Southern Africa

A new boss is taking over the running of Mozambique’s Ndlavela Women’s Penitentiary, where it was found that inmates there had been forced into prostitution. Herminia Nhamuze was sworn in as the new director, replacing Albertina Dimande. She had been removed in June during investigations into the allegations first exposed …

Jacob Zuma, the South African former President has been admitted to a hospital outside prison for medical observation. The announcement has been done by the prison’s authorities. His foundation said it was an “annual medical routine check-up” and there was “no need to be alarmed”. As a former head of …

Zambian security forces have been deployed to suppress electoral violence ahead of the 12 August general elections amid criticism by the opposition and other groups. The authorization has been given by the country’s president Edgar Lungu. “I have allowed the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service to …

An international court has ruled that Isabel Dos Santos, who was once known as Africa’s richest woman, must surrender oil and gas shares worth $500m. She is the daughter of Angola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos. The Netherlands Arbitration Institute, part of the International Court of Arbitration, said that …

During their recent operations in Mozambique, Rwandan forces killed 14 islamist militants but one Rwandan soldier was injured in the mission. “He is recovering well”, said an army spokesperson. The operations were launched in different areas of the north between 24 and 28 June. The coastal town of Mocimboa da …

Government in South Africa said it is “appalled” by last week’s decision to grant Israel observatory status at the African Union (AU). The country’s foreign office accused the body of making a “unilateral” decision without consulting its 55 member countries. “The decision… is more shocking in a year in which …

Frederik Willem de Klerk, the South African apartheid-era President, has been diagnosed with cancer. The announcement has been done by his foundation. It said the former president was found with “mesothelioma, which is a cancer that affects the tissue that lines the lungs”. Mr De Klerk, the last white man …

Cyril Ramaphosa the South African President has expressed his “deep sadness” following the death of Tanzania’s President John Magufuli. On his Twitter account, President Ramaphosa said he had spoken to Tanzanian Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan “to express condolences in his personal capacity and on behalf of all South Africans”. Read …

In order to help Mozambique respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, a group of 39 Cuban intensive care health experts have been received in the country. On Tuesday, the doctors and nurses joined another group of 14 healthcare workers who had arrived in the country in January. Read also: Activist jailed …

Zimbabwe on Tuesday received a second batch of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines. It includes a Chinese donation of 200,000 doses and 144,000 doses bought by the government, and comes four weeks after the arrival of the first batch, BBC News reports. President Emmerson Mnangagwa was at the airport in the capital, …