First Take SA

Four men have been arrested for the blockade of the N3 by striking truck drivers in KwaZulu-Natal. Yesterday disgruntled truck drivers blocked the N3 near Van Reenen's Pass causing a major traffic backlog. The arrested men face charges of obstructing a national route, damaging or interfering with essential infrastructure, and economic sabotage. The striking truckers say they are against the employment of foreign nationals at trucking companies. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mary Phadi, President of the Truckers Association of South Africa

The provisional liquidation of Comair still raises some questions on what will happen going forward. Comair has officially been placed in provisional liquidation by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. This followed the failure of attempts to raise cash to resume operations at Kulula.com and British Airways. All affected parties have until 26 July to provide the court with reasons why the provisional liquidation order should not be made a final order. The provisional liquidation has also been put under Comair's franchise agreement with British Airways. To discuss this Elvis Presslin spoke to Vincent Manko, Director for Dispute Resolution Practice at law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

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

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein has ruled that the tobacco ban during the Covid-19 Lockdown was unconstitutional and invalid. Cooperative Governance Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, referred the matter to the Supreme Court after various stakeholders in the tobacco industry successfully challenged the matter. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Francois Rossouw, CEO of the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI)

South Africa has taken out another loan from the World Bank. The Bank recently approved a loan of almost 8 billion to South Africa, to help the country in financing Covid-19 vaccine procurement. In January this year, the World Bank also approved South Africa's request for a loan of 11-point-4 billion to assist South Africa with its recovery plan in the wake of the pandemic. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to SABC Economics Editor, Mr. Tshepo Mongoai

The High Court in Pretoria has granted the application for the postponement of the trial into the murder of soccer star, Senzo Meyiwa. This follows an application by the counsel for the fifth accused advocate Zandile Mshololo so she can study the contents of the mysterious second docket in the murder case which she only got hold of last Wednesday. The date of the next sitting is yet to be determined. Five men are currently standing trial for the murder of the soccer star in Vosloorus in 2014. The defense lawyer for 4 of the accused, advocate Malesela Teffo opposed the postponement but judge Tshifiwa Maumela found Mshololo's application reasonable. Advocate Malesela Teffo's decorum in court has since come under fire after refusing to listen to Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela's orders. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mr. Kutama Mashudu, an experienced attorney from Kutama Attorneys Inc

Murder, kidnapping, and hijacking are on the increase in Gauteng and the country at large. Gauteng has reported a more than 45 percent increase in murder between January and March this year. This is according to the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela. The number of killings using firearms is also increasing at an alarming rate. Elvis Presslin spoke to Jonathan Deal, founder and national coordinator of Safe Citizen

National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has rejected requests by the United Democratic Movement, UDM and the African Transformation Movement, ATM to Initiate a parliamentary action against President Cyril Ramaphosa following allegations of corruption after the burglary on his Phala-Phala farm In Limpopo. For more Elvis Presslin spoke to ATM leader Mr. Vuyo Zungula

Day one of water-shedding at the Kouga Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape commenced yesterday (Monday), due to the low levels at the Impofu dam and with the Churchill dam reaching below the 10% mark. Affected areas include Jeffery's Bay, Humansdorp, and the greater St Francis area. Elvis Presslin spoke to Water crisis Spokesperson for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Joint Operations Centre, Luvuyo Bangazi

The trial into the murder of soccer star, Senzo Meyiwa is expected to resume this morning following a postponement yesterday. This is after the defense for four of the accused, advocate Malesela Teffo raised objections to a lengthy postponement. The matter was expected to be adjourned until later this year following the request by defense counsel for accused number 5, Advocate Zandile Mshololo. This to allow her to go through a second docket in the murder case opened in 2019 after the state discovered the document only last week. Five men are on trial in the Pretoria high court for the murder of the goalie who was shot during an alleged robbery at Vosloorus in 2014. The second docket fingers Meyiwa's then-girlfriend singer Kelly Khumalo and six others with murder and defeating the ends justice charges. For some analysis on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to attorney at LG Gouveia Attorneys, Paula Thekiso