• Inflation in China rises in March 

• 2. Fed leadership delay rattles markets as hearing for the new chair is pushed back 
• 3. Market update

Africa in Focus with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

10 April 2026

1.    Benin-Porto Novo

Benin Decides 2026 on Sunday 

Benin faces an uneven race for president

Benin's long-serving finance minister and chosen successor of outgoing president Patrice Talon is expected to win elections on Sunday, with the economy booming but jihadist attacks blighting the north.

Backed by the ruling bloc, Romuald Wadagni, 49, who has been finance minister for 10 years, faces a single rival, Paul Hounkpe, a former culture minister seen as a moderate.

2.    The Gambia- Banjul

Gambia appoints special prosecutor for Jammeh-era crimes

The Gambia government this week appointed a special prosecutor nearly two years after creating the post to try crimes committed under the reign of brutal former strongman Yahya Jammeh.

The Ministry of Justice announced it had appointed British lawyer Martin Hackett to the post, whose background includes work on war crimes, genocide, and counterterrorism matters, including at the United Nations.

3.Tanzania – Dodoma

Tanzania's president orders smaller official convoys to cut fuel

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whose motorcades are reportedly among the largest in Africa, is cutting down on the number of official and luxury vehicles as part of measures to save fuel amid rising oil prices.

Several African governments have announced measures to address fuel shortages and rising prices.

1. Gabon- Libreville 

Social networks are now forbidden to children under 16 years. 

Gabon has just reached a milestone in the governance of the digital space, through an ordinance made public this week.

 Described as "historic" in the regulation of virtual space, this decision now sets the age of majority at 16, thus prohibiting, in plain English, minors who have not reached this age from accessing social networks.

5.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 10 April 1993, when Thembisile Chris Hani was shot and killed as he returned home to the racially mixed suburb of Dawn Park, Boksburg (Johannesburg). Hani was assassinated by Janus Walus, an anti-Communist Polish refugee who had close links to the White nationalist AWB.

The Global BriAnti-Trump protests have intensified this week, with hundreds gathering outside the White House in response to rising tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran.

Guest: Dr Dinesh Sharma is director and chief research officer at Steamworks Studio, Princeton, NJ, and faculty member at Fordham University, NYC. He’s the author of Barack Obama in Hawaii and Indonesia; The Global Obama; The Global Hillary and his new book, The Orphan Paradox; Destinies, Autocracies, and Democracies in India and the US.

Built in Mzansi: How does Kleinskuur Aquaponics enable sustainable, high-yield farming—saving 90% water—while supporting communities and commercial growers to produce local food even in harsh climates?

Guest: Annemarie Bremnar - Co-Founder of Kleinskuur Boerdery Aquaponics 

Guest: Neo Thito - Member of the Voice for Change, a community driven initiative deal with issues of service delivery  

Guest: Thanduxolo Khalipa - Executive Mayor at the Matjhabeng Municipality 

The African Transformation Movement and uMkhonto weSizwe Party are calling for lifestyle audits for judges to improve accountability and transparency. They argue that judges are not immune to influence, raising concerns about judicial overreach. The debate is intensified by delays in high-profile cases like the Phala Phala matter and questions over judicial oversight. 

Guest:  Vuyo Zungula - African Transformation Movement Leader 

As calls grow from political parties like the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and the African Transformation Movement for judges to undergo lifestyle audits, questions are being raised about accountability within South Africa’s judiciary. How do these proposals balance with the need to protect judicial independence?

Guest: Mbekezeli Benjamin - research and advocacy officer at Judges Matter 

Guest: Prof. Barney Pityana - Anti-apartheid stalwart

ActionSA has accused the Independent Police Investigative Directorate of deliberately delaying the release of its much-anticipated report into the conduct of the Presidential Protection Unit following the 2022 farm robbery involving President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Guest: Michael Beaumont - ActionSA National Chairperson

Africa in Focus with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

1.    Angola – Luanda 

Dozens of people have died from floods following heavy rains in recent days in the Angolan capital, Luanda, and other areas across the country.

Emergency services have reported about 39 deaths in Luanda and the central city of Benguela, with more than 51,000 people affected.

The flooding also damaged thousands of homes and public infrastructure, including roads and bridges, fallen trees, and electric poles. The collapse of a bridge pillar on the Hâlo River disrupted traffic between Benguela and Huambo provinces.

2.    Djibouti-Djibouti City

Djibouti decides 2026

 Djibouti's leader, Ismail Omar Guelleh, is expected to win a presidential election on Friday, extending his 27-year rule of the highly strategic Horn of Africa nation.

Guelleh, 78, is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders and has ruled the nation of around one million people with an iron fist since 1999.

3.    Lesotho – Maseru

Passport Crisis in Lesotho

Ministry suspends passport services, but people are desperate and still queuing in Maseru

•      The Lesotho Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended passport services, citing the need to clear a huge backlog.
•      But crowds of people are still queuing at the Maseru passport office.
•      Some are migrant workers who say that without a passport, they may lose their jobs in South Africa.

4.    In our historical archives, it was on this day, 9 April 1999, when the Niger president, Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, was assassinated by his own presidential guard while boarding a plane in Niamey, the capital city of Niger. Immediately after the incident, communication lines, radio stations, and borders were closed.

• Oil falls below 100 dollars on US-Iran two week ceasefire

• 2. Global airlines continue to hike fares and cut flights on rising jet fuel prices (yes, oil has eased but has the damage been done??)
• 3. Markets update - reflecting on how stocks closed, many indicies closed before Trumps deadline