Members of Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations of corruption and interference within the criminal justice system have pushed back against claims made by MKP MP Vusi Shongwe that EFF leader Julius Malema was responsible for preventing suspended Gauteng Crime Intelligence boss Major-General Feroz Khan from appearing before the committee.

The issue dominated the opening of the committee’s deliberations on its draft preliminary report on Wednesday, with MPs across party lines insisting that the decision not to summon Khan was taken collectively by all committee members and warning that suggestions to the contrary undermined the integrity of Parliament’s work.

EFF committee member Leigh-Ann Mathys took direct aim at Shongwe’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission, where he made the allegation.

Shongwe told the commission that Malema had been the most vocal opponent of Khan’s appearance before the parliamentary inquiry, although he acknowledged other parties had also supported the decision.

ALSO READ: Khan’s secret-testimony bid collapses after Madlanga blasts ‘vague’ application

“Decisions are not processed like that. So when we go and we put such information out in public, in other words, it’s saying that there’s 11 members of this committee who have the right to vote and one person runs this committee,” Mathys said.

“I think that must be corrected and that it must be noted that it might have to be that we even have to write to the commission and clarify that the decision on why Khan did not appear here was a decision that was made by the committee and it was not made by one member of the committee because it’s reducing this committee to a one-man show,” she added.

DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach broadened the criticism, saying she had received complaints from witnesses who believed confidential evidence presented to the committee had later been criticised during proceedings at the Madlanga Commission.

“I did not listen to it. And so I cannot vouch for the correctness of what I have been told, but I have had complaints from more than one person who had appeared before this committee, whose evidence was then discussed at the Madlanga Commission and criticised with them having no opportunity to defend themselves and them being placed on the impression by this committee that their position here was protected,” Breytenbach said.

ANC MP Khusela Sangoni urged the committee to develop a unified approach to revelations emerging from the commission rather than reacting to issues individually.

“As the ANC, I think that the committee needs to agree on a treatment on revelations that have come out subsequent to the committee finishing its work in the Madlanga Commission. I think the piecemeal approach is not going to help us.”

She supported Breytenbach’s proposal that affected witnesses submit formal complaints if they believed parliamentary protections had been compromised.

ANC MP Xola Nqola also defended the committee’s decision-making process, saying Khan was not called after KZN police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi – whose allegations of police capture led to the establishment of the committee and commission — himself effectively cleared the general regarding a controversial drug seizure that had initially raised questions.

While Shongwe was not present, MKP MP David Skosana, however, maintained that the committee had erred.

ALSO READ: Acting police minister Cachalia warns of political agenda behind anti-immigration protests

“I said it and I’m still repeating it again, the issue of Khan was discussed here. Now, the Madlanga Commission called him, and we must own up. Khan was supposed to be called here. We’ve dropped the ball on that one,” Skosana said.

Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls also criticised suggestions that the committee deliberately shielded Khan.

“The truth is being spoken untruthfully. It’s wrong to say that we dropped the ball. We should not take that away from the committee. So I have a problem with the statement making it look like the committee intentionally as a joint body made the decision to protect General Khan,” Sauls said.

Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane tried to calm tensions, saying members would revisit issues arising from the Madlanga Commission before adopting their final report.

“We take ownership of the decisions that we have taken here as the committee. There is not any other decision that has been taken in our meeting that we were induced, that we were under duress, that we would have been bribed to arrive at such a decision,” Lekganyane said.

He stressed that witness lists had always been determined by the committee itself.

The committee is meeting over Wednesday and Thursday to conclude deliberations on its preliminary report before circulating it to affected parties for comment ahead of its submission to the National Assembly.

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Some 3 million people are registered to vote in the election, which has been marked by a lethargic mood among young people who expect Sassou N’Guesso to win again, and a call for a boycott by opposition parties. Polls are expected to close by 7 p.m. (1800 GMT).

Six other candidates are challenging the 82-year-old Sassou N’Guesso for the top job in the Central African country that boasts one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa. But analysts say none of them can mount a significant challenge against the incumbent, who has been in power for a total of 42 years.

