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President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that South Africans are losing faith in the ANC due to failures in governance, weak service delivery and persistent unemployment. Delivering the party’s January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium in the North West to mark the ANC’s 114th anniversary, Ramaphosa admitted that these shortcomings have demoralised many citizens and warned that continued failure risks further erosion of public trust.  

Guest: Samkele Maseko: Senior Political Reporter, SABC 

 

 

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Fed chair Jerome Powell faces criminal investigation 

• 2. The US labour market ends 2025 on a weaker footing
• 3. Markets

 

Protesters across Iran have defied an escalating government crackdown, taking to the streets despite reports of mass arrests, lethal force, and a near-total internet shutdown. What began as demonstrations over soaring inflation has rapidly evolved into a nationwide movement calling for the end of Iran’s clerical rule, drawing sharp threats from Tehran and increasingly confrontational rhetoric from the United States.  

Guest: Naeem Jeenah: Senior Researcher: Humanity at Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA)

 

Africa Update Report with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

12 January 2026

1.    Uganda – Kampala

Uganda decides 2026 in three days. 

The African Union (AU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) announce the arrival in Uganda of the election observation mission (AU-COMESA-IGAD EOM) to the 15 January 2026 General Elections in the Republic of Uganda. 

This Mission is at the invitation of the Government of Uganda and the Electoral Commission of Uganda.

1.  Guinea-Bissau- ECOWAS

The Guinea-Bissau junta and ECOWAS leaders discuss the release of detainees and a transition timeline.

African leaders representing the regional bloc ECOWAS held talks over the weekend with Guinea-Bissau’s junta government on the release of detainees and the transition to constitutional rule.

1. Somalia- Somaliland- Israel- Palestine

Somalia’s minister of defence, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, has accused Israel of planning to forcibly displace Palestinians to the breakaway region of Somaliland, denouncing the alleged plan as a “serious violation” of international law.

“We have confirmed information that Israel has a plan to transfer Palestinians and to send them to [Somaliland], without elaborating.

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day, 12 January 2023, when the former first speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Mme Frene Noshir Ginwala, passed away at her home in Cape Town, at the age of 90.

Born on 25 April 1932, Frene Noshir Ginwala served in various roles in the anti-apartheid struggle and South Africa’s democratic dispensation, including as a lawyer, academic, political leader, activist, and journalist.

 

ActionSA can reveal that Ministers serving in South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) have spent nearly R450 million on travel and accommodation in just their first 18 months in office—a figure expected to exceed R500 million once all outstanding parliamentary replies are finalised.

Guest: Alan Beesley: ActionSA Member of Parliament (MP) 

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu Natal has been inundated with panic calls from some school principals who are worried by the poor state of readiness for schools reopening. Schools are re-opening on the 14th of January 2026 and are expected to deliver the first lesson in all subjects for all grades in the school.

Guest: Nomarashiya Caluza: Provincial Secretariat, The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) in KwaZulu Natal 

 

How important is public participation in the Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection?

Guest: Princy Mthombeni: Co-founder of South Africans for Constitutional Reform (SACR) 

The long-running divorce dispute between actress Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa and international DJ Black Coffee is heading to the Supreme Court of Appeal, marking one of the most significant family-law cases in recent South African history. What is the biggest lesson couples can learn about customary marriages from this case?

Guest: Mary-Jane Mphahlele: Founder of Mary-Jane Mphahlele Inc. 

A large wildfire is currently burning in a remote section of the Garden Route National Park in the Eastern Cape, prompting an extensive multi-agency firefighting response as authorities work to contain the blaze and protect surrounding communities and infrastructure.  

Guest: Len du Plessis: SANParks Senior Manager: Environmental Planning, garden route national park