First Take SA

TALKING POINTS: **** The Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari says he will no longer sign any treaty without assessing the impact it will have on its citizens **** Liberian President George Weah has cancelled tuition fees for undergraduate students in the West African country **** Ambassador Sahlework Zewde to Become Ethiopia's President replacing replacing the outgoing president, Dr. Mulatu Tesho...

DA leader in the Western Cape, Bonginkosi Madikizela says racism in South Africa manifests itself in all political parties. Madikizela was responding, YESTERDAY evening, to reasons given by now former chief whip of the DA in the Cape Town City council, Shaun August, that he is leaving the DA because of racism in the party. August together with four other councillors dramatically resigned yesterday...

Alliance partners expect newly appointed Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, to not only give substance to the economic stimulus package announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa -- but also to boost confidence in the economy. The country entered a technical recession, plunging an already stagnant economy into deeper trouble. The former governor of the Reserve Bank will have his work cut out, as he navig...

SAMWU in Limpopo has called on the ANC to recall its deployees in the Vhembe District Municipality over links to the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. Municipal workers yesterday downed tools and forcefully removed the municipal manager, Reuben Rambado from office. Rambado, together with Executive Mayor, Florence Radzilani are amongst the implicated people in the Reserve Bank report tittled 'The Great Bank...

The Judge in the rape trial of controversial Nigerian pastor -- Timothy Omotoso -- has refused to recuse himself from the case, following a request by the defence for him to do so. Judge Mandela Makaula has agreed to postpone the case till Thursday, to allow the defence time to prepare its argument for an appeal. Omotoso and two co-accused are on trial in the Port Elizabeth High Court, and are fac...

TALKING POINTS: *** Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, won a landslide victory in a controversial presidential election *** The Bank of Mauritius has been conferred the Capital Finance International Award for Best Central Bank Governance *** Dispute between Tullow Oil and the Uganda government over a law governing taxation of the sale of shares

New Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's Medium-term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) is expected to give clarity on Government's intention to reprioritise 50 billion rand of funds to stimulate the economy and create jobs. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the stimulus package in September. Economists say re-prioritising funds is the better option rather than increasing taxes. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke t...

Students at the Tshwane University of Technology have welcomed the arrest of two police officers believed to be linked to the death of 3rd year LLB student, Katlego Monareng. Monareng was shot and killed in August during a protest over SRC election results at the Soshanguve campus, north of Pretoria. Its alleged the police fired live ammunition at the students as warning shots. The arrested police...

The Giyani municipality in Limpopo, which invested 161 million rands in VBS, has initiated legal processes to recoup some of the monies linked to the mutual bank's scandal. Municipal spokesperson, Steven Mabunda says former chief financial officer, Hitler Maluleke, has been fired while the former technical services director - Precious Mathebula - resigned after their involvement in the VBS scandal...

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has lamented the public sector salary bill ahead of his maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement on Wednesday. Using Eskom as an example, Mboweni says the power utility will probably need to shed over 30-thousand jobs as it is bloated. He was speaking at the second annual Kader Asmal Memorial lecture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology's Mowbray Campus in...

The Jesus Dominion International Church (JDI), of which controversial rape accused Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso is the founder, has been the target of furious protesters this past weekend. Various political parties and members of the public joined forces in a protest to have the church closed. Yesterday (sunday) they gathered in front of the church in Port Elizabeth while a service was underway...

Siyabonga Gama has been dismissed as chief executive of Transnet. The company had given Gama until October 15th to give reasons why his contract should not be terminated after he was implicated in misconduct and maladministration in the acquisition of locomotives from a Chinese rail company in 2012. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Transnet non-executive board member Mpho Letlape

The Port Elizabeth High Court has postponed the case against the controversial pastor, Timothy Omotoso, to Monday. This is after witness Cheryl Zondi, told the court that Omotoso allegedly raped her at various places, when they travelled for church events. During cross-examination, Zondi told the court that she thought of approaching the police in Durban, but alleges that she decided against it be...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has set up a Commission of Inquiry into allegations of impropriety at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). The inquiry will be headed by former president of the Supreme Court of Appeal Justice Lex Mpati. The president has given the inquiry six months to complete the investigation. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader, Bantu Holomisa

The Passenger Rail Agency - PRASA - has put the cost of yesterday's damage to the trains in Germiston, east of Johannesburg at 6 point 5 million rand. Two Metrorail trains were burnt at the Germiston train station. Another train travelling from Germiston to Springs was also torched damaging only the seats. No injuries were reported in all the incidents. Over 5-thousand commuters were affected by t...

TALKING POINT: *** Liberian government attracts major investments for the country's fishing industry *** The World Bank Group says financial technology (fintech) companies are key pillars in supporting sustainable growth and poverty reduction *** Conflicting death toll reports following last Friday's Osisioma pipeline explosion in Abia, Nigeria

The Gauteng department of transport says it is considering removing abnormal freight vehicles off the road during peak hours to help reduce traffic congestion. Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi held discussions with Road Freight industry on various issues including damage to road infrastructure due to truck overloading among other things. Tsepiso Mkawetla spoke to Gauteng Roads and Tran...

Author and investigative journalist, Jacques Pauw has called on both former Sunday Times senior journalists, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika and Stephan Hofstatter to name and shame their sources which led to false reporting by the two. Pauw was reacting to the news that the Sunday Times will return all awards and prize money received for now-discredited reports on the Cato Manor "death squad", the SARS "rogu...

About 10 000 members of NUMSA are gearing up for a strike in the plastics sector and is calling for a total national plastics shutdown. NUMSA has reassured members who work in the plastic sector that today's strike will be protected. NUMSA spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola discusses the aim of the strike with Tsepiso Makwetla...

The search for the bodies of two people who were reportedly swept away in the Apies river in the north of Pretoria over the weekend will resume this morning. Tshwane emergency services suspended the search as the flow in the river was too strong for rescue personnel to continue working. The city's emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse spoke to Tsepiso Makwetla about the situation there th...

The Hawks says it has assembled a strong, well-resourced team to investigate the looting of funds from the Venda-based VBS Mutual Bank. The Hawks spokesperson says the team will be guided by the National Prosecuting Authority. This follows the release of a report commisioned by the Reserve Bank into the troubled VBS bank. The report found that around 53 people and entitites unjustifiably and illeg...

TALKING POINT: *** Cameroon's long wait for election results as social media claims unverified winners *** African billionaire, Mohammed Dewji kidnapped in Tanzania *** Nigeria to take foreign loans at higher cost due to the interest rate hike in the US

The DA has been battling without any success to get an answer from the SABC Board on how much the COO, CFO and CEO are earning. DA member of Parliament's Communications Committee Veronica van Dyk described the board's conduct of not answering the question directly as a " Hlaudi culture". The SABC Board was presenting its 2017/2018 financial statement. They were accompanied by Communications Minist...

An investigation has revealed that there's no prospect of saving VBS Mutual Bank -- and analysts say depositors could lose most of their money. A final investigation report -- into large-scale fraud at the bank -- indicates that about two-billion rand in depositor's money was looted. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to One of the founder of VBS Mutual Bank, Madambi Muvhulawa

A showdown is looming in Zimbabwe TODAY (thursday) as labour unions have vowed to go ahead with a planned protest against a new government tax and price increases despite a police ban on the march. The police say authorities are still trying to contain a cholera outbreak and a ban on large public gatherings still stands. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called on people to join street mar...