JOHANNESBURG — Renowned South African playwright, producer and composer Mbongeni Ngema, the creator of the Broadway hit “Sarafina!”, has died in a car crash at the age of 68, his family said. 

Ngema was killed in a head-on accident while returning from a funeral in a rural town in Eastern Cape province, the family said in a statement Wednesday. The celebrated playwright was a passenger in the vehicle. 

He was best known for writing “Sarafina!”, which premiered on Broadway in 1988. It was adapted into a musical drama starring Whoopi Goldberg in 1992 and became an international success that was nominated for Tony and Grammy awards. 

“Sarafina!” told the story of a student and how she inspired her peers to fight against racial segregation in apartheid South Africa after her favorite teacher, played by Goldberg, was jailed for protesting against the system. 

The story was based on the events of the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa, when thousands of students took part in protests against the apartheid government. 

Apartheid was an institutionalized system that discriminated against non-whites and ensured South Africa was ruled by the minority white population from 1948 until the first all-race democratic elections in 1994. 

Ngema’s body of work also included the lauded theater production “Woza Albert,” which premiered in 1981 and won more than 20 awards around the world. The political satire explored the second coming of Jesus Christ as a black man in South Africa during apartheid. 

Tributes to Ngema poured in, including from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

“The many productions he created or to which he contributed inspired resilience and pride among us as fellow South Africans and took South Africa and our continent into the theaters, homes and consciousness of millions of people around the world,” Ramaphosa said in a statement. 

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party and one of its biggest rivals, the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters, both conveyed their condolences. 

The ANC said in a statement: “He was a globally acclaimed playwright, composer and producer. We have lost a true legend, a doyen, and a genuine ambassador of theater.” 

The Economic Freedom Fighters party described him as “more than just an artist; he was a cultural icon and a beacon of hope during some of our darkest times.” 

Zizi Kodwa, South Africa’s minister of sports, arts and culture, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Ngema’s work “touched and moved audiences around the world and made an important contribution in telling the South African story.” 
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YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Central Africa has, for months, been plagued with acute fuel shortages that have stifled regional economic growth, disrupted local businesses, and contributed to rising food prices and social unrest. The shortages are partly blamed on increased demand coupled with disruptions in supply, and on illegal trade in conflict zones.

Officials in several central African states say vehicle owners, truck drivers and motorcyclists in major cities wait for several hours, sometimes days, to fill their tanks as pumps have been regularly running dry since fuel shortages started several months ago.

Cameroonian officials partly blame ongoing disruptions to stormy weather off the Atlantic coast, stranding cargo ships at the regional hub port of Lome, Togo.

The landlocked Central African Republic, which receives fuel supplies through Cameroon’s Douala seaport, also reports disruptions. Aid agencies in the country, which has been hit by sectarian violence, say if nothing is done to stop the fuel crisis, delivery of needed humanitarian aid will be affected.

A severe fuel crisis is also stirring social unrest in Chad. Officials there report protests in the capital, N’djamena, and in towns including Bongor, Moundou, Faya-Largeau and Abeche, where the military this week said it dispersed protesters with tear gas.

Chad’s military government said this week that its troops seized hundreds of containers of fuel illegally transported to the border with Sudan. Chad says contraband fuel trade increased on its border with Sudan since ferocious fighting broke out in Sudan’s civil war in April.

Amina Ehemir Torna, director General of Chad’s Downstream Sector Regularization Authority, which is responsible for the regulation, control and monitoring of standards of petroleum operations there, said merchants should immediately stop illegal exports to neighboring countries that are also facing severe fuel shortages. Torna said gasoline and diesel fuel are highly combustible and should not be stored in jerry cans and buckets at home with the hope of selling to illegal vendors at exorbitant rates should the ongoing fuel shortage persist.

Sudan’s fighting shut down businesses and forced civilians and fuel merchants to flee the northeastern African state. Chadian officials say Sudanese civilians who brave the fighting, as well as troops of Sudan’s national army and a rival national paramilitary force, rush to Chad’s porous 1,400-kilometer border for fuel regularly.

Salisu Yunissa, president of Chad’s Consumers Union in Adré, a town in Ouaddai province that is home to about 210,000 Sudanese refugees, said the shortage has plunged host communities and refugees into deeper poverty and is causing unprecedented increases in the prices of rice, onions, corn, millet and sorghum. He said a 30-kilogram bag of onions that sold at $40 had tripled in price to about $120 within the past two months.

Yunissa said the price hikes, environmental disasters, and armed conflicts make living very difficult for a majority of civilians who are not sure of a meal each day.

