First Take SA

The University of eSwatini has closed all three of its campuses due to protests by students. King Mswati has reportedly deployed soldiers and the police to shoot at protesting students, according to local media reports. Law enforcement were dispatched at the university yesterday after students engaged in a protest action calling for the fall of King Mswati. Successive protests over several months have left scores of people dead since last year. eSwatini, formerly Swaziland, is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. For more Elvis Presslin spoke to Cassandra Shaw, Daily News Editor at Times of eSwatini...

Elvis Presslin takes 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

Eskom has suspended Stage 2 load shedding as of 5 am this morning. The power utility implemented Stage 2 load shedding just after 6 pm yesterday after Unit 5 of the Medupi Power Station tripped taking some 700Mega Watts capacity with it. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha

The Pietermaritzburg High Court has granted former President Jacob Zuma a postponement in his corruption trial to May 17th. This is to allow the President of the Supreme Court of Appeals to reconsider his petition for leave to appeal against Judge Piet Koen's dismissal of Zuma's special plea that calls for the recusal of the lead prosecutor - Advocate Billy Downer. Two judges of the SCA had earlier dismissed the petition, saying it had no reasonable chance of success. Nonjabulo Mntungwa Makamu reports...

The Jacob Zuma Foundation has announced that the former President will pursue a private prosecution against lead prosecutor, Billy Downer, in the corruption trial linked to the arms deal case, which is expected to get underway in Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal today. Zuma faces multiple charges of fraud and corruption alongside French arms dealer, Thales, over the controversial multi-billion rand arms deal struck in the 1990s. For analysis of this and its prospects for success, Elvis Presslin spoke to legal expert, Advocate Romeo Nthambeleni

Zandile Gumede has been elected as the new ANC Regional Chairperson of the Ethekwini region. The regional conference was marred with delays over the weekend as delegates fought over credentials and questions on whether the party's Regional Task Teams should be allowed to vote in the conference. Nomination for leadership positions saw former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede accepting the nomination in absentia due to the controversial step aside resolution for party members facing serious criminal charges. For some analysis of the outcomes of this conference, Elvis Presslin spoke to political analyst and lecturer in Public Policy and Political Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr. Fikile Vilakazi

The trial of seven senior government officials accused of looting public funds during the funeral of former president Nelson Mandela is expected to start today. Former Eastern Cape Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba, former mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and several others stand accused of defrauding the Buffalo City Metro of R10 million, linked to the funeral of the former president. The former officials allegedly pretended to use the R10 million payment for the funeral preparations of the late President in 2013. The seven accused have pleaded not guilty ahead of the trial. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to the legal representative for the accused, East London Advocate Mr. Mike Maseti

The wife of Burkina Faso's assassinated revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara, says she is relieved after his successor was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 37-year-old's murder. In reacting to the sentence, Miriam Sankara told members of the media that the people of Burkina Faso and the public would now know who her husband was and the values he stood for. Sankara was gunned down in the capital Ouagadougou on 15 October 1987, four years after he took power in a previous coup. His successor, Blaise Compaore went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in another coup in 2014 and fleeing to Ivory Coast, where he still lives. News of sentence has sent shock waves across the continent and for a look at the implications, First Take SA producer, Sithakazelo Dlamini spoke to Political analyst, Bheki Mngomezulu the legacy left by Sankara.

United Democratic Movement leader, General Bantu Holomisa says the concerns of organizations such as 'Operation Dudula' are legitimate although their methods of addressing them may be questionable. Holomisa has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa asking him to consider forming a multi-party committee that will look into bringing back peace in black townships and protecting the country's sovereignty. This follows recent tensions in Diesploot north of Johannesburg where violent clashes between foreign nationals and locals have led to a spate of killings which have prompted mass protests. Jon Gericke spoke to General Holomisa about this...

The Consortium for refugees and Migrants in South Africa has condemned the killing of Zimbabwean national, Elvis Nyathi in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. Nyathi was stoned to death and set alight on Wednesday night after scores of disgruntled residents went on the rampage in protest following multiple murders and robberies in the area. The residents accused him of being in the country illegally. By Thursday, calm had been restored in the area after a large contingent of police was deployed to maintain calm. For more on this, Jon Gericke spoke to Advocacy Officer at the Consortium for refugees and Migrants in South Africa, Muluti Phiri