First Take SA

The ANC's Top Six, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, met into the late hours of yesterday, deciding the fate of embattled North-West Premier Supra Mahumapelo. The meeting followed a decision by the party's national working committee, which recommended that Mahumapelo be recalled. Elvis Preslin spoke to SABC reporter Tshepo Ikaneng and Political Analyst, Professor Goodfriday Mhlongo

Another protest against the illegal occupation of vacant land has erupted in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg. Residents there are also opposed to land grabbers illegally occupying a piece of land in the area. Yesterday, a similar protest took place in Protea Glen in Soweto where the situation is reportedly calm this morning. In both cases, residents believe the illegal invasions will devalue their...

Kenya to Launch Its First Locally Made Satellite Into Space, South African products are still banned in Rwanda after listeriosis and The African Development Bank (AfDB) has said Africa needs about $170 billion annually to meet its infrastructure requirement. Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" looks at this week's top African economic stories with Elvis Preslin

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, NEHAWU, is planning a national day of action followed by a two day stay-away by public servants in the North West province, starting next week. This is in solidarity with provincial health and social development departments workers in the province. This follows industrial action at both provincial departments. Two weeks ago, the national gov...

Eight people of the same family, including five children, have been killed in a shack fire in Site C in Khayelitsha, on the Cape Flats. The Bangani family are distraught, and shocked community members saddened by the incident. Twenty-two people have been displaced after the fire destroyed four shacks. The police are investigating the incident. Berenice Moss reports

The Speaker of the North West Legislature Suzan Dantjie, has postponed the motion of no confidence in premier Supra Mahumapelo. The motion which was brought by the EFF, it was supposed to have been debated in the provincial legislature in Mahikeng this morning. EFF NW Chairperson, Betty Diale explains why they requested the postponement...

The Right to Know campaign has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser. The organisation says Fraser has retained his position despite mounting allegations against him. Meanwhile the Democratic Alliaence has written to President Ramaphosa urging him to suspend Fraser with immediate effect. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Spokesperson for the Right to Know Cam...

The Speaker of the North West Legislature, Suzan Dantjie has announced that the motion of no confidence in Premier Supra Mahumapelo next week on Tuesday, will proceed through an open ballot system. The Legislature will hold a special house sitting to debate the motion, which the EFF tabled last month. Patrick Dintwa reports ...

Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" speaks to Tsepiso Makwetla for a look at this week's top African economic stories

Police have made a major breakthrough in their fight against drugs. They raided a multi-million rand drug manufacturing lab in Orlando West, in Soweto on Thursday. No one has been arrested but a search is underway for the owners of the house, as Angela Bolowana reports...

The family of five people who were burnt to death at Willowton in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal is trying to come terms with their death. Five family members were burnt to death when when a fire broke out in the dining room of their home. Amongst the deceased are three adults and two children aged ten and sixteen. Fanele Mhlongo reports...

Rand Water says it will start reducing its bulk water supply to the Emfuleni Local Municipality. The municipality has failed to reach a settlement on the payment of its 419 million rand debt. Earlier this year, residents were left without water for days after the municipality failed to honour its debt, leading to protests in some communities. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Rand Water media relations ma...

14 of the 16 prisoners who escaped from the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, Medium A, are still on the run. Two were shot dead on the R33 road in KZN, between Pietermaritzburg and Geytown on Wednesday. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Captain Siphiwe Mhlongo who is the KZN Spokesperson for the Hawks for an update...

The Algerian Defence Ministry says most of the people who died in Wednesday's plane crash were army personnel and their families. At least 257 people were killed when a military plane crashed shortly after it took off from Boo-fa-rik military airport near the capital Algiers. It is not yet clear what caused the crash. The army's chief of staff has ordered an investigation following the incident. T...

We've all heard the saying " Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". However, for some who start their day earlier, just like the First Take SA team, most people hardly have time to have one. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to FutureLife Dietician, Ntsako Mathye on how best to plan for that meal that kick starts our day.

Deputy President David Mabuza says South Africans and the ANC in particular should learn a lot from the late anti-apartheid struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. He was speaking at Mam Winnie's official memorial service held at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Wednesday. The service was attended by several Cabinet ministers and leaders of different political parties including the Azapo, the PAC...

Tributes continue to pour in for struggle veteran, former cabinet minister and Ambassador to the UK , Zola Skweyiya. Skweyiya died in a Pretoria hospital yesterday morning, at the age of 75. He served as Minister of Public Service and Administration in the Mandela administration. Skweyiya then served as Minister of Social Development during Thabo Mbeki's presidency. Skweyiya retired as a parliamen...

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on State Funerals led by the Minister in the Presidency, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says it's all systems go for today's memorial service of the late struggle icon, Winnie Madikizela Mandela. It is scheduled to take place at Orlando Stadium at 11 o'clock this morning. Dlamini Zuma says there are a number of "Heads of States" and deputies expected to attend the servic...

Families living in a partially-collapsed building where three children died when a wall collapsed on them this week, are refusing to be relocated to a safer area. This, is despite the building being declared unsafe for habitation. Some of the families say they are forced to live in such conditions because they cannot afford rentals, pleading poverty and unemployment. Sashin Naidoo re-visited the s...

Eight teachers from Freedom Park Secondary School, south of Johannesburg have been fired after being absent from school for 14 consecutive days. The eight were part of a group that had stopped going to work from the 4th of February this year. Instead they had been reporting to the District Office. They allege that they were being ill-treated by the school principal. Wisani Makhubele has more

As the national memorial service for the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is held at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday, the Economic Freedom Fighters will hold one of their own in Brandfort in the Free State. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador and singer, Yvonne Chaka Chaka was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Laws. The singer has called on the Rhodes University to give the students activist who were expelled a second chance.

Rhodes University conferred a Honorary Doctorate to author, poet, and activist, Dr Sindiwe Magona. In a conversation, Tsepiso Makwetla had with Dr. Magona before she was bestowed with a Doctor of Letters - she said that, she hopes the honorary doctorate will make those in academia, publishers and young people see that there was something worthwhile in what she was doing....

Final dose of TRENDSWATCH where we take a look at news that dominated social media this week. Pm live producer Molebogeng Sebidi ...

The court case involving former president Jacob Zuma and his co-accused, a French arms supply company - has been postponed to June the eighth by the High Court in Durban. This after both the prosecution and the defence teams requested more time to allow Zuma's legal team to bring a review application against the NPA's decision to reinstate the charges against him. Zuma is facing 16 counts of fraud...