First Take SA

The basic education department says it is not backing down on its decision to continue with the Annual National Assessment (ANA) examinations in December. This, despite the unions' outrage and threats that they will boycott the assessment examinations. It was earlier announced that the assessment will take place in February next year. But on Friday basic education Minister, Angie Motshekga announced that the department had reached an agreement with the unions and the assessments will be conducted in December. The union's briefed the media in Pretoria earlier today and are adamant that the assessments will not be written this year.

As the Macufe annual festival draws nearer, on this week's OPEN MIC our producer Asanda Ntame caught up with legendary musicians Caiphus Semenya and his wife Letta Mbulu. The pair are amongst various artists that will entertain thousands of music junkies in Bloemfontein during the main festival on the 10th of October. Kicking off from the 3rd of the same month and ending off with a soccer clash between one of the Soweto Giants, Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfotein Celtics, the Macufe festival continues to draw crowds from across the country, including neighbouring SADeC countries such as Lesotho, Namibia and Mozambique

Kenya's Education ministry has ordered the closure of all public primary and secondary schools following a three week nationwide teachers' strike. Kenyan teachers went on strike at the beginning of the term following a pay dispute with the government. The country's Supreme Court ruled that a 50 - 60 per cent pay increament awarded by the Industrial court in a ruling last month, was justified. However, President Uhuru Kenyatta says the country cannot afford to pay the teachers this much.

The Annual National Assesment exams, or ANA's, will be written from the 1st to the 4th December this year. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has annouced this in Pretoria today. She says Education MEC's in all provinces indicated that they will able to go ahead with ANA's

The 2015 Rugby World Cup kick's of in London tonight, with the hosts England taking on Fiji in the opening match at Twickenham. Fans were officially welcomed to the United Kingdom by Britain's Prince Harry and the Prime Minister David Cameron in central London last night. Aphiwe Honono asks commuters for messages for support for the BOKS

Legal representative for the Democratic Alliance Advocate Anton Katz has stressed that disciplinary action without suspension would be meaningless.The DA is the first respondent in the appeal case by the SABC against the Western Cape High Court ruling that the public broadcaster's chief operating officer be suspended and disciplinary action be taken against him. The DA wants the SABC to implement Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's recommendation that Motsoeneng be removed from office. Last year, a High Court judge ordered the SABC to serve Motsoeneng with charges and institute disciplinary action over his alleged abuse of power and lying about his qualifications. For more on this we are joined on the line by our reporter Teboho Letsaba...

The taxi driver phoned by murder accused Sindisiwe Manqele on the night before she killed her rap star boyfriend Nkululeko "Flabba" Habedi has taken the stand in the High court sitting in Randburg. During his testimony Khumbulani Ncube has contradicted evidence given by Manqele. Manqele stabbed her boyfriend Flabba to death during an argument at the rapper's home in Alexandra north of Johannesburg in March this year. Our reporter Noma Bolani was in court earlier...

The Democratic Alliance Student Organisation has won the Student Representative Council elections at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. DASO retain it's twelve seats in the council and SASCO dropped from nine seats it got last year to seven seats while the EFF Student Command managed 920 votes which gave them one seat as compared to their dismal debut in last year's election. DASO is winning the elections at NMMU for the third time as the majority in council office has been rotating between DASO and SASCO. This is the first time DASO is winning the SRC elections for two consecutive years.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressd shock following Hungary's closure of its border with Serbia. This after thousands of migrants and refugees flocked to that country in recent weeks en route to Europe. Meanwhile crowds of migrants and refugees crossing from Serbia have now broken through riot police lines on the Croatian border at Tovarnik. Croatia is struggling to deal with at least 6,000 arrivals since yesterday morning after Hungary closed its border with Serbia, blocking the previous route into the European Union. For more on this we are now joined on the line by the Media and Communications Officer for the International Organisation for Migration, Itayi Viriri.

After working for government for nearly 20 years Lazarus Batji was baffled when he could not receive his entire pension fund pay out. His problem started in 2013 and Batji says his frustration was exacerbated by the fact that he has a small child.