First Take SA

The arrest of Stefan Joel Govindraju was described as another breakthrough in the SIU's wider investigation into corruption at the Tembisa Hospital. Govindraju was granted bail of R200-thousand by the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, east of Johannesburg. He faces charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contravening the PFMA relating to 635-million of the Two-billion Rand investigation. The Hawks allege that the procurement system at Tembisa Hospital was manipulated to bypass formal tender processes. Culvin Mabasa has more

Civic organizations and residents at Niani, near the Limpopo River in Limpopo, have called on government to deploy more resources and law enforcement personnel to intensify the fight against cross border crime. Police have on separate occasions, intercepted several stolen and hijacked vehicles, being smuggled across the river into Zimbabwe. While commending police for their efforts in fighting border crime community members say a lot needs to be done to eradicate vehicle smuggling and other criminal activities. Baatseba Mabowa reports..

The DA says it is ready to contest all 112 wards in the eThekwini Municipality in the November4 local government elections. The party announced its ward candidates in Durban yesterday (Monday 31 August) as it outlined its preparations for the elections. DA KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson, Dean McPherson, says 65 percent of the party's ward candidates are new councillors, while 35 percent are returning councillors. McPherson says all candidates have undergone rigorous assessments to ensure they understand the challenges facing communities and are prepared to address issues affecting residents. Khalesakhe Mbhense reports.

The Gauteng Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee is opening applications for initiation school principals who want to operate during the upcoming 2026 summer initiation season. Applications open today, and close on 2 October, with the province stressing that only registered initiation schools with valid permits will be allowed to operate. We spoke to Kiba Kekana, spokesperson for the Gauteng Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee.

The Legal Practice Council has dismissed reports that advocate Malesela Teffo has been readmitted to practice law. This comes after he made a surprise appearance at the Johannesburg High Court yesterday, during the attempted murder trial of alleged kingpin Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, where he tried to address the magistrate. The Council says Mr Teffo remains struck from the roll and cannot work as a lawyer in South Africa. We spoke to Director for the Legal Practice Council in Gauteng, Ignatius Briel.