First Take SA

The ANC is defending its candidate filing in a court battle over the 2026 municipal elections. The party has gone to the Electoral Court after nearly 200 candidates failed to register for the November fourth elections, blaming a technical glitch on deadline night. The ANC says 44 other parties faced the same electronic system problem. For more on this, we spoke to ANC Electoral Committee Secretary, Chief Livhuwani Matsila.

ActionSA says 16 suspended Road Accident Fund employees have been paid 29 million rand while sitting at home. The figure was revealed by the Transport Minister in a reply to a parliamentary question. The party says the officials have been on suspension for months but continue to draw full salaries. It is now calling on the Fund's board to finalise disciplinary processes. For more we spoke to Alan Beesley, ActionSA Member of Parliament.

ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, says should the party record a poor performance in the November local elections, it would be a bad reflection on the current leadership. This comes as fears are mounting that the ANC could dip far below the 46 percent it received in the 2021 local polls. Mbalula says if the ANC performs dismally in these elections, members will be within their right to call for their exit. Ntebo Mokobo has more.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews says it has deep regret over the UK government's sanctions targeting Israeli settlements. The Board says the move comes before Rosh Hashanah when communal security concerns are at their highest. It warns the deteriorating UK-Israel relationship could harm security, economies and inflame community tensions. It is urging both governments to show restraint and find a path to de-escalation. UK Jewish Board of Deputies Senior Vice President, Adrian Cohen told our senior producer Ronald Phiri, that they are disappointed by the sanctions.

Mzansi is raising the alarm over what it describes as a continuing road safety crisis on South Africa's major routes, including the N1, N2, N3 and N4. The party says thousands of pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured on these routes over the past three financial years, arguing that the problem is not simply about individual behaviour, but also about infrastructure, enforcement and access to safe public transport. Tracey Boomgaard spoke to Makashule Gana and began by asking him what he believes is driving the high number of pedestrian deaths on major routes.