Councillors of the troubled Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality in North West are demanding a report into the R38-million shack call centre to be released. The North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on the Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, recently summoned the Dr Mompati Municipality seeking answers regarding the call centre. Councillors say the call centre is useless and not beneficial to the community. It is alleged that the municipality is paying almost R300 000 for eight Lenovo desktops, more than half a million for car radios in the emergency vehicles and the just over R300 000 for handheld walkie-talkies. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Aaron Motswana, the Chairperson of North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs.

A special council meeting to possibly dissolve the eThekwini Municipality is currently ongoing at the Durban International Convention Centre. The Democratic Alliance in the metro hopes to unseat the coalition government of the ANC and the EFF which is also supported by smaller political parties. Two weeks back the metro's mayor Mxolisi Kaunda survived a vote of no confidence brought by the IFP while In February 2023,  Kaunda survived another vote of no confidence. Local residents have also been up in arms over service delivery issues. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter on this story, Fanele Mhlongo.

City of Tshwane Executive Mayor, Cilliers Brink says there has been a delay in capital spending in the metro, due to tighter controls put in place to prevent irregular and wasteful expenditure. Brink was responding to news that the National Treasury has written a formal letter to the City, threatening to withdraw over six hundred million rand, because of the City's underperformance and noncompliance with the integrated urban development grants. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Tshepo Mahlangu- President of LASCA, a Tshwane-based ratepayers advocacy group.

Cross-examination of accused number 2 in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, Bongani Ntanzi, continues today. On Friday he testified that he never confessed to any involvement in the killing of the soccer star. He told the High Court in Pretoria that he only signed papers after his alleged confession on the 24th of June 2020 because he wanted a phone call and a bath. This as the trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of alleged confessions by Ntanzi and accused number 1, Muzi Sibiya, continues. Our reporter Pearl Magubane sent us this report...

The African National Congress has four days to furnish the Democratic Alliance with records of the ruling party's cadre deployments. This follows a judgement by the Constitutional Court which upheld an earlier ruling for the ANC to hand over its records to the opposition party within five days, from yesterday. The DA has welcomed the decision by the apex court, adding that it marks one of the great victories in South African legal and democratic history. The question of the existence of such a list arose at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in 2021, when President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to a lack of record keeping within the ruling party.

The South African Poultry Association has expressed concern following the Competition Commission's decision to probe allegations of anti-competitive practices in the poultry sector. In its statement, the Commission stated that a poultry market inquiry into the industry can complement other initiatives to improve the competitiveness of the industry to the benefit of consumers and smaller participants. Sebenzile Nkabule spoke to Izaak Breitenbach, General Manager of the Broiler Organisation at the South African Poultry Association.

The community of Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality is up in arms after the municipality allegedly spent R9.7-million for the construction of Nogqala Bridge, near Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. According to community members, the project has been marred by endless discrepancies and does not justify the amounts of money spent on it thus far. Construction of the  bridge is said to have started in September 2021, following a need for locals to travel between the village and nearby clinics and schools. During rainy seasons, most children in the local primary school are forced to stay home, with high school learners forced to rent places closer to the school. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Vuyani Mqayi, a community member who lives in Mnyolo village in the Eastern Cape near where the unfinished bridge is situated.

The Constitutional Court has dismissed with costs the African National Congress final bid to appeal the ruling ordering it to hand over its cadre deployment records to the Democratic Alliance. The governing party turned to the apex court after the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein dismissed with costs the ANC's application for leave to appeal in September last year. The SCA cited "no reasonable prospects of success". Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to SABC reporter, Canny Maphanga.

More peanut butter brands have been withdrawn from sale at Pick n Pay, alongside those sold at Dischem, Clicks, Faithful to Nature and other health shops.  The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has alerted the public that more peanut butter brands have been affected by the recall announced at the start of the month. These include Dischem's Lifestyle 400g Smooth and Crunchy, Dischem's Lifestyle 800g Smooth and Crunchy, Wazoogles Superfoods (all sizes), Pick n Pay's No Name 1kg smooth and Eden All Natural. The commission has advised the public to immediately stop consuming these products and return them to the store they bought them from for a full refund, with or without proof of purchase. Sebenzile Nkambule spokesperson Acting Commissioner at the National Consumer Commission, Thezi Mabuza.

Unemployed medical doctors in KwaZulu-Natal have marched to the offices of the provincial Health Department in Pietermaritzburg, voicing their concerns over the lack of employment opportunities for medical graduates. Last week, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said his department does not have the budget to employ all medical graduates in the public sector.  Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to unemployed doctor at the march, Dr Mduduzi Mbatha.