First Take SA

Vuwani community will continue engaging with government and the Demarcation Board over the demarcation issue in Limpopo. The community torched over 20 in protest of the amalgamation to the Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Community Leader, speaking on behalf of Tradition Leaders Khosi Jeffrey Ramovha.

An estimated 18 people have been killed or had attempts on their lives in suspected political killings since the beginning of this year. This is according to Police minister Nathi Nhleko. He briefed journalists in Parliament on the progress of a task team established to look into suspected political killings particularly in KZN In KwaZulu-Natal alone, the task team is investigating 25 cases of vio...

SABC management has announced that it will reiinstate the seven dismissed news employees. The public broadcaster has instructed its legal team not to proceed with further legal action in this regard. The SABC had fired Thandeka Gqubule‚ Busisiwe Ntuli and Lukhanyo Calata, Krivani Pillay‚ Jacques Steenkamp‚ Foeta Krige and Suna Venter after accusing the journalists of going public with their concer...

In light of Savings month, Rethink Africa has undertaken research on what people really want from their long term savings and how they engage with these services. The study, over several months, with Alexander Forbes, began with an online survey to hundreds of employed South Africans whose employee benefits were currently being administered by the conglomerate's Retirement Fund (AFRF). To talk mor...

The South African Reserve Bank has kept the benchmark repo interest rate unchanged at 7.0%, following its monetary policy meeting today. Earlier on, Governor LesetjaKganyago told a news conference that while it was still concerned about inflation, the weak economy had provided some room to delay further policy tightening...

The National Prosecuting Authority will now appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence. Earlier this month, Judge Thokozile Masipa's sentenced the former paralympian to six years for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his Pretoria home in February 2013. The judgement resulted in mixed reactions from the public and legal expertise, as the minimum prescribed sentence for murder is 1...

The Constitutional court has ruled that the City of Tshwane may replace Apartheid-era street names in the Pretoria CBD. The court's seminal judgment will no doubt influence future developments over controversial street name changes. Civil rights group, Afriforum says their fight is far from over, despite being dealt a blow by the highest court in the land.

Xikombiso Mashava from Johannesburg says she applied for a contract phone from mobile phone network provider MTN but the application was rejected. But months later she received a call and was told that she owes R8 000 and should start paying.

Municipal elections in South Africa are just over two weeks away, and levels of violent protest are increasing. Leading civil society organisations; the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and the Institute for Security Studies, held a seminar in Pretoria today, on Understanding and responding to protest and election violence in South Africa. The seminar aims to help government, bu...

Angolan Refugees in South Africa are alleging that the Home Affairs Department is forcing them to go back to Angola even though some still face persecution and others are married to South Africans. They say in 2013 an agreement was reached between authorities from South Africa, Angola and the United Nations Commission for Refugess. Many Angolans were voluntarily expatriated while some were given t...

With 15 days to go to the polls for the fourth democratic local government elections on 03 August 2016, and only 13 days before the casting of special votes for home visitation and at voting stations, government plans are in place to deliver free and fair elections. This is the sentiment shared by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Elections that met today in Pretoria

The "fastest brother in Africa' is no more. Gugu Zulu died while trying to summit Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, as part of the Trek4Mandela team. He had many roles including; motorsport driver and radio journalist, commercial manager, ambassador and TV presenter. To our SAfm listeners, he was the much loved Formula-One correspondent. Our Producer Aphiwe Honono pays tribute to the man in...

Occupier rights under the Extension of Security of Tenure Act or ESTA have been extended to the spouses of farmworkers, in a critical Constitutional Court decision. Seasonal farmworker, Elsie Klaase together with her family, are entitled to remain on Noordhoek farm in Citrusdal in the Western Cape. And although the court upheld the eviction of Elsie's husband, Jan, he may enjoy protection against...

Legal experts say it’s important for people who look after children whose parents have died to formalise their status as guardians in order to avoid legal complications. Tokollo Machea (not his real name) is from Phuthadithaba in the Free State. He says his 58-year old unemployed mother has been looking after his late brother’s daughter after both her parents died. The girl’s father Polelo Machea...

Violent protest action broke out in Meyerton this morning when municipal employees at the Midvaal Municipality barricaded roads with rocks and burning tyres. Public order police were dispatched to the area to deal with the violence that broke out at around 8am this morning.

The ANC has distanced itself from what they call policy changes at the SABC. Addressing the media at Luthuli House in Johannesburg, chairperson of ANC sub-committee on communication Jackson Mthembu says the party was not consulted on the policy changes at the broadcaster. The SABC has come under fire following editorial decisions not to show violent public protests and other decisions which have r...

Fifteen thousand jobs were lost in the first quarter of 2016. This is according to the StatsSA's quarterly employment survey, which shows that the job losses were across all sectors of the economy. This is a decline of 0.2 per cent in the formal employment of South Africa's economy. Gross earnings also declined by 4 per cent during the quarter from over 545 million rand to just over 523 million ra...

Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Nontando Ngamlana, the Executive Director of Afesis-corplan about the Trend.

The high court of Pretoria has adjourned until tomorrow, wrapping up day one in the sentencing procedure of Oscar Pistorius. State prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, earlier questioned psychologist Jonathan Scholtz's objectivity after he refrained from including a prison report in his testimony that stated Pistorius had been verbally violent towards prison officials. Nel questioned why Scholtz only selected...

The SACP in KwaZulu-Natal has agreed to allow its provincial Secretary Themba Mthembu to take up the position of MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development. In a joint media briefing held in Durban, the ANC and the SACP have said Mthembu will take up the position following urgent bilateral talks between the parties. Questions arose earlier today when Mthembu did not attend the swearing in of the ot...

Northam Platinum has suspended operations at its Zondereinde mine following the deaths of two rival union members. Northam Mine says violence erupted after another worker had been shot dead in a nearby town on Sunday. Another has been stabbed to death in the on-going clashes. The platinum belt has been the battle ground for a membership turf war between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and...

Both stillbirth and miscarriage are types of pregnancy loss, but they differ by when the loss occurs. A miscarriage (sometimes called a spontaneous abortion) is when a baby dies before the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirth is the death of a baby after the 20th week of pregnancy but before delivery. Researchers estimate that, among women who already know they are pregnant, nearly 15 percent will h...

ANC Branch Chairperson at Edendale outside Pietermaritzburg has been shot dead. Nathi Hlongwa was gunned down at IMbali Township in Pietermaritzburg after meeting with some party members. His killing comes just a day after Mpofana Municipality Chief Financial Officer Simo Mncwabe was shot dead. Both Mncwabe and Hlongwa are originally from Edendale. Last month two other ANC councilors were also sho...

A general household survey released by Statistics South Africa today reveals that almost a third of the population is now relying on social grants. There's been a steady increase over more than a decade from 12.7% of the population in 2003 to 30.1% percent in 2015. PM Live anchor Tšepiso Makwetla speaks to the Statistician General Pali Lehohla

The South Africa National Editors Forum has called on the SABC to review its decision not to broadcast footage of public property being destroyed during protests. The SABC argues that showing such material on its news bulletins and using sound on its radio stations, might encourage other communities to do the same. However, SANEF national chairperson Mpumelelo Mkhabela says the SABC could find cre...