The internet has been shut down across the country as usual during the presidential election in the country, and traffic has been restricted across the capital.

“Everyone knows that, faced with his six inexperienced opponents, President Denis Sassou-Nguesso will be re-elected with a high score as usual. Since the election is not a big issue, we shouldn’t cut off communication,” Clarisse Massamba, a teacher who voted at the Lycée Javoueh in Brazzaville, told The Associated Press.

The campaign period showed a vast mismatch between Sassou N’Guesso and his opponents, with the incumbent being the only candidate to travel around the country to canvass for votes. Roads in the capital city, Brazzaville, are paved with Sassou N’Guesso’s effigies.

Two other major parties are boycotting the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.

Sassou N’Guesso, running for the Congolese Party of Labor, first came to power in 1979 and ruled until 1992 when he organized the country’s first multi-party elections. He returned to power as a militia leader following a four-month civil war in 1997.

A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing him to run again.

The country is struggling with high international debt, which currently stands at 94.5% of its gross domestic product according to the World Bank, and skyrocketing unemployment rates for young people. More than half the country’s 5.7 million population lives in poverty and 47% of the country’s population is under 18.

The election is the latest in a trend of octogenarian African leaders clinging to power. Sassou N’Guesso is the third-longest-serving African president, only behind Cameroon ’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea ’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

AP

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Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and authorities announced late Sunday they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states. The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.

Mexico hoped the death of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease Trump administration pressure to do more against the cartels, but many remained hunkered down and on edge as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s reaction.

Many fear more violence

Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state and Mexico’s second-largest city, was almost completely shut down on Sunday as fearful residents stayed home.

Passengers arriving to the city’s international airport Sunday night were told it was operating with limited personnel because of the burst of violence.

Jacinta Murcia, a 64-year-old nutrition products vendor, was among those nervously walking late Sunday night through the airport, where earlier in the day travelers sprinted and ducked behind chairs fearing violence. Most flights into the city were suspended on Sunday.

Murcia anxiously scrolled through news stories on social media showing the face of “El Mencho” and sent messages to her children, who were tracking her location as she tried to travel across the city to her house after dark.

“My plan today leaving the airport is to see if there are any taxis, but I’m scared of everything. That there are blockades, that there’s a curfew, that something could happen,” she said. “I’m all alone.”

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 other people killed Sunday, including seven National Guard troops.

Videos circulating on social media showed tourists in Puerto Vallarta walking on the beach with smoke rising in the distance.

In another part of the airport a group of elderly Mexicans gathered, discussing how to get home.

“We better all go together,” one said. “Go with God.”

A blow against a cartel could be a diplomatic coup

David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, said the capture and outburst of violence marks a point of inflection in Sheinbaum’s push to crack down on cartels and relieve U.S. pressures.

U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico do more to fight the smuggling of the often-deadly drug fentanyl, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

There were early signs that Mexico’s efforts were well received by the United States.

U.S. Amb. Ron Johnson recognized the success of the Mexican armed forces and their sacrifice in a statement late Sunday. He added that “under the leadership of President Trump and President Sheinbaum, bilateral cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.”

But it may also pave the way for more violence as rival criminal groups take advantage of the blow dealt to the CJNG, Mora said.

“This might be a moment in which those other groups see that the cartel is weakened and want to seize the opportunity for them to expand control and to gain control over Cartel Jalisco in those states,” he said.

“Ever since President Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” Mora said. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

El Mencho’ was a major target

Oseguera Cervantes, who was wounded in the operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S. government provided intelligence support for the operation. “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” she wrote. She commended Mexico’s military for its work.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Sheinbaum has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders, only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.

AP

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The 43-year-old musician-turned-politician has been evading a military hunt for over a week, infuriating Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba — the army chief and president’s son — in what has become a very public rivalry.

