Kenya MP Killed in Suspected Assassination
Kenyan opposition MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot dead in Nairobi by suspected hitmen. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) legislator was ambushed at around 7:30 p.m. by two gunmen riding on a motorcycle, according to witness accounts. The MP, who had reported death threats, was rushed to Nairobi Hospital by his unharmed driver and bodyguard but was pronounced dead on arrival. Police described the killing as targeted and premeditated. He was serving his second term as MP for Kasipul constituency in Homa Bay County, having been first elected in 2017 on an ODM ticket.
Zimbabwe Bail Appeal Delayed as Prosecutors Seek Testimony on Protest Violence
High Court judge Justice Philipa Philips was forced to postpone the bail appeal hearing of 94 people accused of staging protests on 31 March 2025, after prosecutors requested to call the investigating officer to testify. Only one of the 95 accused, Munyaradzi Mazhiriri, had been granted bail. The 94 are accused of participating in a gathering to promote public violence , allegedly heeding calls by exiled war veteran Blessed Geza to demonstrate against President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Prosecutors claimed the group assembled at Robert Mugabe Square, intending to march to the State House to forcibly remove the President, chanting anti-government slogans and throwing stones at police officers.
SADC Troops Begin Withdrawal from DR Congo
Southern African troops have begun evacuating eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after being stranded since a January offensive by the M23 armed group. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) decided to withdraw its forces following the deaths of 17 soldiers who were killed in the conflict. The SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) – made up of soldiers from Malawi, Tanzania, and South Africa – was sent to the region in December 2023 to help the government of the DR Congo, also a SADC member, restore peace and security. The SAMIDRC deployment, estimated at around 1,300 troops, had faced criticism from Rwanda, which accused it of worsening tensions.
Decades After Apartheid, South Africa Opens Inquiry into Lack of Accountability
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a judicial inquiry into longstanding allegations of political interference in prosecuting apartheid-era crimes, following a lawsuit by survivors and victims’ families accusing the government of denying justice. The move came nearly 30 years after apartheid ended and decades after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up in 1996, exposed atrocities like murder and torture, few of which led to prosecutions. The inquiry resulted from a settlement in a high court case filed by 25 families seeking $9 million in damages, arguing that successive governments failed to investigate apartheid crimes. Critics long accused the post-apartheid African National Congress government of making secret deals to shield perpetrators, a claim the ANC denied.
Mali’s Military Leader Secures Five-Year Presidential Term
Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goïta, has won the backing of key political allies to be declared president for the next five years. The move mirrored similar actions by fellow military-led Alliance of Sahel States members Niger and Burkina Faso. The AES includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all ruled by military governments. Niger made a similar move in March, naming its coup leader Abdourahamane Tiani president with a renewable five-year term. The forum also called for the dissolution of all existing political parties and tightening rules to create new ones, raising fears of an end to Mali’s multi-party system, which was introduced in 1991 after decades of dictatorship. Supporters claimed the changes aimed to reform Mali’s political system, while critics, like exiled opposition leader Ismaël Sacko, described the proposals as a junta-imposed “diktat.”
South Africa’s Budget Re-Tabled After VAT Hike U-Turn
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the 2025 Budget Review would be re-tabled on 21 May 2025, following National Treasury’s decision to withdraw a proposed 0.5% VAT increase that was set to take effect on 1 May. Godongwana described the public and political debate that followed the initial budget, tabled on 12 March, as “rigorous, as is right in a healthy democracy”. Godongwana said he was “pleased” that the budget will be balanced “without raising VAT while protecting vital services like education, health and social grants.” Godongwana outlined a three-pronged approach: stricter cost management to avoid additional borrowing (given South Africa’s R1 billion daily debt servicing costs), improved revenue collection through SARS, and economic reforms to spur growth and job creation.
