Southern Africa

The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has condemned so-called vaccine nationalism by the world’s wealthiest countries. Addressing the World Economic Forum online, he said some governments had ordered far more coronavirus vaccines than they needed. Without naming any countries, he appealed to them to release surplus stocks so that others …

The head of South Africa’s Mpumalanga province will self-isolate for a fortnight after causing an uproar for not wearing a face mask while attending a funeral on Sunday. Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane said she regrets the incident and had made a statement of guilt at Vosman Police Station in Emalahleni. She also …

Zimbabwe’s government spokesman Nick Mangwana has apologised after the country’s medical association reacted furiously to his Tweet that doctors were behind the deaths of top government officials who succumbed to Covid-19. Nick Mangwana tweeted “medical assassins” to insinuate that the politicians were being deliberately eliminated. Four cabinet ministers have now …

Bheki Cele, the South African Police Minister, has ordered investigation into the alleged conduct of the head of Mpumalanga province who was seen not wearing a mask while attending a funeral on Sunday. Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane said she was not aware that her mask fell off when she stepped out of …

Doctors in Zimbabwe have protested against a Twitter slur by the government spokesperson, who referred to them as “medical assassins” in the wake of the deaths of senior government officials from Covid-19. Medical Assassins— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) January 24, 2021 The doctors’ association said it was unfortunate that a government …

The confiscation of alcohol during raids conducted by Mozambique’s police to enforce Covid-19 restriction measures has been condemned by the main opposition party Renamo. Last weekend, police raided bars and restaurants and confiscated alcoholic drinks. Bars had been ordered to close under new measures and restaurants had their opening hours …

Climate activists in South Africa have welcomed the U.S President Joe Biden’s move to rejoin the Paris climate accord. This comes more than three years after former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S out of the agreement. Hours after his inauguration on Wednesday, Joe Biden signed an executive order to …

The Zimbabwean First Lady has invited women in the country to join her for three days of prayer and fasting over the Covid-19 pandemic. Auxillia Mnangagwa said she would fast and pray from Thursday till Saturday for Zimbabwe to be “spared from further calamity”. She urged women to ensure their …

Born in 1960, the former army general gained international prominence in 2017, when he announced the military takeover that ousted long-serving President Robert Mugabe from power. Zimbabwe has recorded a surge in Covid-19 cases since the festive season. There have been 28,675 cases and 825 deaths since the virus was …

South African ex-president Jacob Zuma will once again not appear on a commission probing suspicions of widespread corruption, one of his lawyers, Eric Mabuza has said. The move has sparked legal repercussions within the country’s legal fraternity. Cathleen Powell is an Associate Professor in public law at the University of …