Southern Africa

South Africa’s Police Minister Bheki Cele says there can’t be a “grain of explanation” to defend Wednesday’s killing of a bystander as police dispersed protesting university students. The minister said “someone went crazy” during the protest in Johannesburg leading to the shooting. The victim, identified as Mthokozisi Ntumba, was shot …

The US has designated rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique as foreign terrorist organisations. It said the groups, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Al Ansar al-Sunna, locally known as al-Shabaab in Mozambique, were affiliated to the global jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS). Their leaders have been named …

South African police have fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse students at the University of Witwatersrand, who are demanding changes to registration and financial aid policies. One person was killed, but it’s unclear if it was a student or passer-by. The students, in Johannesburg, have been protesting since …

Member states of the World Trade Organisation will on Wednesday begin talks on a joint proposal by India and South Africa to suspend patents on coronavirus vaccines to increase production. It’s supported by more than 100 developing countries, many of whom have not yet made a meaningful start to their …

Twenty-five people belonging to the same family were among 35 people who died in Mozambique’s northern Muecate district after reportedly eating wild plants and fruits, the authorities say. Local officials say instances of people eating wild fruits, tubers and even wild grass have recently been reported in the region. According …

A search is underway for more than 100 crocodiles that escaped from a breeding farm in South Africa’s eastern town of Hazyview in Mpumalanga province. The reptiles are believed to be in the rivers and dams around White River and the surrounding areas, public broadcaster SABC reports. At least 50 …

Mozambique has announced that schools will reopen from Monday after being closed in some cases for as long as a year. President Filipe Nyusi said the risk of coronavirus transmission was low but schools “could interrupt their face-to-face teaching activities or begin them at a later date” as needed. It …

South Africa’s Judicial Conduct Committee has ordered the chief justice to apologise and retract his comments that showed support for Israel. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng made the remarks in June last year during a webinar which was hosted by The Jerusalem Post newspaper, according to local media. Africa 4 Palestine, …

According to authorities in South Sudan, a partial lockdown brought in to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, will remain in place for another month. Schools and universities will remain closed, while social gatherings including religious and sporting events remain banned. According to Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, the head of …

Police have seized thousands of counterfeit coronavirus vaccines in South Africa and China and have made more than 80 arrests after a criminal network selling fake jabs was uncovered, Interpol said on Wednesday. In South Africa, police officers found 400 ampoules of fake vaccines, equivalent to around 2,400 doses, at …