There is some hope the situation will change soon in the region. Chad, Cameroon and the CAR this month regulated fuel sales to 20 liters per motorist with the aim of stabilizing supply and demand. Chad says its shortage will improve when a refinery in N’Djamena that closed in April for maintenance reopens, although it did not say when that would happen.

Cameroon says besides the liberalization of petroleum products imports, it is importing what it calls enough quantities to meet the country’s increasing demand for fuel.
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ABUJA, NIGERIA — The death toll in Nigeria’s Christmas Eve attacked by armed gangs has risen to 150, Plateau state officials said Wednesday, while survivors and observers expressed outrage at the government’s reaction.

Plateau authorities say the unknown gunmen overran more than 17 local villages across Bokkos and two other districts, burning down houses in the attack.

A local district head in Bokkos said search teams were still combing nearby bushes for missing people. Thousands have been displaced from their homes.

Shelong Gabriel said she last spoke to two of her male cousins on Christmas Eve.

She said that the two brothers — ages 45 and 58 — told her they had joined a local vigilante group because of a warning of a possible attack. Later that night, she said, assailants attacked the village, killing the men and their mother.

“These people came on motorbikes, and they had so much machineries” Gabriel said. “I lost three of my family.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but locals blame herders. Plateau state is embroiled in a decades-old ethno-religious conflict between predominantly Muslim herders and Christian farmers.

The attack has sparked outrage and criticism of the government.

Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s country director for Nigeria, called on authorities to investigate.

“It is really sad and unfortunate that these kinds of things continue to happen, and the authorities cannot do anything apart from sympathizing with the victims, which shows helplessness on their side,” Sanusi said. “Rural communities have been allowed to live in the last 10 years or so at the mercy of gunmen.”

Plateau resident Mangai Luka said people have been afraid since the attack.

“People are at home; nobody is going anywhere,” Luka said. “With the situation … you can’t go far from the house because you can’t tell what will happen next. Even [last] night we heard gunshots; we couldn’t sleep.”

Nigerian authorities have condemned the attack and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Insecurity is a big problem for the government of President Bola Tinubu, who came to power promising to address the problem.

Vice President Kashim Shettima visited the affected villages Wednesday.

Some observers, including security analyst Chukwudi Victor Odoeme, remain critical of the government’s efforts.

“I think the government is not doing enough,” he said. ”There’s still the absence of political will. It’s an indictment on our government and security forces.”
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Yaounde, Cameroon — Chad’s Supreme Court will on Thursday declare definitive results of the country’s constitutional referendum that paves the way for a return to civilian rule.

Chad’s military leader said he will respect the verdict, which is likely not going to be different from provisional results published on Sunday indicating the central African state’s new constitution was approved by 86% of voters.

Some opposition leaders challenge the figures, saying the constitution approved in a referendum does not guarantee that the military leaders are ready to hand power to civilians.

Chad’s transitional military government said the large turnout of voters in the central African state’s constitutional referendum indicates that civilians overwhelmingly adhere to General Mahamat Idriss Deby’s plans to hand power to civilian rule by December 2024.

Deby spoke on Chad’s National Television this week after provisional results of the constitutional referendum were announced.

He congratulated civilians, political actors and civil society activists who helped Chad’s constitutional referendum to unfold peacefully from Nov. 25, when the campaign was launched, through Dec. 17, when the referendum took place, up to Dec. 24, when the National Commission Charged with the Organization of the Constitutional Referendum, CONOREC, announced provisional results.

According to the provisional results, the new constitution was approved by 86% of voters.

CONOREC reports that more than 63% of the more than 8.3 million voters took part in the Dec. 17 referendum. 

But Chad’s opposition leaders and civil society groups say a majority of voters did not turn out to vote.

Opposition parties, including the Union of Democrats for Development and Progress, report that several million voters did not even collect their voter cards. 

Before the referendum, CONOREC reported that it had launched a campaign for several million voters to collect their voter cards to be eligible to vote in the referendum.

Many opposition leaders and civil society groups described the referendum as a sham to prepare for an eventual election of Deby, a 39-year-old military general.

Deby assumed power in April 2021 following the death of his father, General Idriss Deby Itno, who took power in a 1990 coup.

Chad’s opposition and civil society say the younger Deby started showing his intention to hold onto power after he failed to organize elections within 18 months from April 2021 as he had promised. He instead extended his rule until November 2024.

Saleh Kebzabo is Chad’s civilian transitional prime minister, appointed by Deby,

He said opposition parties and civil society groups that claim that Deby is doing everything possible to illegally continue his family’s 31-year autocratic rule are ill-intentioned.

