First Take SA

The Gauteng department of transport says it is considering removing abnormal freight vehicles off the road during peak hours to help reduce traffic congestion. Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi held discussions with Road Freight industry on various issues including damage to road infrastructure due to truck overloading among other things. Tsepiso Mkawetla spoke to Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi and Road Freight Association spokesperson Gavin Kelly

Author and investigative journalist, Jacques Pauw has called on both former Sunday Times senior journalists, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika and Stephan Hofstatter to name and shame their sources which led to false reporting by the two. Pauw was reacting to the news that the Sunday Times will return all awards and prize money received for now-discredited reports on the Cato Manor "death squad", the SARS "rogue unit" and the Zimbabwe 'illegal rendtion' case. Director at Media Monitoring Africa, William Bird discusses the phenomenon of fake news and ethical journalism...

About 10 000 members of NUMSA are gearing up for a strike in the plastics sector and is calling for a total national plastics shutdown. NUMSA has reassured members who work in the plastic sector that today's strike will be protected. NUMSA spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola discusses the aim of the strike with Tsepiso Makwetla...

The search for the bodies of two people who were reportedly swept away in the Apies river in the north of Pretoria over the weekend will resume this morning. Tshwane emergency services suspended the search as the flow in the river was too strong for rescue personnel to continue working. The city's emergency services spokesperson Johan Pieterse spoke to Tsepiso Makwetla about the situation there this morning...

The Hawks says it has assembled a strong, well-resourced team to investigate the looting of funds from the Venda-based VBS Mutual Bank. The Hawks spokesperson says the team will be guided by the National Prosecuting Authority. This follows the release of a report commisioned by the Reserve Bank into the troubled VBS bank. The report found that around 53 people and entitites unjustifiably and illegally received around two-billion rand between 2015 and 2018. One of those who benefited was the majority shareholder in VBS, Vele Investments. Tsepiso Mawetla spoke to lead investigator of the Great Bank Heist report, Advocate Terry Motau

TALKING POINT:

*** Cameroon's long wait for election results as social media claims unverified winners

*** African billionaire, Mohammed Dewji kidnapped in Tanzania

*** Nigeria to take foreign loans at higher cost due to the interest rate hike in the US

The DA has been battling without any success to get an answer from the SABC Board on how much the COO, CFO and CEO are earning. DA member of Parliament's Communications Committee Veronica van Dyk described the board's conduct of not answering the question directly as a " Hlaudi culture". The SABC Board was presenting its 2017/2018 financial statement. They were accompanied by Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and her deputy Pinkie Kekana. Meanwhile, both labour unions at the SABC, BEMAWU and CWU, have confirmed receiving a Section 189 notice of the Labour Relations Act from the public broadcaster relating to the planned retrenchments. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Bemawu president Hannes du Buisson

An investigation has revealed that there's no prospect of saving VBS Mutual Bank -- and analysts say depositors could lose most of their money. A final investigation report -- into large-scale fraud at the bank -- indicates that about two-billion rand in depositor's money was looted. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to One of the founder of VBS Mutual Bank, Madambi Muvhulawa

A showdown is looming in Zimbabwe TODAY (thursday) as labour unions have vowed to go ahead with a planned protest against a new government tax and price increases despite a police ban on the march. The police say authorities are still trying to contain a cholera outbreak and a ban on large public gatherings still stands. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called on people to join street marches in Harare and five other towns and cities TODAY to protest the worsening economic situation. Leading fast-food chains in Zimbabwe have shut their doors as the cash crunch in the country worsens - just two months after President Emmerson Mnangagwa won elections. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Alexander Rusero, a political analyst from Harare Polytechnic College

Labour union NEHAWU is to meet striking SASSA workers to decide on the way forward following the suspension of the Biometric Enrolment for grant beneficiaries. This follows a meeting between Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu, NEHAWU representatives and senior SASSA officials in Johannesburg yesterday. SASSA workers have been on strike countrywide since yesterday, Wednesday. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to NEHAWU general secretary Zola Sephetha