South African opposition leader Julius Malema sentenced to five years in prison

By Pumza Fihlani, Ku GOMPO CITY South Africa 

Leading South African opposition politician Julius Malema, 45, has been sentenced to five years after being found guilty of the illegal possession of a gun and firing it in public.

But Magistrate Twanet Olivier allowed the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters and MP to appeal against the sentencing, meaning that he was not immediately taken to prison.

Earlier, standing in court in a dark suit and red tie, Malema showed little emotion as Olivier read out the sentence even though his political future was at stake.

Last year, he was convicted of five offences, including the unlawful possession of a firearm, discharging it in public and reckless endangerment.

The charges related to an incident in 2018 when a video emerged showing Malema using a semi-automatic rifle to fire several shots in the air during his party's fifth anniversary celebrations held in the country's Eastern Cape province.

During the trial in KuGompo City, which is the new name for East London, Malema told the court that the firearm was not his and that he had fired the shots to rouse the crowd, South African news site SowetanLIVE reported at the time.

But during her sentencing ruling Olivier said "it wasn't... an impulsive act. It was the event of the evening".

She added that while his political standing had no bearing on her findings, he was someone who had a large following in South Africa and should account for his actions.

Addressing some of those followers outside court, he made a series of unsubstantiated allegations against Olivier and said, without offering direct evidence, that the conviction and sentencing were a result of a conspiracy.

"They are trying by all means to silence this voice. They will never win," press quotes him as saying. "We are fighting the enemy and the enemy is white supremacy."

Malema has a long reputation as being an outspoken, charismatic and radical left-wing politician and has a loyal band of supporters.

Hundreds had come to back Malema with chants and revolutionary songs.

When news came through that he would be allowed to appeal, they started calling out in the Xhosa language "sigoduka naye", which translates as "we are leaving with him today".

Malema was once the leader of the youth wing of the governing African National Congress. But after being expelled from the party, following a falling-out with then President Jacob Zuma, he went on to form the EFF.

With Malema's calls for the seizure of white-owned land and arguments that more should be done to transfer wealth to the black majority, the EFF ate away at the ANC share of the vote. It became the country's fourth largest party at the 2024 elections.

After being found guilty last October, Malema was quoted as telling those outside the court that "going to prison or death is a badge of honour".

"We cannot be scared of prison [or] to die for the revolution. Whatever they want to do, they must know we will never retreat."

He also vowed to take a challenge to the judgment up to South Africa's highest court, the Constitutional Court.

Malema's prosecution came when Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, which has a contentious relationship with him and the EFF, opened a case against Malema after the video went viral.

AfriForum also had a role in another conviction against the politician.

Last August, he was found guilty of hate speech by the equality court, following remarks he made at a rally in 2022.

After an incident where a white man allegedly assaulted an EFF member, Malema said: "No white man is going to beat me up... you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point there must be killing."

The equality court ruled that these remarks "demonstrated an intent to incite harm", but the EFF said they were taken out of context.

Malema has also been criticised for chanting a song that includes the words "shoot the Boer (Afrikaner); shoot the farmer" at his political rallies.

US President Donald Trump brought this up during a tense White House meeting with South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa last May.

Afrikaner lobby groups have tried to get the song banned, but South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that a "reasonably well-informed person" would understand that the song, which dates from the fight against white-minority rule, was not meant to be taken literally and so was not hate speech.

"Gabon opposition leader brutally arrested" - opposition party

LIBREVILLE, Gabon 

Gabon authorities have arrested main opposition leader and vocal government critic Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, his political party said in a statement on Thursday.

Bilie-By-Nze was detained at his home late on Wednesday, his Together For Gabon (EPG) party said, adding that it was carried out in "conditions that we consider arbitrary, brutal and manifestly contrary to the fundamental principles of the rule of law."

The party said the arrest is linked to a 2008 event for which the politician was at the head of the organising committee.

The case relates to “a debt that the Gabonese government allegedly failed to pay in connection with the organization of the Festival of Cultures,” the party added.

