Update@Noon

Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the Director at the Centre for Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg, Professor Steven Friedman...

Freedom Front Plus Member of Parliament Corné Mulder calls on "#EFF Fascists" who have put universities under siege to be crush them. Mulder says he is not inciting violence. He asks "if there is an institutions tha tis out there trying to destroy our democracy, should that person be allowed to. Mr Mulder Spoke To AM Live anchor Sakina Kamwendo.

1. Risk off returns as China adjusts daily yuan fixing lower 2. Oil markets watching outcome of meetings to inform output cap 3. Rand facing resistance as much optimism built in around budget

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says the Tlokwe by-elections in the North West province will go ahead as planned, despite the court application by independent candidates seeking the elections to be postponed. More than a thousand people are expected to vote today with special votes ahead of tomorrow's by-elections in seven wards. Voting stations will open at eight this morning and close...

#OutsourcingMustFall committee at the Tshwane University of Technology say they will continue with their strike action should management not adhere to their demands. The protesting workers and students want the university to terminate contracts of service providers and do away with outsourcing. The also demand that those workers who were fired for taking part in the protest be reinstated. The prot...

Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe turned 92 years old yesterday. He spent the day with close family, ahead of a huge public bash said to cost eight hundrend thousand dollars or 12 million rand. The bash is planned for the coming weekend. This year's birthday is significant in more ways than one as Shingai Nyoka reports

Market Analist looks at Asian stocks as they fell, after the biggest weekly rally in four years, as oil held declines and a stronger yen weighed on Japanese shares, Emerging-market stocks extended a weekly advance as oil rebounded and investors speculated that the new head of China's securities regulator will take measures to bolster the world's second-largest equity market and previews the State...

University of Pretoria students are planning a mass protest action outside the Pretoria Magistrate's court, this morning. The march is in support of the arrested student who are to appear before the court. Last week Pretoria University students went on a rampage forcing the university to suspend classes and 27 students were arrested. Sakina Kamwendo Nobungcwele Mbem who is the member of the SRC at...

Management of the Lily Gold Mine near Barberton in Mpumalanga has stressed that the search for its three staff members remains a rescue operation. Meanwhile, drilling operations at the mine are still suspended. Efforts to create an alternative exit route started on Saturday. The staff members have been trapped underground for more than two weeks. The mine's spokesperson Coetzee Zietsman says Miner...

At least a 12 people= have been killed by lightning in KwaZulu-Natal in less than two weeks. In the latest incidents two teenagers were struck by lightning at Umhlabuyalingana while a 26 year old man suffered the same fate in Umzimkhulu. More than 80 households have been destroyed by the storm at Umzimkhulu area. Fanele Mhlongo reports

Mohammed Nalla from Nedbank Capital looks at Pravin Gordhan's crucial budget speech this week, US inflation rises more than expected in January, will this influence rates domestically and Business leaders warn a British exit from the European Union would deter investment in the UK and threaten jobs

AgriSA Deputy Executive Director, Christo van der Rheede, and his colleagues have come up with a plan to save cattle from starvation. Van der Rheede is calling for people to donate their cut grass to their initiative called Hope Grass Project. He says if we don't help farmers save their cattle's the country will face high red meat prices. South Africa's worst drought in decades has caused acute wa...

1. China has foreign exchange reserves that most other countries can only dream about, but it has declined quite a lot in recent times. Is this just due to capital outflows? 2. Staying in China, their latest consumer inflation was reported to be one of the highest numbers in recent times. Is this a good or a bad thing? 3. So with all this volatility and uncertainty around the Chinese economy and C...

Vote counting is underway in Uganda. Thousands of voters filled polling stations for the presidential and parliamentary elections. Seven candidates are attempting to remove President Yoweri Musevini who has been in power for thirty years. Leon Ssenyange reports from Kampala in Uganda.

AfriForum says it intends to hold Government responsible for the misappropriation of allocated tax money. The organisation has launched a campaign - #waarvoorbetaalons? or #WhatAreWePayingFor? - which requests members of the public to add their names to the official letter that AfriForum wants to submit to the National Treasury. For more Sakina Kamwendo spoke to AfriForum's National Campaign Co-or...

The Ministry of Finance says the 2015 Tax Laws Amendment Act provisions relating to retirement will come into force on 1 March 2016. However, the annuitisation requirement for provident funds will be postponed to the first of March 2018. But some tax experts are concerned that the delays will hit consumers in the long-term. To explain the implications of this latest development, Sakina Kamwendo sp...

The ANC will take its anti-racism march to the seat of government - the Union Buildings in Pretoria later this morning. Scores of party members led by Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe will march for unity, non-racialism and democracy. The group will hand over a memorandum to president Jacob Zuma. Senior political journalist Amos Phago reports

A special drilling machine is expected to arrive at the Lily Gold Mine in Low's creek near Barberton in Mpumalanga. Mine authorities say small buildings have to be removed from the designated new drill site and a flat surface must also be prepared for the new drill. Motsebi wa Monareng reports

1. It seems like there is finally some much-needed relief coming from the Rand, which strengthened quite strongly against all the major currencies yesterday. Who or what do we have to thank for this? 2. On the flip side of the strong rand was a rising oil price though. Do these two factors just cancel each other out? 3. Ahead of the budget next week, there was confirmation yesterday that some aspe...

President Jacob Zuma's parliamentary reply continued his focus on the economy. Addressing members of parliament after two days of parliament reflecting on the State of the Nation Address, Zuma emphasised that the National Development Plan remained the foundation of government's plan. Senior Political Reporter Angela Bolowana reports....

Prices for private hospital care in South African rank among the most expensive and affordable in the world. Private hospitals and specialists are the main drivers of these high prices which increase more than inflation each year. These are some of the findings of a study conducted by the World Health Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, presented at the Com...

1. Let's start in Japan. Despite some significant stimulus by the Bank of Japan over the last year, there are growing signs that the Japanese economy is battling. How do you think Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will react to this? 2. We tend to focus a lot on Chinese economic growth and the Chinese stock market, but what is the state of China's corporate sector, and in particular, it's banks? 3. But of...

The Angel's Ministry Church led by the Mancoba family in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape says the Holy Spirit is superior to the constitution of the country. They told a delegation led by Social Development MEC, Nancy Sihlwayi that it will never close down. Government officials have been on a fact finding mission at the church after 18 children of school going age were rescued on Tuesday. Nkululeko Nye...

The situation at the University of Cape Town following violence over accommodation shortages, has stabilized. Students allegedly set fire to a bus and paintings on campus. The Vice Chancellor's office was also petrol bombed. The Vice Chancellor of UCT, Dr Max Price, says while the University supports peaceful protest, it cannot tolerate criminality and violence.

About 18 children rescued from the Mancoba Family Church in Ngcobo Eastern Cape must go to school. Eastern Cape Social development MEC, Nancy Sihlwayi, and officials visited the Angel Ministries church on yesterday (Wednesday) to understand its practices. The children are found to have been living under extremely poor conditions. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the MEC of Social Development in the Easter...