First Take SA

ANC veteran and businessman Tokyo Sexwale has lamented statements by the South African Reserve Bank and the National treasury wherein they dismiss his claims about a Heritage Fund, called the White Spiritual Boy Trust as a scam. Sexwale says the fund was meant to operate through central banks across all jurisdictions via the Bank of International Settlements. He says it has security clearance from...

The ANC Interim Provincial Commitee(IPC) in North West, has temporarily suspended the membership of former premier and ANC provincial chairperson, Supra Mahumapelo, with immediate effect. This follows a meeting in Potchefstroom, where he allegedly instructed JB Marks Local Municipality mayor Kgotso Khumalo not to resign. The IPC earlier requested Khumalo to resign, as he was facing charges of frau...

Some South Africans and political organisations are up in arms following the announcement by the Department of Water and Sanitation that it has appointed 24 Cuban engineers to assist with the country's water infrastructure challenges. The department says the engineers have been seconded to South Africa to enhance and improve government's efforts on water delivery and related services.

The National Prosecuting Authority has confirmed that it received correspondence from former President Jacob Zuma's lawyers - Mabuza Attorneys - indicating they were no longer representing him in his upcoming corruption trial in connection with the arms deal. Mabuza attorneys also filed a notice of withdrawal with the Pietermaritzburg High Court YESTERDAY. No reasons were given for the sudden deci...

Firefighters who responded to last weekend's blaze at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg, say they could have acted more swiftly had the fire hydrant system been fully operational. The fire has again put the spotlight on poor health and safety controls and non-compliance in government buildings. In 2018, three firefighters were killed in an inferno at the Bank of Lisbon building in the...

South Africa has struck a R218 billion energy deal with Turkish company Karpowership to provide South Africa with power from Ships. The three floating power stations - which use Liquefied Natural Gas to produce electricity - are expected to dock at Saldanha, Richards Bay and Gqeberha towards the second half of next year. The Dept. of Mineral Resources and Energy has however acknowledged that Karpo...

Structural engineers and firefighters are continuing with assessments at the University of Cape Town's Jagger Library. The building is one of several on UCT's Upper campus, that were damaged by the recent fire. The blaze initially started on the upper slopes of Table Mountain above UCT on Sunday, but later spread, threatening the campus and adjacent suburbs. About four-thousand students had to be...

The involvement of women in traditional male circumcision is back in the spotlight. The debate has been revived by a recently released book Zajik'izinto by author, Siphokazi Vannessa Mpofu. Mpofu believes the involvement of women in this rite of passage to manhood of Xhosa boys may save lives as some of the initiates die during this ritual. Every year, during the initiation season, the Eastern Cap...

A leaked audio recording has emerged of former President Jacob Zuma's meeting with the ANC's Top Six officials. In it Zuma accuses the party's top leadership of neglecting him and wanting to see him in jail. The meeting was called to discuss, among others, his refusal to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Zuma is also heard saying some of his comrades went to foreign count...

The State Capture Commission is expected to resume THIS MORNING despite the break-in at its offices in Parktown, Johannesburg over the weekend. Electroninc equipment including two laptops were stolen from different floors of the building. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is expected, later TODAY (monday), to hear parliamentary oversight related evidence from the Speaker of the National Assembly,...

Ordinary Capetonians have taken it upon themselves to house some displaced students from the University of Cape Town. This as fire fighters battled raging fires which led to the evacuation of both the students and staff members from campus. A number of fire fighters are reported to have suffered burn wounds while battling the fires and had to be taken to hospital. Parts of the Rhodes Memorial were...

ANC Deputy Secretary General, Jessie Duarte, has urged the party's embattled Secretary General, Ace Magashule, to disassociate with people who want to sow divisions in the governing party. She was speaking in an exclusive interview with the SABC on a wide range of issues. These included the ANC-branded buses and taxis in support of Magashule and his leaked letters to provinces extending the scope...

