Update@Noon

The ANC in the Northern Cape has called for a recount of 24 ballots from the Siyancuma Municipality in a ward that the party lost to an independent candidate. The ballots were unstamped and previously thought to be spoilt. But the ANC lodged a dispute and the IEC is in Douglas for the recount. The municipality is currently one of the ten hung councils in the province. Independent candidate, Benjam...

An overall majority of 95 percent of voters believed that the 2021 local government elections were free and fair. This is according to the  preliminary findings of the Human Sciences Research Council's Election Satisfaction Survey presented at the national results operations centre in Pretoria on Wednesday. The survey, which interviewed over twelve thousand voters, also revealed that a majori...

Political parties continue to monitor  as the results of South Africa's sixth Local Government elections are steadily coming in at the IEC Results Operations Centre in Pretoria this morning. However, concerns over the lower voter turn-out have been raised by many across the political spectrum. Sakina Kamwendo chats to Political Analysts, Dr Collette Schulz-Herzenber and Aubrey Matshiqi

The IEC says that everything is on track to deliver the local government elections on the 1st of November. Approximately 26 million South Africans are eligible to vote in the polls, with over 95 thousand candidates running to capture about 10-thousand-500 seats in the country's 257 municipalities. Election Specialist and founder of Institute of Election Management Services in Africa (IEMSA) Terry...

Major global moves to convert to hydrogen energy is a big boost for South Africa's platinum metals; far-reaching steps were taken this week to consolidate South Africa's platinum mines; disadvantaged First Nation communities in Canada see green hydrogen as a reconciliation opportunity. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly about these issu...

 Those who will not be able to make it to the voting stations on Election Day on Monday will have an opportunity to vote this weekend. These are people who may be sick, disabled or elderly and who may be working on 1st of November, who applied to the IEC for special voting. Special voting takes the form of home visits as well as making one's mark at voting stations. There are 1.1 million peop...

The Independent Electoral Commission says everything is on track for the local government elections on Monday. Special voting will commence on Saturday and Sunday the 30th and 31st of October, with approximately 26-million eligible South African voters. Over 95 thousand candidates are contesting for 10-thousand-500 seats in the country's 257 municipalities. South Africa has 504 political parties c...

South African cricketer Quinton de Kock, has apologised to his team mates and all South Africans for withdrawing from the T20 World Cup match against the West Indies on Tuesday. This after he rejected a Cricket South Africa directive that players must 'take a knee' before their matches in show of anti-racism solidarity. De Kock issued a statement read here by SAfm senior producer Obriel Mpofu; and...

Gauteng police are investigating a shooting in which an alleged member of the Boko Haram gang was shot dead in Pretoria yesterday. Mamelodi, residents, believe that the alleged vigilante killer, who has named himself after a movie persona, John Wick is allegedly killing members of the so-called Boko Haram gang. Chairperson of the Community Policing Forum in Mamelodi West, Tebogo Mashigo....

Eskom has implemented stage 4 loadshedding as of noon up until 5 o'clock Friday morning, where the country will go back to stage 2 loadshedding. Energy analyst, Ted Blom weighs in on this development....

Striking truck drivers have been served with court papers, instructing them to remove the trucks blockading the N10 near Middleburg in the Eastern Cape. The drivers have been blockading the road since Sunday. They are demanding the immediate removal of truck drivers of foreign origin from the country's roads and the verification of their documents. This happens as there are reports that South Afri...

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it is ready for whatever avenue former president Jacob Zuma's legal team wants to pursue following Tuesday's judgment in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg. Judge Piet Koen dismissed Zuma's special plea application for the recusal of State prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer. The application was part of the special plea Zuma had entered in the corruption...

The Bhisho High court has granted Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane and public works MEC, Babalo Madikizela an interim interdict to stay Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's remedial action. This is related to the public protector's report implicating Mabuyane and Madikizela on misappropriation of funds during the memorial service for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Mabuyan...

The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation says no approval has been granted for the demolition of the iconic Eyethu Cinema in Soweto in Johannesburg. This comes after contradicting reports that the structure will be demolished to make way for the erection of a mall in its place. Situated in Mofolo, the cinema was opened in 1969 by businessman and former mayor of Soweto, Ephraim...

The small end of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange is in danger of collapsing unless something is done to incentivise it; shareholders unhappy with a director’s pay level this week voted out one of South Africa’s biggest names in international mining; South Africans need to take drastic and urgent action to eliminate our huge mining applications backlog. Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin...

The Road Freight Association has raised some concerns over the introduction of toll fees on trucks by the Zimbabwean government at the Beitbridge border post. Trucks are being charged more than $200. There have been reports of chaos and delays in the past few days following the introduction of these new toll fees. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly  

Former minister, Jeff Radebe says he hopes the SADeC deployment to Eswatini resolve the unrest in that country. Radebe is part of the envoys appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to meet with King Mswati III amid ongoing protest. This comes as violence and allegations of human rights violations continue. Social media has been abuzz with video's showing security forces shooting at civilians. There...

The search for four siblings who were kidnapped on the outskirts of Polokwane on Wednesday is continuing. Six year-old Zidan, 11-year-old Zayyad, 13-year-old Alaan and 15-year-old Zia Moti were allegedly kidnapped by seven heavily armed men while being transported to school. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to  Anti crime activist Yusuf Abramjee about this and other recent incidents across the country&n...

A case of kidnapping involving girls has been reported in a village outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. Police say two girls, aged 13 and 15, were allegedly abducted and gang-raped in Tshitunitshafhasi village. They were found in a house rented out to some people; mostly construction workers after the community members searched the area. Police say the teenagers were kept in the house for four day...

The High Court sitting in Palm Right in Ekurhuleni has heard of that one of the accused in the Nathaniel Julies murder trial, Caylen Whiteboy did not follow any of her firearm training the night Julies was murdered. The cross-examination has resumed after it was adjourned for one day. The 16-year Eldorado Park boy was shot and killed in August last year allegedly by the police. Three officers are...

Prices for potatoes in South Africa have seen a huge increase over the past year, setting a new record high for the staple vegetable. Earlier this October, a bag of 10kg potatoes increased by 13%. The high demand and extremely low volumes have resulted in the potato price increasing sharply. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to acting information manager at Potatoes South Africa, Jano Bezuidenhout 

The former Zambian and Orlando Pirates coach, Milutin "Micho" Sredojevic, has been handed a three year suspended prison sentence in the regional court in Gqeberha. The sentence is suspended for five years. The case against 51-year old stems from the 2020 Cosafa Cup in Gqeberha where Sredojevic inappropriately touched a 39-year old woman at the Wolfson Stadium. The court also granted him leave to a...

It’s that time again on a Friday when Update@Noon presents another Update From The Coal-Face with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly .This week, South Africa was urged to mine the critical metals and minerals that combat climate change; steps are being taken to generate clean electricity from South Africa’s many disused mineshafts; the mining boom i...

Taxi drivers at Korsten in Gqeberha say they're scared to operate again hence they opted to move their taxis to a different location. Korsten was the scene of violent attacks yesterday afternoon where about eight minibus taxis were set alight and a number of small cars. Taxi operators have accused foreign  nationals of anarchy, saying they're the ones that who protected their businesses durin...

Police have opened a missing person's report following the disappearance of a 15-year old girl. Rasetja Mothoa went missing last week Tuesday at a Kalkspruit village outside Polokwane, Limpopo. Police say Mothoa was seen in the company of self proclaimed prophet, Paul Madubanya. One of Madubanya's congregants, 17-year-old Neo Setena, died a month ago after consuming brake fluid at his home. SABC r...