The City of Ekurhuleni has issued a firm warning ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, saying businesses selling uncertified fireworks will face fines of R2,500, while individuals who set off fireworks illegally will be fined R1,000 on the spot. The city says the measures are aimed at improving safety and protecting animals during the festive season.  

Guest: William Ntladi: Spokesperson, City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS)

This year’s traditional summer circumcision season (umgidi/ulwaluko) in South Africa — especially in the Eastern Cape — has once again taken a tragic toll. Instead of celebrating the coming of age for young men, many families are preparing funerals as the initiation season becomes increasingly deadly.   

Guest: Ntshele Petros Majola: Social Activist & Director of Khulanathi Community Development 

The ANC in the Western Cape has strongly criticised the City of Cape Town over changes to the route of the annual Kaapse Klopse Karnival, also known as the Minstrel Festival. The party argues that rerouting the historic street parade to DHL Stadium undermines the cultural significance of the event and amounts to the commercialisation and erasure of a deeply rooted heritage celebration.  

Guest: Muneeb Gambino: a director of the Kaapse Klopse Karnaval Association

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy say they are close to a potential agreement to end the war in Ukraine, following talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.  

Guest: Brooks Spector: Associate Editor: The Daily Maverick

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

 

30 December 2025

 

1.    Central African Republic - Bangui

Central African Republic votes amid mostly peaceful election day

Voting in the Central African Republic’s national elections appears to have gone smoothly in many places, with local observers reporting no major disturbances at polling stations. 

“We can say that the vote went very well. There was no major disturbance. 

The representatives of the parties and also of the candidates behaved very well, not to mention the president of the polling station who was very accommodating,” said election observer Jeanne Aurélie Ngo Belnoun.

 

2.    Nigeria – Lagos 

Nigerians in Darkness as National Grid Collapses Again

Nigerians were plunged into darkness yesterday afternoon following another collapse of the national electricity grid, with power supply across most parts of the country dropping to near zero.

Distribution load figures released at 3:12 p.m. on December 29, 2025, showed that electricity supply to the country's power distribution companies fell drastically, indicating a widespread system failure.

 

3.    Afrikan news in 2025 that captured the media headlines- middle-lines and below lines 

 Fragmentation in Sudan Strains Region

The conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commanded by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has triggered the fragmentation of Africa’s third-largest country and the creation of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. 

Sudan’s forcibly displaced population totals 12.8 million people. This underscores the brutality of the Sudan conflict, which continues to expand since erupting in April 2023.

In October 2025, the RSF captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The paramilitary group massacred thousands and forced tens of thousands to flee. 

More than 150,000 residents of El Fasher remain unaccounted for. With the collapse of the SAF’s last stronghold in the region, the RSF has been able to pivot its focus to Kordofan in the south.

 

4.    Afrikan news in 2025 East Africa – Sahel- SADC 

Growing Impunity, Abuses of Power, failed elections and military coups or revolutions 

•      Of the 10 elections scheduled in Africa for this year, only 3 were considered free and fair.
•       Moreover, the election in one of the continent’s most stable countries, Tanzania, saw unprecedented levels of violence directed at supporters of the political opposition, ordinary citizens, and journalists. 
•      This continues a pattern of impunity by incumbents regarding the expectation to hold credible elections that provide a validation of popular support.
•      Military interference continued to be a dominant theme with military juntas attempting to consolidate earlier seizures of power through electoral exercises in Gabon and Guinea. 
•      A military coup in Guinea-Bissau in November preempted the long-delayed election there.
•       Another coup, in Madagascar in October, further undermined constitutionalism in that Indian Ocean Island state. Benin was able to prevent a military coup in December with the help of ECOWAS forces from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. 

 

5.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 30 December 1987, when the former commander of the Transkei Defence Force (TDF), former a staunch African National Congress (ANC) activist and now deputy minister of defence and military veterans, Major General Bantu Holomisa, led a bloodless coup against the Transkei government.

 

 KwaZulu-Natal recorded a spike in drunk-driving arrests on the Day of Goodwill, with more than 100 motorists detained for traffic violations across the province. Transport authorities say intensified law-enforcement operations are helping reduce road accidents during the festive season.  

Guest: Siboniso Duma: The MEC for Transport in KwaZulu-Natal 

Can South Africa beat Zimbabwe this evening as they collide at the Stade de Marrakech in their final Group B match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations?

Guest: Nosibusiso Sibiya: SABC Sport journalist 

Gauteng police said the proliferation of illegal liquor outlets and the dangers posed by fake alcohol were among the key issues discussed at a recent tavern safety summit, convened in the wake of two deadly mass shootings at drinking establishments in the province.  

Guest: Lucky Ntimane: Convenor of the National Liquor Traders Council 

The South African Medical Association has criticised a proposed 4.1% salary increase for politicians and senior government officials, arguing that it sends the wrong message at a time when public healthcare services are under severe financial strain.  

Guest: Dr. Mvuyisi Mzukwa: South African Medical Association (SAMA) Chairperson 

 

Severe thunderstorms battered parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, destroying about 125 homes and injuring several people across the Amajuba and Umzinyathi districts. Provincial authorities have deployed disaster management teams as volatile weather conditions continue to pose risks across the province.  

Guest: Senzelwe Mzila: spokesperson for KZN for co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC