First Take SA

Judgement is expected to be handed down in the Cape Town High Court in the trial of triple murder accused, Henri van Breda. The 23-year-old is accused of killing his family at the De Zalze Estate in Stellenbosch, three years ago. Carmel Loggenberg Roberts reports..

Scores of disgruntled ANC members and supporters in KwaZulu-Natal are demanding the disbandment of the party's Provincial Task Team. They accuse it of having failed to address their concerns. They held a rally at Curries Fountain Stadium in Durban. The Provincial Task Team was set up early this year after court had declared the outcomes of the elective conference null and void. The team, led by Mike Mabuyakhulu and Sihle Zikalala, was tasked with overseeing the day-to-day running of the party and fostering unity in the province. Vusi Makhosini reports

A young girl from Matatiele continues to live a tortured life after her face was severely scarred four years ago. After surviving the brutal crime she is now a victim of discrimination from fellow learners because of her disfigurement. Reabeletswe Jabare was disfigured when she was allegedly sold by an aunt to a foreign national who removed parts of her face to make traditional medicine. She was only four years old at the time. Nkululeko Nyembezi visited Reabetswe Jabare and filed this report…

Burundians voted on Thursday in a referendum on constitutional reforms that, if passed, will enable President Pierre Nkurunziza to rule until 2034. Activists say the campaign period, like the preceding three years of unrest, has been marked by intimidation and abuse. Witnesses have told human rights groups that 26 people have been killed, including 11 children. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Human Rights Watch Africa senior researcher, Lewis Mudge...

Cash-in-transit heists are now said to have not only increased dramatically in South Africa, but criminals are also becoming more violent. In the majority of incidents‚ heavily armed robbers using stolen or hijacked vehicles, use commercial explosives and strike with military precision, with AK47s‚ R4 and R5 rifles. Five suspects were arrested on Thursday, after two cash vans were attacked in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. Police said a group of more than ten suspects bombed the cash vans before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. The Police gave chase which ended up at George Goch hostel south of Johannesburg, where some of the stolen money was recovered. Three firearms and a getaway car were also seized. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to spokesperson of the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, SABRIC, Louise Tordiffe.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC has honored it's first South African Aids Activist for her work. An exhibition of Yvette Alta Raphael in the fight against HIV/Aids was launched yesterday. Raphael is a trusted globally renown advocate on effective and efficient education to the general community regarding new and developing research for medications that treat and/or prevent HIV. She co-found the Tshwaranang Care Center for People Living With HIV & AIDS (PLWHA) and speaks around the globe to advise researchers, advocates, and policy makers. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Yvette Raphael

KwaZulu-Natal police will be closely monitoring some of Durban's northern townships after a local business association issued an ultimatum to foreign shop owners to pack up and leave. The Northern Region Business Association - which operates in Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu - accuses foreign nationals of unfair business practices and making it difficult for South African shop owners to do business. This has sparked panic among foreign nationals, who fear this could lead to xenophobic violence similar to that experienced in 2015. Premier Willies Mchunu met with the disgruntled association and the province's Somali Community Council. Nhlanhla Nxele reports....

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) says it is intact and financially stable, despite the negative media reports. The union says it is able to pay salaries to its workers, even though it has a loan agreement with the controversial VBS Bank that is currently under curatorship. President of the union, Pule Molalenyane, says they don't have a bond with VBS Bank but an 11 million rand photocopy machine loan agreement. Molalenyane says the contract is still binding and they are servicing the loan through a monthly debit order. The union however says they are not able to withdraw one million rand from its saving account until he VBS curatorship matter has been resolved. Amina Accram reports...

Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga's chief of staff, Marietha Aucamp, has resigned. Aucump, who had been placed on special leave, announced last night that she will quit her position at the end of May. She had been embroiled in a qualifications scandal after it emerged that she allegedly lied about having a B-Tech degree to get the top job in mayor Msimanga's office. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Marietha Aucamp

The Democratic Alliance says the Western Cape High Court judgment is not in the best interests of the people of Cape Town. This after the court ruling that embattled Cape Town mayor, Patricia de Lille, will remain in office for at least the next two weeks until it makes a final ruling on her urgent application to challenge the party's decision to terminate her membership and subsequently remove her from her position as mayor. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to DA Deputy Caucus leader JP Smith