Wine went into hiding shortly after Uganda’s disputed presidential election on Jan. 15. The vote was marred by an internet shutdown and the failure of biometric voter identification kits meant to prevent ballot stuffing.

Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has rejected the official results, according to which President Yoweri Museveni won a seventh term with 71.6% of the vote.

He has urged his followers to do whatever is legally possible to show the government has weaknesses despite the massive military presence that accompanied the election.

Dispute between Wine and the army chief
Ugandan soldiers raided Wine’s house the day after the Jan. 15 vote, but the opposition leader had already gone into hiding, fearing for his life after campaigning for weeks in helmet and flak jacket at rallies where security forces were a constant presence.

Wine said his ability to evade the army shows that the government is not as strong as it appears.

“The whole army is looking for one person. It’s now coming to 10 days but they have failed to find me,” Wine said in a video posted on X on Monday. “That means they are not as strong as they tell you.”

That also “means that you, as a Ugandan, you can do whatever is possible without breaking the law. Yes, they call us outlaws, but we are not law breakers,” he added.

The hunt for Wine is being led by Kainerugaba — the president’s presumptive heir — who has responded to Wine’s taunts by calling him a coward, a “baboon” and a “terrorist.”

He has a yearslong habit of posting offensive tweets, which he often deletes later.

Kainerugaba said on X that Wine and other leaders of his National Unity Platform party are wanted for criminal offenses, but did not specify them.

Yet Ugandan police and government spokesman Chris Baryomunsi say Wine is not wanted and is free to return to his family.

Wine said in his most recent message to his followers that he went to his ancestral home to “to get some love.”

“Another day of hiding. Another day of injustice,” he said. “As I have always said, that in a country under family rule the ruling family is always above the law.”

Ugandans worry about unrest
The exchanges between Wine and Kainerugaba have raised tensions after the election, with many Ugandans worried that an attack on Wine could trigger unrest.

Wine, the most prominent of seven candidates who ran against Museveni, has a large following among young people in urban areas, many of them unemployed or angry with the government over official corruption and the lack of economic opportunities. Many want to see political change after four decades of the same leader.

The opposition were further angered by a Jan. 23 raid in which Wine’s wife Barbara Kyagulanyi says she was roughed up by soldiers at the couple’s house on the outskirts of Kampala, the capital, forcing her to be hospitalized for anxiety and bruises.

Kyagulanyi, who is affectionately known as Barbie, told reporters gathered around her hospital bed that she did not cooperate with the dozens of men in military uniform who demanded to know where Wine was.

She described “a swarm of men” behind masks who broke the door and windows to reach her and then attacked her by lifting her off the floor by her pajamas. One of the intruders banged her head against a pillar, demanding the password to a phone, she said.

Kainerugaba has taken responsibility for the raid but denies that Kyagulanyi was attacked.

“My soldiers did not beat Barbie,” he said on X. “We are looking for her cowardly husband not her.”

Museveni to serve seventh term
Museveni, the 81-year-old leader who is a long-time U.S. ally, has accused the opposition of trying to foment violence during the voting.

He will now serve a seventh term that would bring him closer to five decades in power.

His supporters credit him for the relative peace and stability that has made Uganda home to hundreds of thousands fleeing violence elsewhere in this part of Africa.

AP

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The pre-sentencing proceedings of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema have been postponed, with the East London Magistrate’s Court setting 15 April 2026 as the date for final heads of argument.

Malema, who was convicted in October 2025 of violating the Firearms Control Act, will have to wait nearly three months before learning his fate.

ALSO READ: WATCH: South Africa to host World Economic Forum Spring Summit in 2027, Lamola confirms

Malema fired a rifle in the air during an EFF rally held in Mdantsane in 2018, while his defence argues he did not aim the weapon at anyone. The court said it would reconvene on April 15, with a possibility of a continuation on April 16.

On Friday, the court heard mitigation arguments from a private social worker, Tracy Thompson, who testified that Malema should not receive a custodial sentence.

Malema, addressing his EFF supporters said the dignity of black people had to be restored.

