First Take SA

Joburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele is seeking legal advice on the role former Mayor Mpho Phalatse and two senior DA members played in the appointment of former Gauteng Hawks boss Shadrack Sibiya, as head of the City's Anti-Corruption Unit. Makhubele has accused Phalatse, former Speaker of Council Vasco da Gama and DA Councilor Leah Knott of failing to report the appointment of Sibiya to Council and...

Public Interest SA say it is disturbed by reports alleging a secret luxury life and state capture links of Deputy President Paul Mashatile. This after News24 revealed that Mashatile is reportedly living a life of luxury, in expensive homes owned by businessmen benefitting from state contracts. Public Interest SA have called on Mashatile to allay public apprehension of his ethical conduct. For more...

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

BlindSA and Section27 will today march to various government departments in Pretoria to raise awareness about the Marrakesh Treaty, to ensure equal access to information for the blind. Blind and visually impaired people have access to less than 0.5% of published works available in braille format. This despite last year's Constitutional Court ruling which found the Copyright Act unconstitutional, f...

Russian President Vladimir Putin's political career hangs in the balance, according to a Russian Expert. This follows a recent insurrection by the Wagner paramilitary group, headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin at the weekend. In a televised statement Putin described Prigozhin's actions as treasonous. Prigozhin, is expected to go to Belarus under a deal brokered by the Belarusian president, which effective...

ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, says the party's renewal journey in the Western Cape starts now, following its 9th Provincial Conference, in Cape Town. Vuyiso Tyhalisisu was elected as Provincial Chairperson and Neville Delport was elected as Provincial Secretary this weekend. Sharon Davids was elected as Deputy Provincial Chairperson. Tyhalisisu was up against party leader in the provincial legis...

The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape has resolved to serve DA member, Nqaba Bhanga with a notice of intention to suspend him from all party activities, pending the outcome of an investigation into claims of bringing the party in disrepute. This follows Bhanga's social media posts labelling DA member Helen Zille, a "racist" and alleging that Zille has been conspiring with the ANC to destroy...

The African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association, AUBBTA is calling on South African cross-border authorities to shut down all illegal cross-border bus ranks within Johannesburg CBD. AUBBTA has accused the illegal bus ranks of facilitating criminal activities in the country. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to AUBBTA chairperson, Phumudzo Mukhwathi

The South African Council of Churches is calling on government to demonstrate more urgency in implementing recommendations from the State Capture report. Yesterday marked a year since Chief Justice Zondo delivered the Report of the Commission on State Capture to President Ramaphosa. The Council of Churches says its concerned that there have been no serious convictions against any senior personnel...

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department, JMPD says plans are underway for the unit to introduce body cameras for its officers. The body cameras are aimed at combating corruption and bribery of officers by offenders. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Chairperson of the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, DR. Bandile Masuku

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

Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele says the analog switch-off will be completed next year in December. Briefing the media yesterday, Minister Gungubele also announced a deadline of 31 July 2023 for analog services broadcasting on frequencies above 694 megawatts. To further discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to the Director at Media Monitoring Africa, William Bird

The SATBVC Pensions Committee will institute legal action against the government for outstanding pension monies of former civil servants and military veterans from the Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei - known as TBVC States. The committee says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana who was tasked by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the whereabouts of the money during the State of the...

The national government has approved a R5.1 million disaster relief grant for residents of Warrenton in the Northern Cape. The area had been without water since February after the Vaal River flooded and damaged their supply pipe. Last week, the African Christian Democratic Party, ACDP called on Government to intervene in the water crisis in Warrenton. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to ACDP...

The blind and visually impaired are still struggling to access books in braille format, despite a Constitutional Court ruling which found the Copyright Act to be unconstitutional. South Africa's Copyright Act prohibits books from being published in Braille without the author or publisher's permission. Last year the Concourt declared the Act unconstitutional and invalid. Blind SA says blind people...

The ANC has until today to hand over its complete cadre deployment committee records to the DA. The ruling party was given until Wednesday to release its records to the official opposition. This follows a recent judgment in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, dismissing the ANC's bid to appeal an earlier ruling ordering it to hand over its documents. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to D...

An uneasy calm has been restored in Diepsloot after protests against the rising crime rate in the area. Residents are calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele to intervene and reduce the scourge. Yesterday roads leading in and out of the township north of Johannesburg were blocked with burning tyres and rocks. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Diepsloot Community...

The Amatola Water Board says it will implement measures to ensure a consistent supply of water during the National Arts Festival starting this week in Makhanda. The town's water outages are well documented and there is concern about how this will affect the arts festival. The water board says the economic significance means they have to ensure there are no water challenges during the National Arts...

The South African National AIDS Council Civil Society Forum will today march in Durban ahead of the opening of the country's 11th AIDS Conference, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. The Forum will launch the "Love Picketing" Campaign for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights during the march. Meanwhile, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacit...

The EFF is calling for the Polish embassy in South Africa to be downgraded following the detention of Journalists and President Cyril Ramaphosa's security staff in Poland. The plane carrying journalists and security personnel, that was supposed to accompany President Cyril Ramaphosa to Ukraine and Russia on a peacekeeping mission, was grounded at Warsaw airport for over 26 hours. The EFF has also...

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 DA in Knysna has strongly condemned the appointment of convicted offender Bruce Kannemeyer to a senior municipal position. In 2006, former ANC MP and former Stellenbosch municipal manager Bruce Kannemeyer pleaded guilty to theft charges and was fined R40 000 in the Cape High Court, for his role in the notorious Travelgate scandal. Kannemeyer was appointed to the position of Acting Director for...

African leaders have proposed a 10-point peace plan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A large delegation of African leaders traveled to Moscow and Kyiv, in Ukraine to promote their peace plan to the two warring countries. While some view the trip as a significant step toward finding peaceful and amicable resolutions to the conflict, the DA says...

The EFF in Gauteng is calling for the establishment of an independent body to monitor the Gauteng jobs initiative. The provincial government through its Nasi iSpani programme, is on a drive to fill up government departments vacancies. The program is expected to fill up eight thousand funded vacancies. Elvis Presslin spoke to Gauteng Premier's Spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga

Parliament has welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss suspended Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane's urgent application for direct access to the court. Mkhwebane required direct access in order to challenge various decisions relating to the Speaker as well as the Chairperson of the Section 194 Committee probing her fitness to hold office. To further discuss this Elvis P...