First Take SA

Economists say rumours of a possible cabinet reshuffle could heighten investor concerns around policy uncertainty. Credit rating agencies have indicated that they will only review the country's sovereign rating after the October Medium Term Budget Policy Statement and the ANC's elective conference in December. Earlier we spoke to Professor of research at the University of Johannesburg, Steven Frie...

The Labour Court in Johannesburg has made a precedent-setting ruling which will affect officials in public institutions. The court has ruled that the SABC, its former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and former News Executive Simon Tebele must each pay a portion of the SABC 8's legal costs for their wrongful dismissal. The costs are estimated at 3 million Rand. Unions Solidarity and Bemawu say the judgement...

The Limpopo provincial government's spokesperson, Phuti Seloba, says the decision to have some areas of Vuwani serviced by the Vhembe District Municipality and other provincial departments is not aimed at disempowering the new LIM345 Local Municipality, but at improving service delivery in the area. Residents of Vuwani have been protesting against the Municipal Demarcation Board's decision to inco...

Police in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro say they suspect that the killing of an ANC local official is related to tenders. Thando Xakaxa, the party's deputy branch chairperson for Ward 25 in Zwide in Port Elizabeth, was shot dead last night. Police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu says it's alleged the 41 year old was gunned down inside the yard of his home while returning from a prayer meeting. Tsepiso...

The ANC in the Ethekwini Region in a statement says they have noted with grave concern reports that there is a circulating video of body guards allegedly assigned to oversee security detail involving its Regional Secretary Bheki Ntuli. The party in the province, says it will study the video, if proven to be true and authentic, strong action must be taken. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to ANC KZN provinci...

A number of babies are born with deformities as a result of radiation exposure, caused by excessive levels of quartz-rich inhalable dust . This according to the Benchmarks Foundation report titled Policy Gap 12 - Soweto Report: "Waiting to Inhale .The study has also makes critical findings with regard to the health of households who live in the communities of Riverlea, Diepkloof, Meadowlands and S...

Seven people have been wounded, two of them critically, following a shooting outside a block of flats in Braamfontein in the Johannesburg CBD. Details around the shooting are not yet clear, but authorities are investigating. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Police Spokesperson, Captain Kay Makhubele..

A Johannesburg based news agency has become the latest to be fingered in the GuptaLeaks saga. According to the Citizen newspaper, the Centre for African Journalists is alleged to have sent an email to the Guptas, offering to do news articles countering the local negative media reports aimed at tarnishing the family's name and their business. The email indicates that the Gupta family is being unfai...

South African editorial cartoonists will deliberate on the challenges they face, opportunities and the purpose of their art during a convention in Cape Town this coming weekend. The event will also be open to the public and the media at large. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to cartoonist and organizer of the event, John Curtis

Former SABC acting CEO Jimmy Matthews was responsible for the sacking of eight journalists in July 2016. This is according to Former SABC COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal representative Thabani Masuku. Masuku argued in the Labour Court in Johannesburg today that his client should not be held be personally liable for the wrongful dismissal of eight journalists. Masuku made reference to the SABC's for...

There are unconfirmed reports that Lesotho's army commander has been killed in a gunfight with two rival military officers who also died. It is reported that Defense Minister Sentje Lebona confirmed the death this morning. Witnesses say the gunfight happened after the two officers forced their way into Motsomotso's office at a military barracks. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our reporter in Lesotho, R...

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande says IntelliMali managers need to get to the bottom of a blunder that resulted in a NSFAS student receiving 14 million rand. The Walter Sisulu student went on a frivolous spending spree, spending more than 800-thousand rand of the amount. Nzimande says he has commissioned an investigation into the matter and wants IntelliMali to deal with the employees resp...

Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has ordered Eskom to sign the independent power producer (IPP) power purchase agreements (PPAs) by the end of October. Eskom refused to sign the agreements in 2016 because it said it had an over supply of electricity and would be paying for more electricity it did not need. Elvis Presslin spoke to Deputy Minister of Energy Thembi Majola...

As Highway Africa conference wraps up, one of the issues that have become topical in SA, the emergence of "black Twitter" was on the spotlight. In one of the plenary sessions this morning, Dr Shepherd Mpofu from the University of Johannesburg made a presentation titled, Jesus Comes to South Africa: Black Twitter and Politics. Black twitter is widely considered a community of users that tweet about...

Kenya's Supreme Court has ordered the a re-run of presidential poll. The court found that the electoral board committed irregularities and illegalities during last month's presidential vote harming the integrity of the election that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a second five-year term. Elvis Presslin spoke to our East Africa Correspondent, Sarah Kimani...

The bodies of the last two missing miners at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville have been recovered. The two were the last of five miners who were unaccounted after a seismic event at the mine last Friday. The mine says all of the employees who were trapped underground, are now accounted for. Elvis Presslin spoke to the Investor Relations Manager at Harmony Gold, Lauren Fourie

Labour federation Cosatu says it will be embarking on a nationwide strike against corruption, state capture and job losses. The strike is to be held on the 27th of September. The labour federation says it plans to shut down economic sectors in all nine provinces. Elvis Presslin spoke to Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali

Award-winning international and local authors will share their secrets to writing and engage on a range of thought-provoking topics during this year's Open Book Festival. Hosted by the Book Lounge and the Fugard Theatre, the festival will take place in Cape Town from the 06th to the 10th of September Organisers say this year's edition presents a world-class selection of panel discussions, readings...

The Competition Commission will work with banks offering to cooperate in a case into alleged rigging of the rand. The announcement by the Competition Commission is a blow to banks that have discreetly approached the watchdog for a settlement. The Commission recommended fines amounting to ten percent of the more than a dozen local and foreign banks' South African revenues. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to...

30 learners at Bothitong High School outside Kuruman in the Northern Cape Province are allegedly pregnant. Learners are accusing male teachers at the school of impregnating them. Some teachers are said to be having sex with more than three learners at any given period. The learners are allegedly paid stipends for having unprotected sex with the teachers. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to our reporter Neo...

The new 2018-2022 National Drug Master Plan is currently being developed through a consultative national process between stakeholders from government, civil society and substance abusers. The Master Plan aims to prevent and reduce the abuse of alcohol and substances, as well as counter its associated social and economic consequences on South African society. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Dr. David Bay...

1.8 million HIV-infected people will die over the next 10 years in South Africa if US President Donald Trump cut foreign aid supporting HIV/AIDS treatment. This is according to a global study by the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to scientists and researchers globaly; sky-rocketing deaths in the African nations would far outweigh savings. The President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEP...

Treatment of psychiatric patients in Gauteng hospitals still remains a challenge. DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, Jack Bloom says Gauteng public hospitals admits thousands of psychiatric patients but many of them end up being placed in ordinary wards with other patients. Bloom says many hospitals have no dedicated psychiatric wards but still accept large numbers of psychiatric patients. Tsepiso Makw...

The search for two miners still trapped underground at harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near carletonville on Gauteng's West rand continues. The body of the third miner was brought to surface yesterday morning. About three thousand mine workers were underground when a tremor caused part of the mine to collapse. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the Investor Relations Manager at Harmony Gold Mining Company,...

The Eskom board is meeting to discuss reports that global management consultancy Oliver Wyman had red-flagged the payments made to financial advisory firm Trillian and global business consultancy McKinsey. The power utility board, in a statement, indicated that the main objective of the meeting is to find a lasting solution to stem negative coverage. Meanwhile, the DA says it will be writing to th...