First Take SA

While there have been calls for more technical schools in South Africa, there is growing concern on the funding of these schools. Basic Education director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, together with the backing of President Cyril Ramaphosa, made the call citing the skills shortage in the country. Currently there are only one-thousand-and-10 technical schools out of more than 25-thousand-762 schools in the country.

Around 12-thousand five-hundred AMCU members from the platinum belt are expected to join the two month long strike action at Sibanye Still-Water's gold operations on Gauteng's West Rand and in the Free State. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union - AMCU - has given notice to the mining company of its intention to embark on secondary strike action. AMCU believes that this will be one of the biggest examples of mass rolling strike action across different mineral commodities by a single union in South African history

The chairperson of the SADC organ on Politics, Defence and Security, Zambian President Edgar Lungu, has urged the political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo to consider forming a Government of National Unity in light of disputed election results. In a statement issued in his capacity as the Chairperson for the SADC organ on Politics, Defence and Security, Lungu says all DRC politicians should commit to actions and processes that do not escalate tensions any further. This follows elections in the DRC where opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi was named the provisional winner last Thursday

While there have been calls for more technical schools in South Africa, there is growing concern on the funding of these schools. Basic Education director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, together with the backing of President Cyril Ramaphosa, made the call citing the skills shortage in the country. Currently there are only one-thousand-and-10 technical schools out of more than 25-thousand-762 schools in the country.

South African Revenue Service officials have intercepted a consignment of rhino horns at the OR Tambo International Airport worth over 23-million rand. Sars says the horns were hidden underneath cut laminated wooden sheets in four boxes which were filled with doormats and decorative items

The Khoi and San communities have welcomed the adoption of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill by the National Council of Provinces. All provinces were in support of the bill except the DA-led province of the Western Cape. The bill provides for the recognition of traditional and Khoisan communities and makes provision for the establishment of Provincial Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San leaders, the establishment and composition of local houses of traditional and Khoi-San leaders as well as for the establishment and operation of a Commission on Khoi-San Matters. It is now up to President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the bill into law.

There have been calls for more schools in South Africa to become technical schools. Currently there are only one-thousand-and-10 technical high schools out of more than 25-thousand-762 schools in the country. Basic Education director-general, Mathanzima Mweli made the call ahead of the 2018 pass rate last week. The call comes as the country faces skills shortages. Mweli says President Cyril Ramaphosa has added his voice to the transformation of schools as it will offer young people the skills for the changing world in the fourth industrial revolution.

Talks between striking students and the management of Unisa have ended in a stalemate as the two parties could not reach an agreement on the key issues raised by the National Student Representative Council ahead of this year's academic year. The students have embarked on protests action across Unisa campuses nationwide demanding that all students who completed higher certificates in 2018 should be allowed to proceed with registrations. Unisa says its head count is limited to 380-thousand and the first-time entering students to just under 55-thousand, thus making it impossible to accept all qualifying students

Universities this week started dealing with long queus of student registrations and influx of late applications. In light of this, many students still do not consider Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as their first option. Only when they are not accepted at Universities do they flock to TVET colleges. The question is why are TVET colleges still looked at as inferior compared to universities. Today on the first instalment of a three part series on education we look at the state of TVET colleges and why there is no uptake from learners.

Opposition candidate, Felix Tshisekedi is said to be the provisional winner of the Democratic Republic of Congo presidential election. The electoral commission has just released the election results in the capital,