EPG condemned the arrest as a "serious political manoeuvre" aimed at "silencing a major critical voice."

Bilie-By-Nze held several government posts under former Gabonese president Ali Bongo and served as prime minister from January to August 2023, when a coup deposed Bongo.

He was also the runner-up in last year’s presidential election, coming far behind president-elect Brice Oligui Nguema, who won with more than 94% of the vote.

In recent months, Bilie-By-Nze has opposed a suspension of social media introduced in February and has criticised the adoption by decree of a reform of the nationality laws.

The measures were introduced as Gabon's new administration confronted agitation including a strike by teachers.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 16/04/2026

 

Pope demands the ‘chains of corruption’ be broken as he arrives in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon. 

Pope Leo XIV arrived Wednesday in Cameroon and delivered a masterclass on wielding authority legitimately to its 93-year-old president, Paul Biya, who consolidated his four-decade grip on power with a contested election last year that gave him an eighth term in office.

The Vatican had said fighting corruption in the mineral-rich central African country would be one of the themes of Leo’s visit, and the American pope didn’t hold back in addressing Biya and government authorities in his arrival address at the presidential palace.

“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken,” Leo said. “Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit.”

The president, who is the world’s oldest, sat passively as Leo read his speech in French.

Cameroonian television halted its live feed for parts of Leo’s speech, but it wasn’t clear if technical glitches were to blame.

The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his four-nation African visit, the first to the continent by history’s first U.S.-born pope.

Biya has led Cameroon since 1982 and just Tuesday signed into law a bill that reintroduces the vice president position, a move the opposition says will further strengthen his grip on power.

Cameroon’s opposition has contested the result of the Oct. 12 election that secured the victory for Biya. His election rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.

Leo told Biya, Cameroon generals, diplomats and civil society representatives that Cameroon needed to take “a bold leap forward” to impose transparency in public finances and integrate civil society organizations into the fabric of daily life.

“With such a change of approach, civil society must be recognized as a vital force for national cohesion. Cameroon is ready for this transition!” Leo said. 

Young people in general, and women in particular had a vital role to play in bringing Cameroon into a new dawn, he said.

Mystery surrounds US influencer’s death in Zanzibar

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania 

A United States influencer has died while on holiday in Zanzibar Tanzania, as police continue investigations and withhold her partner’s passport.

Authorities in Tanzania say Ashly Robinson, 31, known online as Ashlee Jenae, was found unconscious in a villa and later died in hospital.

Her partner, Joe McCann, 45, is speaking to police as a witness. No arrests have been made.

Zanzibar police say they are waiting for an official medical examination to determine the cause of death. Earlier, officers suggested she may have attempted to take her own life, but this has not been confirmed.

The case was reported last Wednesday after hotel staff raised concerns. Robinson was taken to hospital that night and died the following day.

Police say the couple had a disagreement and were placed in separate rooms by hotel staff. The hotel has not confirmed those details but says it is cooperating with authorities.

It also described the incident as tragic and declined further comment, citing privacy and the ongoing investigation.

Robinson’s parents say her death “doesn’t make any sense” and that they received limited information hours after the incident.

They said she had just celebrated her birthday and got engaged during the trip.

The US State Department has confirmed the death and says it is supporting the family. Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in on her social media pages.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 15/04/2026

 

CAF president open to "corruption" probe as Senegal-Morocco row deepens

CAIRO, Egypt 

CAF President, Patrice Motsepe says he welcomes any independent inquiry into governance at the African football body, as tensions rise over the decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and award it to Morocco.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been thrown into turmoil after its appeals commission withdrew the 2025 AFCON hosting rights from Senegal and handed them to Morocco.

Dakar has fiercely contested the move and lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). A final ruling from the international tribunal is now awaited.

In response, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has embarked on a West and North African tour.

He met Senegalese authorities in Dakar before travelling to Rabat, where he held talks with football officials and government representatives.

The aim, according to CAF, is to ease tensions and maintain stability within African football.

Speaking in Dakar, Motsepe said he would support any initiative to shed light on CAF’s governance.

