Update@Noon

Several people have been swindled of their money in online scams in Limpopo in recent months. Police say scammers use social media platforms to entice unsuspecting people by publishing bogus job and business opportunities. Mahlatse Phaladi filed this report. 

 A study by Stellenbosch University researchers has found that two out of three adolescents with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) experience breathing problems or lung abnormalities even after completing the treatment. The study, published in The Lancet, found that 76% of adolescents had abnormal lung function after treatment, and 65% still showed abnormal function at the second assessment. Sakina Kamw...

Johannesburg Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda says the city is working with embassies in Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Tanzania to identify victims of a recent building fire and determine their eligibility for temporary housing. Gwamanda was briefing members of the media after two people lost their lives in a blaze in a residential building on the corner of Commissioner and Nugget Streets. More than 150 people were...

The Coal-Face with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly. 1. Global mining gathered at the business conference in Davos has committed itself to being Nature-positive. 2. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is ready to help with the raising of capital to fund the mining of critical minerals. 3. Mineworkers in the Northern Cape are going to have the benefit of wearing s...

The 2023 prison census by the Committee to Protect Journalists has revealed that the number of jailed journalists has increased. CPJ has documented 320 journalists behind bars since December 1st 2023- it says the number was the second-highest recorded by CPJ since the census began in 1992.  According to the report Israel has emerged as one of the world's leading jailers of journalists following th...

KwaZulu-Natal is expected to get a breather from heavy rains that have been lashing the province since Christmas Eve, claiming scores of lives and causing damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses. As light rains continue in the eThekwini Municipality, residents remain concerned that the accumulation of consistent rainfall will further jeopardise their properties. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Pro...

Police have managed to quell tensions between a group of parents from Ward 70 in Fleurhof, South of Johannesburg and the teaching staff at Florida High School in Rooderpoort. The parents demand that their learners be placed at this particular school as it is located within a five kilometre radius from Fleurhof. Parents forcibly took their kids to the desired school today and they allege the childr...

The Independent Examinations Board matric candidates have obtained a 98,46% pass rate for the 2023 academic year. CEO of the IEB, Confidence Dikgole says all praise must go to the teachers and learners for their dedication. She spoke to Sakina Kamwendo about the factors that contributed to this year's pass mark.

Piotrans, the company that operates Johannesburg's Rea Vaya bus rapid system has entered into an agreement with the well known KwaZulu-Natal-based Gcaba family. Under the agreement, the taxi business family will supply feeder buses to the embattled Rea Vaya bus service. Johannesburg's MMC for Roads and Transport, Kenny Kunene made the announcement on Thursday morning, just weeks after Piotrans, an...

DA MP and Deputy Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry, Ghaleb Cachalia has resigned from the party and terminated his membership. He says the leadership of the DA has become increasingly uncomfortable with his public utterances over the past few months. This relates to issues around the Israel-Hamas war. He says as a consequence he has been fired from his position as the shadow cabinet minister.

A group of parents from Ward 70 in Fleurhof, south of Johannesburg, has marched alongside 30 learners, to the Gauteng Education Department's Johannesburg West District Office in a last-ditch effort to have their children placed in a nearby high school. The parents say their children have been placed at Die Burger High School in Florida, which they complain, is about 17 kilometers away from their h...

The KwaZulu-Natal Education Department has issued a statement calling for the early closure of schools due to bad weather conditions predicted today. The South African Weather Service has issued a level 5 warning for the coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as parts of Zululand. For more on this, Sakina Kamwendo spoke to KwaZulu-Natal provincial education spokesperson, Muzi Mahlambi. 

Parents of learners from Masamane Primary School outside Mahikeng in the North West, have closed the school citing several issues which include unhygienic toilets and poor quality drinking water. The parent accuse the provincial education department of neglecting their pleas on fixing the school before the start of the school term today. One of the parents says following engagements with the depar...

Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga has cautioned pupils at Kgatoentle Secondary School in Ga-Rankuwa about the impact of alcohol and substance abuse. Welcoming learners and staff at the school as term one of the 2024 academic year officially begins, she also urged young girls to be careful and not be trapped in unwanted or unplanned teenage pregnancy 

The department of Basic Education says it is ready for the re-opening of schools tomorrow. Schools in parts of the country are expected to commence the 2024 academic year on Wednesday. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to spokesperson for the Basic Education Department, Elijah Mhlanga.

Frustration is mounting amongst parents as some learners have yet to be placed in a school, a day before the start of the first school term tomorrow. In Gauteng parents have been queuing at the Education Department district offices as they scramble to find a school for their children. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter, Sashin Naidoo who has been assessing the situation in schools in the provi...

Two cholera cases have been detected in Musina and Senwabarwana in Limpopo. The Provincial Health Department  says the positive cases were detected at the Musina and Helena Franz hospitals. The patients who are  from Zimbabwe, had been admitted at the two hospitals upon their return from the festive season holidays. Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Natio...

The Allianz Risk Barometer for 2024 has identified critical infrastructure blackouts which include power disruptions and aging infrastructure tops South Africa business risk for this year.  The Barometer is an annual report, which ranks business risk and threats to business globally. Critical infrastructure blackouts have emerged as the number one risk for businesses in South Africa for the second...

Higher education minister, Dr Blade Nzimande says the government has committed R3.8 billion towards the student financial aid scheme. Nzimande recently presented the first phase of the Comprehensive Student Funding Model in Pretoria.  He says revised financial model will ensure that the missing middle can access financial support to pursue their studies. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to spokesperson for t...

Several roads in the Durban area in KwaZulu-Natal have been flooded after heavy downpours in the city and coastal areas. Reports have also been received of houses being flooded in areas in the northern parts of the city, and on the north coast, as far as Ballito. Rescue and emergency services say in other areas, residents needed to be evacuated from flooded homes in Verulam and surrounding areas....

Israel has hit back at South Africa accusing the country of tabling many distortions at the International Court of Justice, sitting in the Hague in the Netherlands. The ICJ is hearing presentations from the Israeli delegation today following South Africa's presentations yesterday. South Africa argued that the World Court should issue an order which should compel Israel to stop what it terms as gen...

President Cyril Ramphosa says through his lens, renowned photojournalist and anti-apartheid activist, Dr Peter Magubane left an indelible mark on the history of the country. Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy at a funeral service held in honour of Magubane, who died in Johannesburg last week. Speaking to mourners at the service, Ramaphosa described the late 91-year-old as a true voice for the people o...

Legal teams from Israel and South Africa are preparing their arguments ahead of the much-anticipated case on Thursday at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands. South Africa is seeking intervention from the ICJ to prevent Israel from committing acts of genocide in Gaza and calling for a halt to combat operations. The health ministry in Gaza says more than 22-thousand people,...

Congress of the People leader, Mosiuoa Lekota has called for an amendment to South Africa's constitution, adding that an amendment to the constitution will allow for the people to truly govern. While the party has struggled for relevance since its inception in 2008, Lekota says the time has come for COPE to make a meaningful impact during the 2024 general elections. Speaking to members of the medi...

It has been seven years since the Constitutional Court ruled that former President Jacob Zuma should pay back a percentage of the money used for non-security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla. Then Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng made the ruling after former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's remedial action stated that a portion of the money spent on the upgrades should come from Zuma's own p...