Southern Africa

More than 700,000 people have been displaced by the worst floods to hit South Sudan in decades, according to figures by the United Nations. At least 40 people have died across the country as heavy rains and flash floods destroy livestock, farmlands and homes. Some of those who have fled …

A nurses union in ESwatini accused security forces of shooting and injuring at least 30 of its members who were in the streets protesting for democracy on Wednesday. The Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union said nurses and other workers demonstrating in the main city, Mbabane, were met with what it called …

South Africa’s health products regulator, Sahpra, has withheld approval for Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine over concerns that it could increase the risk of HIV infection among men. The decision was based on two earlier studies that tested the safety of a modified form of adenovirus contained in the Russian …

South African and US law enforcement agencies have arrested at least six members of the Nigerian Black Axe mafia syndicate in Cape Town, TimesLive news website reports. Six members of the mafia group, believed to be behind hundreds of thousands of “romance scams”, were reportedly arrested in a raid in …

UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan has arrived in Zimbabwe to assess the impact of sanctions imposed on the country by the US and European Union. The sanctions were imposed in 2002 when Robert Mugabe was president. They target companies and specific individuals both within the Zimbabwean government and those associated …

Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops rescued forty-seven people who had been kidnapped in northern Mozambique by Islamists. There was no confrontation between SADC troops and the Islamic State-linked militants, because the five hostage-takers fled when they realised the presence of the regional force, reports say. Read also: Cambridge to …

Government in Zimbabwe, in a circular, announced that it will bar unvaccinated civil workers from reporting for duty from Monday as part of efforts to fight COVID-19. The Zimbabwean government on Thursday said civilian workers should be fully immunized before returning to work on Monday. “Please note that members who …

A special unit of the South African army rescued two ministers and a deputy, after they were taken hostage by war veterans demanding reparations for their role in the fight against the apartheid government. The Liberation Struggle War Veterans, from the disbanded ANC military wing, are demanding a one-off payment …

Some 40 civil society groups in Mozambique have written a letter in which they denounce the mistreatment of pregnant women in health facilities. The groups rallied and demanded action against doctors whose work they say has resulted in maternal and child deaths. In a letter to the health minister, the …

Police in the South African city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, are investigating the setting alight of three shops run by foreign nationals on Wednesday night, the local Herald Live news site reports. This comes amid heightened tension in the area after eight taxis and two cars were …