First Take SA

Bodies are piling up at Gauteng mortuaries as the go slow by forensic officers is on its second week. Bereaved families cannot bury their loved ones as the officers who are meant to assist with autopsies are demanding, among others, better working conditions and danger payment. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to national coordinator responsible for public health at the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) Tshegofatso Moralo

South Africans are saying no to crime one download at a time. Citizens are sick and tired of the violence and intimidation and have taken a stand armed with the one weapon that every person, young and old, can safely and effectively use: A smart phone. Namola Mobile Emergency App is the latest most downloaded safety App in Gauteng with 50 000 downloads since it was first launched last year. It is currently the fastest and most effective way to request emergency assistance during a crime. At the moment the app is only available in Gauteng and the Tshwane Metro Police Department being the first to test it. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to CEO of Happimo Katekani Baloyi

Political parties say while they welcome the resignation of Dr Ben Ngubane as Eskom Board chairperson, the inquiry into governance issues at the power utility should still go ahead. Among the issues they want probed is the sudden reinstatement of Brian Molefe as Eskom CEO last month. While the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for the resignation of the remaining Eskom board members. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to NUM National Spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu and ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa

The South African National Aids Council is launching South Africa's first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexed (LGBTI) HIV plan. The 5-year plan supports and runs concurrently with the newly launched National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs for the period 2017-2022. It is a strategic guide tailored for challenges that are more prevalent to LGBTI people and is a milestone in the country's response to HIV, STIs and TB as well as extensively address issues of stigma and discrimination among LGBTI people. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to activist and SANAC Deputy Chairperson Steve Letsike...

A truce has been reached between Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and DA leader Mmusi Maimane. Zille has unreservedly apologised for her colonialism tweets following her suspension by the DA. At a media briefing in Johannesburg earlier today, DA leader Mmusi Maimane says Zille will step down from the positions she holds in the party's various structures including the Federal Executive, the Federal Council and the Provincial Council. But she will continue as premier and participate in the DA Caucus which deals with governance in the Western Cape. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the DA leader, Mmusi Maimane and Independent political analyst, Daniel Silke

The shortage of medical specialists in the country continues to be a challenge, especially in the public health sector. In Limpopo, the Polokwane Provincial Hospital's renal unit has only one kidney physician left. Last year, there were reports that junior doctors were performing neurosurgery, and our reporters in the province say cancer patients from far flung rural areas have to travel to the provincial hospital for treatment. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Limpopo MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba and a Nephrologist at the Polokwane Provincial Hospital's renal unit, Dr Pheto Mangena

Fire fighters are battling several flare ups in and around Knysna in the Southern Cape, despite official word that most of the fires have been contained. Ground and aerial crews are still trying to extinguish blazes in Simola, Karatara, Farleigh, PG Bison and Buffalo Bay. In nearby Plettenberg Bay, fires have also been contained. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Technical Advisor at the South African Insurance Association Susan Walls

The SABC interim board says they have taken the decision to dismiss Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. This after Motsoeneng was found guilty in an internal disciplinary hearing. Motsoeneng faced charges of bringing the SABC into disrepute and causing irreparable damage to his employer. Meanwhile the SABC's Interim board chairperson, Khanyisile Kweyama, says the contract between the TNA breakfast broadcasts and the public broadcaster, the ban on protest footage, and the 90 percent local music quota are being scrapped. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Hlaudi Motsoeneng's lawyer Zola Majavu, SABC interim board chairperson, Khanyisile Kweyama and William Bird, the Director of Media Monitoring Africa

The Department of health's Deputy Director General Dr Yogan Pillay says over two-thousand young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are infected with HIV every week in South Africa. He was addressing young people from various institutions of higher learning at the Higher Education AIDS Youth conference in Durban. The conference is the first that gives the youth an opportunity to engage and come up with innovative solutions to address the issues around HIV. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Department of health's Deputy Director General Dr Yogan Pillay

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has admitted that the oncology services in the province's public hospitals are facing a major crisis. This comes after 50 doctors who specialise in treating cancer from government hospitals in Durban decided to join the private sector. Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg is the only hospital left with at least two specialists, while Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Addington will be left with no oncologists as the remaining four will be resigning this week. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to the South African Medical Association KZN Coastal branch chairperson, Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa..