Major high way named after South Africa's previous leader amid opposition

FW de Klerk negotiated South Africa's transition to democracy

Cape Town's city council has voted to rename a street after South Africa's last white ruler despite opposition from the national governing party. City mayor Patricia de Lille accused the African National Council (ANC) of thuggish behaviour during a chaotic session of the council. 
 
It opposed renaming a major highway after FW de Klerk, saying he had the blood of black people on his hands. Cape Town is South Africa's only major city controlled by the opposition. Mr De Klerk handed power to then-ANC leader Nelson Mandela in South Africa's first democratic election in 1994. Backlash The BBC's Mohammed Allie in Cape Town says that the session was marred by councillors spitting, banging their fists on tables and pushing and shoving. 

60,000 Nigerian women and girls to benefit from UNESCO ICT training

The Regional Director, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Professor Hassana Alidou, on Tuesday, said educating women and the girl-child in ICT would have positive impact on national development.

Alidou said this at the inauguration of National Monitoring and Evaluation Committee and Training of Non Formal Education Facilitators in Abuja.

With the theme: “Empowerment of girls and women in literacy and skills development through the use of ICT’s in Nigeria”, she said the role of UNESCO was to increase literacy among girls and women to accelerate national development.

Former al-Shabab commander denounces terror group

A former senior Al-Shabab commander, Zakariya Ismail Hersi, speaks during a press conference at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somalia, Jan. 27, 2015.

A former top commander of Somalia's al-Shabab terror group says he has quit the insurgency, renouncing the violence perpetuated by his former comrades. Zakariya Ismail Hersi served as intelligence chief of the al-Qaida-linked organization before surrendering to Somali authorities last December.

Widespread ritual child killings reported in Ivory Coast

According to a Voice of America report, At least 21 children have been kidnapped in Ivory Coast since December and most have been found dead with their bodies mutilated, authorities said, in a wave of ritual killings some residents fear may be linked to upcoming elections.
 
 
Police Chief Brindou Mbia said security forces had been placed on high alert after the spate of child abductions, but he declined to speculate what was behind the killings.

Namibian government goes tough on poachers

The Namibian government will beef up protection for rhinos and elephants and tighten laws to curb increased poaching, which suddenly surged last year, it said on Monday. 
 
“We must increase patrols on the ground which requires more manpower and equipment for the staff,” said Colgar Sikopo, director of parks and wildlife management in the ministry of environment and tourism (MET). 

African billionaires Elumelu and Dangote set to address Africa's energy needs

Speaking at a high profile panel on energy at the 2015 annual meeting for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist Tony Elumelu emphasized the key priority for 2015 for Africa as “policy, policy, policy”. 

Launching the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), a multi-stakeholder advocacy group that aims to address Africa’s power deficiency; the continent has approximately 620 million people without electricity, Mr. Elumelu said “investors in this space are rational. 

The risks are huge; the capital requirements are equally huge. If you want to invest in this space, you have to first survey the environment beyond economics; policy, stability, enforceability of rules, the nature of the regulatory framework. If the right policies are in place, investors and financiers will be encouraged to invest.”

 

South Sudanese militia has freed 280 child soldiers

A South Sudanese militia has freed 280 child soldiers as part of a wider deal to release about 3,000 underage fighters, the UN's children agency Unicef has said.
More releases will occur in the coming weeks, said the agency, which helped negotiate the children's freedom.
 
Child soldiers were recruited under South Sudan rebel leader David Yau Yau (C), pictured on May 20, 2014 in Juba ©Samir Bol (AFP/File)

Two South African police officers in court for threatening to shoot a three year old

Two metro police officers who allegedly threatened to shoot a three-year-old girl are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, Gauteng police said.
The pair, aged 35 and 39, faced charges of attempted murder, corruption and armed robbery, Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale said.
 

American and French killed in Tripoli hotel attack

Militants have attacked a hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing at least nine people including five foreigners, officials say. Several gunmen stormed the Corinthia Hotel and opened fire in the reception area. A car bomb also exploded nearby.

Unconfirmed reports say some of the assailants have blown themselves up. The officials say the dead include one US and one French citizen.The security forces say the stand-off has now been brought to an end.

EU observers to Nigerian elections shun troubled North

Less than three weeks to the general elections, the European Union (EU) said it would not send its election observers to the North-East states because of the security challenges in the zone.
With one of the presidential candidates
 
This is even as the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that it stands by the peace accord signed by the 14 presidential candidates and their parties in Abuja on the general elections.

Ugandan rebel leaders makes appearance at ICC

Photo: ICC-CPI

Dominic Ongwen at his first appearance hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague 

 

A child soldier-turned-commander in the feared Lord's Resistance Army has made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court. Dominic Ongwen faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Seeming calm and composed, Dominic Ongwen appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) Monday for an initial hearing to confirm his identity and inform him of the charges against him.

Still on Tanzania where parents can sell their albino children for up to £50,000

Tanzania's albinos are being 'hunted down like animals' as greed for money and influence drives families to turn on their own loved ones in a trade allegedly fuelled by some of the country's most powerful people.

It is believed albino body parts will bring a person wealth, or luck - and for that, people are willing to pay as much as $3,000 or $4,000 for a limb, or as much as $75,000 - about £50,000 - for the 'full set', a whole body.

People with albinism are regularly attacked by people who chop their limbs off - an act which either leaves them severely mutilated, or dead.  

Albinism, a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, affects one Tanzanian in 1,400, often as a result of inbreeding in remote and rural communities, experts say.

Nollywood actress named on Yahoo's list of "The 10 Highest Grossing Movie Stars in the world." just as she celebrates her 20th year in the industry

Photo: Capital FM

Actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde 

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has been breaking boundaries for some time now. The gorgeous actress, who is currently celebrating 20 years in the movie industry, was recently put on Yahoo's list of "The 10 Highest Grossing Movie Stars in the world." This list named high grossing actors around the world.

Ghanian senior official hits back at critics after wearing wife's coat on official visit

Mr Nketia (right) was mocked for wearing the fur-trimmed winter coat

A senior official in Ghana's ruling party has laughed off criticism for wearing his wife's coat during an official visit to Germany, it's reported.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, general secretary of the National Democratic Congress, was snapped wearing a camel-coloured, fur-trimmed number on the trip, and was promptly ridiculed by fellow politicians and social media users, the Graphic website reports. Mr Nketia says nobody in Germany mentioned his choice of attire, but it was a different story back home in Ghana, where one opposition politician seized on the fashion choice as evidence of a "totally confused" administration. 

Libya Islamist group leader confirmed dead

Mohammad al-Zahawi's death is said to have resulted from wounds sustained in a battle in October

Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia has confirmed that its leader Mohammad al-Zahawi has died. In a statement, the group said "we mourn the death of the emir", without giving further details. 

 

His death is thought to have resulted from wounds sustained in a battle with Libyan government troops in the eastern city of Benghazi last October.
The group is blamed for the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, in which the US ambassador was killed. Three other Americans also died.

SA President's son Edward Zuma evades arrest

President Jacob Zuma’s son, Edward Zuma, has managed to evade arrest for the past seven months after failing to respond to several subpoenas to appear in court for child maintenance.

According to the Sunday Independent, the warrant of arrest was issued on 23 June by the Pietermaritzburg Maintenance Court and had to be served by police in Durban North where Edward lives.

Meet Adiat Disu one of Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa.

Adiat Disu, daughter of former Nigerian international, Mr. Tajudeen Disu, was among the six young Nigerian entrepreneurs honoured in the United States for their contributions to high society fashion. 

Adiat, along with five other Nigerians, made Forbes’ list of 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa. Other Nigerians who made the list are Ada Osakwe, Toyosi Ogunsiji, Amy, Rimini Makakama, and Yasmin Bello-Oagie.

A graduate of Boston University, USA, Adiat is the founder, African Fashion Week, New York. She is also the international publicist and founder of Adiree, a New York-based communications and brand strategy company. 

Female Egyptian activist killed during protest in Cairo yesterday

A female demonstrator (pictured) was killed in clashes with Egyptian police during a protest in central Cairo on January 24th on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak. A health ministry spokesman said Shaima al-Sabbagh died of birdshot wounds, which fellow protesters said were fired by police to disperse the march. Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said al-Sabbagh's death was being investigated and vowed that 'whoever committed a mistake will be punished, whoever he may be.' (UK Daily Mail)

Edgar Lungu to serve as Zambia's President till 2016

Edgar Lungu will serve as president until 2016 when a new election will be called

Zambia's presidential election has been won by Defence and Justice Minister Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front. Mr Lungu won by a 48.3% majority, the election commission said, after an election race marred by delays.

 

His rival, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, who earlier denounced Tuesday's election as a sham, came close with 46.7% of the vote.
The election was called after the death of President Michael Sata last October.
Mr Lungu, who will be sworn in on Sunday, said he aims to complete economic development projects begun by his predecessor.

On Saturday, Mr Hichilema called the "election" stolen, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating the results to favour Mr Lungu, a former lawyer. 

BBC

Spanish police detain two set of brothers of Moroccan decent for terror related offences

Spanish police are deployed in the El Principe suburb of Ceuta, hours after they arrested four alleged jihadists. Photograph: Reduan/EPA

Police in Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta arrested two pairs of brothers on Saturday suspected of belonging to a militant Islamist network that may have been planning an attack on the Spanish mainland.

Spain has stepped up security as well as efforts to prevent the radicalisation of young Muslim citizens following attacks in Paris this month in which Islamist gunmen killed 17 people.

Zambian opposition complains of irregularities

Photo: Zambia Reports

Voters line in Zambia's presidential election.

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) yesterday lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) alleging discrepancies in the released results of some constituencies.
UPND Presidential candidate, Hakainde Hichilema with other officials from his party were locked up in a meeting with ECZ officials, PF officials and others for more than an hour to address the complaints.
Mr Hichilema told journalists after the meeting that his party was concerned about the irregularities of results from some constituencies.
"There are many issues of the results we have discussed which affect the integrity of the final results and it is important that they are not released until the concerns are addressed," Mr Hichilema said.
He said if the concerns were not addressed they could create problems and affect the credibility of the results.

He disclosed that the parties and ECZ had agreed that no results would be announced until the complaints lodged were addressed. He said that the duration of when the results would be released was not an issue but more anarchy would be created if wrong results were declared

The Democratic Republic of Congo senate has amended a controversial census bill

The protests were biggest in Kinshasa and the eastern city of Goma

The Democratic Republic of Congo senate has amended a controversial census bill following four days of violent nationwide protests.

The new version, to be approved by the lower house, removes the requirement to hold a census before the next election. The opposition had said this was a way for President Joseph Kabila to extend his time in office rather than stand down next year as planned.
Hundreds of students took to the streets to celebrate the news.

Nigeria does not need the help of UN or African Union troops to take on Boko Haram

Nigeria's army has so far failed to contain the insurgency during the state of emergency

Nigeria does not need the help of UN or African Union troops to take on Boko Haram, the country's national security adviser has told the BBC.

Sambo Dasuki said Nigeria, and its neighbours were in a "good shape" to take on the insurgents.
But he acknowledged the group, which is fighting to create an Islamic state, were a "real security threat".
Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry says he plans to visit Nigeria in a couple of days.
Mr Kerry made the announcement in a speech discussing how to tackle violent extremism at the Davos economic conference.
Since the Nigerian government declared a state of emergency 20 months ago in three north-eastern states to deal with the insurgency, Boko Haram has strengthened and now controls several towns, where it has declared a caliphate.
The militants gained worldwide notoriety after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls in April last year - who have yet to be rescued.

Ghanaian President moves tough on Boko Haram

Ghanaian President John Mahama tells DW that he believes there is no longer any room for negotiation with the Nigerian Islamist terror group Boko Haram. "I don't think negotiations have gone anywhere," he says.

Mahama points out that all previous attempts at talks have failed. "We cannot say we are waiting for negotiations and dialogue while the group continues to abduct and kill people," he says.

Ugandan Rebel leader tranfered to Hague

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Ongwen in 2005

Top Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has arrived in The Hague to stand trial on war crimes charges.

