April 28, 2026.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Keabetswe Shilakwe.

Making headlines:

Gwarube calls for Treasury probe into textbook procurement

BLSA Reform Tracker shows progress, but some institutional reforms are lagging

And, Ghana rejects proposed US health aid deal, citing data concerns

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said today that she has written to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, requesting an investigation into allegations of irregular textbook procurement.

A News24 media report revealed that publishing company Lighthouse Publishers had registered three days after the details of the contract were revealed. The contract specified the production of textbooks for learners in Grades 1 to 3 and learning materials, for the Department of Education. Lighthouse Publishers, which would stand to make over R285-million, has denied anything untoward in the procurement process.

Gwarube said the allegation were concerning and that she was seeking advice from Treasury before moving on the matter.

Meanwhile, ActionSA echoed calls for an investigation, warning that any corruption in the education sector undermined the quality of learning.

The Reform Tracker of business organisation Business Leadership South Africa shows that central government reforms are generally progressing, albeit some more slowly, and are broadly moving in the right direction.

However, an important exception is the overall logistics reform programme, says BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso.

The tracker shows a step backwards in the index tracking reforms, which was driven by multiple factors, including the missed deadlines for Volume 4 of the Network Statement, delays in the National Rail Bill and, importantly, the emerging challenges to private-sector participation in the logistics system.

State-owned Transnet continues to design all participation terms and runs all projects, which results in agreements that heavily favour the parastatal over private partners, she points out.

The network access agreements that are supposed to see 11 private sector operators on the Transnet network are struggling toward completion with terms that substantially constrain the ability of private operators to succeed, she adds.

Ghana has rejected a bilateral health deal with the US, a source familiar with the negotiations has said, the latest stumbling block to the Trump administration's effort to overhaul foreign aid.

The government of President John Dramani Mahama balked at terms requiring the sharing of sensitive health data, the source said.

The same issue sank talks with Zimbabwe this year and also prompted a court to suspend implementation of Kenya's deal pending the hearing of a case filed by a consumer protection group.

Spokespeople for Ghana's foreign ministry and government did not respond to requests for comment.

The US State Department said that it does not disclose details of bilateral negotiations.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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