Africa Live this week: 6-12 March 2023

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South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog says there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Cyril Ramaphosa linked to the theft of $580,000 (£482,000) - possibly more - in cash from his farm.

In a preliminary report, the public protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, concludes that Mr Ramaphosa did not violate an ethics code or abuse his role as head of state.

The report says the president declared the theft within weeks of it taking place three years ago.

But it says the head of the presidential protection service, Maj Gen Wally Rhoode, acted improperly by carrying out an unofficial investigation into the crime.

An independent panel set up by South Africa's parliament decided late last year that Mr Ramaphosa had a case to answer, prompting calls for his resignation.

More on this topic:

• A quick guide to South Africa's 'Farmgate' scandal

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Monday morning at bbc.com/africalive

There will be an automated news feed here until then. You can also get the latest on the BBC News website and listen to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Quote Message: People refuse advice on the way out but accept it on the way back." from A Nuer proverb sent by Deng Nhial Chioh in Juba, South Sudan

People refuse advice on the way out but accept it on the way back."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of women in Lagos, Nigeria celebrating International Women's Day on Wednesday, from our weekly selection of best photos on the continent, which you can see here.

EPACopyright: EPA

Judges at a UN court in The Hague have put proceedings against Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga on hold in order to assess whether he is in good-enough health to be tried.

Last September when the case opened, prosecutors accused him of using his radio station to urge ethnic Hutus to kill rival Tutsis.

He was also accused of supplying death squads with machetes.

He denies all the accusations.

Earlier this week Mr Kabuga's defence team called for the 90-year- old's trial to be halted, citing dementia.

He was arrested in Paris almost three years ago after spending decades on the run.

Courtesy of the artistCopyright: Courtesy of the artist

Seventeen-year-old Malian musician Seydou Chee says he often has to stay home when his friends and family go out because of the amount of attention he gets.

"They can go out and have fun when they like, but I can’t do that, I have to control myself, I can’t just go anywhere because of the crowds of people. You have lots of privileges being a star but there are inconveniences too," he tells the BBC.

Chee, who acknowledges that his looks got him far in the music industry, became popular on the back of hit songs like Celibataire.

“It’s true that some girls like me for my looks, and I am fine with that. Everything that is Seydou plays its part in my career.”

Being a teenager, he is still at school, and says he manages to balance his music career and his studies quite well.

"If I have an essay to do and I have something to do during the night, I do what I can in a certain period of time then I go and sleep so I can do my school essay.”

However, he can't get through a school day like any other regular student, he says.

"When I’m at school, everyone’s eyes are on me. At the beginning there were those who made a fuss, kids were rude and stuff. But anyway, now I like it. It’s not something everyone has - it’s sweet to be a star."

You can hear Seydou Chee on This is Africa on Saturday, on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, as well as here:

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is set to visit Ethiopia next week to discuss the implementation of a landmark peace deal which has halted the country's civil war, the State Department said on Friday.

It’s not yet clear if he will travel to the war-torn northern region of Tigray.

The visit could be a positive sign for the country, which was hit by US sanctions as the war weakened ties between the once close allies.

Mr Blinken will also meet African Union head Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa to discuss "global and regional priorities," according to his office.

Ethiopia’s peace deal was signed in November between the government and fighters from the Tigray region following two years of conflict.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Mali's military rulers are postponing a constitutional referendum which was due to take place later this month and was supposed to be a key milestone of the planned transition to civilian rule.

Last July the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, lifted sanctions on Mali after the military leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, said elections would be held in February next year.

Correspondents say the decision to postpone the referendum was no surprise and will prompt suspicion that Col Goita wants to prolong his stay in power.

Mali is currently facing a growing security crisis with frequent attacks by jihadist groups.

The first aid plane has arrived in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the EU's new operation to help hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict there.

It comes after clashes in the region between the army and M23 rebels - three days after a ceasefire was supposed to have begun.

