Southern Africa

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has declared a national disaster to tackle the prolonged drought affecting the country. Addressing the nation on Thursday afternoon, Mr Hichilema said 84 districts out of a total of 116 were affected. Zambia has been experiencing poor rain, with fears mounting that the country may experience …

South Africa’s provincial government in KwaZulu-Natal has announced that it will build a new palace for the Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. The KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube made the announcement during her State of the Province Address on Wednesday. The plan for a new palace is in line with Zulu customs …

Two medical students have been arrested in Zambia after they were caught having gay sex in a toilet, local media reported. The pair were subjected to invasive medical checks afterwards on police orders. Police spokesman Rae Hamoonga alleged the two men were caught in a toilet cubicle together. “The individuals …

A 30-year-old man was caught red-handed with a donkey in a remote area of Mvurwi, Zimbabwe, according to reports. “The man was seen in a compromising position with the donkey,” according to eyewitnesses. “Horrified by what they saw, they quickly alerted the authorities,” eyewitness stated. Officers immediately took the man …

The Catholic Church in Malawi has expressed disappointment with the leadership of President Lazarus Chakwera, saying the country’s situation has deteriorated during his four years in office. In a scathing attack that appears to be directed at the president, the church, through its bishops, said “we have witnessed a glaring …

A cholera epidemic has killed 412 people according to the latest count from the Zambia Institute of Public Health. This situation, which began last October, led the authorities to order schools across the country to remain closed after the end-of-year vacations. A large soccer stadium in the capital has been …

Zambian authorities have ordered churches to limit the duration of worship to two hours as part of measures to curb the spread of the cholera epidemic wreaking havoc in the country. No sale of perishable and ready-to-eat foods in all churches, Ndiwa Mutelo, a senior official in charge of religious …

Zambia expects to receive one million cholera vaccine doses from the World Health Organisation amid an outbreak that has killed 249 people since last October. Roma Chilengi, the health adviser to President Hakainde Hichilema, said the doses will be deployed to the most at risk regions and are due to …

Former Miss Namibia, Cassia Sharpley, has doubled down on her pledge to run to be president of the southern African country, despite seemingly being too young. Cassia Sharpley, who won the beauty pageant in 2022, had told her 23,000 Instagram followers she would soon share her “journey towards becoming President …

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has distanced itself from threats by a former commander, who called for the removal of President Cyril Ramaphosa from office. This comes after a video of the former officer identified as Sylvester Mangolele went viral on social media on Tuesday. In the video, …