First Take SA

The Democratic Alliance is calling for an urgent debate in Parliament on the escalating gender-based violence and femicide crisis in Ekurhuleni, following the discovery of multiple women's bodies in the area over the past two months. SAPS has established a multidisciplinary team to investigate the cases, while President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that the investigations be prioritised. Police have also cautioned that they have not yet established whether all the cases are connected. The DA says Parliament must now focus on accountability, asking what government is doing to protect women, investigate these crimes and prevent further deaths. We spoke to the Lisa Schickerling, DA Spokesperson on Police about its call for an urgent parliamentary debate and what it believes should happen next.

A fire at the SWAPO informal settlement in Copesville, Pietermaritzburg has destroyed 20 shacks, up from the initial 15. KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma says verification found 19 foreign nationals were among those affected.The department also alleges a foreign national was collecting 250 rand per shack and that illegal electricity connections were in use. Government says fully subsidised housing is for qualifying South African citizens, while emergency housing offers temporary relief. For more, we're joined by Ndabezinhle Sibiya, Spokesperson for the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements in KZN.

The Democratic Alliance is demanding answers from President Cyril Ramaphosa following reports that the military has acknowledged an elite Special Forces role in a 2022 high-profile abduction of alleged ISIS financier Abdella Abadiga and Kadir Abotese. 12 operators face charges over the Mall of Africa kidnappings and the subsequent assassination of Hawks investigator Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa. The DA is also challenging attempts to move the trial of the 12 men from civilian to military courts. For more we spoke to Chris Hattingh, DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans.

Kempton Park is now Gauteng's kidnapping hotspot with 76 cases recorded between April and June this year, up more than 58 percent from last year. The Gauteng Community Safety Committee says the province accounted for over half of all kidnappings nationally, with 2,367 cases in the quarter. For the latest we're joined by Dr. Bandile Masuku, Chairperson of the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Community Safety.

Zimbabwean businessman Lawrence Mudzinganyama has been arrested and released on a warning following a viral video showing him threatening to murder women at a Sandton restaurant. The incident has drawn fierce condemnation from Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, who has ordered Home Affairs to investigate Mudzinganyama's residency status. In the same breath, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has launched an immediate investigation into his company's lucrative SANRAL tenders. Mudzinganyama has issued a public apology and is scheduled to appear in the Randburg Magistrate's Court in October. For reaction we spoke to Her Royal Highness Princess Eurika Mogane, National Commissioner for the Commission for Gender Equality.