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JOHANNESBURG — Fear is spreading among African migrants in South Africa’s biggest cities as xenophobic tensions rise in Pretoria and Johannesburg, sparking urgent security alerts from several diplomatic missions. Foreign nationals have been told to close their businesses and remain on high alert after a wave of anti-migration demonstrations. This week, diplomats from Ghana and Nigeria issued formal warnings to their citizens, urging them to steer clear of protest areas to reduce the risk of violence. In Pretoria,…

In a decisive intervention, the national government has taken full control of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela placing the entity under administration amid mounting governance turmoil. Manamela said the move follows a protracted spell of governance failures, legal disputes and operational fragilities that have eroded NSFAS’s stability and credibility. The board has been rocked by multiple resignations, including that of its chairperson, while…

Nigerian authorities have announced that their recent discussions with Thamsanqa Mseleku, South Africa's High Commissioner to Nigeria, aimed to "officially express the Nigerian Government's deep concerns" regarding the reported "mistreatment of Nigerian nationals and their enterprises" amidst anti-immigrant demonstrations occurring in South Africa.

Sunday May 3, 2026 Nairobi (AX) — Former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has declared that he still holds the legitimate mandate to lead the administration, saying he expects to return to the region after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term ends on May 15, 2026. In an interview in Nairobi this week — his first public comments since March 30 — Laftagareen spoke at length about the political standoff in South West State and the circumstances surrounding his departure from Baidoa. Laftagareen…

Sunday May 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission on Sunday unveiled the full calendar for the country’s 2026 regional elections, setting South West State on course to open the voting season later this month. Under the newly announced timetable, South West State will be first to vote. Local council and parliamentary elections are slated for May 10, the election of the state parliament speaker will follow on May 18, and the regional president is due to be chosen on May 23,…

Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon with deadly force, killing 13 people, the country’s health ministry said, including residents of a town where the Israeli military had ordered an evacuation despite a ceasefire still being in place. According to the ministry, the heaviest toll came in Habboush, where eight people were killed, among them a child and two women, while 21 others were wounded - an increase from an earlier casualty count. In Zrariyeh, four people were killed in separate strikes, including two women, and…

Echoing through the streets of Johannesburg and Pretoria, wave after wave of self-styled civic groups has marched in recent years with near-identical grievances. The banners and leaders may rotate, and the slogans get a fresh coat of paint, yet the refrain rarely shifts. From Operation Dudula to the more recent Put South Africans First, along with the Fiyela Movement, the All Truck Drivers Foundation, and several predecessors, the pattern endures. The labels evolve; the message persists, writes Jan Bornman for Our City News…

Wednesday April 29, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — South West State’s elections for the House of Representatives and local councils have been pushed back after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission granted political parties more time to complete candidate submissions. In a statement released Tuesday, the commission said parties had requested an extension on April 23 to finish the registration process for candidates. It added that it met with party leaders on April 25 at its headquarters to discuss the request. The…

South Sudan is sliding deeper into a hunger emergency, with nearly two-thirds of the population — about 7.9 million people — facing acute food insecurity as fighting flares again between government and opposition forces. The heaviest violence has gripped Jonglei State, where troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have been fighting militias aligned with his longtime rival, Riek Machar, since December. The renewed clashes have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in a nation already ranked among the poorest and most corrupt…

South Africa discards roughly 10 million tonnes of food annually—even as millions go without. In response to the rapid escalation of food and nutrition insecurity, FoodForward SA is urging decisive policy moves and targeted action, writes allAfrica's Melody Chironda.