South Africa and parts of southern Africa, including Mozambique, are experiencing severe flooding and extreme weather conditions that have already claimed dozens of lives, displaced communities and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, agriculture and ecosystems.

Guest: Jasper Knight, Professor of Physical Geography, University of the Witwatersrand.

20 January 2026

1.    Mozambique – Maputo

Floods destroy 152 km of roads in Mozambique, submerge 40% of Gaza province 

The Mozambican government estimates that 40% of Gaza Province is submerged following heavy flooding over the past few days. Several districts in Maputo province are also inundated, alongside the destruction of at least 152 kilometres of classified roads.

1. Togo- Eastern DR Congo 

Lomé Summit Seeks Fresh Momentum for Eastern DRC Peace Process

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has participated in a high-level African Union-led meeting aimed at advancing the peace process in the conflict-hit eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), held in Lomé, Togo.

The meeting brings together a panel of co-facilitators appointed by the African Union, including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza, and former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

1. Kenya – Kisumu-Homa Bay 

Kenya’s Boda Girls ride to save lives in remote communities. 

Across western Kenya, a group of female motorcycle riders known as the Boda Girls are helping bridge a critical gap in maternal health care. 

UNICEF estimates that more than 5,000 women and around 30,000 newborns die each year in Kenya from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

 

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day, 20 January 1987, when the first hearing looking into the mysterious death of Samora Machel began at the then Rand Supreme Court in Gauteng.

The Margo Commission, led by Judge Cecil Margo, was set up by the South African government to probe the mysterious death of Mozambican president Samora Machel.

The Mozambican president was returning from a meeting of African leaders held in Lusaka, Zambia, when his plane crashed. The fact that it crashed over South African territory raised some questions about the possibility of the involvement of the apartheid government.

 

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The Government of South Africa will participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from 19 to 23 January 2026, under the global theme “A Spirit of Dialogue.”

Guest: Adrian Saville: holds a professorship in economics, finance & strategy at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, where he is the founding director of the Centre for African Management & Markets 

 

Senegal were crowned champions of TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 against Morocco after a dramatic and hard fought final

Guest: Nkululeko Nkewu: Co-founder of iDiski Media 

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The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has intensified its response to a growing Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak, warning that limited vaccine access and fragmented national coordination are hampering efforts to contain the spread. The province is now calling for urgent national intervention and a unified strategy to address the crisis.  

Guest: Vuyiswa Ramokgopa - MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development in Gauteng 

With schools recently opening, how can inclusive education shape the future for all - schools that cater to both special needs students and circular students? 

Guest: Asima Alli - Director of iCollege Eco School

 

Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has ordered a board of inquiry to investigate why President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instruction to exclude Iran from the multinational naval exercise Will for Peace 2026 in False Bay was apparently not obeyed. The controversy has raised serious questions about civilian control of the military, internal command discipline within the SANDF, and South Africa’s diplomatic posture at a sensitive moment in its relations with the United States. 

Guest: Peter Fabricius: independent journalist and analyst on foreign policy issues

 

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