JOHANNESBURG – An aeroplane en route to Harare, Zimbabwe, had to be towed back to its parking bay at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, in order for a suspected car thief on a watch list to be arrested. Police alerted the international airport aviation safety staff about the wanted car thief, on board an…
CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has survived his latest vote of no confidence – despite the ballot being held in secret. Opposition parties had hoped the secret ballot would mean some MPs from the governing ANC party might side with them against the president. But the motion, called amid repeated allegations of…
JOHANNESBURG – Major roads in the Johannesburg area were blocked with burning tyres and rocks on Tuesday morning ahead of the vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma in Parliament. Johannesburg Metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said major highways and roads were affected in Soweto, Turffontein, Braamfontein and Hillbrow. “The protest are…
LUSAKA – The the ruling Patriotic Front media team has described South Africa’s opposition leader Julius Malema as an imperialist’s rabid lap dog running errands for his master. In a statement made available to the media today and signed by PF’s Media Director Sunday Chanda, the ruling party said that Malema is running around because…
CAPE TOWN – South African parliament and police are to provide security for an African National Congress (ANC) MP after a number of death threats against her. Parliamentary spokesman Moloto Mothapo said the decision followed a security assessment that confirmed “a security threat existed” against Makhosi Khoza. Ms Khoza has been a prominent critic of…
LUSAKA – A baboon in Zambia has tampered with the cables at a power station in the south of the country leaving 50,000 people without electricity. It caused the blackout on Sunday morning by climbing into the power station and pulling at the lines. The baboon survived the “massive electric shock” that would have killed…
PRETORIA – Former finance minister Trevor Manuel lashed out at President Jacob Zuma, saying he is corrupt and incapable of governing South Africa. Manuel also took a swing at current ministers, saying government fails to deal with corruption because competent leadership has “been replaced by incompetence”. “You look around the world today and it seems…
LUSAKA – Zambia’s parliament on Tuesday approved a 90-day state of emergency decreed by President Edgar Lungu, a move that critics see as an effort to tighten his grip on power. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote by leaving the chamber, leaving only the 85 members of the president’s majority party to pass the measure. Lungu…
NAIROBI – Kenyan MPs, who are some of the best paid lawmakers in the world, are to get a pay cut intended to reduce the public wage bill. The MPs’ $7,200 (£5,500) monthly pay will be cut by 15% and they will lose some generous allowances. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said that the…
LUSAKA – Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has defended his announcement last night, to move towards declaring a state of emergency, saying he was bringing sanity to the country. He vowed to operate within the constitution. But his political opponents see things very differently. They point to the suspension of opposition MPs, to a media clampdown,…