Mr Ongwen, a feared commander of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), was taken into US custody in the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this month.
Uganda agreed that he should be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC), despite being a fierce critic of The Hague-based court.
US and African forces had been searching for Mr Ongwen since 2011.
He is said to be the deputy to LRA commander Joseph Kony, who is still on the run.
The ICC said in a statement that Mr Ongwen would be held in a detention centre in the Netherlands until his trial.
He was due to undergo a medical visit upon his arrival and a date would soon be set for his first court appearance, the statement added.
The UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon both issued statements welcoming Mr Ongwen's transfer. Mr Ban called it "a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the thousands of victims of LRA violence".

Nigeria reduces petrol pump prices from N97 to N87 per litre

The Nigerian Government on Sunday night announced a reduction in the price of premium motor spirit (petrol)from N97 to N87 per litre.

The reduction follows the crash in the price of crude oil in the international market.
The Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, made the announcement on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, on Sunday night. She spoke from the presidential villa apparently after consultations with President Goodluck Jonathan.

She said: "I will like to announce the reduction in the price of Premium Motor Spirit by N10. Therefore, the reduction would be from N97 per litre to N87 per litre and this would be effective from midnight Sunday, January 18, 2015. In line with this I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, and the Directorate of Petroleum Resources to ensure that there is strict adherence of this regime as it takes effect from midnight Sunday, January 18. I do hope that the entire country will benefit immensely from this reduction of the pump price."

BBC report says a grenade is cheaper than a bottle of coke in Central African Republic

Packaging of a 2006 consignment traced by researchers showed that a batch of more than 25,000 Type 82.-2 grenades was manufactured in China

The grenades come from China, or Bulgaria. The mortars are Sudanese. The rocket launchers were made in Iran. The bullets are British, or Belgian or Czech. Spain and Cameroon provided the shotgun rounds. And so it goes on.

A detailed survey of the weapons currently circulating in the Central African Republic (CAR) offers some intriguing insights into the global arms industry, and the extent to which its output continues to find its way - legally or otherwise - into the hands of rebel armies.
The impact of the weapons trade can be lasting and devastating.

When arms were obtained by the Seleka - a coalition of largely Muslim insurgents that swept to power in CAR in 2013 - a civil war was triggered that went on to displace hundreds of thousands of civilians.

"Type 82-2 hand grenades are among the most widespread military item in CAR," says the report, compiled by Britain's Conflict Armament Research group, for the European Union.

"They are so common that they reportedly can be bought for the equivalent of around $0.50-$1.00 (£0.33-£0.66) each, less than a bottle of Coca-Cola," the report says. 

"Small and easily concealed, they have had a significant security impact, causing civilian injuries and deaths in Bangui and elsewhere throughout 2014."

culled

Zambians go to the polls to vote a new President

There was a long queue of voters when polls opened in the Lusaka suburb of Kanyama

Voters in Zambia are going to the polls in a presidential election caused by the death of Michael Sata last year.

The vote is expected to be a close contest between Edgar Lungu from the governing Patriotic Front and Hakainde Hichilema from the United Party for National Development.
The BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Lusaka says candidates have vowed to improve the education system and create jobs.
The winner will serve out the remaining 18 months of Michael Sata's term.
Zambia is due to hold a general election in 2016.

Group captured from Cameroon by Boko haram free

Cameroonian soldiers pursued the militants towards the Nigerian border

At least 24 of up to 80 people taken hostage by Boko Haram militants in Cameroon at the weekend are reported to be free.

Some escaped from their captors while Cameroon said others were freed "as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria".
Many of those kidnapped in the cross-border raid were said to be children.
It was one of the biggest abductions by Boko Haram outside Nigeria and raised fears that it is expanding its attacks.
The militant Islamist group has seized control of towns and villages in north-east Nigeria and has begun threatening neighbouring countries.
Chad, which also borders Nigeria, has recently sent soldiers to help Cameroon tackle the militants.

