Update@Noon

The inter-ministerial task team, chaired by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) for a briefing on the Eskom Debt. Following the briefing by the committee, SCOPA resolved to call Eskom, the Minister of Finance, Salga and other stakeholders who owe Eskom in order to come up with a solution...

A private security in KwaZulu Natal, Reaction Unit South Africa says in the past ten days they found at least eight bodies in and around Verulam, north of Durban. Reaction Unit South Africa says yesterday an unidentified body of a man with multiple gunshot wounds was discovered at Ndwedwe, while the remains of a severely burnt body was found along the M25, near KwaMashu. The private security compa...

Statistics South Africa has just revealed that South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2019, following a revised 0.8% contraction in the third quarter. The impact of load shedding, which the power utility says is likely to remain for approximately the next year and a half is suspected to have severely impacted productivity in the already ailing econo...

The World Health Organisation in Africa has called on communities to look out for information on how to deal with the outbreak of corona virus in their areas. It says they should be well informed on the virus in order to curb misinformation. The United Nations health agency says it has been assessing the continent's preparedness to deal with the virus and making public awareness its priority. Case...

Tax Justice South Africa addresses what they call the devastating impact of illicit trade on South Africa's economy. Experts from the South African revenue Services, Tax Justice South Africa and the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa have joined hands to combat illicit trade in the country- We spoke to Gwarega Mangozhe, CEO of the Consumer Goods Council of SA.

The Estate Agency Affairs Board of South Africa (EAAB) has launched a full-scale investigation into one of South Africa's top estate agencies (Pam Golding). The Estate Agency Affairs Board says the estate agency contravened financial regulatory laws when facilitating the sale of property to the children of former Mozambican President Armando Guebuza without following legal requirements and thus al...

The trial of Pastor Timothy Omotoso continues at the Port Elizabeth High Court. Defence advocate, Peter Daubermann has highlighted what he calls a significant number of inconsistencies, in the written testimony of first witness, Andisiwe Dike. He asked to consult with the police officer who took the statement, saying he wouldn't be able to cross examine Dike till that happens. We spoke to our repo...

The murder trial of a man accused of killing University of Johannesburg student Palesa Madiba six years ago has been transferred to the Gauteng High Court. The case was transferred from the Protea Regional Court in Soweto. Dumisani Mkhwanazi, 36, is expected to face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Mkhwanazi was arrested on July 29 foll...

About 15 people have died so far and many others injured after a bus transporting passengers from Centane to Butterworth in the Eastern Cape crashed near Thafalofefe Hospital earlier today. The passengers, mostly pensioners, were on their way to shop in Butterwoth. The bus was travelling from the Mazeppa Bay area. We spoke to Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson, Unathi Binqose...

A large number of EFF members and the party's leaders are continuing to converge at the Innesfree Park, Sandton in preparation for the march to Eskom headquarters in SunningHill later this afternoon. The march is against loadshedding and privatisation. Sakina Kamwendo's Update at Noon spoke to our reporter Abongile Dumako

Two South African citizens working on a Japanese cruise ship have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, known as the coronavirus. The health ministry says government has been made aware by Japanese authorities through the South African embassy in Tokyo, that there were 12 South African crew members working on board the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship when it was affected by the virus. Update at Noo...

Sakina Kamwendo broadcasting live from Cape Town ahead of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Budget Speech

The small town of Herbertsdale, near Mossel Ba,y in the Southern Cape has over the last couple of years seen a disturbing increase in drug abuse among its youth. To pay for the drugs, the addicts have started stealing from houses, businesses and farms. Tanya Krause reports...

Lesotho's Prime Minister Tom Thabane is appearing before the Maseru Magistrate's Court to face murder charges. Thabane is being accused, alongside his wife Maesaiah - of plotting to kill his then estranged wife Lipolelo in 2017. The Prime minister was scheduled to be in court on Friday but skipped the appearance to see a doctor in Pretoria. We speak to our correspondent in Lesotho, Rapelang Radebe...

The East London Magistrate's Court has issued a warrant of arrest for EFF leader Julius Malema for failing to appear in court. Malema and co-accused Adrian Snyman were a no show in court today where they were due to appear on five counts of discharging a firearm in public. Malema allegedly discharged a rifle during the EFF's fifth anniversary celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe stadium in Mdantsane i...

Murder accused Yolanda Nogemane is today appearing at the Alice Magsitrates Court, for the alleged murder of another student Yonela Boli. The case was postponed last week to give investigating officer time to verify the accused's second address. University of Fort Hare students are expected to picket outside court calling for justice. We spoke to our reporter Abongile Jantjies...

A car-safety organisation Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) has revealed a double-standards when it comes to car safety levels in Africa. This follows a shocking crash test that proved an SA-made bakkie's safety performance is vastly inferior to that of a five-year-old European version of the vehicle. In this instancea a locally built 2018 Nissan NP300 Hardbodyhad failed in a crash test a...

Former South African Airways (SAA) board chairperson, Dudu Myeni is back at the High court in Pretoria. Myeni is on the stand to give testimony in a case that was brought before the court by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and South African Airways Pilots' Association (SAAPA) asking the court to declare her unfit, citing that Myeni had put the airliner into financial chaos during her six...

Chaos broke out earlier at the Goodwood Magistrate's Court in Cape Town, ahead of an appearance by a 54-year-old man in connection with the murder of 8-year-old Tazne van Wyk. The man was arrested on Tuesday in Cradock in the Eastern Cape- when he was being transported back to Cape Town, he led the police to Van Wyk's body in a storm water pipe on the N1 near Worcester. We spoke to our reporter Th...

About 50 learners from the Lofentse Girls High School in Soweto have been hospitalized. The learners complained of stomach cramps and vomited after eating cakes suspected to contain a poisonous substance. Other learners were hospitalized today. Police are investigating an incident. Parents have been arriving at the school this morning to demand an explanation. We spoke our reporter Tshepo Phagane...

Eskom says its going ahead with its plan to switch off power to the cash-strapped Letsemeng Municipality in the Free State. The power utility says the municipality which incorporates towns such as Oppermansgronde, Koffiefontein, Petrusburg, Jacobsdal and Luckhoff, has failed to honour its payment arrangement of 5.4 million rand. Thabiso Radebe reports.. We also speak to Letsemeng local Municipalit...

EFF leader Julius Malema's wife Mantoa Matlala is suing ANC MP, Boy Mamabolo an amout of one million rand following his utterances about her during the State of the Nation Address last week. In a letter sent to Mamabolo by Matlala's lawyers, it's stated that he made defamatory statements against her - where Mamabolo claimed that Malema abused his wife. We spoke to our reporter, Abongile Dumako..

Six weeks into the 2020 academic year- learners at Reitumetse High School at Kgobokwane village in Limpopo are still to start schooling. Learners who were doing Grade 11 in 2019, are demanding to be promoted to grade 12 after they all failed last year. They say it's not their fault that they did not have teachers in four subjects. We spoke to our reporter, Rudzani Tshivhase...

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa-Prasa says it's working on restoring some of its networks that had to be closed due to vandalism and theft. This includes the rail lines between Mabopane and Pretoria and the central line in Cape Town. PRASA Administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo says they hope to be back in service by April next year. Prasa executive was engaging with passengers in Dube, Soweto...

The Shosholoza Meyl, a long-distance train service operated by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), has been ordered to stop operating with immediate effect. This follows a fatal train crash on February 12, which left one man dead and several others injured when a goods and passenger train collided on the tracks near Bonny Doone Road in Horizon View, west of Johannesburg. The Railway...