First Take SA

Legal experts say it’s important for people who look after children whose parents have died to formalise their status as guardians in order to avoid legal complications. Tokollo Machea (not his real name) is from Phuthadithaba in the Free State. He says his 58-year old unemployed mother has been looking after his late brother’s daughter after both her parents died. The girl’s father Polelo Machea died last year and he had an investment policy with Old Mutual. His daughter, currently a minor, is the sole beneficiary. However, the family has been struggling to get the company to pay out the much-needed funds.

Violent protest action broke out in Meyerton this morning when municipal employees at the Midvaal Municipality barricaded roads with rocks and burning tyres. Public order police were dispatched to the area to deal with the violence that broke out at around 8am this morning.

The ANC has distanced itself from what they call policy changes at the SABC. Addressing the media at Luthuli House in Johannesburg, chairperson of ANC sub-committee on communication Jackson Mthembu says the party was not consulted on the policy changes at the broadcaster. The SABC has come under fire following editorial decisions not to show violent public protests and other decisions which have resulted in the suspension and disciplinary processes against some employees. Mthembu says the ANC will meet with Communications Minister Faith Muthambi over the issues at the public broadcaster and will also call for an inquiry into the allegations made against the ruling party.

Fifteen thousand jobs were lost in the first quarter of 2016. This is according to the StatsSA's quarterly employment survey, which shows that the job losses were across all sectors of the economy. This is a decline of 0.2 per cent in the formal employment of South Africa's economy. Gross earnings also declined by 4 per cent during the quarter from over 545 million rand to just over 523 million rand.

Tsepiso Makwetla speaks to Nontando Ngamlana, the Executive Director of Afesis-corplan about the Trend.

The high court of Pretoria has adjourned until tomorrow, wrapping up day one in the sentencing procedure of Oscar Pistorius. State prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, earlier questioned psychologist Jonathan Scholtz's objectivity after he refrained from including a prison report in his testimony that stated Pistorius had been verbally violent towards prison officials. Nel questioned why Scholtz only selected positive aspects of prison reports to support mitigation of sentence. Last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the former athlete's culpable homicide conviction and found him guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

The SACP in KwaZulu-Natal has agreed to allow its provincial Secretary Themba Mthembu to take up the position of MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development. In a joint media briefing held in Durban, the ANC and the SACP have said Mthembu will take up the position following urgent bilateral talks between the parties. Questions arose earlier today when Mthembu did not attend the swearing in of the other new MEC's. Previously, the SACP was critical of the decision by the ANC to ask former Premier Senzo Mchunu to step down and the reshuffle of the provincial cabinet announced by the new premier, Willies Mchunu, yesterday.

Northam Platinum has suspended operations at its Zondereinde mine following the deaths of two rival union members. Northam Mine says violence erupted after another worker had been shot dead in a nearby town on Sunday. Another has been stabbed to death in the on-going clashes. The platinum belt has been the battle ground for a membership turf war between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

Both stillbirth and miscarriage are types of pregnancy loss, but they differ by when the loss occurs. A miscarriage (sometimes called a spontaneous abortion) is when a baby dies before the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirth is the death of a baby after the 20th week of pregnancy but before delivery. Researchers estimate that, among women who already know they are pregnant, nearly 15 percent will have a miscarriage.Stillbirth can occur before delivery, or as a result of complications during labor and delivery. In at least half of all cases, researchers can find no cause for the pregnancy loss. In spite of how often stillbirth occurs, and how emotionally painful it can be, little research has been done on this type of pregnancy loss

ANC Branch Chairperson at Edendale outside Pietermaritzburg has been shot dead. Nathi Hlongwa was gunned down at IMbali Township in Pietermaritzburg after meeting with some party members. His killing comes just a day after Mpofana Municipality Chief Financial Officer Simo Mncwabe was shot dead. Both Mncwabe and Hlongwa are originally from Edendale. Last month two other ANC councilors were also shot dead - one at the notorious Glebelands hostel in Durban and another at Nongoma in the north of the province. The party's provincial spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli spoke to PM Live anchor Tšepiso Makwetla.