HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY

Mon 12 January 2026:

Here’s what’s happening in South Africa today:

◼️ Washington may revive AGOA this week: The US House of Representatives is set to vote this week on a bill to extend a key preferential trade deal with Africa for three years. The bill passed a committee vote in December with strong bipartisan support. However, there are concerns about South Africa’s eligibility under AGOA due to strained relations with Washington.
https://www.news24.com/business/economy/washington-may-revive-agoa-this-week-but-sa-still-under-scrutiny-20260111-1081

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◼️ Matric pass rate drops for private schools: Dikgole said that as the IEB continues to grow, small fluctations in the aggregate pass rate are statistically expected and internationally observed in stable assessment systems. A total of 17,143 pupils took the IEB exams in 2025, including both full-time and part-time candidates, compared to 16,304 in 2024.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/847581/matric-pass-rate-drops-for-south-african-private-schools/

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◼️ Questions raised about suspicious Eastern and Western Cape wildfires: They said that despite various requests to the utility to trim foliage or to maintain power lines, short circuits continue to plague the area’s grid. One resident suggested that almost 60% of fires in recent history were caused by poor Eskom maintenance.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/eastern-western-cape-wildfires-cable-theft-eskom/

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◼️ Why so many South African children are dying of hunger: Last year, 973 children under five have died of severe acute malnutrition in South Africa’s state hospitals. Activist Mark Heywood estimates the real number is 10 times as much at around 11,000. Daily Maverick’s Estelle Ellis explains.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-11-watch-why-so-many-south-african-children-are-dying-of-hunger/

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◼️ Bad news about driving licence card fees: Increasing the validity period to eight years would result in reduced revenue for the entity producing driving licence cards, the Driving Licence Card Account. “There could be an implication that there isn’t enough revenue if it’s every eight years, and we may have to increase the tariff,” said Creecy.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/624645-bad-news-about-driving-licence-card-fees-in-south-africa.html

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