cyril Ramaphosa should be charged criminally for corruption. The party says Ramaphosa is compromised as he was allegedly involved in criminality for contravening Sections 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004. Th...

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"...

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) says the Judicial Service Commission is attempting to misuse the constitutional power in the process of appointing a Chief Justice. The JSC has recommended that President Cyril Ramaphosa should appoint the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal Mandisa Maya to be the next Chief Justice. The other three candidates who were...

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says schools are ready for learners to return to the classroom full-time, from today. She says the scrapping of the rotational timetable, which was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had already been gazetted. The move comes after a cabinet decision at the end of last month, to end rotational learning with immediate effect and to remove social distan...

Many areas have been flooded following heavy rains in Gauteng at the weekend. Meanwhile, authorities say over one-hundred people have been left homeless following heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal. The provincial department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta says disaster management teams are continuing with assessments that will provide the extent of the damage in various municip...

Four North West police officers have been granted bail of R500 each by the Coligny Magistrate's Court in the province. They allegedly colluded with petrol attendants between January and December 2020 using fuel cards of police vehicles to pay for fuel that was never poured into these vehicles. For the latest, here is North West Police Spokesperson, Lieutenant colonel Amanda Funani

Chief Justice nominee Dunstan Mlambo has denied allegations of sexual harassment against him. He describes it as a poisonous rumour. Mlambo faced these questions during his interview by the Judicial Service Commission for the top position in the constitutional court. The Judge President of the Gauteng High Court Division also pleaded with the JSC to warn a candidate ahead of the interview -  ...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories, here is Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back"

The University of Cape Town says rape allegations against a senior member of the SRC are receiving urgent attention at the highest level. This follows protests on campus which were sparked by an anonymous social media post alleging that a member of the SRC had sexually assaulted and raped a first-year student in October last year. The SRC has since also issued its own statement condemning sexual v...

A hospital in Louisiana in the United States has become one of the first hospitals to install a robot designed to assist surgeons in the operating room. However, there are some things we can do to assist our bodies before we need a visit to the operating room. So will a "Chiropractor" be replaced by a robot? To answer this question and other medical matters here is Dr Travis Mitchell, a chiropract...

Community members of Umzinto on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast are threatening to boycott the upcoming census if their water challenges are not addressed urgently. Stats SA will be conducting a nationwide census up to the 28th of February. This community however says their water woes have been ongoing for more than 4 years without any concrete solutions. This comes after a protest in the area on Mond...