Update@Noon

The official unemployment rate was at 32,1 % in the fourth quarter of 2023. According to data released by Statistics South Africa, the unemployment rate among the Black African population group remains higher than the national average and other population groups, at 36,1%. This as, Anglo American Platinum has announced that it is set to cut three-thousand-700 jobs in South Africa as the mining com...

The City of Johannesburg's Member of the Mayoral Committee on Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku has confirmed that authorities are investigating an incident which saw a group of between 5 and 10 gun wielding robbers robbing motorists on city's M1 highway, this morning. Residents who witnessed the incident began sharing accounts of what they were seeing on social media platforms. The following inser...

The International Court of Justice at the Hague is from today until the 26th of February holding public hearings on the request for an advisory opinion in respect of the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. 52 States and three international organizations have expressed their intention to participate in...

An inmate at the Mangaung Correctional Center managed by G4S in Bloemfontein has told SABC News that G4S wants to shed as many long term employees as possible before its contract with the Department of Correctional Services comes to an end. In an exclusive interview inmate - Zwelinzima Nquru alleges that top officials are involved in a money for jobs syndicate, soliciting protection fees from inma...

The Change Starts Now Movement is expected to unveil its election manifesto in Kliptown, Soweto. The movement, initiated in December 2023, aims to serve as an alternative political option for South Africans seeking change. The party says it will share with South Africans how it plans on ending load shedding, fight unemployment and combat crime. SABCNews reporter, Natasha Phiri earlier caught up wi...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) the go-ahead to probe allegations of maladministration in the issuance of visas and other official documents by the department of home affairs. According to a proclamation issued by Ramaphosa on Friday, the SIU will also investigate allegations of improper conduct by some officials in the department's ranks. Sakina Kamwendo s...

The Coal-Face with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly. 1. BMW this week put the first fleet of green-hydrogen cars on to South African roads. 2. Research began this week bring more of South Africa's magical metals into the hydrogen economy. 3. A high-profile delegation from Japan is in South Africa to study joint green hydrogen development opportunities.  

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu is in KwaZulu Natal today where he is conducting another visit to Phoenix and Verulam to assess measures put in place to improve water supply. Communities in these areas have been experiencing severe water shortages. Yesterday, the eThekwini Municipality missed the deadline to restore water. Minister Mchunu committed the residents last Sunday to resol...

Defence analyst, Thomas Mandrup says the South African government needs to explain why South Africa has chosen to get involved in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This comes after two South African National Defence Force members were killed and three others wounded in a mortar attack at an SA military base in the region on Wednesday. On Monday the Presidency confirmed that 2 900 S...

Two members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been killed in a mortar attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Defence Force says three others sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital in Goma for medical treatment. Two-thousand-900 troops were deployed as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) to support and assis...

Two members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been killed in a mortar attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Defence Force says three others sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital in Goma for medical treatment. Two-thousand-900 troops were deployed as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) to support and assis...

Councillors of the troubled Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality in North West are demanding a report into the R38-million shack call centre to be released. The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on the Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, recently summoned the Dr Mompati Municipality seeking answers regarding the call c...

A special council meeting to possibly dissolve the eThekwini Municipality is currently ongoing at the Durban International Convention Centre. The Democratic Alliance in the metro hopes to unseat the coalition government of the ANC and the EFF which is also supported by smaller political parties. Two weeks back the metro's mayor Mxolisi Kaunda survived a vote of no confidence brought by the IFP whi...

City of Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink says there has been a delay in capital spending in the metro, due to tighter controls put in place to prevent irregular and wasteful expenditure. Brink was responding to news that the National Treasury has written a formal letter to the City, threatening to withdraw over six hundred million rand, because of the City's underperformance and noncomplian...

Cross-examination of accused number 2 in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Bongani Ntanzi, continues today. On Friday he testified that he never confessed to any involvement in the killing of the soccer star. He told the High Court in Pretoria that he only signed papers after his alleged confession on the 24th of June 2020 because he wanted a phone call and a bath. This as the trial within a trial to...

The African National Congress has four days to furnish the Democratic Alliance with records of the ruling party's cadre deployments. This follows a judgement by the Constitutional Court which upheld an earlier ruling for the ANC to hand over its records to the opposition party within five days, from yesterday. The DA has welcomed the decision by the apex court, adding that it marks one of the grea...

The South African Poultry Association has expressed concern following the Competition Commission's decision to probe allegations of anti-competitive practices in the poultry sector. In its statement, the Commission stated that a poultry market inquiry into the industry can complement other initiatives to improve the competitiveness of the industry to the benefit of consumers and smaller participan...

The community of Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is up in arms after the municipality allegedly spent R9.7-million for the construction of Nogqala Bridge, near Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. According to community members, the project has been marred by endless discrepancies and does not justify the amounts of money spent on it thus far. Construction of the  bridge is said to have started in September...

The Constitutional Court has dismissed with costs the African National Congress final bid to appeal the ruling ordering it to hand over its cadre deployment records to the Democratic Alliance. The governing party turned to the apex court after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein dismissed with costs the ANC's application for leave to appeal in September last year. The SCA cited "no reasona...

More peanut butter brands have been withdrawn from sale at Pick n Pay, alongside those sold at Dischem, Clicks, Faithful to Nature and other health shops.  The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has alerted the public that more peanut butter brands have been affected by the recall announced at the start of the month. These include Dischem's Lifestyle 400g Smooth and Crunchy, Dischem's Lifestyle 80...

Unemployed medical doctors in KwaZulu-Natal have marched to the offices of the provincial Health Department in Pietermaritzburg, voicing their concerns over the lack of employment opportunities for medical graduates. Last week, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said his department does not have the budget to employ all medical graduates in the public sector.  Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to unemployed do...

The Coal-Face with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly. 1. Water was highlighted as the world's number-one commodity at this week's Mining Indaba. 2. Criminal syndicates disrupting railway lines have been positively identified, this week's Coal Conference heard. 3. Stopping noise-induced hearing loss is now the top health priority of South Africa's mining indust...

Africa Check launched an initiative to check whether South Africa's president has kept his word on infrastructure, development and education, during his state of the nation address. It says Ramaphosa made seven promises on the power utility Eskom, state logistics company Transnet, road infrastructure, digital migration and more. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Africa Check Deputy-Chief Editor Cayley Clif...

The National Empowerment Fund says the government needs to focus sharply on entrepreneurship and SME development. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Zama Khanyile, Divisional Executive for Venture Capital and Corporate Finance at the NEF...

The Economic Freedom Fighters will launch its much anticipated National Manifesto tomorrow in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. Last night, all EFF members of Parliament boycotted the State of the Nation Address in parliament, following a ruling by the Western Cape High Court which dismissed an application by the party's six MPs including leader Julius Malema, to have their suspension interdicted. Sakina Kam...