“We will cooperate fully with any independent inquiry,” he stated, reiterating zero tolerance for corruption, which he called a major threat to the credibility of African football.

Motsepe also stressed that CAF would abide by whatever decision CAS reaches.

The affair has further weakened CAF’s image, already under fire over governance concerns.

Motsepe’s openness to an investigation is seen as an attempt to restore trust, but critics say the damage may already be done.

With CAS’s verdict pending, African football now waits to see if the continent’s top tournament will be played in Rabat or Dakar – and whether CAF can survive the fallout.

Last month, Senegal demanded an “independent international investigation" into corruption after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title and awarded it to Morocco.

The controversy began when several Senegalese players walked off the pitch in Rabat during the final on January 18, protesting a penalty awarded to the host nation late in second-half stoppage time.

After being persuaded to return to the field by captain Sadio Mane, Senegal’s players resumed play. Morocco missed the penalty, and Pape Gueye scored in extra time, securing a 1-0 victory for Senegal.

Burundi court partially acquits jailed journalist after two years

BUJUMBURA, Burundi 

A Burundian appeals court has partially acquitted journalist Sandra Muhoza, ending a nearly two-year detention that has raised fresh concerns about press freedom in the country.

Muhoza, a reporter with La Nova Burundi, had been accused of sharing sensitive information in a private WhatsApp group.

The court cleared her of undermining national unity but upheld a conviction for racial hatred — a charge carrying a lighter sentence of up to two years.

The journalist was released on parole on March 4 after appearing visibly weakened during earlier court hearings.

Her lawyer, Eric Ntibandetse, welcomed the acquittal on the main charge but described the case as baseless, arguing the remaining conviction was equally unfounded.

Relatives say the prolonged detention for what ultimately amounts to a lesser offence highlights serious concerns over judicial fairness.

“Nearly two years in prison for a six-month sentence raises questions of human dignity,” a family member said.

Under President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Burundi has sought to ease its international isolation.

However, rights groups say progress remains limited, with the country ranked low in global press freedom indices.

The case underscores ongoing tensions between state authority and independent journalism in Burundi.

US begins Iran port blockade, oil prices ease on hopes for dialogue

By Trevor Hunnicutt, WASHINGTON United States 

The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports, angering Tehran and adding uncertainty around the crucial waterway, although hopes for dialogue to end the war provided some relief to ​oil markets where benchmark prices fell below $100 on Tuesday.

After a breakdown of weekend talks in Islamabad between the two adversaries, a U.S. official said there was continued engagement and ‌forward motion on trying to get to an agreement. 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said efforts were still under way to resolve the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had been in touch on Monday and wanted to make a deal but that he would not sanction any agreement allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

Since the United States and Israel began the war on February 28, Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels except its own, saying passage ​would be permitted only under Iranian control and subject to a fee. 

The fallout has been widespread, since nearly a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies flowed through the narrow ​waterway before the start of the conflict.

Trump has said Washington would block Iranian vessels and any ships that paid such tolls and that any Iranian "fast-attack" ships ⁠that went near the blockade would be eliminated. 

Tehran has threatened to hit naval ships going through the strait and to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports.

Shipping data on LSEG showed Chinese-owned oil-and-chemicals tanker Rich ​Starry passed through the strait on Tuesday - the first since the U.S. blockade began at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday. 

The vessel, which departed Sharjah anchorage off the coast of Dubai on Monday heading for China, had ​earlier turned back minutes after approaching the strait.

The U.S.'s blockade has further clouded the outlook for global energy security and the supply of a vast array of goods that relies on petroleum, and has little, if any, international backing.

NATO allies including Britain and France said they would not be drawn into the conflict by taking part in the blockade, stressing instead the need to reopen the waterway.

Despite the breakdown of talks between the U.S. and Iran on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance, who ​led the U.S. delegation, told Fox News on Monday the U.S. "made a lot of progress" by communicating to Tehran where the U.S. "could make some accommodation" and where it would remain inflexible.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 14/04/2026