Update@Noon

Analysis with Professor Somadoda Fikeni

President Jacob Zuma wants a court settlement to finally end the long drawn out political and legal controversy around tax payer's money spent on his Nkandla home. He wants the constitutional court to order the finance minister and auditor general to determine how much he is liable to pay for non security installations at his private home. This comes as the court was due to hear the matter brought...

North West Education Department says drastic meassures are to be taken against the lady educator, who is accused of severely assaulted a nine year old learner in Rustenburg. The boy was taken to Job Shimankana Hospital in Rusterburg. Currently the boy's hand is swollen and in a bad state of health. Bobby Serame and Zebilon Maine visited the area and filed this report...

The Joshua Generation Church in Cape Town says it will not stop advocating spanking as a form of discipline. This comes after the South African Human Right's Commission (SAHRC) ordered the church to comply in a written undertaking that it will stop promoting corporal punishment within the church. For more Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Adv Nadene Badenhorst- Legal Counsel for Freedom of Religion South A...

1. The World Bank has joined the IMF in reducing the projected GDP growth for South Africa for this year and next year. What's the impact of the low growth environment? 2. Are there immediate medium to short term solutions to address this endemic unemployment?

President Jacob Zuma wants a court settlement to finally end the long drawn out political and legal controversy around tax payer's money spent on his Nkandla home. He wants the constitutional court to order the finance minister and auditor general to determine how much he is liable to pay for non security installations at his private home. This comes as the court was due to hear the matter brought...

1. Royal Dutch Shell Plc had its debt rating cut to the lowest since Standard & Poor's began coverage in 1990, and downgrades of several other major European oil and gas companies will probably follow in coming weeks 2. Google reported profit and sales that topped estimates, lifted by robust sales of online ads and tighter cost controls, putting parent Alphabet Inc. on track to overtake Apple Inc....

Thousands of pupils are still waiting for placement at Gauteng schools. Gauteng department of education had assured learners and parents that it would resolve the problem. MEANWHILE, a month into the new school year, texbooks remain undelivered to several schools in Johannesburg, Gauteng. It is believed that teachers and principals who were expected to collect the textbooks from a storage room in...

The National Mine Workers (NUM) says it looks forward to engaging Kumba Iron Ore at the CCMA to find ways to reduce the number of retrenchments. This follows an announcement by Kumba that about 4-thousand jobs will soon be lost. NUM's Chief Negotiator at Kumba Iron Ore, Lucas Phiri, says the union is concerned that the first casualties are always the workers not the executives.

Scores of passengers narrowly escaped death when angry protesters forced them out of a PUTCO bus before setting it alight in Soshanguve North of Pretoria. Residents of Marikana informal settlement have vowed to continue with protests if their demands for clean running water, roads and electricity are not met. They have threatened to disrupt the up-coming local government elections if government an...

Pregnant women are advised to take precautionary measures when travelling to countries where the Zika virus is endemic. The mosquito-borne virus, which is endemic to the Americas, has been linked to serious birth defects. An Advisor at NetCare Travel Clinics, Dr Pete Vincent says pregnant women should avoid travelling to affected countries or consult their doctor to discuss the risks of the virus...

1. The Barclays Purchasing Managers Index for January was released yesterday. Is there some good news? 2. February is a budget month, but this year's budget is even more critical for South Africa as we face a possible downgrade. Can this be avoided? Is our environment ripe for rethink on how we budget and spend the tax payers moneys 3. SAA cancelled its route between JHB and Abu Dhabi. This route...

Today marks 26 years since former president F.W de Klerk's historic announcement in parliament that he would release Nelson Mandela. Mandela had spent 27 years in jail. As part of the celebrations, the FW de Klerk Foundation says retired Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs and former ANC national treasurer Matthews Phosa will be among the speakers at its annual conference in Cape Town. Abongw...

Three members of the ANC's NEC will be deployed to stabilise the party in the Western Cape. This comes after provincial Chairperson, Marius Fransman and Secretary, Faiez Jacobs, were asked to step down. Fransman faces sexual harassment charges, while Jacobs is accused of assaulting a party researcher. Members of the ANC's top six met in Cape Town earlier today to discuss the matter. Zalene Merring...

United Democratic Movement Secretary General, Bongani Msomi, has confirmed that two structures have been disbanded in the Eastern Cape. They are the party's Provincial Executive Committee and the O R Tambo Regional Executive Committee. Nkululeko Nyembezi reports

The formal bail application of five deaf learners from the Efata School for the Blind and the Deaf in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, will resume in the Mthatha magistrate's court this morning. They are facing charges of murder for the alleged brutal killing of the deputy principal at their school five months ago. Nodumo Mzamane was stabbed several times at her house near the school hostel. Though th...

Chairperson of the African Union and Chad President, Idris Derby says AU member states need to pursue dialogue in crises and listen to their people to avert the problems facing the continent. He was speaking at the end of the 26th sitting of the Union Assembly in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abbaba on Sunday. The two day meeting mainly discussed the political crises in Burundi, South Sudan, Burkina...

Four siblings and their cousin between the ages of three and 16 have died in a shack fire at Ramatlabama outside Mahikeng in North West. Police say six children were alone in the dwelling when it caught fire. One child was rescued by neighbours, and is in hospital. Itumeleng Kgajane reports

1. Asian markets continue the positive momentum 2. Analysts concerned over recent mobile technology company declines 3. Our response to the SARB decision to hike rates

Former president of Cote d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo has pleaded not guilty to four counts of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He is the first former head of state to see his case at the ICC go all the way to trial. Jack Parrock reports from The Hague.

Government lawyers will meet with legal representatives of the claimants of the 2012 Marikana shootings in Sandton on Friday. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss a civil suit of one billion rand launched by the injured and arrested miners,as well as the widows of the miners. 34 miners were shot dead by police during an unprotected wage strike at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in the North We...

The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, wants employers to assist college students with workplace experience. As part of their project, Decade of the Artisan, the minister is holding talks with employers from different industries in Polokwane, to encourage them to formalise links with colleges and provide students with apprenticeships, learnerships or other skills pro...

The ANC's National Working Committee is expected to meet with the party's Western Cape leaders on Monday to discuss the way forward after it asked provincial leader, Marius Fransman, to step down. Fransman has been asked to step aside pending the completion of an investigation into sexual harrassment charges against him. The party's top leaders also gave provincial secretary, Faiez Jacobs, 48 hour...

Grape farmers say they expect a smaller harvest in the Western Cape this year due to the drought. Harvest season is already underway at many farms and owners are doing their best to harvest a good crop. Large vegetation fires have also dealt a blow to many farmers. Lynne Arendse reports

ANC's National Working Committee is expected to meet with the party's Western Cape leaders on Monday to discuss the way forward after it asked provincial leader, Marius Fransman, to step down. Fransman has been asked to step aside pending the completion of an investigation into sexual harrassment charges against him. The party's top leaders also gave provincial secretary, Faiez Jacobs, 48 hours ye...