Western Cape authorities say evacuation orders have been issued in Citrusdal and the Cape Winelands, with possible evacuations in areas in the Drakenstein municipality. Officials provided an update on the impact of the storm damage and the response of various agencies and departments since the series of cold fronts hit the province on Sunday. Over 15-thousand people have been affected, with disruptions due to road closures, power outages, damages to schools and flooded homes. Sakina Kamwendo spoke head of the Western Cape Department of Social Development, Dr Robert Macdonald

The City of Ekurhuleni says vehicle owners who had their cars impounded before the 31 of December 2023 have until 3pm tomorrow to make arrangements and collect them. Over a hundred and forty vehicles are kept at the metro's police department for various reasons such as being impounded after being involved in accidents and for contravening the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 or the city's by-laws. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Ekurhuleni Metro spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini who says vehicles not claimed will be disposed off. He now joins us on the line for further details...

Western Cape authorities say evacuation orders have been issued in Citrusdal and the Cape Winelands, with possible evacuations in areas in the Drakenstein municipality. Officials provided an update on the impact of the storm damage and the response of various agencies and departments since the series of cold fronts hit the province on Sunday. Over 15-thousand people have been affected, with disruptions due to road closures, power outages, damages to schools and flooded homes. Mlamli Maneli reports...

The judgment in the Life Esidimeni Inquest will be handed down by the High Court in Pretoria today. This follows a tragic incident where more than 100 people with mental illness lost their lives in 2016. One-hundred and forty-four mental health care users were relocated from Life Esidimeni in 2015 and 2016 to ill-prepared non-governmental organisations. The judgment will be delivered virtually by Judge Mmonoa Teffo. Lerato Makola reports....

Former ANC MP, Cyril Xaba has been elected as new mayor of the eThekwini metro. He replaces Mxolisi Kaunda, whom the ANC redeployed to the National Council of Provinces following the May elections. ActionSA leader in the council, Zwakhele Mncwango also nominated the DA chief whip Thabani Mthethwa, who declined. Mncwango earlier said the new mayor should not come from the ANC ranks in the light of the challenges the city is facing. Following his election, Xaba undertook that service delivery will be one of his top priorities. He says the recent extended water outage in Hillcrest and Clermont Extension is unacceptable...

The security situation in eastern DRC continue to deteriorate, reaching alarming levels of violence and civilian displacement. That was the message to the Security Council from the Special Representative of the Secretary General Bintou Keita, who is also the head of the U.N's Peacekeeping operation MONUSCO in that country.  Keita raised alarm at the rapid expansion of the M23-rebel group despite the collaborative operations of MONUSCO in support of the DRC Army and the SADC mission known as SAMIDRC. According to the United States indicated more than 4000 Rwanda troops were present on DRC soil saying its military interventions and operations in North Kivu extended beyond mere support for the M23 operations, to direct and decisive involvement, calling Kigali's actions irresponsible. Sherwin Bryce-Pease reports.

Freedom Under Law (FUL) says it will challenge Umkhonto We Sizwe party Parliament leader, Dr John Hlophe's designation as a member of the Judicial Service Commission(JSC) on grounds of rationality and rule of law. FUL says it notes the National Assembly's decision to appoint Hlophe, now an uMkhonto We Sizwe party MP, as one of the representatives of the National Assembly on the JSC. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Research Consultant at FUL, Chris Oxtoby now joins us on the line for more

Emergency service personnel from the Merafong City Local Municipality are continuing their work at the scene of a car accident that claimed the lives of 12 school learners & their driver earlier today. Initial reports indicate that the learners were travelling in a private scholar transport mini-bus when the tragic accident occurred. Following news of the tragedy, Gauteng Education MEC, Matome Chiloane expressed his deep sadness over the  incident which occurred on Wednesday morning

As schools across the country re-opened for the third term today, some learners have been forced to kick off their first day under bitterly cold conditions with no roof over their heads. In the North West, learners are forced to walk long distances to school as they do not have scholar transport. At Gaetsalwe Primary School learners have reportedly been using a community structure as there are no adequate classes. In Jozini, north of KwaZulu-Natal, learners started their first day under a roofless structure. For more on the current weather conditions causing havoc across the country, Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC  Meteorologist, Azwi Tuwani 

The corruption case against former National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been postponed to the 16th of October 2024 where pre-trial proceedings are expected to get underway in the high court in Pretoria. Mapisa-Nqakula made a brief appearance this morning before the Pretoria Magistrates Court where an indictment was served after the former Speaker was accused of soliciting four-million rand in bribes from a defence contractor during her tenure as Defence Minister. She faces 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering. Magistrate Vusumuzi Mahlangu...