First Take SA

Over 600 SABC employees said their final goodbyes as they re-lived some of their most vivid moments at the public broadcaster. Yesterday marked the end of the road for 621 permanent staff members after the SABC concluded it's section 189 retrenchment process. The SABC will transition to its new structure today.

Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke says irregular expenditure among national and provincial government departments decreased to R54 billion from the R66 billion in the previous year. The AG says despite the decrease the number is nothing to celebrate as 31-percent of the auditees failed to disclose irregular expenditure. Maluleke says her office could not audit R2 billion worth of contracts due to missing or incomplete information. Maluleke tabled the government audit outcomes report at a media briefing in Pretoria.

Trade union BEMAWU has expressed fears that the quality of work being rendered by the SABC will be compromised following the departure of over six hundred workers during the just concluded section 189 retrenchment process. The public broadcaster yesterday (Tuesday) met with both BEMAWU and the Communication Workers Union to discuss the completion of the retrenchment process. The public broadcaster says the transition into the new structure will begin from the first of April.

Health minister, Zweli Mkhize, says the delivery of the country's vaccines is on track. Mkhize appeared before Parliament's Health committee, to give a two weekly briefing on the progress of the country's Covid-19 vaccination programme. MPs criticized the department for its inability to roll out the vaccination programme with the necessary urgency.

Former Lily Mine employees embarked on a peaceful march and handed over a memorandum of grievances to the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela. They are calling on the court to set aside or fast-track the court case between owners of the mine- Vantage Goldfields, Business Rescue Practitioners and the potential investor, Arqomanzi. Last Month, the High court granted Arqomanzi an interim order preventing the implementation of an amended rescue plan. The business rescue practitioners are accused of amending the plan without consulting creditors.

Despite fears that the Easter weekend activities could become spreader events for the Coronavirus pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa has kept the country under Alert Level One. He has also announced that religious gatherings over this period will be restricted to 250 people indoors from 100 and 500 people outdoors from 200. But the president has put some restriction on the sale of alcohol for the Easter weekend announcing the prohibition of the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption from this Friday until next Monday.

SANCO in the Free State says it has noted with concern the alleged interference by Businessman, Johan Rupert in ANC internal affairs. This comes at the backdrop of leaked audio clips circulating on social media platforms, depicting a chaotic ANC NEC meeting marred by an exchange of insults and swear words. Speculation had been rife throughout the day YESTERDAY as reports indicated that the NEC meeting descended into chaos following a heated discussing over the stepping down of party secretary general, Ace Magashule. Free State SANCO chairperson, Gift Poli says the allegations of interference in the ANC confirm their long help view that the ANC has been infiltrated by what they term 'counter revolutionaries' masquerading as defenders of democracy.

ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule will have to step down within 30 days or run the risk of being suspended from the party. This came out at the end of the governing party's National Executive Committee held at the weekend. President Cyril Ramaphosa read out the long-awaited outcomes of the meeting last night. The delivery of his closing remarks was delayed when members failed to agree on the final text on the step-aside resolution.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy David Mabuza, accompanied by other high-profile officials, yesterday visited the pharmaceutical giant Aspen in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to assess the process of vaccine production at the sterile manufacturing facility. This forms part of the partnership between the government and the private sector in the national vaccination programme.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa says the 300 million rand, which was meant to help support the creative industry as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme didn't disappear but was over-committed. Mthethwa says the department will conduct a forensic investigation to get to the bottom of the how irregular payments and over-budgeting took place with regards to the funds. Mthethwa says the department has not been successful in securing the shortfall from National Treasury, but will continue to look for funding. Mthethwa was addressing the media in Pretoria.