Update@Noon

Market Analyst, Clive Ramathibela looks at Asian markets which slipped slightly earlier in the week...

Head of Real Time Analytics of ETM Analytics, Jana van Deventer looks at whether Mini Budget lived up to what had perhaps been hyped-up expectations and whether South African National Treasury doing enough to ensure that country can avoid a credit rating downgrade to sub-investment grade before year-end...

Whilst the country waits with bated breath the appearance of Finance minister at the Pretoria Regional Court next week, Pravin Gordhan will take to the podium this afternoon in parliament, to deliver his mini budget at a time when the economy is under a huge strain. Top of mind in his speech will be trimming of state debt, the budget deficit, money to fund higher education and the slow economic gr...

The department of Correctional Services has confimed that a fire has broken out at the Johannesburg Correctional Services facility. No one was injured. For more this we spoke to the department of Correctional Services Spokesperson, Manelisi Wolela...

President Jacob Zuma has acknowledged concerns raised by political leaders, business and civil society organisations over the decision by the National Prosecutions Authority to haul Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan before courts. There has been a groundswell of support for Gordhan- ahead of his scheduled court appearance at the Pretoria regional court next week. There are growing calls that the Pre...

Academics and researchers will converge in Cape Town for the first wind energy conference to share knowledge about wind energy in Africa. They will discuss and find out about the challenges which exist to the growth of the wind sector in South Africa and globally and how these challenges can be addressed through scientific research. The conference will be hosted by the South African Wind Energy As...

Market Analyst, Clive Ramathibela looks at Asian markets which have slipped slightly this morning, Singapore loses its crown as the easiest country to do business and today's Hot topic- South african Mid-term budget update, what to expect.

Head of Real Time Analytics at ETM Analytics Jana van Deventer looks at Data from the Reserve Bank which shows that the August leading indicator bounced, today is Medium Term Budget day- how have local markets been performing ahead of this major risk event

An ANC Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (MPL) and a member of the Provincial Executive Committee, Molebatsi Bopape has been suspended with immediate effect. Parts of her ANC membership suspension are that she is not allowed to make public comments, take part in any activities of the ruling party and not even to enter any offices of the ANC, except when she has to attend to matters rela...

UDM Chief Whip Nqabayomzi Kwankwa has appealed to young Parliamentarians to take the lead in seeking solutions to protests at institutions of higher learning over free education. Protests have erupted across the country in the past few weeks where some of the demonstrations turned violent. Kwankwa says young parliamentarians across the political spectrum should to get together and come up with a w...

Metrorail says investigations are underway to establish the cause of the head-on train collision on the Tembisa line near Kaalfontein Gauteng's East Rand. One person has been killed and more than 100 injured. For more details, we spoke to Rail Safety Regulator Chief Executive Officer Nkululeko Poya...

Justice and Correctional Services Minister, Michael Masutha, today announced the publication, for public comment, of the Prevention of Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill. Interested parties may make inputs about the bill until the 1st of December this year. He says the bill criminalises hate crimes and hate speech. Masutha says the proposed bill will elevate already existing crimes like...

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is expected to present his mid-term budget statement in the wake of declining government revenue and a pending court battle by the hawks. The finance minister is under pressure to walk a tight rope and demonstrate that government has been able to contain spending. Investors and rating agencies will also be keeping a close eye on his statement. Amina Accram reports ....

Police have opened a case of public violence after five vehicles were set alight at the Bellville campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. No one was injured during the fires and police say no one has been arrested as yet. The owner of one of the vehicles says he suspects a third force involvement in the incident. Mlamli Maneli reports...

Two people have been killed in gang related violence in the townships of eTwatwa and Daveyton on Gauteng's East Rand. Community members says groups of young men believed to be linked to gangsters have been on a rampage without any police intervention. We caught up with two community members for more details, (Thamba and Castro)

DA Chief Whip John Steenhuisen has challenged ANC Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu and those ministers who are allegedly unhappy about the current state of the ANC, to support the DA's motion to remove President Jacob Zuma from office. This comes after Mthembu called on ANC NEC members to resign. Our Parliamentary Correspondent Mercedes Besent tells us more..........

The ANC says Party Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu will not be removed from his position despite calls that he be axed. This follows Mthembu's calls for the entire ANC's National Executive Committee to step down. Mthembu says the party's leadership has messed up and should therefore take a collective fall and its reduced support in the August local elections was proof of this. Mthembu is also concerned...

The Helen Suzman Foundation and Freedom Under Law have filled an urgent application to have the recent criminal charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan set aside. In a joint statement the two organisations say they have asked prosecuting boss Shaun Abrahams to give more information about the charges or to withdraw them voluntarily but he has failed to do so. The NPA has charged Gordhan and...

The ANC says Party Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu will not be removed from his position despite calls that he be axed. This follows Mthembu's calls for the entire ANC's National Executive Committee to step down. Mthembu says the party's leadership has messed up and should therefore take a collective fall and its reduced support in the August local elections was proof of this. Mthembu is also concerned...

The controversial Annual National Assessment (ANA) which the teacher's union SADTU has been fighting against has been cancelled. The Union says although it is pleased that the ANA will be replaced by a new systematic assessment, there are other outstanding issues that still need to be ironed out. We caught up with both the General Secretary of SADTU, Mugwena Maluleke and Basic education spokespers...

The newly-appointed public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says she is not in competition with her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela. This is in the wake of Mkhwebane's perceived public attacks on Madonsela during Wednesday's briefing in parliament when she was presenting her office's 2015/16 annual report. The report reveals donations from foreign NGOs to Madonsela's office which some MPs have perceived...

Former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, has clarified issues around the use of consultants and accepting donor funding. This comes after her successor, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, said she would change the way things are done during her time in office. She told Parliament's Justice committee that she would not source donor funding to protect the sovereignty of the office and they would use little or no...

Cabinet has called on protesting tertiary education students to save the 2016 academic year warning of the negative consequences to the economy if they do not do so. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria yesterda following Wednesday's (19/10) meeting of the executive, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe says that cabinet shares the sentiments of students on the high cost of education and thr...

Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel has confirmed that student leader Shaeera Kalla was shot multiple times with rubber bullets and that she had been admitted to hospital. Several other students were also injured when they clashed with police while disrupting exams at the university's West Campus. Meanwhile, the South African Police Services have issued a statement concerning the matter. Na...

The Africa Empowered investment company has proposed a nation-building fund - which will not be either a government or private sector fund - to assist with the current fees issue at tertiary institutions. This was revealed at a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday. Vuyo Jack, chairman of Africa Empowered has the details...