First Take SA

Farm workers from about 20 farms in the Cape Town and the Klein Karoo region say there's very little respect for the human rights of farm workers as the country celebrates Human Rghts Day. The workers are meeting in Stellenbosch where they shared their frustrations on issues including illegal evictions, sub-standard housing and non-compliance with the minimum wage.

Seventy-two-year-old amaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has been laid to rest at the KwaDlamahlahla palace in Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal, in a ceremony called ukutshalwa in the early hours of this (Thurs) morning. In Zulu culture, the term ukutshalwa refers to the belief that a King never dies but that he is planted. The longest serving Zulu monarch died from COVID-19 complications last week....

Deputy President David Mabuza has answered questions on wide ranging issues in the National Assembly. These included land redistribution, loadshedding and Eskom's turn around strategy as well as ensuring that the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines will not be tainted by corruption.

The EFF's application in the High Court in Pretoria to have the bank statements and financial records of donors to President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2017 ANC presidential campaign, also known as CR17, unsealed will continue TODAY. The Deputy Judge President, Audbrey Ledwaba, sealed the CR17 financial records in August 2019 after Ramaphosa's legal team argued they were illegally obtained by the Public Pr...

A hybrid sitting of the National Assembly has voted in favour of establishing an ad hoc committee to investigate the fitness of Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to hold office. The ad hoc committee was recommended by an independent panel, which found that prima facie evidence exists to institute removal proceedings, and that Parliament should look into charges of misconduct and incompetence a...

Former president Jacob Zuma insists that there's nothing untoward about the state funding his criminal case. TODAY(16 March), Zuma's legal team will appeal the December 2018 high court order which set aside the state's decision to pay for legal costs relating to his criminal prosecution. Zuma, the DA and the EFF have filed papers in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein. The former pre...

Student bodies across the country are calling for the continued national shutdown of tertiary institutions as a result of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme's failure to fund first year students and the financial exclusion of students with historic debt. The protests started last week, and students say they'll continue taking to the streets until their demands are met. They also want to mee...

The stage is set for government to lock horns with public sector unions over wages. This as the new round of public sector wage negotiations is scheduled to begin today.

National student body -- SASCO and the EFF Student Command -- have threatened to shut down all institutions of higher learning TODAY (Monday). This is part of the student's ongoing protest to demand free education and for students to be allowed to register for the 2021 academic year even if they have historical debt. Tshepo Phagane spoke to Karabo Damane -- a Wits student -- who was not allowed to...

The family of Mthokozisi Ntumba, the innocent by-stander fatally shot by police during the Wits university student protest in Braamfontein on Wednesday - says his death has left them shocked and devastated. The 35-year-old was hit by rubber bullets as he left a clinic in Braamfontein. Police minister Bheki Cele visited Ntumba's family in Kempton Park YESTERDAY. He's described the police action tha...

Government has announced an additional funding for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to address the funding shortfall for the 2021 academic year. Wits University students went on the rampage this week, protesting against what they call financial exclusion of poor students. They have also threatened to shut down all campuses until their demands are met. Police clashed with students and shot...

Another seven people arrested for the alleged looting and collapse of the VBS Mutual Bank will appear in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court in Gauteng TODAY (friday 12 March). They're facing combined 188 counts which include theft, corruption, money laundering and racketeering or organised crime.

Political parties have angrily reacted to the ongoing students protest at Wits University, where a bystander was killed YESTERDAY. Students have engaged in a protracted action accusing government of failing to fund fees for poor first year students for the 2021 academic year. Earlier government said the National Student Financial Aids Scheme is unable to finalise funding for new university student...

A protest by Wits University students in Johannesburg over financial exclusion due to outstanding fees, YESTERDAY claimed the life of a 35-year-old man. He was shot dead, allegedly by police just after he walked out of a clinic in Braamfontein. Eyewitnesses say police shot the man despite him showing them proof that he was not part of the protest, and had just gone to the doctor. Police watchdog I...

The situation remains tense in Mashishing formerly Lydenburg in Mpumalanga, as residents continue with their violent protest action. Since the beginning of the protest last week, residents have burnt a recreational centre, a SAPS contact point and a municipal building. They are calling on the municipality not to cut power for residents who fail to settle electricity bills. The municipality is also...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has put forward the close coordination of African countries in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic as an example of multilateral best practice in dealing with the challenges facing the world today. He was speaking in an informal virtual United Nations Leaders Networking session to take stock of the global challenges that confront the multilateral system while setting out...

The South African economy shrank by 7 per cent last year, the biggest decline in 75 years. This comes as hard lockdown measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic took their toll on various industries. New figures released by Statistics South Africa show all major sectors recorded declines for the full year.

How easy is it to shun traditional African cultural practices that have defined a community? Can national laws work where tradition has hindered an end to traditional harmful practices. Tough questions with no easy answers. In Kenya, Samburu community elders have closed ranks with the government and vowed to stop circumcising their girls. This is a major victory in Kenya's fight against the harmfu...

Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, has urged both parents and guardians to support the new proposed national changes to admission policies for schools. The policies propose that no learner should be refused admission based solely on the language policy of a public school. The new amendments also seek to uphold the principles of no discrimination on race, gender social origin, cultural beliefs...

Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula hopes a report into sexual misconduct and exploitation within the South African National Defence Force will finally bring an end to sexual abuse in the force. The ministerial task team which looked into the reporting ,management, and finalisation of sexual harassment and sexual abuse cases in the force has finally handed over the report to the Minister aft...

Eskom former CEO Brian Molefe has told the State Capture Commission in Johannesburg he visited the Gupta residence in upmarket Saxonworld numerous times when was still then CEO of Transnet. Molefe says he lost count how many times he visited them. His claims his visits were mainly to attend the Gupta's family functions and attend what he called "meetings". The Guptas have been repeatedly implicate...

Reaction has been mixed about the decision of the Judicial Conduct Committee against Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. The JCC has ordered the Chief Justice to apologise unconditionally and retract statements relating to SA's stance on Isreal he made during a webinar hosted by the Jerusaleum Post, in June last year. While the local chapter of the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement and the SACP welco...

While calls by some opposition parties in Parliament for the removal of the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane increase -- the ruling ANC has kept mum about allegations that Luthuli House has instructed its deployees not to vote with the opposition. Weekend news reports stated that ANC secretary general, Ace Magashule told the party caucus in Parliament not to endorse the removal of Mkhwebane, so...

The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) has met with representatives from twenty four hour news channel ENCA, following recent incidents involving one of its journalists. The senior reporter Lindsay Detlinger has faced a backlash following a video montage, selected from some of her work during the post-budget interviews in parliament last month, which sparked allegations of racism due to...

President Cyril Ramaphosa's office has told the state capture commission's legal team that the President will wait until after Molefe has completed his testimony to respond to possible allegations Molefe made about him. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says President Cyril Ramaphosa is not compelled to respond to allegation made about him at this stage. Zondo confirmed that the 14 day period offered to...