Southern Africa

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 …

Police in South Africa have arrested 15 people for alleged corruption relating to the funeral of the former president, Nelson Mandela, in 2013. Those arrested include the health minister of Eastern Cape province, Sindiswa Gomba, a number of business figures, and other lawmakers from the governing African National Congress. Among …

Gender rights activists in Angola have welcomed a change to the penal code, which has come into effect this week, which means same-sex relationships are no longer criminalised. The new law also recognises the rights of people of different sexual orientations. Anyone refusing to employ or provide services to individuals …

Zimbabwe will receive 800,000 coronavirus vaccine doses developed by China’s Sinopharm by the start of March, the government has said. China is donating 200,000 of the shots while Zimbabwe is paying for the other 600,000. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a video posted on Twitter that the first batch …

Namibia’s national carrier Air Namibia has decided to suspend all operations, cancelling all of its flights and grounding its aircraft with immediate effect. The airline urged all customers to cancel reservations and request refunds. According to the state-owned New Era newspaper, the announcement leaves more than 600 employees without jobs. …

Malagasy police have banned all political rallies in the capital, Antananarivo ahead of planned protests by the opposition. There are growing concerns in the country over unemployment and poor economy. Opposition lawmakers, under the banner of Miara-manonja Malagasy for Let’s make waves together have demanded for the withdrawal of security …

The municipal authorities in Chimoio city in Mozambique have announced plans to expand the morgue at the main provincial hospital citing rising Covid-19 deaths. City mayor João Ferreira has confirmed the expansion. The project will include expanding the mortuary building and refrigeration capacity at a cost of $5,300 in Manica …

South Sudan’s central bank on Tuesday introduced a banknote of 1,000 South Sudanese pounds (SSP), the largest denomination in the country, amidst high inflation. The local currency continues to depreciate against foreign currencies, but Bank of South Sudan governor, Dier Tong Ngor, said the new banknote “will partially restore the …

The South African government has outlined its amended coronavirus immunisation plans. They were put on hold when a trial suggested that the AstraZeneca vaccines which were due to be distributed were less effective against a local variant of the virus. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said a Johnson and Johnson vaccine …