The EFF leader reiterated the EFF’s economic agenda.

ALSO READ: Scenes from Vanderbijlpark court during scholar transport driver Ayandla Dludla’s appearance

“We are right when we say this is our land. We’ll expropriate it without compensation. Whether they like it or not, we will nationalize the mines. We will establish the state bank. We’ll make sure that the people of South Africa participate in the economy of South Africa without any hesitation,” he said.

Malema went further, drawing a direct link between political representation and economic ownership.

“By how parliament looks, you can see who are the majority. Majority are black Africans, and minority are whites. That’s how the economy should be. The majority of the economy must be owned by majority of South Africans, and majority of South Africans are black Africans.”

He also added President Cyril Ramaphosa in his public address.

ALSO READ: Vanderbijlpark crash victims to be buried in joint funeral service

He told supporters that future generations should “salute the graves of revolutionaries” but “pee on the grave of Ramaphosa,” whom he labelled a “sellout” for failing to return land to the people.

He insisted that true revolution meant a complete overhaul of the system, not incremental reforms like housing projects or job creation.

The charges stem from Malema discharging an automatic firearm in public during the EFF’s fifth anniversary celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, East London, in 2018.

He was found guilty on multiple counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in public, and reckless endangerment.

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In a presidential decree, Gen. Horta Inta-a said the necessary conditions for holding free, fair and transparent elections had been met and the legislative and presidential elections would be held on Dec. 6.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt last October. The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say has fueled its political crises.

After the November coup, the military high command in the West African nation inaugurated former army chief of staff Inta-a as the head of the military government, which will oversee a one-year transition period.

West Africa has seen a wave of coups since 2020, typically with the stated purpose of protecting the country against insurgencies or fixing bad governance.

Military leaders in nearby Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso also took power by force on pledges of providing more security to citizens against extremist armed groups. In neighboring Guinea, Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya overthrew the president in 2021 on a promise to rid the country of corruption.

AP

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As the country celebrates the festive season, marked by joy, family gatherings, and celebration, economic hardship, unemployment, and poverty remain realities for many households.

EFF leader Julius Malema has urged the country’s citizens to embrace the spirit of giving and community care.

Malema, during an EFF presser, said celebrating without sharing missed the true meaning of the season.

He cautioned against hoarding old clothes that could benefit others, describing the behavior as selfish when people lived without necessities.

He challenged citizens to look beyond political blame and recognize that individuals carried the responsibility of alleviating suffering.

“It’s not only the ANC that is a problem, you are a problem,” he said, emphasizing that ordinary citizens can make a difference by opening their homes and hearts.

Malema urged communities to ease this pain by including the marginalized in celebrations.

Sharing food, donating clothing, or simply inviting a neighbor’s child to join in festivities can foster dignity and hope. He stressed that children should never be used in political or personal battles, but rather protected and nurtured to see a brighter future.

Reflecting on his own upbringing, Malema noted that he became who he is today because his neighbors were kind to him. This reciprocity, he argued, built stronger communities.

“Let’s be good because we don’t know what those children of your neighbors are going to become,” he said.

Importantly, Malema warned against turning generosity into a tool of control.

Even amid poverty and unemployment, Malema reminded South Africans to pause and appreciate life itself. Gratitude, he said, was essential, as it allowed people to find joy even in difficult circumstances.

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Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu has made explosive claims about the conduct of South Africa’s political parties.

Speaking at his party’s inaugural National Convention in Soweto, Shivambu said he had personally witnessed meetings where opposition leaders discussed how to divide government contracts for personal gain.

“The agenda was how to steal government money. There was a discussion on how to steal. you must steal this much and you must steal this much,” he told delegates, adding that such practices were entrenched across the political spectrum.

Shivambu did not specify which political party he was referring to, having been a member of both the EFF and former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

He said that he was referring to all parties in Parliament, and that he had observed an “official item on the agenda” that revolved around corrupt tender allocations.