The fighting is around the village of Murambi which is less than 30km (18 miles) from Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province.

The M23 rebels are widely reported to be backed by Rwanda which has long accused the Congolese authorities of failing to defeat Hutu rebels - some of whom are linked to the Rwandan genocide.

Rwanda denies backing the group.

BBCCopyright: BBC

AFPCopyright: AFP

The UN has condemned the reported ambush and brutal killing of at least 37 civilians in Mukdolo village in Ngala Local Government Area of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State.

As we reported earlier, dozens of villagers were shot dead in an attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) militants, reports say.

The attack took place near a stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents.

Aside from the deaths, several others were also injured, with many still missing following the deadly attack.

Security sources say that dozens of the Iswap fighters riding on motorcycles stormed a field and began shooting sporadically. Nine among the victims managed to flee.

In a statement, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, sent his condolences to the bereaved families.

He noted that the victims of the heinous attack were fishermen and farmers eking out a livelihood in a very insecure environment.

“This deeply shocking attack is another horrific reminder of the real threats of violence and insecurity that IDPs and other people affected by more than 13 years of the non-international armed conflict in the region continue to face daily in their struggle to survive," the statement said.

Mr Schmale called on state authorities to speedily investigate the incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.

He also reminded parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians from harm.

Seplat Energy, a leading oil and gas supplier in Nigeria, has denied racism and discrimination accusations against its chief executive Roger Thompson Brown calling them "vindictive".

This comes after the Nigerian government revoked the work and residence permit of the British executive, following the allegations.

The accusations were made by the employees of the company.

Nigeria's interior ministry also alleged that Mr Brown was fraudulently in possession of an expatriate residence permit.

But in a statement on Friday, the energy firm defended Mr Brown as a CEO with an "unblemished record of service and leadership", terming the accusations against him "spurious and vindictive".

"Seplat Energy will be engaging with the ministry to reject the impressions created by these allegations," it said.

Mr Brown joined Seplat in 2013 and became the chief executive in 2020.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Mozambique is “bracing for the impact” of Cyclone Freddy, which is expected to make landfall there in the next 24 hours, after battering its way through Madagascar earlier this week, Anne-Claire Fontan, from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told the BBC's Newsday programme.

She described Freddy as "very dangerous" and says Mozambique can expect to see "violent winds" as well as the threat of flooding.

Once Freddy makes landfall, it will mark the second time it has hit Mozambique, having previously hit the country in February.

Ms Fontan described Freddy as "remarkable" because of how it has rapidly intensified and gained wind over its lifetime so far.

At least 21 people have died has a result of Freddy, and it is expected to cause more destruction when it hits Mozambique.

It could end up in the history books as the longest-lasting tropical storm on record - although this is not yet confirmed.

You can listen to Anne-Claire Fontan's full interview below.

A Ghanaian gang of three has been sentenced to a combined 73-year jail term in jail for robbing and raping some British volunteers at gunpoint.

The trio had pleaded guilty to all charges of conspiracy, robbery, rape and possession of firearms without lawful authority.

A High Court in Accra sentenced each of them to a maximum term of 25 years jail term.

Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh said the convicts will serve their jail term with hard labour.

The three were accused of committing the offences at a guest house in December 2018.

They were arrested after being identified through footage from an ATM machine where they had gone to withdraw money using a bank cards they stole from the victims.

Police caught up with them after triangulating one of their phones.

The third suspect, who prosecutors say owns a Nigerian passport, fled to Nigeria but was extradited to Ghana for prosecution.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Mozambican authorities say 158,000 people could be affected by Cyclone Freddy in its epicentre in the central province of Zambezia.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the coast of central Mozambique late on Friday.

Cyclone Freddy is headed back to Mozambique after it wreaked havoc in late February. It could end up in the record books for the longest-lasting tropical storm on record.

The national agency for natural disasters says 8,000 of those affected could be in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, according to their projections.

The provincial government has ordered the closure of all schools from this Friday.