JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s High Court has ruled that a decision to drop 783 corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma should be reviewed. The charges were dropped just weeks before the 2009 election which led to Mr Zuma becoming president. Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said the decision by the chief state prosecutor at the time was…
NAIROBI – Kenya’s controversial former first lady, Lucy Kibaki, has died in a London hospital of an undisclosed illness. She gained notoriety for slapping a cameraman in 2005 when she stormed the offices of a private media group in anger at the way a story about her had been reported. In a tribute to Mrs…
KINSHASA – The influential Congolese music star Papa Wemba has died after collapsing on stage in Abidjan in Ivory Coast, media reports say. Video from the concert shows the artist, who was 66, slumped on the floor as dancers continue to perform, unaware of what is happening. French broadcaster France 24 confirmed the death, quoting…
NAIROBI – Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law an anti-doping bill that could allow the country to compete at the Olympics Games in Rio in August. It had missed two deadlines set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to show it was tackling cheating in sport. The new law creates a national agency,…
ACCRA – Ghana’s President John Mahama has warned against panic after a leaked security memo revealed that militant Islamists were planning to attack the West African state. The memo said the information was obtained from a man held in Ivory Coast over last month’s deadly attack on a beach resort in the country. It also…
LONDON – Egypt’s decision to cede sovereignty over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has sparked anger from some commentators online. The move comes while Saudi King Salman is on a rare visit to Egypt during which he has announced plans for Saudi aid and investment for Egypt. Some Egyptians have been expressing outrage…
KHARTOUM – Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has told the BBC he will step down in 2020, when his current mandate ends. Mr Bashir also denied allegations of abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese forces in renewed violence against black African villages who took up arms in the country’s western Darfur region. The president has been indicted…
HARARE – While there has been grand speculation that African Union chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s may be returning to South African politics when she steps down from her role as AU head later this year, her office said it was unaware of her future plans. “Yes, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is not seeking a second…
TRIPOLI – One of two rival governments in Libya has announced that it is stepping down, a justice ministry statement has said. The announcement comes less than a week after the arrival in Tripoli of a UN-backed national unity government. The Tripoli-based administration said it was standing down to prevent further bloodshed. Since 2014 Libya…
LOME – Togo have appointed Claude LeRoy as their new national team coach to replace Tom Saintfiet. Frenchman LeRoy, 68, has worked on the continent for almost 30 years and has coached at a record eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He has signed a three-year contract and is tasked with trying to qualify Togo…
