First Take SA

Political parties in Parliament have expressed sadness over the passing of struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada. Kathrada died this morning at the Donald Gordon hospital in Johannesburg. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to social activist and a former unionist and Cabinet minister Jay Naidoo

It has been reported that President Jacob Zuma during a consultative meeting yesterday with South African Communist Party (SACP), told the Alliance partner that he is planning to sack Pravin Gordhan as finance minister. This after President Zuma had asked Gordhan to return from his investment road show to the United Kingdom(UK) and United States (US). Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Deputy General-Secre...

Finance minister Pravin Gordhan says he has NOT been fired, contrary to rumours that have been trending since he landed in the country this morning. Gordhan rushed to ANC headquarters at Luthuli House after he was called back from an investor promotion tour in the United Kingdom by the presidency. The Minister then attended court proceedings in Pretoria, where he's seeking an order to stop the Gup...

ANC secretary Gwede Mantashe says President Jacob Zuma's decision to recall finance minister Pravin Gordan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas from international investment roadshow has nothing to do with the ruling party's NEC. The two were scheduled to kick off an investment promotion drive in the UK and United States. Briefing the media on the latest NEC decision earlier Mantashe said the decision is...

Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa is attending the Ministerial Conference of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) in Berlin, Germany. The conference aims to further strengthen the capabilities required to implement the country's transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and pro-employment development path. The programme will help South Africa achieve its goal of...

A new Multi Drug Resistance TB treatment will soon be rolled out in four provinces. About 400 patients will take part in the research. The drug is produced by Japan and has been approved for treating MDR-TB in the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea. As the world celebrates World TB Day today, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has launched the Delamanid Clinical Access Programme for the...

A snap survey conducted by advocacy group ActionAid South Africa has found that 96-percent of the women who use taxis say they have witnessed violence and harassment, while 56-percent say they were victims of violence. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Action Aid South Africa Head of Programmes, Emily Craven.

Three suspects have been arrested for the alleged series of gang rapes of female taxi commuters on Gauteng's West Rand. Following media reports about the sexual assaults, more women are continuing to come forward with information of sexual assaults by taxi drivers. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange...

Newly-elected ANC Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Bay region, Andile Lungisa says he is willing to step down from his position. This emerged in a letter sent to the SABC by Lungisa. The ANC top six has called on Lungisa to resign from his position as it goes against the party's constitution for Lungisa, a member of the provincial executive committee, to take a leadership role in a regional struc...

The South African National Taxi Council, SANTACO, says it's the first time the taxi rape incidents are being brought to its attention. Police are investigating several cases in which men picked up victims and raped them. Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to SANTACO secretary-General, Ralph Jones who says they will take action where necessary

The Competition Commission has conducted search and seizure operations at the premises of nine fresh produce agents in Gauteng today. The agents are alleged to be involved in price fixing conduct. They are said to have disadvantaged smaller suppliers by charging prices way below the market price. The agents are also accused of determining when prices should increase and preserving certain grades o...

On speak out this week we look at Stock Market College which is NOT accredited. The College says it is in the process of registering with the relevant bodies

The South African Revenue Service says it will support a probe by the Tax Ombudsman into its tax refunds system. Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas granted the office of the Tax Ombudsman permission to investigate whether it has been withholding refunds to boost tax revenue artificially. This follows numerous complaints from individual taxpayers and companies about delayed refunds. Tsepiso Makw...

The Gauteng government is mulling the idea of bringing in soldiers to assist in facilities caring for the vulnerable members of society. NEHAWU members at these facilities are on strike for better wages. Six months old Singalaka Sonamazi died yesterday after being moved from a child care centre last week to another centre due to the nationwide strike. Gauteng Social Development MEC, Nandi Mayathul...

Comedian Tumi Morake is set to grace the stage at the Baxter Concert the 31st of March and and the 1st of April 2017. She is embarking on her first official South African tour and entertaining audiences across the country. She spoke to Tsepiso Makweta ....

The United Nations estimates that over eighty percent of global waste-water remains untreated and pollutes the environment. Proponents for water re-use believe this water can be recycled to benefit millions of people without access to clean water globally. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Professor Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director of the UN World Water Assessment Programme....

A video of a racial incident between a female and a male at a Spur restaurant at the Glen in South of Johannesburg has gone viral and caused an outrage on social media. In the video, a white male is seen standing by a table where a black woman was dining with several kids. He tells her that she needs to discipline her child after an alleged physical altercation between their children. The heated e...

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Casac, says it is deeply disturbed by the burglary at the office of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng. This follows the break-in at the Office of the Chief Justice in Midrand at the weekend. Fifteen computers containing sensitive information about the country's judges were stolen. CASAC says the burglary raises suspicions about politic...

Mpumalanga authorities have expressed shock at the death of 14-year-old Siphamandla Choma who was left paralyzed after he was assaulted by his principal at Manyano Primary School, in Middelburg. His death was confirmed by the Health Department this morning. Choma had been admitted to a Middelburg hospital for observation. The department has since suspended the principal. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke Cho...

The South African National Roads Agency, SANRAL, says it welcomes the Pretoria High Court judgment for the non-payment of e-tolls. The court has ruled against an Alberton-based company which reportedly owes SANRAL, over 400-thousand rand in e-toll fees. Sanral says the judgment sets a precedent for those who do not pay e-toll debt to be prosecuted. However, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), s...

World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is celebrated every year on 20 March. It is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of oral hygiene to looking after everyone old and young. Research shows that 90% of the world's population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime and many of them c...

Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini has welcomed the Constitutional Court ruling on the social grant contract. Addressing community leaders, the minister says she will abide by the court's judgement. The Court extended the CPS contract by 12 months and has resumed its supervisory role. Dlamini has also admitted that she should have apologised when she appeared in parliament last week....

Parliament's Police Portfolio Committee will request permission to hold a special meeting during recess to discuss the position of Hawks' head Berning Ntlemeza. Parliament will go into a short recess next week until early May. The Pretoria High Court found that Ntlemeza's appointment was unlawful and invalid, following an application by Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation. Tsepiso Ma...

Lawyers for Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and SASSA have managed to file their affidavits a few minutes after today's deadline. The Minister and the social grants agency were supposed to file papers in the Constitutional court by three O'clock today to explain why they did not comply with yesterday's Concourt deadline responding to questions from the Judges about its social grant p...

The Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi is taking the report by the Ad-hoc Committee which was set up to look into the SABC board's fitness on a judicial review. Muthambi has written to the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete, urging her not to implement the recommendations of the report just yet. The report is highly critical of Muthambi and recommends that she be fired. Sipho Seepe who is...