Robert Mugabe has been threatening to unilaterally call for fresh polls without fundamental reforms. And attempts to resolve the dispute, largely led by South Africa, have foundered on the personal animosity between the two leaders Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The regional bloc, Sadc, convened an extraordinary mini-summit on the sidelines of the World…
HARARE – At least 1, 6 million people in Zimbabwe rely on food aid, as the country only has about 92 000 tonnes of maize in stock and will have to import 150 000 tonnes of maize to meet its demand. The situation is even more desperate in drought-prone regions across the country, a situation…
LAGOS – Fifty-five people have been killed in the north-east of Nigeria in co-ordinated attacks by the Boko Haram militant group, the Nigerian army says. It said 105 prisoners were freed in the pre-dawn raid in Bama, Borno state. Bama’s police station, military barracks and government buildings were burned to the ground, said the military…
HARARE – South African thoroughbred A King Is Born, who is trained by Alyson Wright, won the Castle Tankard $50 000 race here yesterday some five lengths ahead of second-placed Ginepri from Argentina. A King Is Born, who was ridden by Deon Sampson, arrived at the Tankard an outsider for the race at 16-1 but…
LUSAKA – Guy Scott wastes little time on diplomatic language as he lets loose on Africa’s biggest economy, race, Robert Mugabe and gay rights. One of the most colourful men in African politics happens to be white. Guy Scott is the vice president of Zambia but his race is probably the least exceptional thing about…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has defended its filmed visit to Nelson Mandela, saying it was not a “publicity stunt”. They were the first pictures of the former South African president since he left hospital on 6 April after more than a week of treatment for pneumonia. Looking dazed, he is…
GABORONE – Botswana President Ian Khama has had stitches in his face after being scratched by a cheetah, officials say. The animal was reportedly being fed in its enclosure at an army barracks when it jumped up and scratched Mr Khama, who was standing nearby. The incident was “a freak accident, but not an attack”,…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s communications regulator, Icasa, on Wednesday gave permission for satellite television network TopTV to broadcast three “sexually explicit” channels, saying there was no legal basis to reject the application. The decision opens the gates for wider dissemination of pornography in Africa’s largest economy, where regulators have previously rejected bids, saying such broadcasts…
CAIRO – Egypt’s justice minister has resigned, following demands from Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi for the “cleansing” of the judiciary. Ahmed Mekky was seen as a supporter of judicial independence during former President Hosni Mubarak’s rule. He threatened to quit last year after the president adopted broader powers. Thousands of pro-Morsi supporters demonstrated…
TRIPOLI – A car bomb has exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, wounding two French guards and several residents. The blast in Tripoli destroyed the embassy’s ground-floor reception area and perimeter wall, as well as damaging neighbouring homes and shops. French President Francois Hollande called on Libya to act swiftly over…
