Update@Noon

The State Information Technology Agency says what the workers affiliated with the Public Servants Association are demanding is unaffordable. This comes as workers have embarked on a strike after wage talks were deadlocked. The union is demanding a 7.5% wage increase, while the employer has moved from 4.5% to 5%. The strike which may negatively affect or could see a complete closure of operations a...

Members affiliated to the Public Servants Association (PSA), which represents 80% of about 3-thousand staff of the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), have embarked on a strike after wage talks were deadlocked. The union is demanding a 7.5% wage increase, while the employer has moved from 4.5% to 5%. The strike which may negatively affect or could see a complete closure of operations and s...

Home Affairs department says its studying the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria's judgment. This comes after the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi's application for leave to appeal its ZEP ruling. The court ruled in June that Motsoaledi's failure to consult with ZEP holders, interested NGOs and the public was "unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid". For...

 The hydrogen economy has the potential to add 3.6% to our GDP by 2050 and create approximately 370 thousand jobs. That's according President Cyril Ramaphosa. The President was delivering the keynote address at the second iteration of the South Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Century City in Cape Town, Western Cape a short while ago. He says advances have been made towards building the green hydro...

There are growing concerns about the ongoing extortion and criminality targeting construction projects in the City of Cape Town. Several  major projects have been halted due to safety concerns on sites.   Authorities in the city say extortion in the construction industry continues to hamper its efforts to build houses and improve roads. The city has also set up a hotline and rewards system to enco...

Johannesburg Water has outlined its plans to ensure its water system build up capacity during this water crisis. The entity has been briefing the media on the current water supply challenges in parts of Johannesburg.  Due to the deteriorating situation , last month,  Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu intervened and announced a plan that would spread the impact of water cuts between co...

Amnesty International has called upon both Israel and Palestinian armed groups to strictly abide by international humanitarian laws and refrain from imposing collective punishment on civilians. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Amnesty International spokesperson in South Africa, Genevieve Quintal.

The Competition Commission has praised local retailers for implementing product rationing for eggs and chicken. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to economist from the Competition Commission, Kagiso Zwane.

The South African Poultry Association says there are signs that the bird flue outbreak is waning as compared to how the situation was four weeks ago. The outbreak of the highly pathogenic bird flu has led to the culling of over seven-point-five Million chickens across four of the country's provinces. This has led to soaring egg prices with some big retail stores reporting a shortage of supply. The...

City of Tshwane mayor, Cilliers Brink says a senior SAMWU regional executive member has been dismissed for allegedly being involved in the torching of waste removal trucks belonging to a contractor. Brink says video footage shows a group that firebombed the truck being dropped off and collected by a vehicle belonging to the SAMWU leader on August 28. Eight vehicles have been set alight since the b...

Some beneficiaries of social grants in the Eastern Cape are appealing to government to speedily sort out the technical glitches that are causing delays in  the payment of their money. Grant beneficiaries in Komani and the surrounding areas claim are yet to receive their grants. The glitches are due to system upgrade at Postbank. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to National SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi

Despite the shortage challenges faced by many commercial retailers, small scale farmers seem to be seizing the opportunities arising from this out break .Sakina Kamwendo spoke to small scale farmer and founding owner of Eggsellent in Mpumalanga, Lebogang Mashigo.

A community at Vaalbank in  Mpumalanga wants answers after it accused three workers including a teacher and member of the School Governing Body of allegedly stealing food meant for the School Nutrition Programme at a school in the area.  The three workers allegedly loaded the food in two bakkies last month when schools were closing, saying it would be stolen. Now angry parents want to know what ha...

The multi-billion rand Giyani water reticulation project in Limpopo has come to a grinding halt. This is due to squabbles over tenders. Local contractors are demanding to be awarded tenders, and the local Chamber of Commerce is accusing the Water and Sanitation Department of appointing a main contractor without its knowledge. The Chamber of Commerce has also stopped a R41 million water project in...

The International Monetary Fund says global growth remains weak and uneven. That's due to a variety of economic difficulties, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia and Ukraine conflict and inflation.  According to the IMF's predictions, the global GDP growth for the current year is expected to remain weak at 3 per cent. Despite the gloomy global forecast, the IMF has raised its 2023 growth f...

Members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA have resolved to write to Brigadier Johannes Burger one last time, inviting him to appear before the committee. The committee has some questions for him following former Eskom CEO, Andre's De Ruyter's testimony before the committee back in April. SCOPA has just received legal opinion on their attempts to have Burger appear it,  as Brigadi...

Egypt is in close contact with Israel and Hamas to try and prevent further escalation in fighting between them. This, as the situation continues to worsen in the Middle East. Several international air carriers have suspended flight services to and from Tel Aviv after a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Meanwhile, 260 bodies have been found, where a concert was held in Israel. Sakina Ka...

If you're married out of community of property without accrual, you can now claim from your spouse's estate if you divorce, if you can show you've made a significant non-financial contribution to that estate. The Constitutional Court has ruled that section 7 (3) of the Divorce Act is invalid and unconstitutional because it excludes marriages concluded on or after November 1st 1984. Sakina Kamwendo...

Defense lawyer, Zandile Mshololo says Accused number 5 in the Senzo Meyiwa trial was not at the Vosloorus hostel the day the soccer star was murdered. Five men are on trial at the High Court in Pretoria for Meyiwa's murder in 2014. The goal keeper was fatally wounded at the home of the mother of his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg. Mshololo referred to one of the pictu...

Faith-based organizations will today hold prayers at the church where Pastor Dwayne Gordon was shot and killed during a service in Newlands, Johannesburg on Friday night. A group of unknown gunmen stormed the church, opened fire and killed the preacher and wounded three other people. They also robbed the congregants of their personal belongings. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC news reporter, Horisan...

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Palestine says more than 74-thousand civilians have been displaced, with numbers likely to increase as heavy shelling and air strikes continue. UNRWA says one of its schools which shelters displaced families in the Gaza strip was directly hit but no casualties were recorded. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to UNRWA Spokesperson in Amman, Tamara Alrifai.

The minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa is turning the corner and that Eskom is beginning to register progress in the resolution of load shedding. He was briefing the media to update on the implementation of the National Energy Action Plan. Ramokgopa further elaborates

 Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe appealed to mining companies to reconsider their retrenchment plans. Some mining companies announced their intensions to cut thousands of jobs in the coming months. Sibanye Stillwater is planning to lay off 2382 workers, while Anglo American contemplates shedding around 180 jobs. Mantashe delivered the closing address on the last day of the Job...

 A new report released by the Department of social development and the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town has reveled that child food poverty can be eliminated by increasing the child social grant and this would benefit not only the children but households that are already struggling to make ends meet. According to the report this decision will in turn help to reduce the rates of...

Chairperson of Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union's Tshwane region, Melita Baloyi. Meanwhile, Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink says he stands ready to welcome COSATU marchers and is committed at taking tough decisions to save the City of Tshwane from total collapse. For more on this Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the Finance MMC in Tshwane, Peter Sutton.