First Take SA

DA Shadow MEC for health in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, has lambasted the provincial health department for the cancellation of hundreds of surgery operations due to the lack of clean linen. Bloom says the lack of clean linen at the province's public hospitals has left doctors and nurses demoralized as they have to turn away patients that have been waiting for surgery operations for months. The dire situation which may lead to a risk of the spread of infections has been experienced in hospitals which include Leratong Hospital, Mamelodi Hospital, Chris Baragwanath, and Charlotte Maxeke amongst others. For more on this, Jack Bloom

Eskom has begun implementing load-shedding at short notice once again as breakdowns at the power utilities' multiple units in its various power stations -- is blamed for the current rolling blackouts. The South African Federation of Trade Unions - SAFTU -  has joined growing calls for Eskom Chief Executive Officer, Andre de Reyter to step down.  SAFTU Spokesperson, Trevor Shaku...

The community of Protea Glen in Soweto is still reeling following the recent arrest of a 26-year-old man who is suspected of killing and dismembering the body of his alleged cousin-turned-wife. Flavio Hlabangwane is in police custody on charges of murder after the remains of his wife were found in his fridge at the weekend. This comes just weeks after the East London High Court in Gheberha postponed the murder trial of  Alutha Pasile, who also allegedly murdered and dismembered the body of his girlfriend, Nosicelo Mtebeni. For a look at some of the contributing factors to such cases, here is Criminologist, Professor Kholofelo Mothibi....

The Economic Freedom Fighters say they have stopped any further coalition negotiations with the African National Congress, saying the governing party failed to agree on conditions deemed as the basis for negotiations. The EFF put forward tough conditions which included among others the expropriation of land and doing away with Die Stem in the national anthem in twelve months' time - among others. The red berets have also vowed not to support any candidate put forward by the ANC in all municipalities for any position. Local government expert, Professor Susan Booysen...

The South African Post Office (SAPO) has recorded an irregular expenditure of almost R200-million for the 2019 and 2020 financial year. This was revealed by the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Philemon Mapulane, in Parliament. This latest update about the financial woes of the entity comes at the back of an announcement of no further bailouts for State-Owned Enterprises by the Treasury. This is despite concerns that the Post Office may be in desperate need of billions of rands in financial support. For some reaction to this, General Secretary of the South African Postal Workers Union, David Mangena...

The South African Human Rights Commission started its national investigative hearings into July's civil unrest yesterday. The hearings are set down for three weeks as the commission looks at the events that led to the deaths of at least 350 people in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. There is however concern that the probe into the riots will be inquisitorial and not prosecutorial. SAHRC Commissioner Jonas Sibanyoni...

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended South Africa's national state of disaster by a further month. In a government gazette published over the weekend, Minister Dlamini-Zuma extended the state of disaster to December the 15th, effectively marking the next month as the 21st month since the state of disaster was declared back in March 2020. The South African government has used the Disaster Management Act to better fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing lockdown regulations which include a time curfew. For a closer look at how the National Disaster Act has been implemented thus far, Professor Dewald Van Niekerk from the African Centre for Disaster Studies at the North West University

Rand Water says maintenance on a major pipe-site is on schedule as planned. The bulk water supplier is doing upgrades on its pumps, which could leave Gauteng residents with water disruptions for 54 hours. However, Rand Water says this is not a complete shutdown, or a failure of its systems, but a planned outage. The utility is installing a new pipe that will increase the amount of water drawn from the Vaal River into its treatment plant and increase supply to local municipalities. Water expert from the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State, Professor Anthony Turton

Victor Kgomoesoana, author of  "Africa Is Open For Business" and "Africa Bounces Back" and Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the University of Limpopo looks at this weeks top African Economic stories...

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to officially open the second Intra-Africa Trade Fair that kicks off at the Durban International Convention Centre.  The week-long event will see about 50 heads of state gather in South Africa. The conference is organized by the African Export-Import Bank in collaboration with the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area.  The aim is to deliberate on and accelerate intra-African trade and investment across the continent. Prof. Hina-un-ye Eita from the School of Economics at the University of Johannesburg