--- title: "Trump goes Don Quixote at Davos, and a Karoo icon returns" description: "US President Donald Trump rambled on at Davos. There are now real tensions between the leadership of the Joburg ANC and the city’s mayor. And a beloved Karoo tannie makes her comeback. All in the weekly wrap." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "THE WEEKEND WRAP" author: "Daily Maverick" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-24-trump-goes-don-quixote-at-davos-and-a-karoo-icon-returns/" published: "2026-01-24T07:00:00" updated: "2026-01-09T14:29:31" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 734 --- # Trump goes Don Quixote at Davos, and a Karoo icon returns > US President Donald Trump rambled on at Davos. There are now real tensions between the leadership of the Joburg ANC and the city’s mayor. And a beloved Karoo tannie makes her comeback. All in the weekly wrap. By Daily Maverick · Published 24 January 2026, 09:00 SAST · Updated 9 January 2026, 16:29 SAST ## Key points - US President Donald Trump rambled on at Davos. Tensions between the leadership of the Joburg ANC and the city’s mayor escalate. A beloved Karoo tannie makes a comeback. All in the weekly wrap. - US President Donald Trump doubled down on his goal of acquiring Greenland. - Joburg ANC faces leadership turmoil as mayor Dada Morero resists collaboration with newly elected leader Loyiso Masuku. - A school commute that ended in tragedy reveals the widespread dangers faced by learners daily. ## Content ### The burning fires of internal political party tension — before the local elections ![Local-Chaos](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8Xy90l5oDKdrRPd7Ey0hiF81VbY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/grootes2_759314.jpg) *Illustrative Image: DA Logo. | ANC Logo. | ActionSA Logo. (Images: Wikicommons) | Broken glass. (Image: Freepik) | (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca)* ***By Stephen Grootes.*** While the political headline of this year is likely to be the outcome of the local elections, there are now signs of significant turmoil inside some of the regional structures of various parties. [Read more](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-21-the-burning-fires-of-internal-political-olitical-party-tension-before-the-local/). ### Trump goes full Don Quixote at Davos with Greenland dreams and windmill nightmares ![BM Trump Davos](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/3xr3LSmxS4bMGNMX2KzMA8kEsC4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2257411440_498657.jpg) *U.S. President Donald Trump gives a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. The annual meeting of political and business leaders comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Europe over a range of issues, including Trump's vow to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)* ***By Ed Stoddard and Lindsey Schutters.***US President Donald Trump raised the temperature at the frigid Swiss ski resort of Davos on Wednesday, doubling down on his goal of acquiring Greenland. [Read more](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-21-trump-goes-full-don-quixote-at-davos-witdavos-with-greenland-dreams-and-windmill/). ### How the daily commute for thousands of schoolchildren has become a gamble with death ![Taku-scholar-transport](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/M5zbehtxis55h269Lt4Pj5kdOoo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/taku-transport_666718.jpg) *Illustrative Image: School children. (Photo: Supplied / Bulungula Incubator) | Cracked glass. (Inage: Freepik) | Taxi. (Photo: Gallo Images / Shiraaz Mohamed) | (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca)* ***By Takudzwa Pongweni.*** The recent collision in Vanderbijlpark between a minibus taxi and a truck, which claimed 14 young lives, has laid bare the lethal disconnect between South Africa’s scholar transport laws and the chaotic reality on the roads. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-22-death-of-14-learners-in-horror-crash-highlights-need-for-stricter-enforcement-of/) ### Hit murders for insurance claims have spiralled in the Eastern Cape ![Riaan-CourtCases](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pCZk-ek68lirH3dDEnx-VrGJk6E=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/MurderforMoney_157406.jpg) *Siyabulela Mbane, Ntobeko Msome, Xolelwa Msome and Unathi Peter face a string of murder and fraud charges, totalling over R3-million, for their alleged involvement a Murder for Money syndicate. (Photo: Algoa FM)* ***By Riaan Marais.