For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa appoints SIU head Andy Mothibi as NDPP; Eskom reports no new breaches in online vending system; And, Ghana's inflation slows for 12th straight month in December

Ramaphosa appoints SIU head Andy Mothibi as NDPP

Following publicised interviews with nominated candidates to find South Africa’s next National Director of Public Prosecutions, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Special Investigating Unit head Advocate Andy Mothibi to fill the role, after he was reportedly asked to put his name in the ring for the position.

Mothibi is appointed with effect from February 1.

This after the advisory panel handling the selection process, chaired by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, advised Ramaphosa that none of the interviewed candidates were suitable for the role of NDPP.

The panel concluded its process and submitted its report to the President on December 12.

Advocate Shamila Batohi will be required to vacate her office this month, as she reaches the age of 65.

Political parties expressed mixed reactions to his appointment, with many welcoming his credentials and experience but questioning his appointment process.

Eskom reports no new breaches in online vending system

State-owned power utility Eskom says there are no new issues regarding the Online Vending System breach, which had first been disclosed during its financial results briefing in December 2024.

Further, as part of its turnaround strategy, Eskom says it remains committed to being transparent with the South African public.

As reported in December 2024, the Vending System breach had been hacked and exploited to generate and distribute fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens, which revealed critical vulnerabilities in the physical and cybersecurity components of the utility’s prepaid electricity infrastructure.

To combat this, and in a repetition of its statement in September 2025, Eskom says it has implemented several key actions as part of a multi-layered approach to strengthen physical security, cyber-resilience and operational controls.

And, Ghana's inflation slows for 12th straight month in December

Ghana's consumer inflation slowed for the 12th consecutive month, falling to 5.4% year on year in December from 6.3% in November, the statistics service said today.

Government statistician Alhassan Iddrisu told a press conference that while inflation pressures were coming down across most major components, the drop was mostly driven by a slowdown in food and non-alcoholic beverages prices.

He said this steady decline signals a sustained shift toward price stability and improving macroeconomic conditions, adding that last month inflation reached its lowest level since a rebasing exercise in 2021.

The Bank of Ghana targets inflation of 8%, with a tolerance band of 2 percentage points either side.

Inflation was at 23.8% in December last year.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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