South African woman fall to her death while on first date with British man

Just hours after meeting an English man she had only spoken to online, a young Johannesburg woman tragically fell from a cliff to her death at the weekend.
Cheynne Holloway, 21, had walked up to the top of a popular cliff in Northcliff with her friend James Oliver, to look at the view at about 17:45 on Saturday, reported Netwerk24.
Sapa reported a paramedic as saying that some rocks gave way and Holloway fell about 20m down.
A witness, Armand Goosen,  told Netwerk24 that Oliver was taking photographs of the young woman with a view of Johannesburg in the background. He looked down to adjust his camera’s tripod and when he looked up, Holloway was gone.
“Where is she? Where is she?” he was heard screaming helplessly.
Goosen said he and another man had gone down to look for Holloway. When they found her she was only barely alive. Oliver tried for about 20 minutes to give her CPR.
The paramedic was quoted by Sapa as saying that they took over CPR but unfortunately Holloway was declared dead on the scene.
Holloway was the bassist for a band called Burning Blue. Messages of condolences poured in on the group’s Facebook page.
The band wrote: “Our hearts are shattered. The girl everybody loved, our precious friend and more, Cheynne, passed away in a tragic hiking accident yesterday. The most beautiful, shining soul has left us.
“We can't even think right now. There are simply no words.”

- News24

As the floods ravage Malawi, concerns on food security increases

Food security has become a major concern as torrential rains are expected to continue in the southern African country of Malawi.
According to Eye Witness News, more than 200 people were confirmed dead and many were missing or trapped in inaccessible areas, following flash floods caused by days of torrential rains exacerbated by Tropical Cyclone Bansi. 
The rains have swept away roads, bridges and destroyed thousands of crops. An estimated 100 000 people have been left homeless.


Flood victims make their way to a relief station with their salvaged belongings at Bangula, Malawi, in the southern district of Nsanje. (Thoko Chikondi, AP)

Mali's health minister declares the nation Ebola free

Mali recorded its first case of Ebola in October

Mali's health minister says the country is now free of the Ebola virus, after 42 days without a new case of the disease.

"I declare this day... the end of the epidemic of the Ebola virus in Mali," said Ousmane Kone.
The last Ebola-infected patient in Mali recovered and left hospital in early December.
Latest figures show the three West African countries worst affected have all seen a decline in new Ebola cases.

Another rebel leader captured in Central African Republic

A leader of Central African Republic's anti-Balaka Christian militia, a widely feared commander who has been implicated in attacks on civilians throughout the battle-scarred country, has been arrested, a justice official said Sunday.

 

UN Peacekeepers -Photo credit AFP

Rodrigue Ngaibona, alias Andilo, was arrested in the town of Bouca on Saturday by Cameroonian peacekeepers, prosecutor Maurice Dibert-Dollet said in a statement. An arrest warrant was issued last May linking Ngaibona to murders, rapes and looting during the country's unprecedented sectarian violence in which thousands have died.

Boko Haram kidnaps dozens of children across the border in Cameroon

Boko Haram has kidnapped many people in Nigeria including more than 200 girls from a school last April

Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have kidnapped dozens of people in raids in neighbouring Cameroon, officials say.

They said many of those kidnapped in the cross border attack against villages were children. Four villagers who tried to fend off the attackers were killed, a security source has told the BBC.

Not enough hotel rooms for AFCON teams in Equatorial Guinea

Teams arriving at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea have been forced to search for places to sleep because of a lack of hotel rooms.

Congo coach Claude Le Roy said five of his 35-strong party attending the tournament did not have accommodation.

He revealed that the hotel the bulk of his team are in lacks running water and has exposed electrical cables. 

Nigeria's president visits Boko haram ravaged north-east

Nigeria's president has faced criticism for not visiting the trouble-hit north-eastern regions

President Goodluck Jonathan has made a surprise visit to north-east Nigeria, in the aftermath of mass killings by Boko Haram Islamist militants.

Mr Jonathan told some of the 5,000 refugees who fled last-week's violence: "I want to assure you that you will soon go back to your houses."
It was his first visit to the north-east since March 2013.
Critics have accused the president of ignoring the victims of Boko Haram's violence in the region.

He cancelled a trip to the region last year.

Mozambique's raging flood splits major highway

A major highway in Mozambique has split after two bridges collapsed as a result of heavy flooding that has killed 25 people and displaces tens of thousands in the country, officials say. 
 
