Southern Africa

At least 3,000 travelers to South Africa have been left stranded after airline Comair abruptly suspended all flights with immediate effect. The airline announced the suspension on Tuesday evening, citing financial issues, the BBC reported. Angry customers say Comair offered specials and accepted bookings just hours before announcing the suspension. …

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema says his government has not been promoting gay rights, the Lusaka Times website reports, quoting his remarks at a church service. President Hichilema is reported to have told the congregation that his position on gay rights had not changed since his days in the opposition. He …

A teenager with albinism was killed and dismembered in Mogovolas district, in Mozambique’s northern Nampula province, for his body parts, the BBC reported. Police say they have arrested the main suspect, who they say confessed to the murder. The detained suspect is the victim’s uncle, aged 22, according to the …

A study using a sample of blood donors in South Africa has suggested that nearly everyone in the country has either been infected with Covid or has been vaccinated, or both, the Daily Maverick reports. The South African National Blood Service and the Western Cape Blood Service looked at the …

A father is being investigated in South Africa for the deaths of three of his sons after consuming an energy drink he allegedly gave them, local media reported. Two of the siblings died at school and the third died on the way to hospital. A fourth child who consumed the …

An incident occurred in the Ga-Mokgopa section of South Africa’s North West Province where a mob burned to death three men accused of being drug traffickers, police said. The victims, aged 22 to 36, burned and died in the home, police said in a statement. According to the police, members …

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that the country intends to abolish the death penalty. He termed it a “big decision” by the government. “We will work with parliament to run this process as we transition away from the death penalty and focus on the preservation, rehabilitation of life while …

Beers outsell soft drinks in South Africa, according to consumer data analysts at NielsenIQ SA. “We track sales in over 150,000 outlets… whether that’s formal grocery stores, taverns, spaza stores [kiosks],” a spokesman told eNCA news. His company said beer sales in South Africa had risen by 8% over the …

South African authorities have evacuated hundreds of residents from KwaZulu-Natal province following a high alert for further flooding, local media reported. KwaZulu-Natal province experienced deadly floods last month. Heavy rains hit the area over the weekend and the local administration is on high alert to prevent any loss of life. …

The Swedish and Finnish embassies in Zambia angered Zambians after raising the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTIQ community, along with their own national flags at their premises on Tuesday. The Swedish and Finnish embassies in Zambia tweeted the rainbow flag using the hashtag #Idahot2022, which stands for International …