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• Lewis cleared to intervene in Pepkor-Shoprite furniture acquisition
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As South Africa’s unified school calendar begins on Wednesday, 14 January, new data show that the cost of sending a child to public high school is rising far faster than inflation, deepening financial pressure on households already struggling with the high cost of living.  

Guest: Taryn Jankes: Chief Marketing Officer, Teneo 

 

 

 

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) rejects the notion that the ANC can speak on behalf of all South Africans on matters of foreign policy, particularly regarding Venezuela. The ANC’s ideologically driven, anti-Western stance does not reflect the views of all citizens or parties within South Africa’s democratic framework. The VF Plus therefore distances itself from the ANC’s position and welcomes decisive international action against the illegitimate and criminal regime of Nicolás Maduro.  

Guest: Corne Mulder: Chief Whip in Parliament, The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) 

 

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has publicly endorsed Provincial Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for a second term, a move that carries significant political and institutional weight amid ongoing national probes into alleged corruption and interference within South Africa’s security and justice systems.  

Guest: Andy Mashaile: Security Strategist 

 

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Sentiment in the manufacturing sector sours in December 

• 2. Government presses on with search for buyer for ArcelorMittal’s long steel business
• 3. Markets

 

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

9 January 2026

1.    Benin- Cotonou

Benin decides 2026

 Dual legislative and local elections, first act of a crucial election year

Beninese voters are called to the polls on Sunday, January 11 for legislative and local elections. They are taking place on schedule, a little more than a month after the coup attempt that shook Cotonou. 

The parties competing will end two weeks of campaigning on Friday 9 January, before a double election that marks the start of an election year in the country.

 

2.    Uganda – Kampala 

Uganda decides 2026

Electoral process, issues and concerns and technical matters 

Uganda's Electoral Commission has cleared 27 political parties to operate and participate in the January 15 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Eight presidential candidates, including incumbent Yoweri Museveni and opposition aspirant Bobi Wine, are vying for the presidency in Uganda.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has been in power since 1986, is running for a seventh term under the ruling National Resistance Movement.

 

3.    Nigeria - Abuja

 Ex-justice minister Abubakar Malami granted bail in money laundering case

Nigeria’s Federal High Court on Wednesday granted bail to former justice minister and attorney general Abubakar Malami ahead of his money laundering trial.

Malami served as the top law officer under former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.

Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accuse him, his son and his wife Hajia Asabe Bashir of stealing and laundering public funds worth 8.7 billion naira, or about $6 million.

 

4.    Ghana - Accra

Ghana's ex-finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta detained by US immigration authorities

Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori Atta has been detained by US authorities, his lawyer said late on Wednesday.

Ofori-Atta, who is in the US for medical treatment, is wanted at home on suspicion of corruption. He was declared a fugitive last February and formally charged in November.

5.    In our historical archives, it was on this day 9 January 2005 when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement  also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was  signed,  by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan in Kenya.

 The CPA was meant to end the Second Sudanese Civil War, develop democratic governance countrywide, and share oil revenues. It also set a timetable for a Southern Sudanese independence referendum

 

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Chinese inflation ticks higher in December 

• 2. HCI dumps its stake in Western Cape based mall, Whale Coast Village 
• 3. Markets

 

Iran has entered its 11th consecutive day of nationwide unrest, with violent clashes reported between anti-government protesters and security forces across multiple cities. What began as demonstrations over economic hardship has escalated into a broader political movement, marked by deadly confrontations, mass arrests, and increasingly direct challenges to Iran’s leadership.  

Guest: Thembisa Fakude: Director at Africa Asia Dialogues

 

As South Africa’s unified school calendar begins on Wednesday, 14 January, new data show that the cost of sending a child to public high school is rising far faster than inflation, deepening financial pressure on households already struggling with the high cost of living.  

Guest: Taryn Jankes: Chief Marketing Officer, Teneo 

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• From rates to geopolitics, the forces set to move markets in 2026

• 2. Nestle’s baby formula recall widens, with African countries added to the list
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