KAMPALA – Social media has been blocked in Uganda because of security concerns as tightly contested presidential elections are held, officials say. Mobile money services had also been shut to make sure they would not be used to bribe voters, they added. However, many users have found a way around the controversial restrictions. President Yoweri…
DAKAR – Senegalese leader Macky Sall said on Tuesday the country’s top court had rejected his proposal to cut his current presidential term by two years to five. Sall had proposed 15 reforms in all, including limiting presidential terms to two mandates and expanding the powers of the national assembly and the constitutional council. “On…
KAMPALA – One of Uganda’s main opposition candidates has been briefly detained by police ahead of presidential elections on Thursday. Kizza Besigye has been arrested on many occasions in the past but this is the first time during this campaign. Mr Besigye has in the past lost three disputed elections against long-time leader Yoweri Museveni….
CAPE TOWN – South African authorities are working to secure the release of millions of rands from a cargo plane that had been impounded in Zimbabwe after a dead body was found on it. A South African diplomat in Zimbabwe told SABC News the plane was carrying rand notes printed in Germany. The Western Global…
GENEVA – International judges in the case of Kenyan Vice-President William Ruto have barred the use of recanted testimony. The decision means prior recorded witness statements cannot be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in this case. Key witnesses in the case changed their statements, which prosecutors said was due to intimidation…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s top court is to rule on whether President Jacob Zuma should pay back about $23m (£15m) of state funds used to renovate his rural home. A 2014 report by an independent watchdog said Mr Zuma had “benefited unduly” from the upgrades. He has offered to pay some of it back but…
LUANDA – The family of late Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi are suing the makers of Call of Duty over his depiction in the best-selling video game. Three of Savimbi’s children accuse Activision Blizzard of defamation by representing him as a “barbarian”. They are seeking €1m ($1.1m; £0.75m) in damages. Activision said the depiction was…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has agreed to repay some of the $23m (£15m) the government controversially spent on upgrading his private rural home. In 2014, a report by the public protector said Mr Zuma had “benefited unduly” from the upgrades. Mr Zuma said the auditor-general and finance minister should determine how much…
JOHANNESBURG – A light aircraft has crashed in the South African city of Johannesburg, killing all three people on board, emergency officials have said. “Paramedics found the bodies of three people lying inside the aircraft,” ER24 medical service told News24 website. The plane crashed into shacks in Benoni, about 40km (25 miles) east of the…
LAGOS – Nigeria is holding talks with the World Bank to help it fund a forecast record $11bn (£7.7bn) budget deficit. However, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun told Reuters it was not applying for “emergency loans”. Nigeria is believed to be looking for around $3.5bn from the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Africa’s largest…
