First Take SA

The Hawks have carried out raids on properties linked to alleged tender irregular contracts at Tembisa Hospital that resulted in approximately R1-billion being siphoned from the Gauteng Department of Health. The Hawks conducted simultaneous search and seizure operations at a house in Bedfordview, offices in Germiston and Edenvale in Ekurhuleni respectively yesterday. Provincial Health Department w...

Lesotho is debating a motion to reclaim the Free State Province and other parts of South Africa as part of the Lesotho Kingdom. The motion put forward by an opposition party MP wants to see the Mountain Kingdom take the entire Free State and four more regions as its own. For more on the elections, Elvis Presslin spoke to our SABC Lesotho Correspondent Rapelang Radebe

DA councilor Cilliers Brink says getting the capital's finances in order, is a priority. Brink was speaking following his election as executive mayor of the City of Tshwane last night where he defeated COPE's Ofentse Moalusi. He replaces Dr. Murunwa Makwarela who resigned on March 10th after a fake insolvency rehabilitation certificate scandal. The newly elected mayor says they will look at Cape T...

The parole hearing of convicted murderer Donovan Moodley is expected to take place at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre today. Moodley was convicted and sentenced for the murder of Leigh Matthews, whom he kidnapped and held captive while demanding ransom money from her family, in 2004. After receiving R50 000 from Leigh's father, he murdered her. Last year, he was denied parole but managed to h...

The Competition Commission has raised concern over the price increases of essential food. The Commission says South African consumers have been subjected to unjustified price increases of sunflower oil, white and brown bread, and opportunistic price increases in maize meal over a two-year period. This was revealed in the latest 2021-2022 Essential Food Pricing Monitoring report released by the Com...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured people at Port St Johns that have been affected by floods that a contractor will start today to build them temporary structures. Ramaphosa was in the town yesterday to assess the damage caused by the recent floods which claimed the lives of three people and damaged private and public infrastructure. For the latest, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mayor Ms. Nomvuzo Mlo...

600 disabled Gauteng patients are reported to be without wheelchairs due to delays. This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko in a written reply to questions by DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom in the Gauteng Legislature. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Motalatale Modiba, Chief Director for Communication at the Gauteng Department of Health

The Democratic Alliance, DA will host its Federal Congress at the weekend to elect the party's leadership. More than 2 000 delegates are expected to attend the two-day congress, which will officially kick off at the Gallagher Convention Centre, in Midrand, Johannesburg. Incumbent DA leader John Steenhuisen and former Johannesburg mayor Dr. Mpho Phalatse are vying for the position of party leader....

Another special council meeting in the City of Tshwane is set to convene today for the election of the mayor. This will be the third attempt to elect a mayor following the resignation of Cope's Muranwa Makwarela on the 10th of March. Meanwhile yesterday, an attempt by the Tshwane multi-party coalition to have the speaker, Mncedi Ndzwanana removed failed. Ndzwanana adjourned a special council sitti...

The South African Communist Party, SACP and COSATU in Mpumalanga will today lead a picket against toll fees at the Middelburg Toll Plaza. The two Tripartite alliance partners are protesting against what they deem to be "exorbitant toll fees" on the N4 and N17. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Lucky Mbuyane, SACP provincial Secretary

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 GOOD party has welcomed the City of Cape Town human settlements mayoral committee member, Malusi Booi's removal.  Booi's dismissal follows his suspension last week after a police raid at his office. Booi is accused of fraud and corruption. The GOOD party is calling on the DA to deal with all those implicated in criminal offenses. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to the City of Cape Town...

Police in KwaZulu Natal are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murders of five people in two separate drive-by shootings in Tongaat, north of Durban. At least three others were left injured in yesterday's shooting. This brings the number of assassinations in the province in the past three days to nine. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant...

Traffic on two major Eastern Cape roads was brought to a standstill yesterday when taxi operators staged a protest over changes to the scholar transport agreement with the Department of Transport. Taxi drivers used trucks to block the N2 between Mthatha and Kokstad. SANTACO's Alfred Nzo regional secretary, Sinethemba Njoti, says the protest was to focus the department's attention on their grievanc...

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 world celebrated World Water Day this week as South Africa grapples with issues of clean drinking water, water scarcity, and aging water infrastructure. Clean drinking water availability is a great challenge, especially in rural South Africa where some villages can go for months without water. Global emergency relief organizations, such as AmeriCares, CARE, Save the Children, and World Vision,...

The Democratic Alliance, DA's proposed motion to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to probe Phala Phala has been defeated. Yesterday Members of Parliament voted against the DA's motion for the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to investigate the 2020 burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. 204 MPs voted against the motion, while 135 voted in favor of the establishment o...

British oil and gas company, BP says it has decided to pull out of the aviation industry in South Africa. The company says it is ending all aviation activities, including refueling planes at OR Tambo International Airport. BP says the decision was made as a result of its current global business strategy. To discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Aviation Analyst Phuthego Mojapele

The Public Service Commission will today release a report on the performance of public service departments with a focus on service delivery. The report looks into the failure to deliver things like medicine due to non-payment of suppliers by government departments and its impact. Just recently diabetic patients in the Eastern Cape municipality of Gqeberha could not get their insulin amongst other...

The City of Tshwane will today host a special council meeting to elect a new mayor. The special meeting comes after the Democratic Alliance requested a postponement due to alleged threats from the ANC. The mayoral position has been vacant since the resignation of Dr. Murunwa Makwarela after revelations he forged a court letter. To discuss this further Elvis Presslin spoke to Political Analyst Dr....

At least five people have been killed in two separate shootings in Durban yesterday. Two taxi drivers were killed in Berea and in the other shooting two people were killed In Springfield Park in a drive-by shooting - A Third victim was rushed to hospital and has also died. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda

DA leader, John Steenhuisen says Human Rights Day is meaningless if the challenge of pit latrines is not addressed and given the attention it deserves. He was speaking in Buffelsdorings in the Eastern Cape where a 3-year-old, Langalam Viki, died in a pit latrine at Mcwangele Primary School. Steenhuisen has outlined the reasons why the party will take legal action against the eradication of pit lat...

The South African Human Rights Commission has started its investigations Into the lack of hormone replacement therapy for transgender at health facilities in the North West. This follows a complaint lodged by a non-profit organization, Action For Social Justice against the provincial health department for its alleged failure to provide access to feminizing hormone therapy. The medication helps mal...

Gauteng police are investigating two cases of murder following the death of prominent liquidator, Cloete Murray and his son. The pair were killed in an apparent hit in Midrand, Johannesburg at the weekend. Cloete Murray was also involved in several high-profile insolvency cases such as Gupta-linked firms, and corruption at Eskom and Bosasa whose executives were implicated in state capture allegati...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed over 3400 soldiers to support the police in the maintenance of law and order during today's nationwide shutdown. The deployment comes as the Economic Freedom Fighters, EFF is gearing up for its planned shutdown to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign over load-shedding and other social ills facing the country. SANDF members are on standby to assist polic...