First Take SA

Should the Charlotte Maxeke hospital fire be found to be the result of human error, heads will roll. That's according to the Gauteng government. The blaze broke out in a storage room, which spread to other parts of the hospital. After the fire was extinguished.... It opened more questions about the lack of working fire hydrants. Even more concerning, the safety of patients at state hospitals.

The Independent Electoral Commission says it has drawn important lessons from this week's by-elections and is better prepared for the sixth Local Government Elections later this year. President Cyril Ramaphosa has since announced that this year's elections will be held on October 27, pending the final proclamation by Cooperative Government and Traditional affairs Minister,Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. This year's elections will not only be held under COVID-19 but also will see the introduction of the new management voting devices which will replace the old zip-zip devices.

It's crunch time today as government is expected to present its final make or break wage offer to public sector unions later this morning. Public sector labour unions have threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the government does not revise its zero percent wage increase offer for the 2021/22 financial year. Government has remained adamant that it will not review its decision to introduce a salary freeze for public servants over the next three years. However the unions expect the government to respond with a new offer today.

ANC veteran and businessman Tokyo Sexwale has lamented statements by the South African Reserve Bank and the National treasury wherein they dismiss his claims about a Heritage Fund, called the White Spiritual Boy Trust as a scam. Sexwale says the fund was meant to operate through central banks across all jurisdictions via the Bank of International Settlements. He says it has security clearance from Interpol and local security structure. Sexwale says he was appointed as a joint mandate holder of the trust on the 7th of January 2019. Sexwale was briefing the media in Midrand north of Johannesburg.

The ANC Interim Provincial Commitee(IPC) in North West, has temporarily suspended the membership of former premier and ANC provincial chairperson, Supra Mahumapelo, with immediate effect. This follows a meeting in Potchefstroom, where he allegedly instructed JB Marks Local Municipality mayor Kgotso Khumalo not to resign. The IPC earlier requested Khumalo to resign, as he was facing charges of fraud and corruption. IPC Coordinator, Hlomane Chauke made the announcement YESTERDAY.

Some South Africans and political organisations are up in arms following the announcement by the Department of Water and Sanitation that it has appointed 24 Cuban engineers to assist with the country's water infrastructure challenges. The department says the engineers have been seconded to South Africa to enhance and improve government's efforts on water delivery and related services.

The National Prosecuting Authority has confirmed that it received correspondence from former President Jacob Zuma's lawyers - Mabuza Attorneys - indicating they were no longer representing him in his upcoming corruption trial in connection with the arms deal. Mabuza attorneys also filed a notice of withdrawal with the Pietermaritzburg High Court YESTERDAY. No reasons were given for the sudden decision. Zuma and French arms company Thales are facing charges in connection with South Africa's multi-billion rand arms deal in 1999. The 11th hour withdrawal comes hot on the heels of the recent Supreme Court of Appeals ruling that the state is not liable for Zuma's legal bill.

Firefighters who responded to last weekend's blaze at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg, say they could have acted more swiftly had the fire hydrant system been fully operational. The fire has again put the spotlight on poor health and safety controls and non-compliance in government buildings. In 2018, three firefighters were killed in an inferno at the Bank of Lisbon building in the Jo'burg CBD. Then the safety compliance rate stood at a dismal 21 percent.

South Africa has struck a R218 billion energy deal with Turkish company Karpowership to provide South Africa with power from Ships. The three floating power stations - which use Liquefied Natural Gas to produce electricity - are expected to dock at Saldanha, Richards Bay and Gqeberha towards the second half of next year. The Dept. of Mineral Resources and Energy has however acknowledged that Karpowership, which will supply 450 megawatts of electricity from gas, does not meet the local content requirement for the ships it will use. Deputy Director General Jacob Mbele says the final agreements are yet to be signed.

Structural engineers and firefighters are continuing with assessments at the University of Cape Town's Jagger Library. The building is one of several on UCT's Upper campus, that were damaged by the recent fire. The blaze initially started on the upper slopes of Table Mountain above UCT on Sunday, but later spread, threatening the campus and adjacent suburbs. About four-thousand students had to be evacuated and moved to temporary accommodation. UCT has suspended classes for the rest of the week.