Parts of the country are also without electricity after torrential rains knocked down 10 pylons, reports say.
Heavy rains have also devastated neighbouring Malawi, where 48 have been killed about 70,000 have been homeless.
The southern African states have been hit by late summer storms.
The bad weather is expected to continue for several days.

Meet the latest one of Africa's most expensive footballers - Wilfried Bony from Ivory Coast

Manchester City have completed the signing of Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony in a deal that could be worth up to £28m. 

Bony has agreed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Etihad Stadium through to 2019 and will wear the number 14 shirt.
"It's a great feeling for me, it's a big honour to be here and it's a great challenge," the 26-year-old said.
He joined Swansea for £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013 and was Premier League top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals.
The two clubs agreed the terms of the transfer at the weekend, with £25m cash up front and a further £3m in performance-related add-ons.
The deal makes Bony one of the most expensive African footballers in history.

Liberia worried about attacks along its border with Ivory Coast

Photo: Human Rights Watch

An Ivorian military post near the border with Liberia (file photo).

 

The Government of Liberia has expressed concern about news reports of recent attacks in border towns and villages along the border between Liberia and La Cote D'Ivoire.
The Liberia News Agency, quoting a statement issued Sunday by Information Minister Lewis G. Brown, said "Consistent with the policies of good neighborliness and a commitment to regional peace and security, the relevant Liberian security agencies are seriously investigating the reports as well as engaging their Ivorian counterparts."
The Liberian government says it is "fully committed to working with and supporting the Ivorian authorities and international partners in strengthening border security, regional peace and stability, as well as raiding the two countries of the mutually destabilizing activities of non-state actors."

Tanzania moves to ban witchdoctors over attacks on the nations albinos

                                                     Campaigners hope the younger generations of albino people will have a safer future

Tanzania has banned witchdoctors in a move intended to stop attacks on people with albinism.

Home Affairs Minister Mathias Chikawe said there would be a nationwide operation to "arrest them and take them to court" if they continued to work.
Albino people, who lack pigment in their skin, have faced attacks for their body parts, which witchdoctors believe bring good luck and wealth.

Captured Ugandan LRA leader to be sent to ICC

                                                         LRA commander Dominic Ongwen says he was abducted by the rebels when he was 10 years old

A senior commander in the Ugandan militia group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is to be sent to the International Criminal Court for trial, a Ugandan army spokesman says.

Dominic Ongwen, considered by some to be a deputy to LRA chief Joseph Kony, was taken into US custody last week.
Rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) said he was captured; US officials say he defected.
The LRA has abducted thousands of children for fighting and sex slavery.
Both Mr Ongwen and warlord Joseph Kony are wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Paddy Ankuda from the Ugandan army told Reuters that the transfer would be made by the CAR, where Mr Ongwen - also known as the White Ant - had surrendered.

South African court rules against Winnie

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's attempt to stop a meeting from happening at former president Nelson Mandela's home in Qunu has failed, broadcaster eNCA said on Tuesday. 



The matter was struck off the roll because she did not own the Qunu property, eNCA said on its website. She was also instructed to pay costs.
The meeting, which is set to take place on Friday, was called by Mandela's grandson Mandla. It would be between the Mandela family and the abaThembu clan.
eNCA reported that Madikizela-Mandela wanted to stop the meeting from happening, fearing that violence could erupt.
She also claimed to own the property, the broadcaster reported.
Mandla reportedly said the meeting would go ahead and that the men of the family would try to unite the various factions, as his grandfather would have wanted, eNCA reported.

- SAPA

Teachers in Kenya enter second week of strike

AS the teachers' nationwide strike enters its second week, tutors in Mombasa say they will not be moved by their employer's threats.

Teachers' Service Commission secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni last week ordered education officials to conduct roll-calls in all schools to determine which teachers do not report for work.
Kenya National Union of Teachers Mombasa secretary Stephen Ouma said members want an increase to their salary and not allowances.
"Allowances do not benefit everybody because some allowances like the hardship allowances will only be given to those teachers in hardship areas. What about the teachers living in towns?" he said.
Ouma said Kenya will run short of tutors because students in colleges will be scared of venturing into teaching over fear that their salary will not be enough.

