Zimbabwe: Why Should I Die If the Lord Hasn't Called Me? - Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe has claimed some of his once-trusted lieutenants wanted him to die so that they could take over.

I'm Already President, Says Zimbabwe's First Lady

Grace Mugabe has reportedly claimed that she is already the president, as she "plans and does everything with President Robert Mugabe".

President Robert Mugabe looks on as First Lady Grace Mugabe talks to Army Chief Constantine Chiwenga (file photo).

South Africa: Middelburg - Protests Over South Africa Coffin Assault

Demonstrators have protested against racism outside a South African court where two white men face assault charges for allegedly forcing a black man into a coffin and threatening to set him on fire.

The two accused, Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson, appeared briefly in the Magistrates Court in Middelburg, east of Pretoria, on Wednesday before the case was postponed until January 25.

The men will remain in custody until the case resumes.

The 20-second video, which was widely circulated on social media, shows the victim, Victor Rethabile, cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes a lid on his head and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside the coffin.

Rethabile escaped, although it is not clear how. He told reporters outside court he wanted justice.

"They were accusing me of trespassing. They beat me up and forced me into the coffin," he said.

The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which campaigns for a more even distribution of wealth between white and black South Africans, led a rally outside the court.

"This humiliation can be based on nothing else but his blackness, which means it is in actual fact a humiliation of black people as a whole," the EFF said in a statement.

Hundreds of South Africans condemned the white men's behaviour on social media under the hashtag #coffinAlive.

Black people make up 80 percent of South Africa's 54 million population. However, most of the economy remains in the hands of white people, who account for about 8 percent of the population.

(Story from Aljazeera) 

Makerere Lecturers Strike Over Arrears

The university's academic staff has decided to strike because the management failed to pay their outstanding incentive arrears.

Nigerian President Meets Freed Chibok Girls

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised that the government will sustain the ongoing rescue efforts until all the remaining abducted Chibok girls return safely.

Freed Chibok Girls Reunite With Families in Nigeria

It is unclear how the release was negotiated, but an official says talks are under way to free more girls.

Kenya: Donald Trump invites Malik Obama to be his guest at presidential debate in U.S.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has invited President Barack Obama’s half-brother Malik Obama to be his guest at the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Trump campaign unveiled the candidate’s list of invited guests as he prepared to spar with Hillary Clinton.

Clinton also unveiled her list of guests, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman, a former Republican California gubernatorial candidate. Cuban and Whitman are both billionaires and the Clinton campaign is subtly questioning Trump’s claim to being immensely wealthy.

US CITIZEN
Malik, who is a US citizen, has been an outspoken critic of Clinton and has thrown his support behind the Manhattan billionaire. During an interview with the New York Post, Malik blasted Clinton for her performance as secretary of state, blaming her for the chaos and violence in the Middle East.

He said ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was a good friend of his. “Check out the situation in Libya now,” he said. He also questioned the sincerity of the women who have accused Trump of kissing and groping them.

“I don’t believe them,” Malik said of the women. “Why didn’t they come forward before?” In an interview with the same paper in July, Malik announced he would vote for Trump, saying he likes the candidate and was unhappy with his half-brother’s leadership. He criticised President Obama, saying he has not done much for the American people and his extended family back in Kenya despite high expectations.

‘BROTHER STORY’

Earlier this year, Malik complained that when he last visited the White House, President Obama did not extend to him a “warm and loving” reception. The Kenyan-born Malik has been a darling of right-wing conservative media outlets, which sought to further the "brother" story that claims President Obama was born in Kenya.

In 2015, he sold a handwritten letter from the president that seemed to shed light on why the US leader chose to enter politics. Trump is currently in a free fall, with the latest polls showing him trailing Clinton by between six and 12 points.