First Take SA

The United Democratic Movement, UDM has rejected the South African Reserve Bank report, which cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in its investigation into undisclosed foreign currency stolen from his Phala Phala farm in 2020. UDM Leader General Bantu Holomisa says the findings are a whitewash on the same scale as acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka's report - which equally cle...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back. Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo.

Zimbabweans will go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president and government. The country's ruling ZANU-PF party which has been in power for the last 43 years says it is ready for electoral victory. A dozen candidates are vying to be the country's next president but the main contest seems to be between incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is seeking a second term and and Nelson Chamisa, of the...

South Africa's agricultural sector is expected to gain new export markets from some of the agreements to be concluded during the Brics Summit. China and Brazil have shown big interest in South Africa's agricultural commodities in recent months. The BRICS summit which starts tomorrow will see over 40 heads of state and 500 delegates attend this event. For more on this Jaco Minnaar, Agri SA Presiden...

The BRICS group of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will begin its 15th heads of state and government summit in Sandton, Johannesburg tomorrow. Over 40 countries are expected to attend. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person due to an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine...

A Cape Town Advocate has served the Speaker of Parliament with a letter of demand to remove the chairperson of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's impeachment inquiry. Advocate Winston Erasmus is demanding Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to remove Richard Dyantyi after his recusal application against him was declined. Erasmus says Dyantyi was too compromised to officiate over the inqui...

As we continue to commemorate Women's Month this August, the National Debt Advisors says the dire economic situation in the country has directly translated to a significant increase of 68% in women seeking debt help at the organisation. The organisation says it has seen notable spikes in single women applicants and women who applied jointly with spouses, both this year and 2022.  For more on this...

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) says it is confident that the upcoming BRICS Summit to be held in Sandton, Johannesburg next week, will take place in a safe and secure environment. The structure, which comprises the South African Police Service, State Security Agency, as well as the Defense Force, says security has been beefed up in all the areas where the del...

The Multi Party National Convention of South Africa has agreed to a power sharing structure following two-days of deliberations in Kempton Park on Gauteng's East Rand. Leaders of seven political parties met to formulate terms of agreements for their new partnership ahead of next year's general elections. The goal of the seven parties is to remove the ANC from national government for the first time...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoeswana, author of Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back. Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has made a parliamentary submission to the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, opposing sections of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill. The Bill seeks to establish a national regulatory framework for the electricity supply industry. But SAFTU feels the Bill is aimed at furthering the objectives to privatize energy provisi...

The Truckers Association of South Africa (TASA) says engagements are at an advanced stage to have 20% of trucks on the South African road networks removed and have goods transported by rail. This to eliminate the security threats faced by truck drivers across the country and to reduce traffic congestion on the road networks. But the African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association, AUBBTA is opposed t...

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) has vowed to continue its protest action until workers are paid their wage increases. This, as the City of Tshwane has dismissed some striking workers, calling them the 'ring leaders' behind what it says it's an unlawful and unprotected strike in the metro. The strike has left residents of Mabopane and Soshanguve north of Pretoria without water sin...

A 13-year-old learner has been removed from Crowthorne Christian Academy in Midrand, Johannesburg for having dreadlocks. In a viral video captured on camera, the teen and her mother are seen being pushed out of a classroom by a male school official, who accused the teen of violating the school's new hair policy. The incident at the Academy has since conjured discussions about Zulaikha Patel, a tee...

Pharmacists can now prescribe medication to patients with HIV and tuberculosis following a recent court Judgment. The Pretoria High Court dismissed an application by  a private doctors' organization, the Independent Practitioners Association (IPA) Foundation - which was challenging a legislation in the Government Gazette that enables pharmacists to prescribe and dispense antiretroviral medicines w...

Parliament's legal services unit says all the institution's committees are constitutionally obligated to take into account all the public submissions made regarding the Bills tabled before it. It gave its legal advice on the second day of deliberations on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill. This comes after the Democratic Alliance ( DA) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa face a bleak future as about 70 percent of them fail to survive beyond the first five years. Those are some of the issues that will be discussed at the Ignite Summit taking place today, aimed at finding lasting solutions to the current challenges faced by SMES. Elvis Presslin spoke to Vannie Pillay, CEO and MD of Oak Tree People Solutions, who sa...

The Multi-Party pact will host its National Convention over the next two days, to establish a political alternative to unseat the ANC-led government. The Democratic Alliance and six other political parties will hold the historic Convention at Emperor's Palace, in Kempton Park, Johannesburg - the same venue where Codesa negotiations were held. The multi-party pact will negotiate a pre-election agre...

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union - AMCU - says there will soon be no space to commemorate the site where 34 mineworkers were massacred in Marikana in North West due to encroaching squatter camps. The union says while workers have seen some gains since their protracted strike, much more still needs to be done to better living conditions of workers and communities in mining area...

Victims of the Marikana Massacre are still waiting for justice 11 years on after the tragedy. This according to the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, SERI which represents the families of 36 striking miners, who were killed by police in August 2012, at a mine in Marikana, North West. As the country marks 11 years since the massacre today, SERI says the state has failed to fathom the...

The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers, NUPSAW will today march to the North West premier's office to demand permanent employment of expanded public works program (EPWP) workers. The Union is expected to hand over a memorandum of demands to the Premier. The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) will form part of today's protest. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to...

The West African bloc ECOWAS has described as surprising the plans of the military junta in Niger to prosecute the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for high treason. The regional bloc has condemned the move saying it represents yet another form of provocation. This as ECOWAS Military chiefs are set to meet in Ghana tomorrow, to consider the possibility of intervening in the Niger Republic. Niger ha...

Economists say they expect a slight improvement in the number of jobs created in the second quarter of 2023. Stats SA is expected to release the Quarterly Labour Force Survey today (Tuesday). In the first quarter of this year, unemployment was at 32.9-percent.  Trade union federation COSATU Parliamentary Co-coordinator Matthew Parks says they are fearful of the numbers that will come out today due...

Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan is demanding a public apology from ANC Youth League President Collen Malatji. This after Malatji accused Gordhan of trying to sell off South Africa's state owned companies including its citizens. Malatji was reacting to the sale of the South African Airways (SAA). Gordhan says he will be meeting with the ANCYL soon. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to...

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, OUTA is calling on the City of Johannesburg to suspend bills of over 40 000 ratepayers who objected against the valuation of their properties. OUTA has called into questions the credibility of the city's property valuation method for 2023, the General Valuation Roll. According to OUTA's extended survey to determine property valuation increases by the City, Jobur...