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• Business leadership SA warns blunt car tariffs could hurt local industry

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A new witness took to  the stand on Monday morning at the Madlanga Commission which entered  Day 51 of hearings at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria. The inquiry continues to probe explosive allegations of corruption within the police service, following last year’s dramatic revelations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.  

Guest: Canny Maphanga: SABC Reporter 

 

Two Pikitup refuse trucks were torched in the early hours of Wednesday at a depot in Diepsloot, as waste collection disruptions entered their third week in parts of Randburg and surrounding northern Johannesburg suburbs, sparking frustration among residents, businesses and councillors.  

Guest: Marc Naidoo: Vice chairperson for the NORTHRIDING Residents association 

 

3 February 2026

1.    Madagascar – Maunga

Cyclone Fytia hit Madagascar, flooding large parts of the northwest of the main island and leaving three people dead, while impacting nearly 30,000 others.

Fytia made landfall near Maunga in the northwest of the country as a tropical cyclone with wind gusts of up to 210 km/h.

Fytia, which was downgraded to a moderate tropical storm as it moved back to sea on Sunday morning, is expected to pass between 200 and 300 km southwest of France's Réunion island between Monday and Tuesday.

1. Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

Africa’s Leaders Head to Addis Ababa for the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Summit in a few days 

The 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council from 11 – 12 February 2026. 

Meetings form the formal statutory architecture of the AU’s annual policy-setting and decision-making cycle, culminating in the Assembly’s endorsement of continental priorities for the year and beyond.

Heads of State and Government from 14 – 15 February 2026 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the political capital of continental diplomacy and governance. 

 

3.     Zambia – Lusaka 

The government has disclosed that it is intensifying efforts to ensure that former President Edgar Lungu is laid to rest before the August 13, 2026, general elections.

Mr Kabesha explained that on December 23, 2025, the former first family was granted permission by the Supreme Court of Appeal to lodge an appeal, with a deadline of February 11, 2026, to file a notice and grounds of appeal in the relevant court. 

 

4.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 3 February 1969, when the Founder and President of Frelimo liberation in Mozambique, Dr Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane, was assassinated by a parcel bomb in Tanzania.

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Trump clinches India trade deal

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Pakistani security forces killed at least 145 militants after a 40-hour wave of coordinated gun and bomb attacks across Balochistan, one of the deadliest flare-ups in the province in recent years, officials said on Sunday. The assaults left nearly 50 civilians and security personnel dead, triggering large-scale counter-operations.  

Guest: Thembisa Fakude: Director at Africa Asia Dialogues

 

Africa moves closer to an HIV Vaccine as first-in-human BRILLIANT 011 Clinical Trial launches in Cape Town

Guest: Prof Glenda Gray, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) chief scientific officer 

 

 

• Chinese manufacturing activity ticks higher
• Pressure mounts to scrap VAT on chicken

 

Incoming National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Advocate Andy Mothibi says he is ready to take up his new role as National Director of Public Prosecutions, despite mounting controversy surrounding his appointment.  

Guest: Dr Jean Redpath: Senior Researcher in the Africa Criminal Justice Reform programme, as member of the Provincial Safety Advisory Committee, The Dullah Omar Institute 

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has informed the Government of the State of Israel of its decision to declare Mr. Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, persona non grata.

Guest: Chrispin Phiri: Ministry Spokesperson, The Department of International Relations and Cooperation