*** A special task team is investigating murders linked to dodgy policies in the province. [Read more](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-21-hit-murders-for-insurance-claims-spiral-to-50/). ### Joburg’s 188 hijacked buildings: Nine years, seven court orders, only one eviction ![Anna-Hijacked-Buildings](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/EJplezswIENN3IBmMWWKJPZaYcE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ED_466562_206657.jpg) *Vannin Court in the Central Business District (CBD) on September 08, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is reported that residents state that they are forced to live in dire conditions because they have nowhere else to go. (Photo: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi)* ***By Anna Cox.*** Recent raids on buildings were sparked by the murder of DJ Warras, but actual measures to reclaim these structures have stalled. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-20-joburgs-188-hijacked-buildings-nine-years-seven-court-orders-only-one-eviction/) ### After Kruger Park storms, love and grief in the time of floods spur the spirit of solidarity ![ME-Tiara-LoveInTheTimeOfFloods](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/1wVyOGLXv1GnQ0nSxqrPTWDhcdU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Motorcyclingcouple_678891.jpg) *Stopping over at Hoedspruit's Kamogelo Tourism Centre, Nathan and Lumka Smith marks his 31st birthday with a motorcycling ride from Nelspruit. 20 January 2026. (Photo: Tiara Walters)* ***By Tiara Walters.*** As the sounds of daily life begin to return, the spirit of perseverance prevails in a town that refuses to accept silence and despair. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-20-after-kruger-park-storms-love-and-grief-in-the-time-of-floods-spur-the-spirit-of/) ### Back-to-school dreams stall as unpaid lay-bys expose families’ financial strain ![Siya-schooluniform-laybys](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/z9M6QlBM4SCmrjYzTSxXNnEe6Fo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/IMG_8937_353438.jpeg) *Parents are struggling to pay for school uniforms ant Pep stores after placing it on lay-by despite schools open. (Photo: Siyabonga Goni)* ***By Siyabonga Goni.*** For many families, financial pressure continues to delay access to basic school essentials. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-20-backtoschool-dreams-stall-as-unpaid-laybys-expose-families-financial-strain/) ### January reads: From mindful money to edge-of-your-seat thrillers ![joywatson-january-reads](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/DwjJTUesNr0mo5s50LI6bDI3BMk=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/books-kristen_682641.jpg) *Illustrative Image: Compilation of book covers. (Images: Penguin Books / Jacana Media / Little, Brown Book Group, Tafelberg Publishers Ltd.)* ***By Joy Watson***. January’s reading list moves between reflection and escape, pairing books that sharpen focus and rethink our relationship with money with fiction that unsettles, absorbs and lingers. [Read more](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-19-january-reads-from-mindful-money-to-edgeofyourseat-thrillers/). ### Is Afcon move to four-year cycle Motsepe’s vision or pandering to Europe? ![Soccer-Afcon quadrennial](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/KPqTNivZlbF411xnuZVletSpNuY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/B26ADSM0081_532112.jpg) *Fifa President Gianni Infantino and CAF President Patrice Motsepe during 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Last 16 match between South Africa and Cameroon on the 04 January 2026 at El Barid Stadium in Rabat. (Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)* ***By Yanga Sibembe.*** The decision to move the Africa Cup of Nations from being a biennial competition to a quadrennial one has been one of the biggest talking points in recent weeks. Who exactly does it benefit? [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-22-is-afcon-move-to-fouryear-cycle-motsepes-vision-or-pandering-to-europe/) ### Karoo roosterbrood icon Tannie Poppie makes a comeback ![Vince-Aunty- Poppie-roosterbrood MAIN](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/caUZIz7QRUdm15Ez2qZTwIXkVcw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/AuntyPoppieandherfamousstall_620484.jpg) *Aunty Poppie and her famous stall. (Photo: Vincent Cruywagen)* ***By Vincent Cruywagen.***Rosaline van As, better known as Tannie Poppie, the much-loved face behind traditional Karoo roosterbrood on the N1 in Laingsburg, is back again. [Read more.](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-19-karoo-rooster-brood-icon-tannie-poppie-makes-a-comeback/) [![Trump’s dangerous precedent, SA’s flawed NDPP process and a dash of lychees](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/jbVU4msJ4M4d4Yjey8ieX4xHvGA=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/GettyImages-2254061778_849305.jpg)Trump’s dangerous precedent, SA’s flawed NDPP process and a dash of lychees](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-10-trumps-dangerous-precedent-sas-flawed-ndpp-process-and-a-dash-of-lychees/)