He alleged that all political parties represented in Parliament view the tender system as a basis to raise revenue for electoral purposes, rather than as a mechanism to deliver services to citizens.

“[A]ll existing political parties want to protect the tender system and view it as a resource,” he said, insisting that his movement was “in pursuit of something else”.

The tender system, a cornerstone of South Africa’s procurement process, has long been criticised for enabling corruption and patronage.

Investigations such as the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture documented how tenders were manipulated to benefit politically connected individuals and fund party structures.

At the convention, Shivambu positioned the Afrika Mayibuye Movement as a “21st-century liberation movement” dedicated to restoring dignity to South Africans.

He said that the party would contest the 2026 local government elections with ambitions of securing outright majorities nationwide, rejecting corrupt coalitions or extortion in post-election negotiations.

“We are not postulating any coalitions. We are contesting elections to win them outright,” he said, stressing that Mayibuye would not engage in tender-driven deals that have destabilised metros like Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Shivambu’s critique of the tender system has sparked debate.

Some parties, including reformist voices within the ANC and smaller opposition groups, have argued for scrapping or radically restructuring the tender process to reduce opportunities for graft.

Proposals include centralising procurement, introducing stricter oversight, or shifting toward community-driven development models.

Shivambu’s stance aligns with these calls, but he frames the issue as evidence of systemic rot across all existing formations.

“All the existing political formations have no willingness, no capacity, no determination and no possibility to change the lives of our people,” he said in videos, citing the low voter turnout in the 2024 general elections as proof of public disillusionment.

The Afrika Mayibuye Movement, launched this year after Shivambu’s expulsion from the MK Party, has already faced internal challenges, including high-profile resignations and factional disputes.

Shivambu insisted the party was “here to stay” and would build grassroots structures across all nine provinces.

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At a hearing last month, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman who was was convicted in October of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that included ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an ax in 2003-2004.

“He committed these crimes knowingly, willfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigor,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told judges at the sentencing hearing in November.

Abd-Al-Rahman, 76, stood and listened, but showed no reaction as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner passed the sentence. He was handed sentences ranging from eight years to 20 years for each of the counts for which he was convicted before the court imposed the overarching joint sentence of 20 years.

She said that Abd-Al-Rahman “not only gave the orders that led directly to the crimes” in attacks that largely targeted members of the Fur tribe perceived as supporting a rebellion against Sudanese authorities, he “also personally perpetrated some of them using an ax he carried in order to beat prisoners.”

Abd–Al-Rahman, who is also known as Ali Kushayb, is the first person convicted by the ICC for atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region, where trial judges ruled that the Janjaweed crimes were part of a government plan to stamp out a rebellion there.

The ICC has a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment, but judges have the discretion to raise that to life in extremely grave cases. Abd-Al-Rahman’s time in detention before and during his trial will be deducted from the sentence.

Abd-Al-Rahman’s crimes were committed more than two decades ago, but violence continues to plague Darfur as Sudan is torn apart by civil war. ICC prosecutors are seeking to gather and preserve evidence from a deadly rampage last month in a besieged city in the region.

The latest alleged atrocities in famine-hit el-Fasher “are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region” and “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the ICC statement said, noting that evidence could be used in future prosecutions.

Korner said that ICC sentences are imposed as a deterrent to prevent other crimes in the future.

“Deterrence is particularly apposite in this case given the current state of affairs in Sudan,” she said.

AP

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“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Alassane Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”

Earlier, a group of soldiers had appeared on Benin ’s state TV Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.

The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions. Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri was appointed president of the military committee, the soldiers said.

Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.

There has been no official news about President Patrice Talon since gunshots were heard around the presidential residence. However, the signal to the state television and public radio, which was cut off, has now been restored.

The regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the coup bid in a statement.

“ECOWAS strongly condemns this unconstitutional move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin. … ECOWAS will support the Government and the people in all forms necessary to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Benin,” the bloc said in a statement.

Talon has been in power since 2016 and is due to step down next April after the presidential election.

Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.

In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.

Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.

The coup attempt is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.

AP

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