The DA in Parliament wants the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to investigate the fact that about 35-percent of senior managers in government do not have the required qualifications for their jobs. The Minister of Public Service and Administration revealed these alarming figures in a written response to a parliamentary question posed by the DA. The official opposition says this situation is...

Western Cape Transport Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela has been suspended from his position for two weeks pending an investigation. The Democratic Alliance's Federal Legal Commission is investigating allegations that the provincial party leader's CV claims a qualification that he does not hold. Madikizela has claimed to hold a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Human Resource Management.

The EFF's Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu, has accused certain judges of belonging in the pockets of politicians. Shivambu was speaking outside the Hillbrow Police station after laying a criminal charge of corruption against Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan. This follows comments by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng during interviews with shortlisted candidates for judicial posts. Mogoeng...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Major-General Thalita Mxakato as the Chief of Defence Intelligence. She is the first woman to hold the position in the SANDF. Major-Genera Mxakato joined the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1983 and completed her basic training in Angola and in Germany. Annoucing Mxakato's appointment and other members of the Military Command of the SANDF, President Ra...

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has told Parliament that Johnson and Johnson is refusing to sign off the supply of a further 20 million doses of the Covid -19 vaccine. The pharmaceutical giant first wants a letter from the Department of Trade and Industry endorsing the local investment it has made in Aspen. Mkhize says this is a surprise move as such support is already part of the agreement and ha...

There was chaos at the entrance of the Mbilwi Secondary School in Sibasa outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo, following a bullying incident which allegedly led to the death of a female grade 10 learner. A video showing the deceased being assaulted by another learner went virial on social media on Monday. Other learners can be heard cheering during the assault. The victim later reportedly committed suic...

Surge testing is underway in parts of London after a sudden increase in the number of people testing positive for the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa. The UK government says it's the largest surge testing operation to date in the capital - getting underway just a day after lockdown restrictions were eased further.

The ANC National Youth Task Team (NYTT) has called for NEC members Tony Yengeni and Enoch Godongwana to be disciplined. The NYTT was outlining the resolutions taken at its first official meeting held this weekend. The newly-established body has been given six months to prepare and hold the ANC Youth League's National Congress. However, it faces financial challenges and questions about the ages of...

Organisations representing farm dwellers and workers around Mkhondo are calling on the Piet Retief Magistrate's court in Mpumalanga not to grant bail to the four men accused of killing two farm dweller. This is after the four suspects aged between 31 and 58 appeared in court facing two counts of murder. Daniel Malan, Cornelius Greyling, Othard Klingberg and Michael Sternberg are accused of shootin...

The Basic Education Department has gazatted a new set of rules that may see teachers found guilty of sexual misconduct banned indefinitely from teaching in any South African school. The new batch of terms and conditions of employment was gazatted last week Friday by Education Minister Angie Motshekga. Some of the conduct which will qualify teachers for indefinite bans include having a sexual relat...

KwaZulu-Natal premier, Sihle Zikalala says there's a lack of trust between farm dwellers and government in Newcastle, north of the province. Zikalala was speaking during a visit to the Normandien farming community in Newcastle. The area has been in the spotlight, following an escalation of tension between farmers and farm dwellers.

Covid-19 has ravaged the Eastern Cape, claiming more than 11-thousand lives in the province. At the same time, tuberculosis remains a huge problem. The TB survey conducted in 2018 found the disease present in 737 out of every 100-thousand people. Statistics from 2015 showed the Eastern Cape to be the province with the highest prevalence of TB. Currently, there's concern about the sharp increase in...

Nature conservationist in the Eastern Cape have raised an alarm on the amount of birds which continue to drop dead from the sky. More than a 150 birds have been reported to have died without any explanation in parts of the Nelson Mandela Bay and King William's Town, also known as Qonce. A well-known snake handler and owner of Sandula Conservation, Mark Marshall, together with the provincial state...