Tanzanian schoolgirls return home after fleeing to escape female genital mutilation

Hundreds of Tanzanian schoolgirls returned home on Monday after spending three months hiding in safe houses to escape genital mutilation, state television said.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) can range from hacking off the clitoris to the removal of the entire female genitalia.
At least 800 school girls fled to shelters run by charities and church organisations, which offer protection during the months FGM is traditionally carried out, from October to December. Some of the shelters are given police protection to ensure the girls remain safe.
Minister of Labour and Employment Gaudensia Kabaka called on traditional leaders to use their influence to stop "this retrograde practice."
Campaigners call the dangerous practice mutilation rather than the term female circumcision, so as to make clear the dangers it involves and the harm it causes.

Police in Democratic Republic of Congo disperse anti census protesters

Police fired tear gas on Monday at demonstrators trying to protest against a parliamentary debate on a proposed census in the Democratic Republic of Congo's which, if approved, could delay next year's elections.
Under the constitution, President Joseph Kabila will not be able to stand in the 2016 ballot, and critics say the government plan to insist on a census ahead of any vote might enable him to prolong his hold on office.

The mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo has some 65 million people spread across a nation as big as western Europe, with little infrastructure and difficult communications making any census highly difficult.

Tanzania-Zambia rail services at a stand still

The railway authority run by the two countries is short of money

Train services between Tanzania and Zambia have been paralysed by a strike by more than 1,500 Tanzanian workers. A union official said workers had not been paid for five months by Tanzania's government because of a financial crisis at the railway authority. The government has not yet commented on the strike. 

69 die in Mozambique after drinking local brew

                                                        Homemade beer is popular in many African countries, as seen here in South Africa

The number of people killed after drinking a "poisoned" homemade beer in Mozambique has risen to 69, state radio has reported. The beer, usually made from millet, may have been contaminated with crocodile bile, a health official said. 

A toddler was among those killed after apparently drinking the beer at a funeral in Tete province on Saturday. An official said it was the worst such tragedy to hit Mozambique, with 39 people still being treated in hospital.

143 Boko haram fighters killed by Cameroonian army

The Cameroonian army killed 143 Boko Haram fighters who attacked a military base in the northern town of Kolofata on Monday, in what the government said was the militants' heaviest loss yet on its territory.

One Cameroonian soldier also lost his life in the clashes, Communications Minister and government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a statement read out on television and radio.
The toll was "the heaviest loss yet" suffered by Boko Haram on Cameroonian soil, he said, and comes at a time of fears of increased cross-border raids by the Nigeria-based group into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The spokesperson said the attack began in the early hours when "several hundred" Islamist fighters took advantage of thick fog to cross over from Nigeria and tried to storm the town's military base, where an elite army unit is stationed.

Nigerian government insist 150 not 2000 were killed in Baga by Boko haram

Potiskum in the north-east was among the towns hit by explosions at the weekend

Nigeria says the number of people who lost their lives in an assault by Boko Haram militants on the town of Baga last week was no more than 150.

The defence ministry said this figure included "many of the terrorists" who had attacked the town in Borno state and faced resistance by troops.
Local officials earlier estimated the number of deaths at as many as 2,000.
Nigeria has often been accused of underestimating casualty figures to downplay the threat of Boko Haram.
The ministry dismissed higher estimates for deaths at Baga, in north-east Nigeria, as "speculation and conjecture" and "exaggerated".
It said the army was taking "necessary actions" to restore law and order there, but gave few details about the operation to recapture the town from the Islamist insurgents.

Former UN Secretary to address Nigeria Civil societies

Kofi Annan,Chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, is to visit Nigeria from January 12 to 14 2015 to address a conference on the February elections. The conference is being organized by a coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations.

Mr. Annan will deliver the keynote address at the conference, to be held on Tuesday, January 13 in Abuja, based on his work as chairman of the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security and the findings and recommendations of its report, Deepening Democracy: A Strategy for Improving the Integrity of Elections Worldwide.

Mr. Annan will meet with a broad range of Nigeria’s civil society organisations, as well as engage the audience in a question and answer session. He will also be meeting privately with various national stakeholders engaged in the electoral process.