First Take SA

Elvis Presslin chats 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 on the top African economic stories 

UNISA's Student Representative Council has pleaded with Higher Education Minister, Dr. Blade Nzimande to reconsider his decision to place the university under administration. Nzimande announced his decision after receiving and studying a report by an independent assessor that found UNISA failed to fulfill its mandate. The report found evidence of wrongdoing against the Vice-Chancellor, Professor P...

The South African National Taxi Council, SANTACO is considering filing another court interdict to stop the City of Cape Town from impounding its members' taxis. The association has accused the City of impounding several minibus taxis, despite a recent agreement not to do so. Last week, SANTACO embarked on a week-long strike after the City's traffic officials used a new by-law and the National Land...

The Independent South African National Civic Organization has become the latest political party to join the National Convention by opposition parties. ISANCO broke away from the ANC-aligned South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in 2021 over what it says was the failure to address corruption within the ruling alliance. Alongside the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, UIM and SNP, ISANCO become...

Convicted sex trafficker and child rape kingpin Gerhard Ackerman will be sentenced in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg today. Ackerman was convicted in April for rape and possession of child pornography as well as creating and broadcasting child pornography. He was charged alongside former Acting Judge Paul Kennedy who died by suicide following his arrest. Ackerman was found guilty of...

67 Pakistani nationals who were nabbed during a sting operation at O.R Tambo International Airport have been sent home. Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi says certain nationals are abusing the recently introduced e-Visa system to gain entry into South Africa without complying with immigration laws. Our Senior Producer Ronald Phiri spoke to Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza, about how th...

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, NUMSA will be marching to the Rustenburg municipality to demand that the municipality must not charge Glencore Smelters a surcharge over and above the approved electricity tariff by NERSA. Currently Eskom is making an application to NERSA for a Negotiated Pricing Agreement (NPA) for Glencore. Numsa says the municipality wishes to charge Glencore...

Is former President Jacob Zuma going back to prison? Yesterday Acting Correctional Services Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale was expected to make an announcement around the fate of the former President. In 2021, the Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months in prison for contempt for his alleged refusal to appear before the State Capture Commission of Inquiry. Zuma was eventually released o...

The ongoing taxi strike in the Western Cape is officially over after an agreement was reached between SANTACO and the City of Cape Town. Scores of learners and educators were unable to go to school after more than a week of disruptions. At least five people were killed during the violence that ensued. Taxi body SANTACO's provincial Chairperson Mandla Hermanus says taxis will resume operations toda...

Elvis Presslin speaks to Victor Kgomoeswana, author of  Africa Is Open For Business and Africa Bounces Back on the top African economic stories. Victor is also the Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo...

The Radebe family is seeking answers after their son died during a fire at Kutama-Sinthumule prison in Makhado, Limpopo. Jackson Radebe, who was serving a sentence for murder at the facility, died after rioting inmates set the privately run prison on fire this week. The Correctional services department says inmates who wanted to be transferred to other facilities in the province, among other compl...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for no bail for perpetrators of GBV. Last year, President Ramaphosa signed three new GBV laws aimed at strengthening efforts to curb gender-based violence in South Africa. Nevertheless, how effective have these laws been in fighting GBV since their inception? To discuss this further, Elvis Presslin spoke to Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Justi...

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has vowed to permanently close all open mine shafts and holes in Riverlea, Johannesburg by the end of September in a bid to curb illegal mining in the area. Law enforcement officers came under heavy gunfire in Matholeville west of Johannesburg during an operation targeted at illegal mining hotspots at the weekend. The operation follows the recent disc...

The Al Jama-ah party is calling on government to revert the Western Cape department of Transport and Community Safety back to national government over its failure to deal with the prolonged taxi strike.  This, as commuters in the province, were once again left stranded as the strike by taxi operators affiliated to Santaco continues. The strike, which started last week, has so far left a trail of d...

A fire broke out last night at the Kutama Sinthumule Maximum Security Prison at Louis Trichardt in Limpopo. Two explosions were reportedly heard inside the facility as the fire raged. The public-private owned correctional facility can accommodate more than three-thousand people. The prison has been in operation since 2002. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to our SABC reporter, Michael Makungo

Elvis Presslin spoke to 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 on the current top African economic stories  

The National Liquor Traders Association is hoping for a sober Judgement as the High Court in Polokwane is expected to hear their urgent application to scrap the Limpopo Liquor Act. The new Act which prohibits the sale of alcohol after midnight came into effect in August, this month. The Liquor Traders Association argues the cuts in trading hours negatively affect the industry. For more on this Elv...

Lobby group AfriForum will be challenging the five-year validity period for driving licences in court today. The organisation will be in the Pretoria High Court today and tomorrow, to demand a declaratory order stating that the five-year validity period of driving licenses is unconstitutional and should be scrapped. Elvis Presslin spoke to Jacques Broodryk, Spokesperson for AfriForum Community Saf...

Law enforcement officers came under heavy gunfire in Matholeville west of Johannesburg during an operation targeted at illegal mining hotspots at the weekend. The operation follows the discovery of five bodies believed to be that of illegal miners in Riverlea in Johannesburg last weekend. Meanwhile, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has vowed to permanently close all open shafts and h...

Six men accused of the murder of corruption whistleblower Babita Deokaran are expected to appear in the high court in Johannesburg today. The case was postponed last month because one of the accused's advocates was unwell. Deokaran was shot and killed outside her home in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg, in August 2021. She was a senior finance official in the Gauteng Health Department. At...

National Spokesperson for the African Transformation Movement, Zama Ntshona spoke to Elvis Presslin on the dismissal of the National Dialogue on Coalition governments   

Elvis Presslin spoke to Deon Joubert, Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa (CGA) special envoy for market access and EU matters on the EU's unfair restrictions on South African citrus imports  

Former president Jacob Zuma is appealing an enforcement order granted by the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal. This after Journalist Karyn Maughan and Senior State Advocate Billy Downer's enforcement application was granted - barring Zuma from seeking further private prosecution against them, despite his appeal. Last year, Zuma served Downer and Maughan with summonses to appear in cour...

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has appeared in a Washington D.C. Federal Court on charges that he sought to subvert the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges as he did on his previous two indictments on separate charges earlier this year. He faces four felony counts - for conspiring to defraud the United States, attempting to and obstructing an...

Taxi commuters in Cape Town will have to find alternative transport today after the South African National Taxi Council; Santaco in the province suspended all its operations. This after SANTACO announced a stay away until the 9th of August. The Taxi Council has accused the City of Cape Town of trying to kill the Industry by unfairly impounding taxis since January this year. The strike action has a...