Southern Africa

JOHANNESBURG — The acting head of South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Thursday urged residents to report suspicious behaviour in their communities — singling out neighbours who suddenly drive “flashy cars” — as the unit released findings from a probe into corruption at the Department of Home Affairs. Leonard Lekgetho said the SIU’s investigation, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024 after a whistleblower complaint, uncovered syndicates operating inside the visa and permit system. Evidence indicates…

South African police have arrested Bellarmine Mugabe, 28, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, on an attempted murder charge after a shooting at a property in an upmarket Johannesburg suburb, authorities said Wednesday. Police said a 23-year-old man believed to be a gardener was critically injured in the incident and remains hospitalized. Officers searching the house recovered bullet cartridges but did not find a firearm at the scene, the statement said. Another man was taken into custody as…

Members of parliament are pressing for a formal review of the benefits granted to former presidents after media reports said founding president Sam Nujoma had amassed assets worth more than N$100 million, including a state-funded mansion. The controversy has reopened questions about the scope and oversight of the 2004 Former Presidents' Pension and Other Benefits Act and about the line between public support and private enrichment. The 2004 law guarantees former heads of state a pension and a suite of state-funded…

Tributes Pour in for Jesse Jackson, Renowned Civil Rights Leader and Anti-Apartheid Advocate Civil rights leader and anti-apartheid struggle flagbearer Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. Leaders across the continent expressed their condolences and paid tribute to his decades-long fight for equality and justice. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the Jackson family, highlighting that Jackson's campaign against apartheid and support for the liberation movement significantly contributed…

South Africa has declared the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak a national disaster and will vaccinate 14 million cattle, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced, as the country confronts one of the worst outbreaks on record. "We have classified foot-and-mouth disease as a national disaster and will be mobilising all necessary capabilities within the state to deal with this crisis," Ramaphosa said, confirming the extensive vaccination campaign that authorities plan to roll out. The president's declaration elevates the…

Opposition parties in Namibia on Thursday united in opposing a petroleum amendment bill that would transfer regulatory authority over oil and gas from the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy to the Presidency, saying the move risks political interference, corruption and weakened parliamentary oversight. The bill, tabled in the National Assembly by Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Modestus Amutse, has prompted an acrimonious debate as lawmakers weigh whether control of the country’s hydrocarbon sector should be…

Opposition parties in the National Assembly have united to reject a petroleum amendment bill that would transfer oil and gas regulatory authority from the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy to the President, saying the change risks political interference, corruption and weakened parliamentary oversight. The move, tabled by Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Modestus Amutse, prompted sharp objections from a cross-section of opposition groups. The Affirmative Repositioning movement, the National Unity Democratic…

President Cyril Ramaphosa used his 2026 State of the Nation Address to present a cautiously optimistic picture of South Africa’s economy and to announce a series of urgent security and infrastructure measures, saying the country is “stronger than a year ago” after four consecutive quarters of GDP growth, two primary budget surpluses and the end of load‑shedding. Major executive moves included authorising the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle rising gang violence in the Western Cape and…

Every year since 2013, Africa Check has fact-checked South Africa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) — the speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers to mark the start of the political calendar, officially open Parliament, recap the year gone by and outline the government's aims for the year ahead. After more than a decade of scrutiny, the organisation's researchers say they can often guess what the president is going to say before he opens his mouth. That observation, simple on its face, raises deeper questions about…

Johannesburg residents are embroiled in a worsening water crisis that is triggering community conflict and stretching relief efforts, while authorities in the Western Cape urge conservation as municipalities confront failing infrastructure, according to local reports. In Johannesburg, shortages have forced people to queue for hours at water tankers only for supplies to run out. The breakdown is reportedly driving arguments and physical fights as some residents collect far more water than others. Some neighbourhoods remain…