First Take SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government of national unity plans to broaden and formalise the Presidential Employment Stimulus and Expanded Public Works Programmes, with the aim of providing more job opportunities and skills development for young people. During his Opening of Parliament Address last night, Ramaphosa also highlighted the significant potential that small businesses and the info...

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has expressed concern over the City of Johannesburg's new prepaid electricity surcharge. Starting this month, the city's power utility, City Power has implemented a R200 surcharge, which includes a R130 monthly network capacity fee and a R70 service fee on prepaid meter users. OUTA  has criticized the initiative, calling it a simplistic revenue-raising effort by...

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party says the disciplinary hearing against its leader and former African National Congress President, Jacob Zuma has been postponed to next Tuesday. Zuma did not appear physically during the hearing yesterday, but was represented by former ANC NEC member, Tony Yengeni via a virtual platform. Zuma has been hauled before the ruling party's  National Disciplinary Committee follo...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) calls on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to cut interest rates. This as The Reserve Bank is expected to keep the repo rate unchanged when it makes its announcement later today. The union in a statement says SARB's decision to hike interest rates to their current high of 11,75% prime lending has signif...

Rise Mzansi says it expects President Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritize areas such as crime, corruption, and the economy. This as president Cyril Ramaphosa will today open Parliament  for the 7th Democratic Administration. The party in a statement says the President should support the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, focusing on halving the murder rate, removing illegal guns, profession...

Cooperative Governance Minister, Velenkosi Hlabisa has expressed his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives while fighting wildfires in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Thami Ntuli, Hlabisa visited the home of 38-year-old, Mabongi Shishane in Vulindlela, near Pietermaritzburg. Shishane was part of the teams that have, for the past 10 days, f...

The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has sounded the alarm on Premier Panyaza Lesufi's plan to launch a Provincial State Bank. The party says this initiative might become a vehicle for corruption and political favouritism. To elaborate on their concerns is Ruhan Robinson, MPL and DA Gauteng's Shadow MEC for Finance

Former president Jacob Zuma's disciplinary hearing is expected to get underway today. This after being postponed earlier this year to accommodate the May 29 elections. Zuma is facing allegations of violating rule 25 of the ANC constitution for endorsing and supporting the Umkhonto weSizwe party in the run-up to the elections. The virtual hearing will determine whether Zuma's ANC membership will be...

Experts are urging workers to exercise caution with new two-pot pension system to avoid draining retirement savings. The system which comes into effect in September, permits members to withdraw up to 10% of their retirement savings, capped at R30,000, taxed at the marginal rate. But experts says this system could result in many individuals not having sufficient funds for their retirement years. Fo...

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced a successful start to the tax filing season, with 191,000 online tax returns submitted on the first day alone. Additionally, over 5 million taxpayers have been automatically assessed through the auto assessment process within the first two weeks of July. SARS has also disbursed nearly R16 billion in tax refunds since July 1st. To discuss this...

The City of Johannesburg has refuted claims of corrupt Metro Police officers renting firearms to criminals. This follows the murder of City forensic investigator Zenzele Benedict Sithole, who was reportedly close to uncovering a 'guns for hire' syndicate within JMPD. However, the City claims Sithole's work was limited to routine matters and he was not involved in any high-profile or critical cases...

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department says over 100 motorists have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in a recent week-long operation. The Metro Police is issuing a stern warning to the public, stressing that alcohol-impaired driving poses a significant risk to the safety of all road users and will not be tolerated. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Johannesburg Met...

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has denied accusations that it received financial support from the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank. This rebuttal follows reports suggesting that the party had asked VBS to settle a R3-million conference bill at the Birchwood Hotel in Kempton Park back in July 2017. The request was allegedly made by the then-Gauteng chairperson, Jacob Mamabolo. The SACP has lab...

Over 2000 security firms in South Africa are defaulting on pension contributions. This was revealed by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. Security guards are up in arms, claiming that their employers failed to make pension contributions on their behalf to the Private Security Sector Provident Fund (PSSPF) in the previous year, leaving them without adequate retirement provisions. Elvis Pressli...

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned recent comments made by PAC Leader and Minister of Land Reform, Mzwanele Nyontso to reportedly revive attempts to amend the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation. The party views these efforts as contradictory to the principles of the Government of National Unity, and potentially harmful to the economy. The DA says any renewed attempts...

The Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that municipalities cannot demolish structures without a court order. The legal battle stems from the demolitions that took place at the Ethembeni informal settlement in Khayelitsha, Cape Town in July 2020. Now for more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Thato Masiangoako, Researcher at Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI)

Elvis Presslin takes a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, author of "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back". Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The Department of Justice is proposing a change to reduce the number of languages for which court interpreters are provided, limiting services to the 12 official languages, French, and Portuguese. This decision follows the department's expenditure of nearly R176 million on interpretation services for foreigners who claimed they did not understand English or any other local language over the past t...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the assassination attempt on former United States President Donald Trump. Trump was shot in the ear, and rushed to safety by secret service agents during his election rally in Pennsylvania. In a statement on X, Ramaphosa says the attack on Trump is a stark reminder of the dangers of political extremism and intolerance. He says political violence is the antit...

Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile has unveiled plans to establish a state bank. Maile, held a press conference to brief the media on the current state of the province's economy and financial situation. He says the proposed state bank and revenue enhancement initiatives are expected to be major priorities for the province's economic development agenda. For the latest...

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is launching a specialized social media monitoring unit to track down criminals hiding behind online profiles. This move comes after investigations into the 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal which claimed 350 lives, revealed the need for closer scrutiny of online activities. To discuss this initiative Elvis Presslin spoke to Police Spokesperson, Briga...

Tragedy has struck in Boston, KZN Midlands, where a raging veldfire has claimed the lives of six brave firefighters. Three of the firefighters succumbed to their injuries, leaving only two survivors, who are fighting for their lives in critical condition. The devastating blaze is believed to have been sparked by poachers attempting to drive animals out of the forest. To share more on this tragic i...

Civil rights organization AfriForum is preparing to lay charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering against EFF leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu. This after former VBS chairperson, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, implicated the pair and ANC leaders in the collapse of the bank, as part of his plea deal. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to AfriForum CEO, Kallie Kriel

North West public healthcare facilities are still facing ongoing challenges. The latest Ritshidze State of Health report reveals persistent issues of lengthy clinic wait times and inadequate ARV refills for HIV patients. While waiting times have improved slightly, patients still face average wait times of over three hours at 53 facilities. Elvis Presslin spoke to Ndivhuwo Rambau, Project Coordinat...