First Take SA

Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana has received praises for his maiden Budget Speech which was delivered yesterday in Parliament. The Finance Minister refrained from increasing basic income tax while also passing a token to the private sector by decreasing corporate income tax by a percentage point. The fuel levy and the Road Accident Fund levy were also kept unchanged in order to provide some rel...

The Restaurants Association of South Africa has expressed shock over Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana's announcement of another sin tax hike. Delivering his maiden Budget Speech on Wednesday afternoon, Godongwane announced excise duties on alcohol and tobacco will increase by between four-point-five percent and six-point-five percent. This comes as the hospitality industry struggles under the we...

There have been mixed reactions to the release of the declarations of donations made to the country's political parties during the third quarter of the 2021/22 financial year. The African National Congress topped the list with donations amounting to over R22-million, followed by the Democratic Alliance, with donations amounting to more than R12.5-million. The latest political party funding disclos...

South African artist Rikhado Makhado, popularly known as Riky Rick, passed away yesterday. His family confirmed his passing in a statement but made no mention of the cause of his death. But sources suspect suicide.  So why do so many men suffer depression in silence? To shed light on the matter, here is Clinical Psychologist, Thabang Tlaka

Ukraine has announced a 30-day state of emergency in all the country's regions - this is apart from the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions where a state of emergency has been in place since 2014. In turn, Russia's embassy in Kyiv has started evacuating diplomats from Ukraine, after lawmakers in Moscow granted President Putin permission to use force abroad. In response to the escalating crisis,...

The EFF is expected to hold a march to parliament ahead of the Budget Speech against loans by the government to the World Bank and the IMF. For more on this here is EFF spokesperson, Sinawo Tambo

The South African Informal Traders Alliance has called on the government to stop thinking of the sector as beggars who require handouts but rather view the sector as strategic partners who are able to contribute meaningfully to the economy and the creation of jobs. This as Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to juggle the country's fiscus today when he tables his maiden Budget speech. SA...

Judgment has been reserved in the Tshegofatso Pule murder case in the High Court in Joburg after both the state and the defense submitted their closing arguments.  Pule - who was eight months pregnant was murdered in June 2020. Convicted killer, Muzi Malepane, has accused Ntuthuko Shoba, of being the mastermind behind her murder. For more on this, here is Defence attorney Tumisang Katake, who...

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"

One South Africa Movement Leader, Mmusi Maimane says the recent attacks on foreign nationals have propelled the country towards what he calls 'A Season of Afrophobia'. Maimane penned an opinion piece with online publication TimesLive, in which he challenges those targeting foreign nationals to consider the repercussions of the attacks. On Sunday, thousands of South Africans gathered under the Put...

Trade Union Federation, COSATU says the upcoming budget speech by Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana needs to display boldness and decisiveness in dealing with the commitments made during the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Godongwana is expected to deliver his budget speech on Wednesday amid threats of protests by the EFF and Zwelinzima Vavi's South African Federation of...

The killer of SACP leader Chris Hani, Janusz Walus will today (22 FEB) approach the Constitutional Court in another bid to be released on parole. This after he lost his bid for leave to appeal the refusal of his release on parole in the Supreme Court of Appeal last year. 69-year-old Walus has made several unsuccessful applications for parole. The Polish self-confessed killer has spent over 28 year...

The family of Amkelekile Sibongile Mokoena is demanding answers after their six-year-old daughter died at a school in Germiston after reportedly choking on a grape. The grade 2 pupil was rushed to the hospital after collapsing in class but sadly was found to be already dead upon her arrival at a Germiston hospital last month. Her mother, Lovely Mokoena, says they will not rest until they get answe...

The City of Tshwane has collected close to 500 Million rands in unpaid bills. This follows the campaign by the metro to have businesses and government departments pay up for their service. The campaign, titled "Tshwane Ya Tima" has highlighted how businesses and government departments have not been paying for both electricity and water bills. For more on this we spoke to Tshwane spokesperson, Siph...

A South African is currently facing life imprisonment in Thailand after being convicted on drug charges. 22-year-old Ashley Oosthuizen from George in the Western Cape was initially sentenced to death but after an appeal, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. Ashley was working as a teacher in Thailand when she was arrested for reportedly smuggling drugs in 2020 -  a crime she alleged...

Yet another alleged incident of racism has surfaced in our schools, this time at Milnerton High School in Cape Town. The Western Cape education department says it's investigating an incident where a black school learner is alleged to have been forced to kneel and bow down before his white counterpart. This followed an altercation on the school grounds between a group of learners of the school. For...

Political parties have reacted with mixed reactions to the decision by Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to turn down requests for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before it over the alleged use of state funds for party political gains. ANC MP's represented in SCOPA used their majority vote to turn down the request while the DA, the EFF, and the IFP also represented in...

The South African Medical Research Council says the country's Covid-related deaths could be three times higher than the official reported figures. The Medical Research Council says their system in tracking Covid19 related deaths, could be more or less three times higher than that of the National Health department's figures. Ramphelane Morewane, the deputy director-general for primary health at the...

KwaZulu-Natal Maths guru, tutor and teacher, Dr. Khangelani Sibiya will be representing South Africa at the Global Education Awards ceremony in Dubai in March this year, after being nominated Teacher of the year. In 2019 Dr. Sibiya popularly known as "DJ Maths", was named Best Global Teacher of the Year at this Awards ceremony. Dr. Sibiya conceptualizes Maths and Science by using South African tra...

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".

Former President Thabo Mbeki will be in the Freestate today for a three-day visit to assist the provincial ANC with its process of unity and renewal. Mbeki's visit comes at a time when the party is closing cracks caused by divisions dating back from 2012. The province has an Interim Provincial Committee led by Mxolisi Dukwana after the Supreme Court of Appeal verdict which disbanded the leadership...

EFF leader, Julius Malema has defended the struggle song "Dubula ibhunu" accused AfriForum of wasting the court's time and of being racist. Malema was testifying before the Johannesburg High Court in a matter brought by AfriForum to get the court to declare the struggle song hate speech. The organization argues that it incites violence and contributes to the increase in farm attacks. Malema told t...

African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Dr. Kenneth Meshoe is calling on all employees who suffered side effects due to COVID-19 vaccines to lodge claims from both the state and their employers. Dr. Kenneth Meshoe made this call during the Joint State of the Nation (SONA) Debate at the City Hall in Cape Town...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again emphasized the importance of government effort to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Among the measures taken include the establishment of a unit in the presidency to cut red tape within the state as well as coordinating several job stimulus programs. Replying to the debate on the State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa also responded to claims that...

Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa will deliberate over President Cyril Ramaphosa's response to leaked audio of him suggesting that he knew of instances where state funds were being used for political activities. In a leaked letter seen by SCOPA, President Ramaphosa reportedly denies directly having any information of state funds being used for party political campaigns - He...