He said it would be better for political parties and civil society groups to prepare for elections that will hand power to civilians by December 2024 instead of wasting their time in unnecessary political quarrels.

Kebzabo said the referendum is key for a return to civilian rule by 2024. The opposition argued it does not bar Deby from running for president.

Chad’s military rulers said voters in the referendum also decided that Chad would continue as a decentralized system of government, with the country’s 23 regions to have greater financial autonomy with elected regional officials. 

Chad’s Supreme Court has until Thursday to examine provisional results and declare definitive results of the Dec. 17 referendum. 

The opposition, CONOREC, military government and civil society groups said they do not expect any changes from the provisional results declared on Sunday.

 
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Lusaka, Zambia — Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo resigned Tuesday, the president’s office announced, hours after he was embroiled in a social media frenzy over alleged dealings with a Chinese businessman. 

Kakubo, who had been foreign minister since September 2021, said in a letter he was quitting because of “malicious claims over a business transaction.” 

Earlier, a video showing two people counting wads of cash stacked on a table spread quickly on Zambian social media accounts. 

An image of a signed handwritten note, dated July 8, 2022, was also put online. The note named a Chinese mining firm and a Zambian mining firm and said they had “exchanged $100,000.” 

Though the names of Kakubo and a Mr. Zang were on the note, it was not immediately possible to verify the details. 

President Hakainde Hichilema has accepted Kakubo’s resignation, an official statement said. 

It gave no reason for the resignation but added: “The president acknowledges the commendable work and leadership” of Kakubo in the government. 

Kakubo, 43, quickly followed the announcement by releasing his own letter. 

He said he had resigned “in view of the matter that is currently in the media regarding malicious claims over a business transaction between my private family business and our business partner with whom we still have good relations.” 

He added: “This decision is to ensure that our government is not distracted from continuing to look for solutions for bettering the lives of our people.” 

Kakubo could not be reached for further comment on his resignation or the video. 

Chinese enterprises are heavily involved in the Zambian mining industry, a bedrock of the southern African nation’s economy. China is a major importer of Zambian copper. 

Kakubo, a member of parliament since 2016, said he would remain loyal to the government. And the president’s statement said Hichilema implores the former minister “to continue to serve diligently in his capacity as member of parliament.” 

The Chinese embassy said in 2022 that more than 600 Chinese businesses had invested more than $3 billion in Zambia. 

China has also been a major player in international efforts to restructure Zambia’s foreign debt. Zambia defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020 as the COVID-19 crisis grew. 
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The toll marked a sharp rise from the initial figure reported by the army Sunday evening of just 16 dead
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BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Malawi, which already is suffering from food shortages, this week banned the import of unmilled maize from Kenya and Tanzania over concerns that the spread of maize lethal necrosis disease could wipe out the staple food.

The ministry of agriculture announced the ban in a statement that said the disease has no treatment and can cause up to 100% yield loss. The statement said maize can be imported only after it is milled, either as flour or grit.

Henry Kamkwamba, an agriculture expert with the International Food Policy Research Institute, told VOA that if the disease were introduced into the country, it would be difficult to contain.

He used the banana bunchy top virus as an example of the potential danger.

“Think of how we lost all of our traditional bananas in the past and now Malawi is a net importer of bananas … due to our lax policies in terms of imports,” he said.

“There are these similar concerns with maize,” he said, with maize being the nation’s main food crop.

Kamkwamba predicted the ban would help Malawi prevent the disease from spreading.

Kenya and Tanzania have long been primary sources of maize for Malawi during periods of food shortage.

Malawi is facing shortages largely because Cyclone Freddy destroyed thousands of hectares of maize last March.

The World Food Program in Malawi and the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee estimate that 4.4 million people — around a quarter of the population — would face food shortages until March 2024.

Grace Mijiga Mhango, the president of the Grain Traders Association of Malawi, said that while she understands the severity of the impact of the maize disease, banning imports at a time of need would likely result in higher costs.

“If we really don’t have enough food, then we are creating another unnecessary maize [price] increase,” she said.

The next alternative for maize imports is South Africa, she said.

“South Africa is quite a distance,” she said, “and they don’t have enough. … It will be expensive.”

Malawi’s government said the ban will be temporary as it explores other preventive measures to combat the spread of maize lethal necrosis disease.
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Kinshasa, Congo — Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo are due to go to the polls again Thursday, in a general election marked by severe logistical troubles that meant some polling stations never opened.

The impoverished but mineral-rich central African nation staged four concurrent elections on Wednesday — to pick a president, national and regional lawmakers as well as local councilors.

President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, is running for a second term in office against a backdrop of years of economic growth but little job creation and soaring inflation.

