12 December 2025

1.    Ivory Coast-Sahel- USA

Ivory Coast pushes for US spy planes to tackle al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Sahel

Ivory Coast wants the Trump administration to station U.S. spy planes in the country’s north to carry out cross-border operations targeting Al Qaeda-allied jihadists wreaking havoc across the Sahel, according to two senior Ivorian security officials who told Reuters they expected a decision from Washington next year.

2.    ECOWAS- ABUJA

ECOWAS to cut air transport taxes in bid to lower cost of air travel in West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to abolish air transport taxes as of 1 January 2026, in an effort to reduce the cost of air travel across the region.

 ECOWAS also said aviation charges related to passengers and security would decrease by 25% starting next year.

3.    Burundi- DR Kongo

Massive influx of Congolese refugees strains Burundi's humanitarian capacities

Thousands of new Congolese refugees are arriving en masse in Burundi to escape fighting between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their allies in South Kivu.

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed control of the city of Uriva this week.

New reception sites have been set up to manage the influx, including the Kansega transit site in Ndava zone, in Bujumbura province near the border with the DRC.

4.    Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

Ethiopia to hold general election on 1 June 2026

Ethiopia’s electoral commission announced on Tuesday that the country’s general election will be held on 1 June 2026.

The chairperson of the National Board of Ethiopia Melatwork Hailu told local media that activities aimed at "organizing branch offices and ensuring that polling stations are conducive were carried out."

5.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 12 December 1913, when Emperor Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, transitioned this earth. He was the first black African King to engage in the slavery of white European war captives held as enslaved people inside Ethiopia. 

5.1 In our historical archives, it was on this day 12 December 1963 when Kenya was liberated from its former coloniser Britian with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta as the country’s first Prime Minister.

 

 

• Disney invests a billion dollars in OpenAI

• 2. Agoa gets it first approval post expiration
• 3. Markets

 

 

Bulgaria has entered a new period of political uncertainty after Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on Thursday, bowing to intense public pressure and widespread protests over corruption and economic policy. The move comes just weeks before the country is set to join the euro zone, underscoring the gravity of the domestic crisis gripping the nation.  

Guest: Dr Kingsley Makhubela: Risk Analyst, former Diplomat and Public Relations Executive 

 

The battle to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery has become Hollywood’s biggest drama of the year. Netflix and Paramount Skydance are vying for control of one of the industry’s most valuable content libraries, launching competing multibillion-dollar bids that could reshape the future of film, television, and streaming. 

Guest: Thinus Ferraira: independent TV critic, writer and journalist in South Africa as well as a pop culture and media expert

Cellphones often start showing signs of trouble around the two- to three-year mark — from random glitches and slowing performance to stubborn charging ports that suddenly stop working. But what’s really behind this decline? Is it simply the natural wear and tear of a heavily used device, or are manufacturers intentionally designing phones with a shorter lifespan to push consumers into upgrades?

Guest: Arthur Goldstuck: Tech Expert and Founder of World Wide Worx and Gadget Magazine 

 

 

The Merafong City Local Municipality on Gauteng’s West Rand is facing mounting public outrage as residents continue to endure prolonged water shortages while the municipality remains indebted to Rand Water to the tune of R1.4 billion. At the same time, a new report by the municipal public accounts committee reveals that nearly R30 million was spent on irregularly awarded tenders in just three months, raising fresh concerns over governance, accountability, and possible collusion within the municipality.  

Guest: Themba Godi: Former chairperson of parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa)  

 

 

The Youth Employment Service (YES) has reached a new milestone in creating more than 200,000 quality work opportunities for talented young South Africans. 

Guest: Tsholo Mogotsi - Chief Partnerships Officer at the Youth Employment Service  

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• Retail sales increase in October 

• 2. Grindrod gains momentum as its streamlining efforts improve 
• 3. Markets

Latest business news with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter

• The Fed cuts rates 

• 2. SpaceX plans trillion dollar IPO in 2026
• 3. Markets

As South Africans push through the final stretch of 2025, psychologists are sounding the alarm: a growing number of employees are experiencing “year-end fatigue” — a seasonal surge in exhaustion, irritability and mental overload that typically peaks in November and December. 

Guest: Anele Siswana: Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer at the University of the Free State.