First Take SA

Gold and platinum producer Sibanye-Stillwater says it cannot afford to meet the demands of the striking workers at its gold operations. Workers are demanding a thousand rand a month wage increase, while the company has revised its offer to 850 rands. The two major trade unions - the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) - declared a st...

The family of Nomaqocwa Blackie is seeking answers after their daughter died mysteriously in her apartment in Shanghai, China. Nomaqocwa fondly known as 'Noma' left Motherwell, in the Eastern Cape in 2017 to pursue a career as an English teacher in Shanghai. Chinese Authorities and her South African friend and colleague, Abongile Mboto reportedly found her dead on the floor next to her bed. For mo...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, 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...

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lechesa Tsenoli says there was no need for a show of force in the arrest of Advocate Malesela Teffo. Yesterday police arrested the defense advocate in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial in the Pretoria High Court. Advocate Teffo is representing four of the five men accused of murdering the Bafana Bafana player. Elvis Presslin spoke to Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli

A 77-year-old Limpopo farmer accused of shooting and wounding a 38-year-old woman has been granted a thousand rand bail by the Lephalale magistrate's court. The accused, Hendrick van Wyk has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot and wounded the victim, Lenah Lefowane, after he allegedly mistook her for a hippopotamus while she and her husband were fishing at the Mongol river i...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories.....We are joined on the line by Victor Kgomoesoana, 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 City of Johannesburg Council has approved the implementation of the long-awaited Informal Trading Policy. The policy which was approved on Tuesday paves the way for an organized informal trade sector within the city. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Bongani Nkomo, Chairperson for the Economic Development Committee in the City of Johannesburg

Operation Dudula officially launched its first branch at Olympia Stadium in Rustenburg, North West yesterday. The movement says its focus in the province will be on illegal activities in and around the Rustenburg Platinum Belt. For more on this, Elvis Preslin spoke to Rollence Mabula, the Regional Leader of Operation Dudula

African Christian Democratic Party, ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe says his party is determined to fight for the freedoms guaranteed in the constitution. Meshoe and his members marched to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg to mark Freedom Day. The party has applied to be a friend of the court in the urgent application lodged by the Action 4 Freedom against the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla. Th...

The Democratic Alliance has launched its "Zondo Dashboard" in response to the release of parts of the State Capture Commission Report. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has released four parts to his State Capture Reports with damning evidence against senior government officials and their families. Close to 1 500 people, including former President Jacob Zuma and Minister Gwede Mantashe, have been implic...

Residents of Isipingo Hills, south of Durban say they are living in fear after some community members allegedly hijacked a water tanker in the area. It is alleged that over the weekend a group of residents with firearms stopped a water tanker and filled their own tanks before instructing the driver to deliver water to another part of the area. Some parts of Isipingo are still without water since t...

Emergency services workers in parts of the Buffalo City Metro and Amathole District in the Eastern Cape have downed tools over grievances including what they say are poor working conditions and staff shortages. The Health Department says the strike is unprotected. Trade union, NEHAWU, says it is not aware of a strike by any of its members. The department says 23 emergency fleet vehicles have been...

Time to take a look at the top African Economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, 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...

There was a heated exchange of words during SCOPA's oversight visit to Eskom on Friday. Eskom Board member Busisiwe Mavuso walked out of the meeting following a war of words with SCOPA chair Mkuleko Hlengwa. Mavuso said the ANC is to blame for Eskom's ongoing challenges. Meanwhile, the ministry of public enterprises called her comments "regrettable" and her conduct "unbecoming" as a board member o...

Health professionals say they are starting to witness a spike in the number of new daily COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. This has prompted concerns that the country may be at the beginning of a fifth wave which is possibly driven by a new Omicron variant. The latest daily infections recorded are fast approaching five thousand while the government continues to intensify its vaccination dr...

The South African Federation of Trade Unions is expected to hold a picket against jobs and retrenchment at the Union Building today. The Federation says neo-policies of the ANC-led government have led to an onslaught against jobs and further crippled the economy. Unemployment, the Federation notes, is above 50 percent among women and at a staggering 77 percent among the youth, while the black majo...

The ANC national government reportedly blew R1.4 billion on parties, dinners and hotels during lockdown, this according to the Democratic Alliance, DA. The party's Shadow Minister for Public Service and Administration Dr Leon Schreiber says 18 ANC Ministers, Deputy Ministers and their departments spent over R1.4 billion since President Cyril Ramaphosa's government took office on 19 May 2019. For m...

ANC National spokesperson Pule Mabe has confirmed that the party's Eastern Cape elective conference has been postponed to a date to be confirmed. He was speaking during the launch of the Letsema campaign in Mangaung in the Free State. Mabe cautioned media houses and journalists against reporting false or unverified news updates on the delayed conferences of the party describing them as sensitive....

The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial is expected to resume in the High Court in Pretoria this morning after a week's postponement. This was to allow legal representatives to consult with the accused and to adequately prepare. Meyiwa was gunned down at his then-girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo's mother's home in Vosloorus, Johannesburg eight years ago in October 2014. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to the...

Residents of Eldorado Park in Johannesburg have vowed to continue protesting until power utility, City Power re-connects their electricity. This comes after the area and surrounding areas have been left in the dark following a fire at a substation earlier in the month. Yesterday, residents blocked roads with stones and burning tyres in a demand for authorities to address them. For more on this Elv...

Time to take a look at the current top African economic stories with Victor Kgomoesoana, 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

SASSA has put in place measures to assist those affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Families that have been affected by floods will be given a 1-thousand 2-hundred rand voucher to purchase essential items. At least 448 people have died from the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Thousands of people have been left homeless after their houses were washed away away floods. For the latest we're joined on t...

Government has set aside an amount of about 200-million rand for all the tertiary institutions that might have been affected by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal. This was announced by the Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande in Parliament. Nzimande says the department decided to re-prioritise this money as part of emergency undertakings for unforseen situations. For the lates...

Plans are in place to restore stability at the financially troubled Mangaung Metro Municipality, in Bloemfontein. This follows a visit to the metro by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The plans to bring stability to the embattled metro  come as Tebogo Motlashuping is reported to have been appointed as the new and fourth acting city manager for a...

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says the power utility is facing two decades of unattended maintenance. Briefing the media yesterday, de Ruyter accused his predecessors of delaying the introduction of the Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme for a number of years. He says currently there was an additional 200 Mega Watts of power available from independent power producers, but contract...