For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe

Making headlines: Ramaphosa pays tribute to Freedom Charter’s last surviving signatory; ABSA PMI rises by 8.2 points in Jan but remains below the neutral mark; And, Nigeria charges nine with 2025 massacre that killed 150

Ramaphosa pays tribute to Freedom Charter’s last surviving signatory

President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded Leon Levy, South Africa’s last surviving signatory of the historic Freedom Charter, following news of his passing at the age of 96.

Levy joined South Africa’s Communist Party  at the age of 24, after which he became leader of the South African Congress of Trade Unions.

Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to Levy’s family and friends and also noted the struggle contributions of Levy’s twin brother, Norman, who passed away in July 2021.

Both brothers were arrested in 1956 and charged with high treason. Norman was discharged and Leon was acquitted in 1961.

He went into exile in England, where he was joined by his brother.

Levy, who was accused number four in the Treason Trial in 1956, was one of the organisers of the Congress of the People which adopted the Freedom Charter on June 26, 1955, alongside signatories such as African National Congress president Chief Albert Luthuli, Jimmy La Guma of the South African Coloured People's Congress, Monty Naicker of the Natal Indian Congress and Pieter Beyleveld of the Congress of Democrats.

ABSA PMI rises by 8.2 points in Jan but remains below the neutral mark

The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index rose by 8.2 points to 48.7 in January, marking a significant recovery from December’s slump, says financial services firm Absa.

Although still below the neutral 50-point mark, the size of the improvement is notable, it says.

Additionally, the business activity index has increased to above the 50-point level, which suggests that production growth could have accelerated in the first month of this year.

The January PMI results suggest that this year has started on a more hopeful note. Signs of improving activity, easing input costs, and stronger domestic demand are providing early momentum, Absa says.

A continued upward trend in orders and production will be key to sustaining this recovery.

Further, unlike in December, all subcomponents of the headline index looked better in January relative to the previous month, the bank said.

And, Nigeria charges nine with 2025 massacre that killed 150

Nigerian prosecutors filed 57 terrorism-related charges against nine men accused of carrying out a deadly attack on Yelwata community in Nigeria's central Benue state in June 2025 that killed about 150 people.

Benue sits in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt, the fault line between the Muslim north and Christian south. Years of violence over land, religion, and ethnicity have proved hard for the authorities to rein in.

The charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, say the defendants held planning meetings, raised funds, procured weapons, and mobilised fighters across several states ahead of the June 13 attack, one of the deadliest rural assaults in years.

The filing says ringleader Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono and others met in neighbouring Nasarawa state to raise cash, issue orders and recruit fighters. Several defendants are accused of supplying AK-47s, aiding the gunmen or providing safe sites for planning.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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