Word doing the rounds in South African media is that Orlando Pirates are eyeing a Congolese finisher, Guy Mbenza as they look to beef up their strikeforce. Pirates are heavily linked with the Congolese talented finisher, Mbenza who has played his football in several countries as they aim to have more options in their strikeforce. […]

Relief swept Senegal and its supporters on Tuesday 4 July 2023 after President Macky Sall declared he would not seek a contested third term in office, a move that defused fears of bloodshed. Reactions at home and abroad were almost universally positive after Sall, ending months of feverish speculation, said that after “long consideration” he […]

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the politically-split country’s eastern administration, has threatened military action unless oil revenues are divided fairly by the end of August 2023. The country sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but the wedge between the eastern government and a United Nations-recognised administration in Tripoli has hampered Libya’s efforts to […]

Famous British entrepreneur Richard Branson, recently surprised crew and staff of local budget carrier Fastjet when he flew to Zimbabwe’s capital city. The Virgin Group founder happily posed in photographs with passengers and airport staff at Harare’s Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. The British billionaire is somewhat of a celebrity in these parts. Being the […]

Egypt and Turkey said Tuesday 4 July 2023 they had appointed ambassadors to each other’s countries for the first time in a decade, in the latest sign of warming ties. Cairo and Ankara both issued statements announcing “the upgrading of diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassadors”. The two foreign ministries said the […]

Explosions again rocked Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Monday 3 July 2023 as the army rallied civilians to take up arms against a renewed onslaught by its paramilitary foes. The sound of artillery fire shook the dawn in northwest Khartoum and progressed towards the centre and east of the city, witnesses told AFP. The fighting “began […]

African women champions Banyana Banyana have made headlines for the wrong reasons this past weekend. The South African national women’s team boycotted their warm-up against Botswana on Sunday afternoon ahead of FIFA Women’s World Cup which kick-off later this month. One of the reasons why the team did not want to play was venue choice. The players […]

A respected South African investigative journalism organisation on Monday 3 July 2023 won a legal battle against a powerful businessman in a case that tested the country’s media freedom. The amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism had earlier been barred from using documents acquired from a source in its reporting on controversial businessman Zunaid Moti — […]

Kenyan President William Ruto announced Sunday 2nd July 2023 the lifting of a near six-year ban on logging, despite the concerns of environmental campaigners. Ruto said the move was “long overdue” and was aimed at creating jobs and opening up sectors of the economy that rely on forest products. “We can’t have mature trees rotting […]

The South Africa Women’s World Cup team, Banyana Banyana were called “mercenaries” and “traitors” on Sunday as they boycotted a warm-up against Botswana ahead of the global showpiece this month. ALSO READ | Best potential Kaizer Chiefs XI under Molefi Ntseki Banyana Banyana said the match venue in the Tsakane township, 50km southeast of Johannesburg, was unsuitable […]

South Africa’s Zulu king, head of the country’s most influential traditional monarchy, has undergone “thorough” medical examinations following the sudden death of a close adviser, a spokesman said Sunday, amid suspicions he was poisoned. ALSO READ: King Misuzulu hospitalised in eSwatini amid fears of poisoning The king, who was visiting neighbouring Eswatini, “underwent precautionary and thorough medical […]

Botswana has reached an eleventh-hour deal with diamond giant De Beers after months of tense negotiations that saw the continent’s top producer threatening to cut ties with the storied company. ALSO READ: Botswana threatens to cut ties with diamond giant De Beers The Botswana government and Anglo-American, the majority owner of De Beers, have reached an “agreement in […]

Although Bafana Bafana have climbed four spots in the latest FIFA ranking, they are still in a familiar spot they found themselves 10 years ago. The team has never been ranked in the top 50 since 2011 but came close during the Shakes Mashaba era when they went unbeaten during the 2015 African Cup Of Nations […]

Bafana Bafana have seen a slight rise in the latest FIFA rankings, thanks to their 2-1 win over Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier earlier this month. ALSO READ | ORLANDO PIRATES LOSE DIMINUTIVE MIDFIELDER TO SUPERSPORT UNITED While this was already a ‘dead rubber’ given that both Bafana Bafana and Morocco had already […]

Drone strikes early Friday hit an airbase in Libya’s east used by mercenaries of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, without causing any casualties, a military official told AFP. ALSO READ: Libya UN special representative expresses concern over vote deal DRONE ATTACKS The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the origin of the overnight strikes on the […]

A man was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 23 June 2023 with five lion carcasses in his luggage. He was about to board a flight to Vietnam, where the use of lion bones in traditional medicines is practised. The seizure is commendable but highlights South Africa’s controversial legal […]

The decision by the Minister of Home Affairs to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit programme has been declared unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid. The decision by the Minister of Home Affairs to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) has been declared unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid. The Pretoria High Court has directed the minister to reconsider the […]

Zimbabwe claimed a tense 14-run win over Oman on Thursday 29 June 2023 to start the Super Six stage of the World Cup Qualifier on a high, after Sean Williams’ third hundred of the event. The African side racked up 332-7 from their 50 overs batting first in Bulawayo before a brave chase from Oman […]

Ten years ago, Egypt’s then-defence minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rallied citizens by promising to move the country out of the “terrorist” shadow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Today, the former general rules a nation where expressions of dissent have been quashed, the media is muzzled and the justice system is a labyrinth even legal experts […]

The streets of Sierra Leone’s capital were quiet on Wednesday, a day after President Julius Maada Bio was sworn in for a second term following an election his main rival slammed as “not credible.” Western nations, in a joint statement, said they were concerned about “transparency” in the vote tallying, but urged any disputes to […]

The high court in South Africa on Wednesday 28, June 2023 declared the government’s decision not to renew temporary residency permits of nearly 180,000 Zimbabweans living and working in the country “unconstitutional”. Pretoria granted four-year visas to around 178,000 Zimbabweans fleeing economic and political crises at home in 2009, following violent elections. The visas have […]

With the imminent end of the UN’s Mali peacekeeping mission seemingly no longer in doubt, negotiations at the UN are still foundering over the timetable for their departure, which Bamako wants “without delay”, according to diplomatic sources. On June 16, taking everyone by surprise, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, while denouncing the “failure” of the […]

Sudan’s war has brought painful memories back to the troubled Darfur region where armed groups are accused of ethnically targeting civilians, sparking fears of a new “genocide”. “They burned every house in the neighbourhood and killed my brother in front of me,” recounted one survivor, Inaam, who fled the western region for neighbouring Chad. Her […]

In the decade since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power, Egypt has built dozens of motorways that zigzag across Cairo — crushing entire neighbourhoods, precious green spaces and historic gravesites. The administration of Sisi, a former army general who rose to the presidency in 2013 after deposing Mohamed Morsi, has placed a massive premium on […]

The president of South Sudan held talks with his South African counterpart on the ongoing conflict in Juba’s northern neighbour and the fragile peace process at home, Pretoria said Wednesday. ALSO READ: Khartoum residents in Sudan killed in battle for Khartoum police HQ Presidents Salva Kiir and Cyril Ramaphosa were expected to discuss “issues of mutual […]