First Take SA

Political analyst, Prof Andre Duvenhage says the next two weeks could see some volatility as political parties try to form coalitions to govern the 138 hung councils nationally. In the Northern Cape, 17 councils out of the province's 26 municipalities are now hung. The Patriotic Alliance could be positioned as kingmaker in key municipalities in the province. SABC reporter Ulrich Hendriks filed this report...

Residents from several parts of Johannesburg say they are hoping that the votes they had cast during the 2026 local government elections, will bring change for the better in their communities. Communities including Coronationville, Crosby, Robertsham, North Riding, and Diepsloot continue to endure service delivery failures, highlighted by intermittent water outages that have persisted for over eight years in some areas. Senior reporter Sashin Naidoo visited some of these communities and filed this report...

Frustration over persistent water shortages and poor service delivery has reshaped the political landscape in Mpumalanga's Dr. JS Moroka Municipality, with independent candidates and the EFF securing three wards during the 2026 Local Government Elections. But as the ANC moves to engage smaller parties in coalition talks across the Nkangala District, questions remain about whether these newly-elected representatives will have the influence and resources to deliver on their promises, or if they'll be sidelined by larger political players. Nonhlanhla Ntshingila reports...

The bail judgement of the North West businessman Suliman Carrim has been reserved until Monday next week at the Musina magistrate's court, Limpopo. Suliman Carrim has applied for bail through an affidavit which was read before court by his lawyer. He is facing charges of attempted theft of motor vehicles, fraud and uttering. This is his third appearance in Musina after he was linked to initial suspects, his employees Musa Phiri and Zakes Ibrahim. The senior state prosecutor is opposing bail. Avhapfani Munyai reports...

Former President, Kgalema Motlanthe, has called for evidence based, holistic responses to deal with drug users or those in possession of small quanties - other than incarceration. Motlanthe was one of the main speakers at a meeting of the Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs in Cape Town, of which he is the chairperson. In a report the commission released in Nairobi last year, it expressed concern that this part of the continent is increasingly becoming a market for illicit drug trading. Whereas in the past, the region has been a route, it has now become a place of manufacturing and distribution. One of the biggest challenges of this is the incarceration of low level drug related offenders - causing overcrowding of up to 400-percent in some facilities. Zalene Merrington reports...