First Take SA

South Africa's latest employment figures have once again raised alarm over the country's jobs crisis. Statistics South Africa's second-quarter 2026 Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the official unemployment rate rising to 33.6%, with 345,000 more people joining the ranks of the unemployed, while total employment fell to around 16.7 million. RISE Mzansi argues that these figures are evidence that South Africa's current economic approach is no longer working, saying government needs a fundamentally different approach to job creation and economic growth. We spoke to RISE Mzansi's National leader, Songezo Zibi to unpack South Africa's jobs crisis and what needs to change.

The City of Johannesburg says it cannot directly employ 385 casual Pikitup workers because they are contracted through a service provider. Deputy Mayor Loyiso Masuku says the City has a Service Level Agreement with that company and negotiations are ongoing to resolve the waste collection strike that has left rubbish piling up across the city.

Parliament says its ICT records do not support claims by National Coloured Congress MP Fadiel Adams that his parliamentary laptop was persistently faulty for 18 months. Mr Adams told the Madlanga Commission yesterday the device had repeatedly frozen and delayed his access to correspondence. Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo elaborates. We also spoke to Dr. Bongani Nkosi, Criminal Law expert at the University of Limpopo.

The Government is proposing sweeping changes to close loopholes in mining law with harsher penalties for illegal operations. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says the General Mining Laws Amendment Bill will make illicit mining and related activities criminal offences. The bill proposes fines of up to R100 million and jail terms of up to 30 years and amends the Diamonds Act, Precious Metals Act and other laws. This comes as 14 illegal miners died in a cave-in at a disused site in Nkaneng near Rustenburg. Police are still searching for possible survivours. We spoke to Benchmark Foundation lead researcher and activist, David Van Wyk.

The National Employers' Association of South Africa, NEASA has raised concern over unannounced blitz inspections at businesses by some Ministers, Deputy Ministers and politicians with camera crews. The employers' body says only labour inspectors and immigration officers are permitted to enter premises to enforce labour, immigration and workplace safety laws. This follows reports of politicians detaining undocumented workers during coordinated inspections aimed at curbing labour exploitation. We spoke to NEASA National Manager, Jaco Swart.