First Take SA

An unconfirmed number of SAPS and JMPD vehicles have been damaged following an attack on law enforcement officials in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. The police were conducting raids, targeting counterfeit goods when they were hurled with stones by a group of people believed to be foreign nationals that trade in the area.

The High Court in Pretoria will today hear an application by civil society organisations, Corruption Watch and Right2know - to review and set aside the findings of the Seriti Commission. The Commission was set up in 2011 by then Justice Minister, Jeff Radebe to investigate allegations of fraud, corruption, impropriety or irregularity in the Strategic Defence Procurement Packages. In 2016, the commission's report was released by former President, Jacob Zuma. It found that there was no proof of fraud and bribery in the multi-billion rand arms deal.

A survey by the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa has revealed that one-in-four Chief Audit Executives working in State Owned Enterprises fear for their lives due to the nature of their job. The institute has called for greater protection for its members following what it calls alarming increases in reports of intimidation, harassment and violence against them. This follows the attempted assassination of SABC's chief audit executive, Thamsanqa Zikode on Friday last week. Zikode was involved in a shoot out outside his home and its believed he was a target because of the corruption cases he has been working on at the public broadcaster.

Tributes continue to pour in for the veteran journalist and former Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Times editor, Raymond Louw. The Professional Journalists Association of South Africa (ProJourn) has described Louw as a wordsmith and one of the best journalists. ProJourn administration secretary Michael Schmidt says Oom Ray as he was affectionately known, was always at the fore-front of defending people's right to speak up and make their opinion heard. Schmidt says Louw was never a fan of what he termed - grab and chop style of reporting as seen today. He says the passing away of Louw yesterday* happens at the time when the media industry is faced with many challenges including the rapid rise of social media and fake news.

The ANC seems to be speaking in different tongues when it comes to the issue of the Reserve Bank. Earlier the party's Secretary General Ace Magashule said they want to expand to mandate of the central bank to include employment and economic growth. But some senior members have voiced their opposition, warning that such a statement creates policy uncertainty and could negatively affect investor confidence.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has called for the review of the South African School's Act as it currently allows for troubled teens to simply be shifted to a new school without being properly rehabilitated. Lesufi was responding to the stabbing which led to the death of a Grade 10 learner from Forest high in Turfontein, Johannesburg. Lesufi says moving a troubled learner from one school to the next is shifting a larger societal problem from one community to the other

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union - SATAWU - is demanding an end to salary disparities between white and black workers in South Africa's ports. SATAWU alleges that the wage gap runs in margins of around 500-thousand rands a year between black and white mariners. Negotiations to resolve this between the union and the Transnet National Ports Authority have since collapsed, threatening a total shutdown of all eight ports along the country's coastline starting THIS MORNING

The number of ministers has been reduced from 36 to 28. President Cyril Ramaphosa said his cabinet is a mixture of experience, continuity and regional diversity. The biggest surprise is the appointment of GOOD party leader, Patricia De Lille as minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Development

ANC Deputy President David Mabuza has been sworn in as a Member of Parliament at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthuse in Pretoria. Last week, Mabuza requested that his swearing in be postponed to allow him to respond to the ANC's Integrity Commission report. The report outlined allegations of corruption levelled against him while he was still premier of Mpumalanga.

The African Transformation Movement has also weighed in on the matter between Former Public Eneterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan and Public Protector Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane by calling on parliament to urgently probe Gordhan's fitness to be a member of Parliament.