Update@Noon

Last year on the ForumAt8 we aired the horrific story of more than 3 000 under-age girls who fell pregnant at Ratlou municipality in the North West Province. Some of the girls were as young as 12 years old at the time. We spoke to the Deputy Minister of social development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu who indicated that she was in the process of opening cases against the perpetrators

Donald Trump is to be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States of America tomorrow (Friday). But amid controversy around his legitimacy as the next president, a growing number of people have vowed to boycott his inauguration. Democratic lawmakers, celebrities and musicians are among those who have announced they will skip the event. To look at what we can expect on the day, we speak...

Power utility Eskom says it will continue to cut electricity to municipalities in the North West with outstanding debts. Eskom will cut power daily between six and eight in the morning and five and half past seven in the evening. Only three municipalities in the province 0 Ditsobotla, Mamusa and Tlokwe-Ventersdorp 405 - have settled their debts. Naledi, Kgetlheng River and Lekwa-Teemane municipali...

The Ad Hoc Committee probing the SABC affairs resumes this morning to start deliberation of its draft document. The Committee is also expected to decide on whether to accede to the UDM's request to invite Hlaudi Motsoeneng to testify during the inquiry. Our Parliamentary Correspondent Mercedes Besent tells us more

Jana van Deventer, Head of Real Time Research at ETM Analytics looks at both the December CPI and November retail sales data released yesterday and the European Central Bank's decision on interest rates and monetary policy is the main global event for today.

The 39 year old man accused of raping a 12 year old girl from Port Elizabeth, has been granted a two thousand rands bail by the Motherwell Magistrate's Court. It's alleged that the suspect sexually abused the victim twice last year and this was discovered when the victim fell pregnant. During the bail application the accused said the complainant allegedly seduced him in May last year and they have...

Higher Education and Training department is clamping down on unregistered colleges. About 60 bogus schools have so far been shut down, within the past five years. The Department in conjunction with the Council on Higher Education (CHE) have collaborated with the National Taxi Association to help them spread the word on colleges that are operating illegally. The latest incident was of a college tha...

Government will work with provinces and municipalities to help them deal with their unpaid Eskom accounts. This is according to Tsakani Baloyi, the Spokesperson for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. In a statement, the Department says they despite numerous interventions, some municipalities continue to default from an agreement they entered into with Eskom. The Mini...

Former SABC Board Chairperson Ellen Tshabalala has asked that her deadline for a written submission to the parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee should be extended. Her submission relates to allegations she made about political interference in the affairs of the SABC from three political parties. Our Parliamentary Correspondent Mercedes Besent reports that the Committee Members have also received the fir...

Maudi Lentsoane, group CEO at Lehumo Investments looks at Asian markets largely higher this morning, Emerging-Market Currencies Rise Amid US president Elect Donald Trump's Remarks on the Dollar and the pound staged a recovery following Theresa May's speech.

Jana van Deventer, Head of Real Time Research at ETM Analytics talks about UK Prime Minister Therese May's speech in which she confirmed that the country plans on executing a 'hard Brexit' strategy and the domestic consumptive dynamics as retail sales for November as well as CPI data for December are scheduled for release today

The family of Reshall Jimmy, who was killed in a Ford Kuga 1.6 when it went up in flames, say they still intend to take action against Ford. This follows Ford's recall of over four-thousand-500 of the vehicles yesterday*. Jimmy's car was one of close to 50 of the models that have caught fire in South Africa. Ford South Africa CEO Jeff Nemeth says his death cannot be linked to the mechanical faults...

Rating agency Moody's agreed to pay a massive R11.7 billion ($864m) in penalty for the US 2008 financial crisis. The US Justice Department accused the agency of inflating ratings on mortgage securities that were at the centre of the 2008 financial crisis. To discuss the implication of this penalty we're now joined on the line by chief economist at Econometrix, Dr Azar Jammine

Maudi Lentsoane Group CEO of Lehumo Investments looks the Asian Markets, What Theresa May's Brexit strategy might be and how it would affect the markets and China's Oil Collapse Is Unintentionally Helping OPEC

ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says the divisions among the ANC top leadership are based on personal and financial interests that influence the political will to change the lives of the people of South Africa. Ramaphosa was addressing thousands of ANC members at Walter Sisulu University stadium in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Our reporter Nkululeko Nyembezi has filed this report…

Several municipalities in the country are expected to be without electricity as from today (Monday) if power utility Eskom has its way. Seven municipalities in the Free State will experience daily power cuts. Defaulting municipalities in the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West and the Eastern Cape will also be affected. Eskom says that it is owed 2 billion rand by these municipalities. Thabiso R...

Gift of the Givers Foundation says it is an insult to them and to South Africa that a South African photojournalist, Shiraaz Mohamed, was abducted in Syria. Mohamed was in Syria as part of the Foundations' rescue team members, to take pictures of what is happening in the country. Gift of the Givers has for the past four years, been giving humanitarian assistance of about 150 million rand to the pe...

The Hawks have confirmed that two suspected terrorists were recently prevented from entering South Africa in separate incidents. Police say a suspected terrorist planning attacks against United States interests in South Africa travelling from the US via Turkey was arrested at OR Tambo International airport. In another incident, it is reported that an Iraqi man working for Islamic State terrorist g...

Tributes from the entertainment industry keep pouring following the passing of iconic jazz musician Thandi Klaasen this morning. She died at a hospital in Vosloorus east of Johannesburg after losing her battle to pancreatic cancer. Klaasen's musical career span over five decades, her best songs include "Sophia Town". Neliswa Mavundla reports...

President Jacob Zuma has condemned the tendency of discussing leadership succession before the period is opened, including leaders whom he says are obsessed with positions. President Zuma was addressing thousands of ANC supporters gathered in KwaDukuza during the party's 105 year celebration. ANC Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize and some NEC members including Malusi Gigaba, Nathi Mthethwa, Syabonga...

Maudi Lentsoane, group CEO at Lehumo Investments looks at the Asian Markets which start the day on a negative and the pound under severe pressure. Catch Maudi on #AMLive looking at everthing Asian Markets with Sakina Kamwendo

A leading South African motor expert says Ford Kuga drivers should take their cars to Ford dealers immediately for check-ups before panicking and re-selling their cars. Steve Smith editor of Car Magazine says not all Ford Kuga's are faulty and those driving the one-point-six litre sold between 2013 and 2014 are the most at risk. Kuga drivers wanting to re-sell their cars have vented their anger on...

The case of a Cape Town woman who alleges that her boss disclosed her HIV status to colleagues without her permission has been referred for arbitration. The matter was heard at the CCMA yesterday. The 36-year-old woman, who cannot be identified, works as a cleaner at Groote Schuur Hospital. Ondela Bacela reports..

Harmony Gold says its attempts to persuade about one-thousand-700 mineworkers employees participating in an underground sit-in to return to surface have so far been unsuccessful. The sit-in began on Wednesday when miners at Kusasalethu Mine in Carltonville on Gauteng's West Rand failed to return to the surface at the end of the morning shift. The mine says it has now received formal demands from t...

Market Analyst, Clive Ramathibela at the Asian markets struggle as Chinese data shows signs of lower economic activity and will South Africa survive possible ratings agencies downgrades in the 1st quarter of 2017?