WATCH LIVE as Gambakwe looks at the warning by top ANC member Frank Chikane who said new US Ambassador Leo Frank Bozell III is not welcome to South Africa if he is coming to dictate what the country should do. Speaking to the Citizen Newspaper, Chikane said South Africa has the right to prevent Bozell from coming to South Africa.
Key Events For Today
1. AGOA One-Year Extension: The program has been extended until December 31, 2026. While a three-year renewal was initially proposed by the House, the Senate and White House caved to a shorter one-year window. The renewal is retroactive to October 1, 2025. Exporters who paid duties during the lapse can apply for full refunds through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within a six-month “refund window”. South Africa remains eligible for now, but its long-term inclusion is under intense scrutiny due to diplomatic tensions. Many of its exports, such as “soft citrus” (mandarins, lemons), are still subject to a separate 30% reciprocal tariff that currently overrides AGOA benefits.
Top Trending News
1. Cordelia Masalethulini buried
2. ZANU-PF strategy session continues in Gweru
3. Stella Sibanda , a Zimbabwean woman escaped from Gaborone Women’s Prison at around midday on Wednesday, 4 February 2026.
4. Benjani has been handed a performance based contract and is required to achieve a certain number of points in the first 10 games.
5. Zimbabwean Facebook sensation Queen Nadia TV is from Mbare and is now based in South Africa.
6. Five Zimbabweans were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court for their roles in a sophisticated £302,000 fraud against the NHS. The scheme involved abusing a position of trust at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to process fraudulent patient refunds.
7. Esau Mupfumi has been appointed as Chief Chinjekure after the death of his father.
Business
1. South Africa officially became the 54th member state of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on Wednesday, 4 February 2026. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Instrument of Accession during a ceremony in Johannesburg, marking the country’s transition to a Class A shareholder. This membership follows parliamentary approval granted in 2025 and unlocks a massive financial partnership aimed at industrial growth and regional trade integration. Afreximbank has committed a total support package of up to US$11 billion (approximately R175 billion) to South Africa, headlined by an US$8 billion Country Programme targeting mining, automotive, energy, and infrastructure, alongside a US$3 billion Transformation Fund dedicated to SMEs and black-, youth-, and women-owned businesses. Administered through the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).
2. Anthropic recently launched a powerful new system of plugins for its agentic platforms, Claude Cowork and Claude Code, designed to automate complex, multi-step professional workflows. On 30 January 2026, Anthropic open-sourced 11 starter plugins that allow non-technical users to customize Claude for specific job functions. Anthropic’s agentic ecosystem includes Claude Cowork, a no-code interface for professionals to build automated workflows, Claude Code, a terminal-based agent designed for developer tasks like GitHub integration, and Claude for Chrome, a browser extension that enables the AI to control web-based tools directly. The launch of Anthropic’s Claude Cowork plugins on 30 January 2026 triggered a global market selloff, wiping out approximately $285 billion to $300 billion in market value in a single session. This event, dubbed the “SaaSpocalypse” by analysts, sparked panic because it signaled that AI foundation model providers are now competing directly with the software application layer.
Africa
1. Ghana President arrives in Zambia
2. Frank Chikane said new US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell is not welcome in South Africa. Leo Brent Bozell III, the newly sworn-in United States Ambassador-designate to South Africa, is expected to arrive in Pretoria within the coming weeks. He is anticipated to arrive in February 2026. Following his arrival, he is expected to present his letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa by early March 2026.
Community
Mve Two for one special UK
Notes
1.Edias Mazambani (42) – The lead orchestrator and former NHS credit controller.
2.George Magaya (48) – Pleaded guilty to money laundering.
3. Rosemary Magaya (37) – Found guilty of money laundering.
4. Michelle Tengende (40) – Found guilty of money laundering.
5. Sinqobile Pasipanodya (43) – Found guilty of money laundering.
Edias Mazambani (42): Sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison. As a former NHS credit controller, he used his access to financial databases to orchestrate the fraud, later pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position.
George Magaya (49): Sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in prison. He pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering related to the scheme.
Rosemary Magaya (37): Sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was found guilty of money laundering and was an NHS employee at the time.
Michelle Tengende (40): Sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs. She was found guilty of money laundering and was also an NHS employee.
Sinqobile Pasipanodya (43): Sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was found guilty of one count of money laundering.
George Magaya and Rosemary Magaya are husband and wife.
December 2016 – January 2019: Edias Mazambani, working as a credit controller at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, orchestrates the fraud. He authorises 34 fraudulent payments totaling £218,306.84 while attempting an additional £84,492.67.
Late 2018 – Early 2019: Vigilant staff within the trust’s finance department spot suspicious refund requests. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) launches an investigation.
November 2023: All five defendants appear in court and initially enter not guilty pleas to all charges.
1 September 2025: A six-week trial begins at Southwark Crown Court.
3 September 2025: During the trial, Edias Mazambani and George Magaya change their pleas to guilty.
14 October 2025: The jury finds the remaining three defendants—Rosemary Magaya, Michelle Tengende, and Sinqobile Pasipanodya—guilty of money laundering.
30 January 2026: Southwark Crown Court officially hands down sentences to all five individuals.
Post-Sentencing (Ongoing): The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announces plans to initiate Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) proceedings to recover the stolen funds.
