First Take SA

Former Botswana President Ian Khama and South African businesswoman Brigette Motsepe will be launching legal action against Botswana's government accusing them of defaming their characters. This comes after a forensic report by a British law firm cleared the pair of allegations of money laundering and financing political unrest. The two high profile figures are key figures in a criminal case in which they are accused of siphoning over 10-million US dollars out of Botswana. Noma Bolani reports...

Black Lives Matter generated heated debate among political parties during a hybrid sitting of the National Assembly. The Debate of National Importance was brought by EFF Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu. While many political parties were in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement,- others criticised it and its purpose. Calls for solidarity with the movement gained prominence following the brutal murder of an African-American man, George Floyd at the hands of White police officers in the Unites States a few months ago.

Support for President Cyril Ramaphosa's handling of the covid-19 pandemic response has dwindled from a positive high of 85 percent to 61 percent. This is according to the latest covid-19 democracy survey by researchers from the University of Johannesburg working together with the Human Sciences Research Council. The findings of the survey, to be made public later TODAY, also show that about 73 percent of adults comply with regulations, which according to the survey, is not enough to stop the spread on Covid-19, thus making it more likely that stricter restrictions will have to be re-imposed.

Coffin assault victim, Victor Mlotshwa has expressed shock and dismay at the release on parole of both Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson. The duo was set free at the weekend as part of the thousands of qualifying low risk offenders released on parole to curb the spread of the corona virus in correctional facilities. Jackson and Osthuizen were initially sentenced to 11 and 14 years respectively for forcing Mlotshwa into a cofffin and threatening to pour petrol on him. Their sentences were later reduced on appeal to five years. Mlotshwa however maintains that the emotional scars of the duo's actions will remain with him for a very long time.

The organisation, Lawyers For Black People, has approached the High Court in Johannesburg to stop police from evicting tenants in Jeppe in the Johannesburg CBD. Landlords are allegedly insructing the police to remove defaulting tenants. The group's Zuko Madikane, says the Jeppe Station Commander and the Minister of Police have been cited as respondents. Angela Bolowana reports that the case against the police officers will be heard in the High Court tomorrow.

The Gauteng government, together with the City of Johannesburg, have launched a new strategy to stop land invasions and the mushrooming of informal settlements. They'll be deploying one-thousand-500 community patrollers across the province to identify and stop illegal occupations

President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that the country will today be moving to alert level two of the lockdown has been met with scepticism - with some saying it's too soon to open the economy. The EFF has accused him and the Health Department of manipulating COVID-19 statistics.

A number of sectors will open for business on Tuesday as the country moves to level 2 of the COVID-19 lockdown. These include the hospitality and tourism industry, gyms and fitness centres, and entertainment facilities such as cinemas and theatres. Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma briefed the media on the new regulations following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday.

Psychologists have warned parents to exercise caution in interactions with their children during the nationwide lockdown. They say children have been abruptly forced to adapt to a new normal and this could affect them in ways that they are unable to articulate. In a webinar hosted by HWH Global - an organisation on focusing on the transformation of individuals - on how to parent during a pandemic, psychologists discussed ways to make sense of children's behaviour during lockdown among others.

Residents of Marikana in the North West want the place where 34 mine workers where shot and killed on the 16th of August in 2012 - to be marked as a heritage site. The mine workers where shot by police, during an unprotected wage strike. They were demanding that their salaries be increased to 12 500 rand a month.