Update@Noon

Rwandans are voting today in a presidential election that is expected to extend the long rule of President Paul Kagame, who has held power since 1994. Voters will elect the president and 53 members of the lower House of Parliament on Monday, while 27 other MPs will be elected the following day. Election authorities say 9.5 million Rwandans are registered to vote in the population of 14 million. Pr...

Police Minister, Senzo Mchunu says his ministry will focus on the rollout of technology to detect and deter crime, as part of South Africa's safety and security priorities. Speaking to members of the media earlier today, Mchunu said murder, rape, hijackings and kidnappings for ransom remain some of most prevalent crimes in the country...

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has called for the parts of the province that have been affected by the fires, to be declared disaster areas. Buthelezi, says that the province is going through a devastating time. He was reacting to the fires that are currently engulfing different parts of the province that claimed the lives...

U.S. President Joe Biden says the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is contrary to everything America stands for as a nation. The incumbent made remarks after meeting with his national security team, in the situation room at the White House. Biden indicated that the FBI was leading the investigation and that they had yet to establish a motive to the attack -- urging people not...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has highlighted the impact of climate change on South Africa's economy, with the shipping industry adversely affected. This after winter storms along the country's west and east coasts recently disrupted shipping operations to the extent that the transport authority, Transnet ordered the temporary suspension of ship movement. Speaking at the Climate Resilience Symposium,...

The Medical Research Council says the 2022 South African census is unfit for purpose and may not be reliable as a source for planning and resource allocation. This follows a report by the Council which reveals that the Stats SA 2022 census population estimates of 62 Million people is overrated by a million people and that there are material discrepancies at district and municipal level. Half of th...

A forensic investigation by the Eastern Cape Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has found that a R20 million-rand tender awarded for the construction of the Lesseyton Sportsfield, outside Komani, was awarded irregularly. COGTA MEC, Zolile Williams tabled the report to the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality council on Wednesday, adding that the investigation had revealed th...

The sporting fraternity has announced the passing of renowned senior official and South African football legend Stanely "Screamer" Tshabalala last night. Tshabalala died from injuries suffered when he was shot in March and has been hospitalised since. He was 75 years old. Former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana Tebogo Moloi had this to say about the late football legend Stanely "Screamer" Tshabal...

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) says its pursuing more people in the VBS case. This comes after the Chartered Accountant, Tshifhiwa Matodzi was sentenced to an effective 15-years imprisonment by the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges linked to the looting of one-point-nine billion rand at the bank. Speaking to my colleague Cl...

The Communication Risk Information Centre (COMRiC) is upping the ante in dealing with the proliferation of SIM cards in the country. It has assisted in arresting individuals involved in a major SIM card fraud operation in Gauteng and the Free State. Forty-eight suspects have been  arrested so far. 45 in Johannesburg and 3 in Bloemfontein, all of whom are foreign nationals. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to...

Western Cape authorities say evacuation orders have been issued in Citrusdal and the Cape Winelands, with possible evacuations in areas in the Drakenstein municipality. Officials provided an update on the impact of the storm damage and the response of various agencies and departments since the series of cold fronts hit the province on Sunday. Over 15-thousand people have been affected, with disrup...

The City of Ekurhuleni says vehicle owners who had their cars impounded before the 31 of December 2023 have until 3pm tomorrow to make arrangements and collect them. Over a hundred and forty vehicles are kept at the metro's police department for various reasons such as being impounded after being involved in accidents and for contravening the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 or the city's by-l...

Western Cape authorities say evacuation orders have been issued in Citrusdal and the Cape Winelands, with possible evacuations in areas in the Drakenstein municipality. Officials provided an update on the impact of the storm damage and the response of various agencies and departments since the series of cold fronts hit the province on Sunday. Over 15-thousand people have been affected, with disrup...

The judgment in the Life Esidimeni Inquest will be handed down by the High Court in Pretoria today. This follows a tragic incident where more than 100 people with mental illness lost their lives in 2016. One-hundred and forty-four mental health care users were relocated from Life Esidimeni in 2015 and 2016 to ill-prepared non-governmental organisations. The judgment will be delivered virtually by...

Former ANC MP, Cyril Xaba has been elected as new mayor of the eThekwini metro. He replaces Mxolisi Kaunda, whom the ANC redeployed to the National Council of Provinces following the May elections. ActionSA leader in the council, Zwakhele Mncwango also nominated the DA chief whip Thabani Mthethwa, who declined. Mncwango earlier said the new mayor should not come from the ANC ranks in the light of...

The security situation in eastern DRC continue to deteriorate, reaching alarming levels of violence and civilian displacement. That was the message to the Security Council from the Special Representative of the Secretary General Bintou Keita, who is also the head of the U.N's Peacekeeping operation MONUSCO in that country.  Keita raised alarm at the rapid expansion of the M23-rebel group despite t...

Freedom Under Law (FUL) says it will challenge Umkhonto We Sizwe party Parliament leader, Dr John Hlophe's designation as a member of the Judicial Service Commission(JSC) on grounds of rationality and rule of law. FUL says it notes the National Assembly's decision to appoint Hlophe, now an uMkhonto We Sizwe party MP, as one of the representatives of the National Assembly on the JSC. Sakina Kamwend...

Emergency service personnel from the Merafong City Local Municipality are continuing their work at the scene of a car accident that claimed the lives of 12 school learners & their driver earlier today. Initial reports indicate that the learners were travelling in a private scholar transport mini-bus when the tragic accident occurred. Following news of the tragedy, Gauteng Education MEC, Matome...

As schools across the country re-opened for the third term today, some learners have been forced to kick off their first day under bitterly cold conditions with no roof over their heads. In the North West, learners are forced to walk long distances to school as they do not have scholar transport. At Gaetsalwe Primary School learners have reportedly been using a community structure as there are no...

The corruption case against former National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been postponed to the 16th of October 2024 where pre-trial proceedings are expected to get underway in the high court in Pretoria. Mapisa-Nqakula made a brief appearance this morning before the Pretoria Magistrates Court where an indictment was served after the former Speaker was accused of soliciting four-mi...

Citizens have been urged to desist from making open fires, as the country expects the worse fire season, this year as compared to previous years. Just this past weekend, Working on Fire in Mpumalanga has recorded more than 26 wildfires in the province. This as 26 teams of firefighters are on standby to assist should the need arise. Mthobisi Mkhaliphi reports.

As schools across the country re-opened for the academic third term today, some learners have been forced to kick off their first day under bitterly cold conditions with no roof over their heads. In the North West, learners are forced to walk long distances to school as they do not have scholar transport. In Jozini, north of KwaZulu-Natal, learners started their first day under a roofless structur...

As schools across the country re-opened for the third term today, some learners have been forced to kick off their first day under bitterly cold conditions with no roof over their heads. In the North West, learners are forced to walk long distances to school as they do not have scholar transport. At Gaetsalwe Primary School learners. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter in Mahikeng, Zebilon Main...

Eastern Cape traffic officials have closed Barkly Pass, on the R58 route between Barkly East and Elliot, this morning due to heavy snowfalls. The Eastern Cape Transport Department says some vehicles are stuck in the snow on the R58. Authorities are also keeping an eye on snowfall-prone routes such as Penhoek Pass on the N6 between Komani and Jamestown and others mainly in mountainous areas. Sakina...

Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosi Ramakgopa says the country's energy sector faces a new challenge of 'energy poverty' which is expressed through the implementation of load reduction by various local municipalities. Ramakgopa says this is due to under investment and a lack of maintenance of municipal energy infrastructure in municipalities. Ramakgopa gave his first weekly energy update...