First Take SA

Universities South Africa says its shocked that President Jacob Zuma released the Fees Commission report when students are sitting for their exams. Zuma released the long awaited report at midday today. The report recommends that government hike spending on higher education by 1% of GDP and that TVET college students not pay fees. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Universities South Africa CEO, Professor...

The National Treasury has confirmed the resignation of the department's Deputy Director General, Michael Sachs. The department of Finance Spokesperson, Mayihlome Tshwete says Sachs had expressed an interest to move to other areas of government to continue serving the public in a different role. He is reported to have quit over the Presidency's alleged interference in the budget process. Tsepiso Ma...

President Jacob Zuma has finally released the Fees Commission report. The report recommends that South Africa increase spending on tertiary education - especially for poor students. The report says South Africa should hike spending on higher education to one per cent of GDP. However it says the country cannot at this stage afford the cost of such an increase. The report was first released to Zuma...

The parents of a fourteen month-old baby who was mauled to death by two dogs in Malmesbury, say they are still trying to come to terms with her death. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Chairperson of Animal Behaviour Consultants of South Africa, Shannon McKay

Time now for our weekly edition of TRENDSWATCH where we take a look at news that dominated social media this week. Our producer Molebogeng Sebidi has more

Two Emergency Medical Services crew members who came under attack from robbers on the N2 this week while transporting a seven-year-old boy to the Red Cross Children's Hospital, have recalled the traumatic night. They relived the ordeal at a press conference by the Western Cape Departments of Health and Community Safety where a plan was announced how to improve the safety of emergency workers. Ther...

As part of events to mark SADC Malaria Day, Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi together with a team of Health Ministers from other member states have conducted anti-malaria spraying missions at Giyani in Limpopo. The ministers were on site carrying canisters containing anti-malaria chemicals at Thomo village. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi

The State Security Agency (SSA) has laid charges against veteran journalist Jacques Pauw for contravening certain sections of the State Security Act. The charges stem from the publication of Pauw's book "the President's Keepers which alleges that millions of rands of tax payers' money flowed into the bank accounts of bogus spies among other revelations about government and dirty tricks in SA's law...

A huge new leak of financial documents has revealed how the powerful and ultra-wealthy, including Britain Queen Elizabeth's private estate, secretly invest vast amounts of cash in offshore tax havens - based in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. US President, Donald Trump's commerce secretary - Wilbur Ross - is shown to have a stake in a firm dealing with Russians sanctioned by the US. The leak, dubb...

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has fired Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa, after Mugabe and his wife Grace repeatedly denounced him over the weekend. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our SABC foreign Desk Editor, Sophie Mokoena

The ANC in the Eastern Cape is confident that the party would be united in the province before the highly anticipated party's National Elective Conference in December. The newly elected Provincial Executive Committee met with its alliance partners and Nelson Mandela Bay Regional Executive Committee in Port Elizabeth. The aim of the meeting is to strengthen relations within party's structures. The...

The new South African Airways (SAA) Chief Executive Officer Vuyani Jarana started his first day at the national carrier today following his appointment in September. Jarana has being credited with transforming and positioning Vodacom Business as a growth engine of Vodacom. National Treasury said Jarana has built a solid and transformed organisation with emphasis on both top line business growth, a...

Municipal workers union - SAMWU - says it has written to the of the Ekurhuleni city manager to demand that pre suspension hearing against two metro police officers be canceled. The Ekurhuleni Metro police officers appear on a video brandishing piles of cash in take-away containers. SAMWU says it's just mere speculation that the money in possession of the officers was the proceeds of crime. We are...

The much anticipated romantic-comedy Zulu Wedding is set to hit the cinema screens nationwide in February 2018. Produced and directed by Lineo Sekeleoane, the movie follows the life of a woman who leaves South Africa to America to persue her dance career, where she finds love. When she brings her American lover home, she discovers she had traditionally been engaged to a Zulu king, since birth. The...

INTRO: The Department of Social Development and the South African Post Office, are set to brief a joint sitting of the Social Development Portfolio Committee and Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on the way forward following a deadlock yesteday regarding the social grants distributions contracts. SAPO and SASSA were sent packing, with an order to come up with an agreement to ensure eve...

Five prisoners who were re-arrested after escaping from the Kutama Sinthumule maximum security prison have briefly appeared at the Louis Trichartd Magistrate's court in Limpopo. They have been charged with escaping from custody. They escaped last week during a strike by prison warders. During the strike, inmates went on the rampage, and setting parts of the prison on fire. Two of the prisoners are...

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases says South Africans need not be alarmed about the so-called Black Death plague. This follows an outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Madagascar where some 1-thousand 300 cases have been reported. A South African died after visiting the Island. The NICD held a media briefing to given an update of the disease. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the spokespe...

The unemployment rate for the third quarter of 2017, remains unchanged at 27-point-7 percent. However, the financial sector did record some growth in employment- with the industry creating 68 000 jobs. Manufacturing, Construction and Agriculture are the only sectors that didn't report any employment growth quarter-to-quarter and they've declined by 50 000, 30 000 and 25 000 respectively. Tsepiso M...

The Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini says they are prepared to work with the South African Post office. She, also urged SAPO to enter again into procurement processes on alternative payment services for social grants distributions. Dlamini was was speaking in Parliament where the Treasury, SASSA and the Post Office - accompanied by ministers, were briefing joint committes on progr...

Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of the re-run presidential elections. This despite that voting did not take place in 25 constituencies following violent disruptions. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, withdrew from the presidential election rerun and is now demanding fresh elections within 90 days. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our correspondent in Kenya, Sarah Kimani

Labour union, BEMAWU, has issued a notice to strike to the SABC board today. The union says there has been no communication from the SABC board to curb the impending strike. SABC workers are demanding a ten percent increase. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to BEMAWU President, Hannes Du Buisson

Thousands of people have participated in Black Monday protests against farm killings countrywide. South Africans were encouraged to wear black to show solidarity against the rising number of farm attacks and violent crimes in South Africa. Reports indicate that there have been over 340 attacks and at least 65 murders on farms in 2017. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Omri van Zyl, executive director of A...

German software giant SAP has admitted paying money to get contracts from state-owned companies in South Africa. The company has voluntarily disclosed information on the situation in its South Africa business to American authorities responsible for enforcing the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. A Gupta-controlled company apparently helped SAP to secure the Transnet deal in return for around 100-m...

The lawyer representing the office of the public protector, Advocate Maleka, has told the high court in Pretoria that there is no rational basis to set aside remedial actions in the STATE OF CAPTURE REPORT. This is in the wake of an earlier argument by lawyers representing president Jacob Zuma that the public protector has no powers to instruct him to establish a commission of inquiry. President Z...

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has warned farmers to be careful not to employ undocumented and unregistered foreigners for the purpose of cheap labour. Mbalula says its makes it difficult to trace some of those undocumented foreigners if they commit farm attacks. He spoke in Parliament during a briefing on the release of the 206/2017 crime statistics. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Dr. Chandré Gould ,...