International

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has lost the political support of the African National Congress-ANC and is "very likely" to announce his resignation as head of state in the next few hours. An independent panel appointed by the speaker to investigate whether there was any evidence of wrongdoing on President Ramaphosa's part in the Phala Phala saga has said there exists “prima facie” evidence that he breached anti-corruption laws. Led by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, the panel found that Ramaphosa may have committed a serious violation of section 34(1) of The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. SOURCE: NEWS 24

Acourt in Mozambique has begun handing down verdicts in the country’s biggest corruption scandal, in which the government unleashed a financial earthquake by trying to conceal huge debts. The 19 high-profile defendants, who include former state security officials and the son of an ex-president, faced charges ranging from money laundering to bribery and blackmail related to a $2bn “hidden debt” scandal that crashed the nation’s economy. Judge Efigenio Baptista of the Maputo City Court said on Wednesday that reading the 1,388 page judgement was likely to take five days. The trial, which started in August last year, ran until March. All the accused, who were present in court on Wednesday, have denied any wrongdoing. The scandal arose after state-owned companies in the impoverish...

Kenyan ministers will forgo their salaries for one month in solidarity with people who have been affected by the on-going drought in parts of the country. A statement from the presidency said the cabinet agreed that the funds collected from all members of the cabinet would contribute to the state interventions to support the affected Kenyans. It also noted the "unacceptably high" prices of the staple food maize, and pledged market support for farmers who were harvesting their crop. A minister had earlier indicated that the country would be importing millions of tonnes of maize, but the cabinet noted that this would now be done in February in order to give the farmers a priority to sell their produce to the market. Millions of Kenyans are currently facing hunger amid the on-goi...

Zambia's leader has said he plans to sell the presidential jet his predecessor bought in his last months in office in controversial circumstances. Hakainde Hichilema said he wants to recover $193m (£160m) that was spent to buy the Gulfstream 650. "We do not support that extravagance, because we could have gotten a plane of capability, in terms of range, reliability for around $20 million,” Mr Hichilema said. “So why did we have to spend $193 million on that piece of metal? We could have looked after the judiciary… we could have also bought a lot of school desks for the kids, we could have also invested in one or two border posts," he added. Selling the plane will however not be straightforward as the Zambia Air Force has said that it is not a public but a military asset.Howeve...

The Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation, Botswana Prisons Service revealed on Wednesday morning in Gaborone that a new law has been passed. The law states that inmates will soon begin to get a monthly salary for the work they do while in prison. This is done to help them with their daily needs while in prison and to enable them to start off in life when they are done serving their sentences. Many people who get released from prison struggle to live when they go out there. Their families and friends disown them, and they therefore end up committing more crimes and getting arrested, revealed Mr. Theunis, a representative of the Botswana Prisons Service. “Inmates while inside of prison, do many different type of jobs, ranging from cooking,cleaning, to doing the garden and he we ha...

A plane carrying 43 people made a crash landing into Lake Victoria on Sunday while attempting to reach a nearby airport in Tanzania. At least 19 people were killed when the plane, operated by Precision Air, crash-landed on approach to the lakeside city of Bukoba, according to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.The airline had said earlier that 26 people had been rescued from the plane. Flight PW494, which departed from the commercial capital Dar-es-Salaam, “crash-landed” into the lake as it was approaching the lakeside city of Bukoba. The cause was not immediately clear, but the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) said the incident took place amid storms and heavy rains. Video and pictures circulating on social media showed the plane almost fully submerged, with only its green...

Constance GaanakgomoJournalist FOLLOWFOLLOW "CONSTANCE GAANAKGOMO" TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT NEW PAGES ON "CONSTANCE GAANAKGOMO". Reality TV star Faith Nketsi said her mom was heartbroken by what their helpers did to her Reality TV star Faith Nketsi-Njilo was left heartbroken after her mother went through an ordeal that left her speechless and shocked. Taking to her Twitter timeline recently she shared details about how their family's Malawian helpers, who were staying with them, allegedly broke into her mother's house, stole her things and immediately went back to their country of birth. “I have land/house next door to the house I bought for my mom. The gardener and his wife and baby stayed there for over a year. We fed them, clothed them, my mom even babysat thei...

Malawi Human Rights Commission-MHRC reveals it is pushing for the repatriation of at least 45 Malawians who are currently detained in prisons in Zimbabwe. Its Civil and Political Rights Director, Peter Chisi says any further delays could lead to infringement on their rights. Foreign Affairs Ministry indicates Zimbabwean authorities detained the 45 for traveling without legal documents. Previously, some Malawians have been detained in South Africa in their quest for economic opportunities in the rainbow nation. A few weeks ago, Youth and Society Executive Director, Charles Kajoloweka called on Malawian authorities to create job opportunities for the youths instead of overly concentrating on petty politics.