Family of Zambia's ex-President Lungu dismiss poisoning allegation - lawyers

By Khanyisile Ngcobo, JOHANNESBURG South Africa 

The family of ex-Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa last June and is yet to be buried, have dismissed allegations he was poisoned.

South African police also want custody of his body as part of their investigations, according to the late politician's family.

In a letter to the police, seen the reporter, their lawyers say the family are co-operating with "criminal proceedings", but maintain the allegations are "unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence".

It is the latest twist over the fate of Lungu's body, which remains in a morgue in South Africa and has been subject to an ongoing legal battle between his family and Zambia's government over where he should be buried.

South Africa's police service has refused to comment on the letter sent by the Johannesburg law firm Mashele Attorneys, which is representing the Lungu family.

Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe  said: "This is a very sensitive matter that cannot be discussed at this stage."

Lungu died of an undisclosed illness aged 68 at a clinic in South Africa's capital, Pretoria. He had led Zambia from 2015 until 2021, when he lost elections by a huge margin to current President Hakainde Hichilema.

The Zambian government wants Lungu's remains to be repatriated and given a state funeral, with full state honours - and a South African court ruled in its favour in August.

But Lungu's family want a private burial in South Africa as they say the former president had not wanted Hichilema to attend his funeral. The relationship between the two politicians had long been fraught.

In the letter to the South African police, dated 11 February 2026, Mashele Attorneys confirmed that on behalf of the Lungu family it had "complied with the five subpoenas issued" in relation to a criminal probe looking into allegations that the former Zambian president was poisoned.

"For the avoidance of doubt, it is our clients' instruction that the allegations underlying the criminal case are denied," the letter said.

Neo Mashele, from Mashele Attorneys, said the investigation by police appeared to be based on a "public utterance" about a poisoning allegation made by one of Lungu's daughters that was "absolutely not true".

In its letter, Mashele Attorneys also raised concern over another subpoena it said had been issued by police to the funeral home looking after Lungu's body.

It said there were two High Court orders that directed that "possession and custody of the body remain with Two Mountains Funeral Services pending the finalisation of the legal proceedings".

"Those orders are binding and operative," the letter said.

An official from the morgue where the remains are being stored told the BBC that Lungu's body was "under tight security [and] surveillance 24/7".

Mrs Lungu has remained in South Africa since the death of her husband and is leading legal efforts to have him buried in South Africa.

Last week she filed a notice at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to overturn the earlier ruling that her husband's body be sent back home.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 17/02/2026

 

China to scrap tariffs for most of Africa except Eswatini, says Xi Jinping

BEIJING, China 

It's another hurdle lowered for more Chinese-African trade: Beijing announced on Saturday that it would scrap tariffs for imports from 53 African countries. 

Eswatini is the only one not on the list as it maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, whose sovereignty China challenges.

From 1 May onwards, China will impose no tariffs on imports from 53 African countries.

This was announced by Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday, according to reports from Chinese state media.

It's an important step to further increase trade between Beijing and the continent.

China-Africa trade reached $222 billion in early 2025 and could increase once the tariffs are scrapped. 

Beijing in fact already had a zero-tariff policy for 33 African countries, but now expands this previous policy to the entire continent with the exception of Eswatini.

This is because Eswatini maintains diplomatic relations with the island Taiwan, whose sovereignty China challenges and which it has threatened with the use of force.

The new trade policy also comes at a time when African countries are increasingly steering away from the US, which imposed steep tariffs on many of them.

CAF Champions League: Teams that have qualified for quarter-finals

CAIRO, Egypt 

Eight clubs have confirmed their places in the quarter-finals of the 2025–26 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, following the conclusion of of the group-stage on Sunday.

With each group consisting of four teams playing six matches, the top two advance to the knockout stage.

As the group phase ended on Sunday night, several continental heavyweights secured their places in the last eight with Stade Malien making it to the knock stage for the first time in theire history.

Group A: Pyramids dominate, Berkane through

Defending champions Pyramids FC topped Group A in commanding fashion, finishing with 16 points from six matches after five wins and one draw. The Egyptian side scored 14 goals and conceded just twice, underlining their status as one of the tournament favourites.

Morocco’s Renaissance Berkane secured second place with 10 points, edging ahead of Zambia’s Power Dynamos. Rivers United of Nigeria finished bottom of the group with just one point.

Group B: Al Ahly lead as Royal Army and Young Africans wait

Egyptian giants Al Ahly lead Group B with ten points from six matches, remaining unbeaten with two wins and four draws. The Cairo club have once again shown resilience in tight contests, conceding just three goals so far.

Morocco’s FAR Rabat (Royal Army) sit second on nine points, narrowly ahead of Young Africans of Tanzania. 