But the vote on Wednesday was marked by massive delays nationwide, with the electoral commission still attempting to deliver materials to voting stations long after polls were meant to have opened.

In some cases, polls never opened, leaving people unable to cast ballots.

Denis Kadima, the head of the electoral commission, declared on national television on Wednesday night that places unable to vote that day would vote on Thursday.

But details about the extension remain unclear. Nor is it clear how much of the country is affected.

Kadima also told reporters that “not less than 70%” of electors had been able to vote, but he stressed that this was an estimate.

Five opposition presidential candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including prominent figures Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege, rejected the extension on Wednesday night on the grounds that it was illegal.

In a joint statement, they called for fresh elections.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its vast reserves of copper, cobalt and gold.

Around 44 million Congolese, in a nation of 100 million, are registered to vote. And more than 100,000 candidates are running for various positions.

Results are not expected for several days.

Logistical problems

There had long been concerns that preparations for the vote were lacking, and the election authorities sought to play them down — although they proved valid Wednesday.

Staging elections in a country roughly the size of continental western Europe, with very few roads, poses a daunting logistical challenge.

By Wednesday afternoon, an influential election observer mission by a union of Congolese Catholic and Protestant churches indicated the scale of the voting problems.

Nearly a third of polling booths in the country had not opened, the observers said, and about 45% of voting machines suffered technical problems.

There was little sympathy from leading opposition politicians, who described the process as chaotic.

The main leading opposition candidates — gynecologist Mukwege, 68, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; 58-year-old business magnate and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi; and 67-year-old ex-oil executive Fayulu — all complained of irregularities.

‘Foreign candidates’

Tshisekedi, who took office in 2019 and faces 18 challengers, says he wants a second term to “consolidate his gains.”

He’s considered the frontrunner in the single-round presidential vote, although his record, as he himself has acknowledged, is mixed.

Throughout the campaign, Tshisekedi also poured scorn on what he termed “foreign candidates,” suggesting that his opponents had dual loyalties and lacked the will to stand up to Rwanda, which the DRC accuses of funding rebel groups on its soil.

Katumbi, a former governor of mineral-rich Katanga province and chairman of the country’s leading football club, Tout Puissant Mazembe, was the main target of such attacks.

Violence-wracked east

Armed conflict in eastern DRC also overshadowed much of the electoral campaign.

Militias have plagued the troubled region for decades, a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.

Tensions have ratcheted up further since the M23 group began capturing swathes of territory in late 2021.

Rwanda has been accused of supporting the rebels, which Kigali denies.

Clashes with M23 fighters have subsided in recent weeks but they continue to hold sway over large parts of North Kivu province, where voting was impossible.

In the eastern city of Goma, Desire Abedi Mubwana, 28, said: “There’s the war, there’s a lack of jobs, young people are really being neglected, forgotten.

“But we’re here to vote in the right leaders who will still think about young people and who will also think about the security of our region.”

 
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Bamako, Mali — Separatist Tuareg forces on Wednesday announced they had set up a blockade on the major roads in northern Mali, where the army has made inroads in recent weeks. 

The Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), an alliance of rebel forces, said it had decided to set up roadblocks across all roads leading to northern borders with Mauritania, Algeria and Niger. 

It would cover roads leading out of the cities of Menaka, Kidal, Gao, Timbuktu and Taoudeni, the CSP statement said, and it would cover all products and all means of transport. 

The mainly Tuareg rebel forces have in recent weeks lost ground to a Malian army offensive that in mid-November led to the recapture of the northeast city of Kidal. 

Fighting between the separatists and government troops broke out again in August after eight years of calm, as both sides scrambled to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers. 

The MINUSMA force left at the behest of Mali’s military rulers in Bamako, where the colonels seized power in 2020. 

It was the army’s air power, including planes and drones, that helped make its recent gains against the rebel forces.  

Mali’s army was also backed by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group, according to the rebels and local elected officials, but the regime denies the presence of the controversial private security force. 

There have been accusations of atrocities committed against civilians during the recent offensive by Mali’s army and the Russian force, which authorities have repeatedly denied. 

Getting reliable information from the vast, northern part of Mali is extremely difficult because of its inaccessibility, lack of security and the muzzling of dissident voices there. 
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Wracked by conflict and unrest, Burkina Faso is a tough environment for journalists, with issues like rape and sexual violence often taboo. But Mariam Ouedraogo is pushing back to provide a platform through her reporting, for those affected by unrest. While in Washington to receive an award, she spoke with VOA’s Salem Solomon about her career. Camera: Betty Ayoub
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