Alexander Hayes thought she had found stability in a small garden cottage in Heathfield. Instead, the 30-year-old single mother was forced out when the property was converted into a short-term holiday rental. Now couch-surfing with her two-year-old, Hayes’ story highlights the human cost of Cape Town’s deepening housing crisis — where rising rents, limited supply, and the rapid growth of Airbnb-style accommodation are pushing working residents out of the city they call home.  

Guest: Carlo Mariani: Property Entrepreneur & Founder of The Property Coach 

 

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Finmin Godongwana rules out new tax hikes in next months budget
• Valterra platinum expects earnings to double on higher pgm prices
• Market update

 

 

South Africa’s National Treasury says its proposal to raise alcohol excise duties is aimed at curbing excessive drinking — not boosting state revenue — even as the alcohol industry warns that steep tax hikes could fuel the illicit liquor trade.  

Guest: Kurt Moore: CEO of South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (SALBA) 

 

The African National Congress (ANC) Greater Johannesburg Regional Conference ballot boxes have been found in a house in Pretoria. They are believed to be linked to the controversial conference which elected Loyiso Masuku as regional chair and saw the defeat of Dada Morero, the current Johannesburg mayor. 

Guest: Samkele Maseko - SABC Politics Reporter 

• Chery to take over Nissan’s Rosslyn plant

• 2. MTN hit by governance fallout after reported dismissal of Iran subsidiary CEO 
• 3. Market update

 

Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has entered the national debate over the admissions crisis at Addington Primary School in Durban, linking recent tensions to broader concerns about illegal migration and social cohesion. Speaking during the 147th commemoration of the Battle of Isandlwana in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the monarch called for dialogue, restraint, and leadership-led solutions following clashes outside the school that required police intervention.  

Guest: Professor Musa Xulu: Cultural Expert 

 

There are now reports that the DA Chairperson of Federal Council, Helen Zille  has now endorsed the election of billionaire Patrice Motsepe to become ANC president

Guest: Helen Zille: DA Federal Council Chair  

 

Shocking new statistics released by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) have revealed that at least 97 South African police officers were accused of rape or sexual violence in the 2024/2025 financial year, raising serious concerns about accountability, institutional culture, and public trust in law enforcement. 

Guest: Fatima Shaik: Executive Director, People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA)  

 

• Gold hits another record high

• 2. Intel’s soft guidance spooks investors 
• 3. Market update

 

 

26 January 2026

1.    Ivory Coast – Abidjan 

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara continues the family dynasty and makes his brother deputy PM in a reshuffle- so we say in the Name of the Elder Brother and His Younger Brother. 

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara announced a government reshuffle on Friday in which most ministers retained their posts. Ouattara’s brother, Tene Birahima Ouattara, “photocopie”, keeps the influential defence portfolio and takes on the newly created position of deputy PM, the president's office said.

The move elevates the younger Ouattara within the government hierarchy, while most key portfolios remained unchanged, signalling continuity rather than a comprehensive overhaul.

He has previously served as the country's Minister of Presidential Affairs and head of the national intelligence department. 

 

2.     DR Kongo- Noord Kivu- Villa de Goma

One year after the battle of Goma: Villagers and residents forced to adapt during the year of M23 rule

They were caught under a barrage of fire and became trapped with "nowhere to go" after their city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fell under the M23 armed group's control a year ago. Around one million Goma residents were holed up in their homes on 26 January last year when the Congolese army and its allies were forced to pull out of the provincial capital.

 

3.    South Afrika - Zimbabwe 

Zimbabwean tycoon Mutumwa Mawere to be laid to rest in Gauteng today 

Born on Jan. 11, 1960, in Bindura, then part of Southern Rhodesia, Mawere earned advanced degrees in management and finance before beginning his corporate ascent. After working with the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe and the Merchant Bank of Central Africa, he joined the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, where he rose to the position of senior investment officer.

The decision to bury him in South Africa follows a legal dispute between the paternal and maternal sides of his family over his final resting place.

The legal disagreements centred on a conflict between the Maweres' representatives, close paternal relatives, and Irene Machiri, who represented the maternal side of the family.

The Maweres strongly advocated for the repatriation of the businessman’s remains to his country of birth, Zimbabwe, while Machiri reportedly favoured a burial at Fourways Memorial Park, a private cemetery in South Africa.

 

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day, 26 January 1887, when the Ethiopian army defeated the invading Italians during the Battle of Dogali

The Battle of Dogali was a skirmish in a larger conflict between Italy and Ethiopia. At this time, Ethiopians had the most well-equipped standing army on the African continent. 

The Italians, by contrast, had only recently emerged as a unified country, and even though they showed spirit in fighting, they were not prepared in terms of manpower, equipment, intelligence and experience. 

This battle was a stunning victory for the Ethiopian forces, who routed the invading Italians on 26 January 1887.