For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa to hold bilateral talks with UAE President; Outa welcomes court’s decision to set aside driving licence card tender; And, Veteran Ugandan leader eyes new term in election amid succession talk

Ramaphosa to hold bilateral talks with UAE President

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week hold bilateral talks with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week opening ceremony tomorrow.

Ramaphosa arrived in the UAE today, with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola; Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau; and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi.

Spokesperson to the President, Vincent Magwenya, said the ADSW 2026, held under the theme ‘Nexus of Next: All Systems Go’, will see the global sustainability community undertake dialogues to foster cross-sector collaboration and deliver solutions to advance sustainable development worldwide.

He said Ramaphosa will attend the opening ceremony as well as the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards Ceremony, which celebrates 11 winners driving real-world impact in health, food, energy, water, climate action and global high schools.

Ramaphosa is also scheduled to participate in the Heads of State Panel discussion on the topic: “A vision for Global Energy”.

Outa welcomes court’s decision to set aside driving licence card tender

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has welcomed a court ruling setting aside the awarding of a driving licence card machine tender to Idemia following findings of material irregularities in the procurement process.

The court order was granted on January 6, overturning the tender that had been awarded in September 2024 by the Driving Licence Card Account, a Department of Transport entity responsible for producing the country’s driving licence cards.

The ruling follows concerns raised by Outa shortly after the tender was awarded, when the organisation alerted Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to evidence suggesting serious irregularities and potential fraud in the bid evaluation and adjudication processes.

Outa said it supported its concerns with documentation and analysis provided to Creecy soon after the tender decision was announced. In response, Creecy asked the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa to engage with Outa and other stakeholders to assess whether the issues identified were sufficient to justify cancelling the tender.

And, Veteran Ugandan leader eyes new term in election amid succession talk

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is widely expected to extend his four-decade rule in an election on Thursday after a campaign marred by violence and clouded by questions about who might eventually succeed him.

A former rebel leader who overthrew his predecessor in 1986, Museveni is now 81 and faces seven challengers. He says another four years in power - his seventh term - would allow him to "protect the gains" of Uganda's relative peace and stability.

The main opponent among his seven challengers is 43-year-old pop star Bobi Wine, who won 35% of the vote in the last election in 2021 and has energised young voters angry about widespread unemployment and corruption.

Museveni has changed the constitution twice to remove age and term limits, and his dominance of Ugandan institutions means there is little prospect of an upset in the East African country of 46-million, political analysts say.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA