‘I had low expectations for our journey through Sudan in 1976’
Travel is signposted by new beginnings. On our journey through Africa in 1976, each new country held promise, but each border-post held fears: would the officials decide…
Resignation of Sudan’s prime minister leaves democratic transition on the brink
Analysts say military leaders were concerned that civilian rule would include accountability for past abuses and oversight over military financial interests, which represent a large share of…
‘Like a mouse praising an elephant’: Justin Welby pays tribute to Desmond Tutu in no-frills funeral
Retired Bishop of Natal, Michael Nuttall, a long time friend and colleague delivered the sermon and recalled the nickname, ‘The Arch’, which many used when referring to…
Omicron wave in South Africa peaks with no significant uptick in deaths
South Africa, where the omicron variant was detected in November, announced that the country’s latest coronavirus wave had likely passed its peak without a significant increase in…
‘Kidnapped, raped and trafficked’: Women and girls exposed to sexual violence in war-torn Mozambique
“It is not just the insurgents,” Maina explains. “Even the uniformed personnel that are state armed groups, the state security forces, themselves have been perpetuating these crimes.” …
South African Covid cases fall by nearly 40 per cent in a week
“We should interpret the data from South Africa with a lot of caution,” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC, said. ”This is early days and public…
Suicide bomber kills at least five at east Congo restaurant on Christmas Day
Gen Sylvain said that insurgents from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group aligned with Islamic State, had activated a “sleeper cell” in Beni to target citizens,…
Legacy of hope: physio gives the gift of mobility to Somali children with club foot
His quest to bring the low-cost, low-resource method to his country has taken more than 20 years: he wrote his thesis on club foot while studying in…
How Libya almost became the Mediterranean’s hottest holiday destination
It comes as no surprise that Sabratha, Leptis Magna and Ghadames are all on the Unesco List of World Heritage in Danger. The two Roman sites were…
Covid-19 hospitalisations fall sharply in South Africa
Experts also emphasised that data showing dropping infections in Gauteng must be treated with caution. The numbers are likely being skewed by the vast migration of people…
South Africa pushes jabs before jobs despite omicron hit to economy
Speaking in the days after omicron first emerged, Ramaphosa said it was time to accept that coronavirus will be “with us for the long term”. “We must…
South Africa sees fewer hospitalisations as omicron surges, say health officials
Fewer people have died or required hospital treatment from omicron in South Africa than in previous waves despite a record number of new infections, health officials said…
For Africa, the red list has already done incalculable damage
The fact the UK government chose to red-list only African countries – even though the omicron variant is probably more prevalent in London than Lesotho – has…
Red list countries: which destinations have been removed?
The UK Government has removed all 11 countries from the travel red list. Arrivals from Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho…
20 supercharged holidays for the greener traveller
From the moment our alarm sounds, technology governs every moment of our waking hours. We are constantly surrounded by whirring, buzzing and bleeping contraptions, so it should…
The true cost of the travel red list – and why it’s pointless anyway
Former British Airways boss Willie Walsh, who now leads airline industry body IATA, told BBC Radio 4 last week: “It’s clear that these measures have been completely…
Hospitals gear up for surge in patients as omicron rages across South Africa
“Over the last week, the number of daily infections has increased five-fold. Nearly a quarter of all Covid-19 tests now come back positive. Compare this to two…
Richard E Grant ‘feels punished’ by quarantine hotel’s doubling of prices
Richard E Grant has said he was left “confounded” after being stuck in a quarantine hotel charging more than twice as much as a similar alternative nearby….
‘I am a guilty survivor of another round of pandemic-age travel roulette’
This week I write to you from a safari lodge in Tanzania, the guilty survivor of another round of pandemic-age travel roulette. Tanzania stayed off the hotel…
‘It has exploded’: GPs in Johannesburg swamped as omicron Covid infections surge
The new variant, named omicron last week, was first discovered in Botswana, but cases have now been detected across the world. Much to the ire of South…
‘I saw people jumping barriers for the last UK flight back from South Africa’
When my phone first started insistently buzzing, it was well past midnight and I was asleep, happy to be back in my [native] South Africa, after two…
Briton released from death row accused of inciting genocide in Ethiopia
In 2015, Mr Tsege, an Ethiopian-born UK citizen was at the heart of a diplomatic feud between Addis Ababa and London. The 66-year-old is an opposition leader…
Red list countries: Four more destinations to be added to hotel quarantine list
The UK Government has announced the addition of four more countries to the travel red list, as concerns grow over the omicron Covid variant, first detected in South Africa. Angola, Malawi,…
Fears of a fourth wave grow in South Africa as Covid cases quadruple
Like the rest of the continent, South Africa’s vaccination roll out has been slow and only a little over half of the country’s 40m adults have received…
Meet the conservation hero loved by royalty and rhinos
“We were walking for so long in the rocks and the heat,” sighs Simson, “but we only saw the animal for two seconds.” Although fleeting, the sighting…