First Take SA

ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani has confirmed his resignation as member of parliament with immediate effect. Sizani says he will replace Makhenkesi Stofile as South Africa's ambassador to Germany. He says his redeployment is not a sign of lack of confidence in him. The ANC held a special caucus meeting today where the news was broken to party MPs.

The Independent Electoral Commission says it has undertaken a range of initiatives to ensure that all new voting registrations include the addresses of voters. This follows an Electoral Court judgement, in November last year, that ruled in favour of independent candidates in the by-elections at the Tlokwe Municipality, in North West, that the voters' roll should bear the addresses of voters. Chair...

The events of 2015 and this year have raised some fundamental questions about transformation at South Africa's universities. Rhodes University vice chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, has said this while addressing student bodies and academics attending the official opening of the 5thUnisa Research and Innovation Week in Pretoria. Mabizela calls for a speedy transformation process in all areas o...

Student unrest at universities has reached untenable levels. The tensions have led to violence as well as a number of assaults. We are at a crisis point and we have to act now before lives are lost. As a result, a group of likeminded active citizens have joined forces to provide independent mediation, conflict resolution and facilitation services to the universities and the student movements who r...

Protesting students on the main campus of the University of the Free State have slightly damaged the statue of former state president C.R. Swart after attempting to set it alight. However, university security personnel managed to put out the blaze. The protesting students are members of the EEF and students organisation SASCO. They are supporting workers who are demanding an end to outsourcing. Me...

A bomb threat has led to the adjournment of sentencing proceedings against Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir in the high court in Johannesburg. Krejcir and five co-accused were quickly ushered to holding cells while the gallery was evacuated. Tactical response officers are combing the building. The court earlier rejected a request by Krejcir to postpone proceedings. The Hawks believe Krejcir is tryin...

Police were called in to keep groups of students apart on the main campus of the University of Pretoria, today. Several people were injured. Tension mounted when a group opposing the use of Afrikaans arrived at the campus to hold a meeting to discuss a way forward. This followed the postponement of a court case against 27 of them. Security personnel had to form human shields between the two sides...

At the beginning of January 2015, Naledi Molope-Serudu received a letter of demand from a company known as Mtimandze Consulting and Projects which said it was collecting debt on behalf of the City of Tshwane. Molope-Serudu, who had moved to Cape town and was renting out her home, immediately made arrangements to pay but the money did not go to the coffers of the City of Tshwane and now it appears...

University of Fort Hare Alumni and IFP leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi has urged current political leaders to exercise 'cerebral rather than emotional leadership in dealing with the challenges faced by institutions of higher learning. He was delivering the ZK Memorial at the centenary celebration of the University of Fort Hare in Alice in the Eastern Cape. Mathews was the first black graduate from th...

Ousted PRASA CEO Lucky Montana has dismissed allegations that he obtained a house worth millions of rand through a corrupt deal during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Montana says PRASA made the claim because it had failed to pay a company he's accused of illegally awarding tenders to. PRASA chairperson Popo Molefe has filed court papers claiming that Montana illegally awarded two contracts to Siyangena...

The EFF has warned that it is going after President Jacob Zuma with the ultimate goal to see him out of office. The party has rejected the settlement offer the president filed in the Constitutional Court on non-security features at his home in Nkandla. EFF leader Julius Malema says they have their own conditions for a settlement. The constitutional court has given Parties until Friday(05/02) to re...

When Seipati Nale’s husband died in 2008, she was devastated, but her pain was somewhat bearable because he had left money for their children in a trust fund which would enable them to further their studies. The fund was administered by Bophelo Benefit Services. The first payment for the eldest child was made without any delays in 2011. However, for the youngest, there are problems which provide a...

Labour Federation COSATU says, government does not have the right to dictate to workers how they should manage thier pension funds. In December last year president Jacob Zuma signed a new tax administration law that allows retirees access to just a third of their money,and the rest to be paid out in instalments. COSATU is calling for the scrapping of the new tax laws, and plans marches around the...

Suspended Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, says that she finds yesterday's announcement by IPID concerning and incomplete. Phiyega was responding to the IPIDs recommendation that she be charged for her role in the Marikana shootings. The NPA must decide whether to charge Phiyega after it received a file from the police watchdog.

President Jacob Zuma says if the constitutional court accepts his proposal- it will not be necessary to hear arguments on the powers of the public protector. Zuma submitted a letter to the constitutional court proposing that the auditor general and finance minister start a new process to determine his liability for the non security features on his Nkandla home. This would be the second investigati...

At the tender age of 23 - you tube blogger Moshe Ndiki has literally made full use of the social media space to share, promote and distribute his comedy with the rest of the world. Laughter may be what most enjoy about his craft but many are last with a lasting impression by his unique and rather simplistic way in which he deals with social issues such as relations, the concept of asking for 'love...

Former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, says a new workers' movement will be launched on the 1st of May this year. He, together with nine other unions unhappy with the expulsion of Numsa from Cosatu, briefed the media in Johannesburg today. Vavi reiterated that they will continue to mobilise workers to support some of their demands which include a campaign against the changes to the pensi...

Former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, says a new workers' movement will be launched on the 1st of May this year. He, together with nine other unions unhappy with the expulsion of Numsa, briefed the media in Johannesburg today. Vavi reiterated that they will continue to mobilise workers to support some of their demands which include a campaign against the changes to the pension funds' le...

Trade union Solidarity has won a landmark case against the South African Police Service in the Johannesburg Labour Court. In the case that lasted two years - the court declared the affirmative action policy of the SAPS invalid and unconstitutional. It's not clear if the police management intends appealing the judgment We earlier spoke to the Deputy General Secretary of trade union Solidarity Johan...

MNET says axed Idols SA judge Gareth Cliff did not have a contract with the channel for this year's season of the show. Cliff has brought an urgent application in the High Court in Johannesburg seeking to be reinstated as a judge. He was fired after supposedly supporting a racist tweet.

The Mineral Resources Department says there's a health and safety inspection team on the Rustenburg platinum mining belt to ensure that workers operate in a safe enviroment. This follows the death of four mine workers at Impala Platinum Mine's Number 14 shaft after a fire on Friday. The National Union of Mineworkers alleges that the mining company had known about the likelihood of a fire in the sh...

In 2014 we brought you the case of Alex Mohlakoane from Limpopo who attended an NQF LEVEL 7 Labour Intensive Construction course in 2010. The course was facilitated by the Construction Industry Education and Training Services (CIETS) now known as Izwe Training and Development. He paid almost R8 000 for the 3-day course, but it turned out that the organisation was not registered to offer courses at...

Five children have suffocated to death, after being trapped inside a disused freezer outside their home at Kakamas in the Northern Cape. Police, say the bodies of the children were discovered last night by their grandmother. The five, all said to be cousins are aged between 3 and 7.

Higher Education and Training minister Blade Nzimande has called on university students to stop participating in violent protests and return to class as soon as possible. Nzimande was speaking following a meeting with Vice-Chancellors in Kempton Park this afternoon. He says the issue of the students who are classified as the missing middle, every case will be reviewed on its own merit for now whil...

President Jacob Zuma says he is optimistic that his attendance of the World Economic Forum will help restore investor confidence. The President has arrived at the Swiss Alps resort of Davos for the annual event. The South African government has launched a major charm offensive to convince global investors, bankers and CEO's of multinational companies that the country will overcome current socio-ec...