Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The publishers of a book alleging widespread corruption against South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma vowed on Monday to resist a demand from the country’s spy agency that they withdraw it. The State Security Agency demanded on Friday that NB Publishers remove from bookstores the work …
Read More »S.Africa spy agency threatens to seek Zuma book ban
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s spy agency threatened on Friday to seek a banning order for a newly released book that makes a series of corruption allegations against President Jacob Zuma. The State Security Agency issued a legal letter, seen by AFP, accusing author Jacques Pauw of …
Read More »Pistorius: From Olympic glory to jail for murder
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday heard the state’s case to lengthen the jail term of double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius for murdering his girlfriend. Here is a timeline of events following the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. – …
Read More »Prosecutors lobby for longer Pistorius sentence
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African prosecutors will argue Friday for Oscar Pistorius to be given a longer jail sentence, saying the six years he is serving for the murder of his girlfriend was “shockingly low”. The National Prosecution Authority will present its case to a one-day hearing at …
Read More »Bloodshed in South African province as ANC tensions rise
Durban, South Africa | AFP | In the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, local politics is a deadly game, with at least 40 people killed in politically motivated shootings since last year. A battle for control is raging ahead of a conference of the African National Congress to choose a new …
Read More »S.Africa economy in dire straits as political stakes rise
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s finance minister received some faint praise last week — not for the economy’s performance, but for admitting the country is in a dire position that is set to get worse. Malusi Gigaba delivered a mid-term budget that laid bare South Africa’s …
Read More »Tanzania arrests Ugandan, 11 visitors for ‘homosexuality’ in Dar es Salaam
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian police said Wednesday they had arrested 12 men, including two South Africans and a Ugandan, for presumed homosexuality as part of an ongoing crackdown against gays. “We arrested the criminals at (the hotel) Peacock — they were promoting homosexuality. Two are South Africans, one …
Read More »Airbnb rentals boom across Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Rent-a-room giant Airbnb said Tuesday that it had provided accommodation for 1.2 million visitors to Africa over the last year — double the previous year as tourism expands across the continent. The website now offers more than 100,000 accommodation options in Africa, global public affairs …
Read More »Zuma fires critic in S.Africa reshuffle
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma sacked a vocal critic from his cabinet on Tuesday, a move set to deepen tensions before the ANC chooses a new party leader in December. In his second reshuffle this year, Zuma dropped higher education minister Blade Nzimande, …
Read More »Zuma in trouble again, court clears way for graft prosecution
S.Africa court clears way for Zuma graft prosecution Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that President Jacob Zuma can face prosecution on almost 800 charges of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma had lodged a challenge at the court …
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