Morning Newspaper Report

The headlines of the leading newspapers on 16 January 2026:

NATIONAL:

# Business Day:

Reports the DA has been rocked by factional fighting in the party with the resignation of former minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Dion George. He is a senior member of the party. George says he can no longer remain a member of a party that has been hijacked by the ANC.

# Mail & Guardian on Fridays:

Also writes about the dispute in the DA and the verbal battle between George and party leader, John Steenhuisen. According to the DA, George resigned before the disciplinary process against him was concluded.

And secondly, the paper reports on the unanswered question in the matric results: Where are the mathematics candidates?

# And the Netwerk24 website:

Reports the police’s crime intelligence chief, lieutenant general Dumisani Khumalo, testified before the parliamentary ad hoc committee, almost the entire Gauteng police structure works for a crime syndicate. He included the entire top management of the police in the accusation.

Secondly, the website writes the number of foot-and-mouth disease cases in Gauteng is still increasing. There are currently 173 cases in Gauteng. Since last year, almost 129-thousand animals have been culled.

And finally, it is reported that firefighters in the Western Cape have welcomed the rainy weather.

GAUTENG:

# Sowetan:

Reports on president Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to flood-stricken Limpopo. The paper writes the president is stunned by the scale of the disaster and praised local communities for their help and dedication in assisting victims.

# And The Citizen:

Writes that 2.5-billion-rand will be spent this year on the security of Ramaphosa and his cabinet ministers. This is 300-million-rand more than last year and does not include the 35-million-rand that is being spent on the security of traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal.

WESTERN CAPE:

# Die Burger:

Also reports on the dispute in the DA. The paper writes about Dion George’s allegations that the party has been hijacked by the ANC and as a result was muzzled and lost its voice to lead in the interests of South Africa.

And secondly, the paper writes the Good Party in George has submitted a motion demanding that the name of PW Botha Boulevard be changed. The party says a renaming process must begin.

EASTERN CAPE:

# The Herald in Gqeberha:

Reports the Eastern Cape is once again caught in a drought, with all the restrictions being reintroduced.

And secondly, the paper writes about the huge shortage of places at universities that do not have room for all the school-leavers with university exemptions.

KWAZULU-NATAL:

# The Witness in Pietermaritzburg:

Writes the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal has condemned the death threats against premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. The party says this stems from Ntuli’s tough stance against corruption.

And secondly, it is reported that the Msunduzi municipality has been instructed to review its electricity tariffs.

And finally from NAMIBIA:

# Republikein in Windhoek:

Reports on Sunday, it is one year since the Namdia diamond heist in the capital. Only about 12-percent of the stolen diamonds worth about 1.3-billion-rand have been recovered.

Then the paper writes that Fly Nakanduungile’s legal representative argued in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court that there is no evidence that his client attacked the state prosecutor, Justine Shiweda.

And finally, there is news about the ICC U19 World Cup cricket tournament in Windhoek.