First Take SA

The swearing-in ceremonies of new officials kicked off in some of the hung municipalities. Council sittings proceeded with some of the political parties displaying surprise changes of heart, while others stuck to their guns in their decisions to exclude parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters and the African National Congress from their coalitions. For a look at what the current coalitions mean for local government moving forward, Political Analyst from Nelson Mandela University, Ongama Mtimka

The election of the DA's Vasco Da Gama as the new Speaker for the City of Johannesburg was just a sample of more things to come in the country's biggest metro. Our political reporter Abongile Dumako attended the voting session for the City of Johannesburg and he now gives us the full details

As the the inaugural council meeting of the eThekwini metro was postponed to Wednesday, following a chaotic start and a power outage, the coalition agreement between the ANC and IFP also seemed to unravel. The IFP has seemingly reneged on its agreement with the ANC by clinching the mayorship in the Newcastle Local Municipality despite the ANC holding a majority vote in that municipality. For some reaction to how some of these councils went yesterday, IFP's general secretary, Siphosethu Ngcobo

Time to take a look at 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........

* After a century and a half, Ethiopian artifacts return home 

* East Africa: Sky Wars - Uganda Tanzania, Rwanda Carriers Expand as Ethiopian, KQ falter

* Kenya: Flowers rot in farms over standoff with Kenya Airways

The multi-party coalition in Johannesburg and Tshwane is looking at ending before it began, following an apparent breakdown between Action SA and the DA. African Christian Democratic Party, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe also forms part of the multi-party coalition talks.

A multi-party coalition in both the Johannesburg and Tshwane metros runs the risk of collapsing. This follows an apparent breakdown in relations between ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and the Democratic Alliance. The DA announced at the weekend that it would field its own mayoral candidates for both the Joburg and Tshwane councils. This prompted Mashaba to express shock and dismay, stating that he feels double-crossed by the DA. DA's Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille

A multi-party coalition in both the Johannesburg and Tshwane metros runs the risk of collapsing. This follows an apparent breakdown in relations between ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and the Democratic Alliance. The DA announced at the weekend that it would field its own mayoral candidates for both the Joburg and Tshwane councils. This prompted Mashaba to express shock and dismay, stating that he feels double-crossed by the DA. Mashaba was touted to head up the position of mayor in Johannesburg while the DA would take up Tshwane. For more details on this, former Joburg Mayor under the DA and now ActionSA president, Herman Mashaba

In a surprise twist, the board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) announced it suspended the recently appointed state-owned company's CEO after he "deliberately failed to disclose" that he holds British citizenship.  It has also emerged that Zolani Matthews' top security clearance was declined by the State Security Agency as a result. To explore this story more, Adv PAUL HOFFMAN  - DIRECTOR  at ACCOUNTABILITY NOW

The rand briefly touched the 15-rand-80 mark on Thursday, amid general dollar strength and following a decision by the South African Reserve Bank to hike the repo rate by 25 basis points to 3-point-75 percent. The Bank's monetary policy Committee increased the repurchase rate for the first time in three years, effective from the 19th of November 2021. Reserve bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said the Committee believes a gradual rise in the rate will be sufficient to keep inflation expectations well anchored. For a look at the implications of the hike, here is Chief Economist at the Efficient Group, Dawie Roodt.

Following previous protests by surrounding communities about the lack of economic opportunities for them in the Kruger National Park, SANParks is expected to embark on a series of Economic Transformation roadshows that seek to communicate available business opportunities within the Park for local communities to take part in. SANParks says the initiatives will provide up-to-date and relevant information to businesses and communities which explains what SANParks, as a public entity can and can't do. For a look at what the roadshows will entail,  here is Kruger National Park's Managing Executive, Gareth Coleman...

If you are interested or want more information you can get hold of Media and Communicaition manager, Ike Phaahla on 083 673 6974