Southern Africa

Police in Malawi have arrested four people for using bank notes to decorate Valentine’s Day bouquets. Photos of the roses wrapped in 2,000 kwacha notes worth about $2.60 or £1.90 went viral on WhatsApp groups in the southern African country on Sunday. Malawi central bank’s senior investigation office Emmanuel Malasa …

Four pastors in Manica province in central Mozambique have been arrested for holding religious services with more than 50 people in attendance in violation of Covid-19 restrictions. They may be punished with sentences ranging from three to 15 days in prison or a fine. Read also: Libya celebrates 10 years …

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has condemned the attack by armed men on polio workers in Lakes State in the central part of the country. The attack in Malek area on Sunday left three people dead, four others wounded and one missing, according to a press statement. The …

Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad, the first vice-president of Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, has died at the age of 77, a few weeks after contracting coronavirus. He had been receiving treatment at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has offered his condolences in a tweet. …

South Africa has received the first batch of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines. The government said the vaccine would be stored at a secure location in Gauteng province and then distributed to other provinces. The country’s vaccination rollout is expected to begin soon. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize tweeted photos of …

Zimbabwe says the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa now accounts for the majority of cases in the country. Results of genomic sequencing conducted recently showed that the variant the nation had in 2020 had receded and that the new and more aggressive variant accounted for 61% of cases, …

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says South Sudan is facing its highest levels of food insecurity since it declared independence 10 years ago. The agency says this is due to outbreaks of violence, extreme weather patterns and the economic impact of Covid-19. Pibor county in the east of the …

The co-chair of a taskforce overseeing government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been fired by President Lazarus Chakwera, amid allegations over misuse of 6 billion Malawi Kwacha ($7.7m ). The co-chair of the taskforce, John Phuka, and the head of disaster management, James Chiusiwa, were sacked “for showing a …

Zimbabwe has received its first 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, donated by China. The consignment arrived on Monday morning in a Air Zimbabwe flight and was handed over to the government by the Chinese ambassador to the country. An additional 600,000 doses ordered by the Zimbabwean government are …

South Africa on Monday reopened 20 land border crossings that were closed over a month ago to limit the spread of Covid-19. The land border points with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, eSwatini, Botswana and Lesotho will now have normal travel. They were closed following congestion by people who sought to enter …