Update@Noon

Tensions are running high at SAFTU's second elective conference with general Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi warning delegates against collapsing the conference. NUMSA and unions aligned to it want suspended national office bearers to be reinstated so they could contest in the leadership battle within the Federation.  Other unions aligned to Vavi are however opposed to the idea, rather choosing to...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised his German counterpart, Olaf Scholz for donations made to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent. Ramaphosa was speaking at the start of his official talks with Chancellor Scholz at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The two heads of state committed strengthening bilateral relations into youth development, climate change, education and...

Angry residents of Mganduweni near White River in Mpumalanga have marched to the Masoyi police station in protest against what they call the slow pace with which police attend to child murder and mutilation cases. The residents earlier blockaded roads in a protest that has been sparked by the recent murder and mutilation of six-year-old Bontle Mashiyane. Bontle was found in a ditch last week with...

Paediatrician Dr Tim De Maayer's has written an open letter to Health Department heads asking 'How do you manage to come to work every day, fail at your job of ensuring basic healthcare for the people you serve and still sleep at night?' He says children are dying and the horrendous conditions in our public hospitals are contributing to their deaths. Dr De Maayer explains...

Former General Secretary of COSATU, Mbazima Shilowa says he is dismayed at the tensions within senior leaders of the South African Federation of Trade Unions. Shilowa, a former premier of Gauteng was addressing SAFTU delegates on Day 2 of the Federation's second elective conference underway in Boksburg , East of Gauteng. The conference got off to a rocky start yesterday as NUMSA demanded that offi...

Members of the media have made an urgent application to the Kabokweni Magistrate's Court for permission to broadcast a case involving three suspects who are accused of the murder of six-year-old Bontle Mashiyane in Mganduzweni in Mpumalanga. This is after the court objected to the case being broadcast citing reprisal attacks on the families of the accused. For more on this we are joined on the lin...

Embattled former Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize has accepted a call by some traditional leaders in Kwa-Zulu Natal for him to run for the  African National Congress's leadership. Mkhize was endorsed by the leaders during his son, Dedani Mkhize's traditional wedding in Willowfontein at the weekend. Mkhize's announcement comes ahead of the African National Congress's National Elective Conferen...

Public outrage continues to spew over the abuse and ultimate murder of 35 year old Namhla Mtwa from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Mthwa was shot nine times as she arrived at her home from work on the 21st of April and has since been buried. Her alleged boyfriend of 17 years, who is reported to be married to another woman has denied having anything to do with her murder despite alleged phone evidenc...

The South African Weather Services says it expects the first snowfall of the season to make landfall in Umzimvubu and Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape. Snowfall is expected to start around midday today and is expected to continue until midnight tomorrow evening. This as the eThekwini metro disaster management teams have announced that they are on high alert ahead of an expected cold front with pos...

It's that time again on a Friday when Update At Noon presents another Update From The Coal-Face with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly. This week, he starts off with by touching on a very promising new platinum operation emerging this week with the first tons being produced by the K4 shaft in Marikana....  

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has warned that the price of petrol and diesel may increase to over twenty-five rands a litre if government fails to extend the temporary relief on fuel taxes beyond the 31st of May.  OUTA has written to Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana requesting that the treasury considers a phased-in approach over three months at fifty cents a month. The relief m...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged government ministers to listen to the voices of the people. He was reiterating comments he made last night at the Black Business Council Summit where he made reference to the controversial 22 Million flag project that the Arts Minister, Nathi Mthethwa has since cancelled. Ramaphosa at the summit last night jokingly made reference to him receiving a call from Min...

The South African Weather Service has issued a Yellow Level 4 weather warning for snow and an Orange Level 5 warning for rain in the Eastern Cape. The service has predicted heavy rainfall amounts exceeding 20mm for KwaZulu-Natal for the weekend. This comes as the province was still recovering from last month's deadly floods. For more on this we are joined in studio by SABC Meteologist, Phemelo Zon...

The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng is up in arms after the Gauteng government spent almost R140-million building Tshwane's HM Pitje Stadium, which will now be demolished. The stadium was never used and will reportedly now cost R84-million to demolish. DA spokesperson for sports, arts, culture and recreation in Gauteng, Kingsol Chabalala together with the Director for Infrastructure Development at...

The SRC at the University of Cape Town says the institution has a severe Gender-Based-Violence culture which needs to be eradicated. This follows a student meeting where at least 11 alleged student sexual offenders were identified and requested to be removed from the residential house of the institution. The student body also noted a survivor account on Twitter which claims to be representing five...

COSATU has welcomed the decision by Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthethwa to review the decision to erect a massive South African flag at the Freedom park in Pretoria. This follows public outcry over the matter with the arts fraternity describing the move as being insensitive to the plight of artists over the covid-19 pandemic.  COSATU spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla has described the initial d...

 A group of Swazi nationals has protested outside the Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg against King Mswati the third's family members who are there for their routine medical check-up. Those in hospital include the King's mother, wife and son. SABC political reporter Ntebo Mokobo spoke to Sakina Kamwendo.

The City of Tshwane has confirmed that while water tested in one part of Bronkhorspruit town has come up clean, the two tests in Rethabiseng township and Riamarpark have not. This follows complaints from local residents that their water had discolouration coupled with a bad smell. The water challenges in the area are not new as the community of Bronkhorspruit had embarked on numerous shutdowns bef...

The matter involving Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and others is currently underway in the Western Cape High Court. This as, Mkhwebane continues her efforts to prevent the National Assembly from proceeding with the inquiry into her fitness to hold office and also prevent the president from suspending her pending the outcome of t...

Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape has confirmed that it is investigating yet another alleged racist incident which occurred on campus. The learning institution is currently at the centre of a racial storm after a white first year student, urinated on the belongings of a black first year student.  In the latest alleged racist incident at the institution, racial slurs were reportedly...

At least two-thousand delegates from over 180 countries are attending the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Ethekwini. The event, held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre is aimed at protecting children by eliminating child labour.  Children in rural areas have been identified by the International Labour Organisation as the most vulnerable...

Some in the pension fund sector have expressed concern over the new regulations for pensioners in South Africa which have been introduced by the South African Revenue Service. Head of Corporate Consulting Strategy at Alexander Forbes, Belinda Sullivan says under the new regulations, a pensioner who receives their income from one source will have the correct PAYE deductions made by SARS from their...

The National Union of Mineworkers says it is highly shocked and surprised by the Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago's decision to place Ubank under curatorship. Kganyago cited serious issues that are facing the bank as the reason for the immediate decision to place the bank under curatorship. KPMG has been announced as the curator to recover and take possession of all asserts of Ubank. The ban...

The Jacob Zuma Foundation says the former president is looking forward to the actual trail date of his corruption case at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg. This follows yet another postponement in the Zuma arms's deal case as the former president's reconsideration application to the Supreme Court of Appeals is still pending. Zuma wants Advocate Billy Downer to recuse himself from the case allegi...

After a long wait, Walt Disney Company has officially confirmed 18 May 2022 as the launch date of the Disney Plus, a streaming service in South Africa. But what does this mean for content creators and the South African audience?