Group C: Al Hilal and Sundowns advance

Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman confirmed top spot in Group C with 11 points after a crucial victory in their final match. The Sudanese giants have impressed with their organisation and efficiency, scoring nine goals and conceding seven.

South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns finished second with nine points, edging out MC Alger. Sundowns secured qualification after a decisive win in the final round, ensuring two Southern African representatives remain in contention.

Group D: Stade Malien surprise, Esperance secure passage

Mali’s Stade Malien emerged as group winners in Group D with 11 points, conceding just twice across six matches. Their disciplined defensive displays proved decisive in a tightly contested group.

Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis claimed the second qualification slot with nine points, ahead of Petro Atlético of Angola and Simba of Tanzania.

With the groups concluded, all the eight teams to play in the last eight of Africa's flagship club competition.

The quarter-final draw will determine the knockout pairings as Africa’s elite clubs turn their focus to the decisive stages of the competition.

Qualified Teams (Confirmed)

• Pyramids FC (Egypt) – Group A winners

• Renaissance Berkane (Morocco) – Group A runners-up

• Al Ahly (Egypt) – Group B winners

• FAR Rabat (Morocco) – Group B runners-up

• Al Hilal Omdurman (Sudan) – Group C winners

• Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) – Group C runners-up

• Stade Malien (Mali) – Group D winners

• Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) – Group D runners-up

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 16/02/2026

 

CAF to conduct Quarter-final draws for TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup in Cairo on Tuesday

CAIRO, Egypt 

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will conduct the Quarter-final Draws for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2025/26 and the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2025/26 at the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, in Cairo.

The TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-final Draw is scheduled for 13:00 Cairo time (11:00 GMT), followed by the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Quarter-final Draw at 14:00 Cairo time (12:00 GMT).

The draw will also be live on CAF’s official YouTube Channel, CAF TV.

The draws will determine the quarter-final pairings and the route to the finals in both competitions, as Africa’s leading clubs move into the decisive knockout phase of the 2025/26 season.

Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says

By Tom McArthur, LONDON  England 

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a poison developed from a dart frog toxin, the UK and European allies have said.

Two years on from the death of Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have blamed the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body.

Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said "only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity" to use the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia.

According to Tass news agency Moscow has dismissed the finding as "an information campaign", but Cooper said there is no explanation for the toxin, called epibatidine, being found.

While Cooper announced the findings, a joint statement was issued by the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Cooper met with Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya at the conference this weekend.

"Russia saw Navalny as a threat," Cooper said at the event.

"By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition," she added.

In the statement the allies said: "Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we hold it responsible for his death.

"Epibatidine can be found naturally in dart frogs in the wild in South America. Dart frogs in captivity do not produce this toxin and it is not found naturally in Russia.

"There is no innocent explanation for its presence in Navalny's body."

The Foreign Office said the UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia's alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Praising Navalny's "huge courage", UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said "his determination to expose the truth has left an enduring legacy".

"I am doing whatever it takes to defend our people, our values and our way of life from the threat of Russia and Putin's murderous intent," he added.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also said his country "pays tribute" to Navalny, who he suggested was "killed for his fight in favour of a free and democratic Russia".

Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia's most vociferous opposition leader - died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.

In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia.

Epibatidine, the toxin the UK and its European allies have said was used to kill Alexei Navalny, was first derived from a group of poison dart frogs native to northern South America.

Though epibatidine has previously been investigated as a pain killer and for relief from painful inflammatory conditions of the lungs, it has been deemed too toxic to use clinically.

Russian toxicology expert Jill Johnson told our reporter it was "200 times more potent than morphine".

By acting on receptors in the central nervous system, it can cause "muscle twitching and paralysis, seizures, slow heart rate, respiratory failure and finally death," Johnson said.

The extremely rare neurotoxin is only found in one wild frog species in tiny quantities, and only when the frog eats a specific diet, she said.

Researchers believe the frogs acquire it through their diet because animals from different habitats have displayed different levels of the toxin, and those raised in captivity have none.

Johnson described it as an "incredibly rare way to poison a person".

Ethiopia revokes accreditation of Reuters journalists

NAIROBI, Kenya 

The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) has declined to renew the accreditation for three Addis Ababa-based journalists from Reuters, the news agency said.

The EMA also revoked the news agency's accreditation to cover the 39th African Union summit, which was taking place in the Ethiopian capital on February 14-15.

The move comes days after the news agency published an investigative report that said Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan. 

Ethiopia has not publicly commented on the story.

While the EMA has informally indicated that the February 10 Reuters story prompted its decision, it has not made an official statement.

"Reuters is reviewing the matter and will continue to cover Ethiopia in an independent, impartial and reliable way in keeping with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles," Reuters said in a statement.

The EMA could not immediately be reached for comment.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 14/02/2026