NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

30

2026

The fall of a “Prophet”: Zim’s Magaya faces reckoning for alleged crimes against women

NEWS

IN the gleaming mega-church complex where thousands once gathered to witness "miracles," the air now crackles with a different kind of electricity: the sharp voltage of scandal, betrayal, and criminal allegations that threaten to topple one of Zimbabwe's most flamboyant religious figures. Walter Magaya, the 35-year-old founder of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, stands accused of crimes that paint a disturbing portrait behind the golden veneer of his prosperity gospel empire. The man who once promised miracle healing and "miracle money" to desperate congregants now faces rape and fraud charges that have sent shockwaves through Zimbabwe's religious landscape. A…

Jan

30

2026

By The African Mirror

SA: President orders criminal probes against 5 police officers, 9 municipal officials

NEWS

FIVE senior South African Police Service officers and nine current and former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality employees face criminal investigations and potential prosecution after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday directed law enforcement agencies to act on recommendations from the Madlanga Commission. The directive follows the submission of an interim report by the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, which found prima facie evidence of wrongdoing, including corruption, fraud, murder, and perjury. Among the SAPS officers referred for investigation are Major General Lesetja Senona, Major General Richard Shibiri, Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu, Brigadier Rachel Matjeng,…

Jan

30

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Uganda opposition leaders vanished as military besieges rival’s home

NEWS

TWO senior Ugandan opposition leaders have been forcibly disappeared, and the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni remains in hiding after soldiers stormed his home and assaulted his wife, Human Rights Watch has reported. The dramatic escalation comes less than two weeks after Museveni claimed victory in presidential elections on January 15, extending his 40-year grip on power to a seventh term. Military forces have effectively besieged the residence of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, who finished as Museveni's closest rival. Armed soldiers raided the compound twice, cutting electricity, disabling security cameras, and on January 23, allegedly…

Jan

29

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

From power to the dock: Nigeria’s former oil czar fights for her freedom

NEWS

THE woman who once controlled the lifeblood of Africa's largest economy now finds herself in the unfamiliar position of defendant, her fate resting in the hands of a British jury. Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, Nigeria's former petroleum minister and once a commanding presence in global energy circles, has begun what promises to be a gruelling 12-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. She stands accused of living a double life: public servant by title, private beneficiary of an elaborate bribery scheme by alleged design. The charges are stark. Prosecutors claim that between 2011 and 2015, while Alison-Madueke wielded enormous influence over Nigeria's…

Jan

29

2026

By The African Mirror

Remembering Halima Gadji, Senegal’s beloved screen icon

NEWS

THE vibrant tapestry of African cinema has lost one of its most luminous threads. Halima Gadji, the Senegalese actress who captured hearts across continents with her magnetic presence and raw emotional power, passed away suddenly on January 26, 2026, in Paris. She was just 36 years old - a life brimming with talent, cut tragically short. From Dakar's Runways to Africa's Screens Born on August 25, 1989, in Dakar, Halima's journey to stardom began not in front of cameras, but before them. As a striking photo model, she graced advertising campaigns and magazine spreads, her natural charisma evident even in…

Jan

29

2026

By The African Mirror

Ghost of a failed policy: Rwanda’s $130 million claim threatens UK relations

NEWS

A controversial asylum scheme that sparked fierce legal battles and political outrage in Britain has returned to haunt the UK government, now threatening diplomatic relations with Rwanda as the East African nation demands payment for a partnership it claims was abandoned in bad faith. The Republic of Rwanda has taken the extraordinary step of filing an arbitration case against the United Kingdom at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, claiming London owes more than $130 million under the terms of the scrapped "migration partnership" agreement signed in 2022. The case represents a bitter epilogue to one of Britain's…

Dec

02

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

African Parliament chief issues call to arms: continent must shed colonial mindset to achieve true independence

NEWS

THE president of Africa's continental legislature has delivered a stark warning that the continent will remain trapped in underdevelopment unless it purges the psychological legacy of colonialism and reclaims confidence in its own culture and values. Addressing a two-day international conference examining colonial crimes, Pan African Parliament President Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira declared that centuries of colonial rule had inflicted damage far beyond physical exploitation — systematically destroying African identity and implanting a corrosive belief in Western superiority. "Culture is the glue that binds us together, and without our culture we are disunited and directionless," Chief Charumbira told delegates gathered…

Nov

26

2025

By FAMA DIONE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Breaking the silence, finding freedom in Senegal

NEWS

WHEN Yacine Minda Diouf, a social entrepreneur and community leader, established the Kayam Centre as a refuge for survivors of domestic violence in 2022, she knew she was filling a void. “Personally, I have not seen any organisation that takes into account women's suffering and offers help for their psychological distress, acknowledging their trauma, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, psychological violence,” Diouf told bird. Traditionally, women, especially mothers, are at the centre of community-building and are respected for carrying out this role in many localities across the West African country. However, accounts of women experiencing domestic violence behind…

Jan

28

2026

By The African Mirror

Nigerian military to prosecute officers over alleged coup plot against Tinubu

NEWS

NIGERIA'S Defense Headquarters has confirmed that several military officers arrested last year will face trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu's government, marking the most serious threat to the country's civilian administration in over two decades. The announcement on Monday represents a significant escalation from October, when authorities dismissed coup rumours following the arrest of 16 officers for what were initially characterised as routine disciplinary infractions. A subsequent military investigation has now uncovered what officials describe as credible evidence of a conspiracy to unseat the elected government. Major-General Samaila Uba, the Defence spokesperson, said those implicated will appear…

Jan

28

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

South African police smash international investment ring, 31 arrested

NEWS

SOUTH African law enforcement arrested 31 suspects on Tuesday in a coordinated operation targeting an alleged international investment fraud syndicate that preyed on retirement-age victims across five countries. The Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit, working with INTERPOL and multiple local and international agencies, apprehended six suspected ringleaders and 25 call-centre agents in Johannesburg. The suspects, aged 38 to 61, face charges of violating the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. The breakthrough follows a four-year investigation launched in 2022 after 43 Australian victims provided statements to authorities. The probe revealed an elaborate "boiler-room" operation that allegedly defrauded victims in…