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

Making headlines: Ramaphosa says 2025 matric results show steady improvement in education; Eskom launches mobile customer hubs, pop-up service points; And, Mozambican President cancels Davos trip due to severe floods

Ramaphosa says 2025 matric results show steady improvement in education

President Cyril Ramaphosa said while the 2025 Matric results showed a steady improvement in quantity and quality, enhancing the achievements of recent years, challenges remain.

Last week, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that the Matric Class of 2025 achieved the highest pass rate in the country’s history.

More than 650 000 learners passed the National Senior Certificate, achieving a pass rate of 88%. This is an improvement from 87.3% in 2024.

Ramaphosa said in his weekly letter to the nation that the results have contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of South Africans older than 20 who have a matric qualification, increasing from 30% in 2002 to 52% in 2024.

He said this showed the value of government’s investment in education and the efforts made to level the playing field for all children when it came to quality education.

Eskom launches mobile customer hubs, pop-up service points

State-owned power utility Eskom says it will roll out a new customer service model, comprising scheduled mobile customer hubs and pop-up service points across communities.

The initiative marks a key milestone in expanding access to customer support and bringing services closer to where customers live and work, Eskom said.

The new approach blends mobile “Hub-on-Wheels” units, community pop-ups, self-service platforms and selected permanent customer service hubs.

The mobile offerings will operate in addition to Eskom’s brick-and-mortar facilities, which continue to operate in strategic and accessible areas.

Permanent customer service offices will progressively resume operations and will officially open from February 1, with further locations to follow.

And, Mozambican President cancels Davos trip due to severe floods

Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo has cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week due to severe floods that have damaged infrastructure and affected hundreds of thousands of people in the Southern African country.

Heavy rains since mid-December have caused widespread floods in Mozambique's Gaza, Maputo and Sofala provinces, with several river basins above alert levels, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report.

The United Nations report said authorities estimated that more than 400 000 people had been affected, with numbers expected to rise as rains continue.

Neighbouring South Africa has deployed an air force helicopter to Mozambique to help with search-and-rescue efforts.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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