Africa highlights: South Sudan leaders 'failed people', Nigeria prophet drugs arrest

1. South Sudan government hits back at comments
2. Numbers of poached rhinos drops, says SA
3. Liberia's Weah imposes spending limits
4. Anti-graft agency holding former Nigerian aide
5. Grace Mugabe's controversial PHD released
6. Video 'of militant attack in Niger' published
7. Effects of sex drugs mistaken for cholera in Zambia
8. Australia ambassador hits out at Ghana's dirty streets
9. Zambia dismisses 79 teachers
10. Private funeral for Hugh Masekela

Scroll down for Thursday's stories

That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

The okra plant cannot outgrow the person who planted it."

An Igbo proverb sent by Chukwudi Ndubuka in Umuahia, Nigeria

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of a woman walking in the busy streets of Nigeria's largest city, Lagos.

It's all about the scarves at Davos...

Two of Southern Africa's newest leaders have been trying to make an impact at this week's World Economics Forum.

And by all accounts, Zimbabwe's new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Cyril Ramaphosa, the man now leading South Africa's ruling ANC party, have done themselves proud.

We could not let the week go past without paying tribute to what appears to be a shared penchant for a brightly-coloured scarf:

Of course, the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed they are in their countries' national colours.

Death toll increases in Mali landmine blast

BBC

The number of people killed after a vehicle drove over a landmine in central Mali has increased to 24, local residents have told the news agency AFP.

The army had earlier put the figure at 13, according to Reuters news agency.

But Abdoulaye Cheick, who lost a child in the blast, told AFP: "The final number is 24, including four babies with their mothers. They are no survivors."

The vehicle was travelling from Burkina Faso to a weekly market when tragedy struck on Thursday.

Malian security sources blamed the attack near the town of Boni on "terrorists".

According to local official Mahmoud Traore those killed included Malian and Burkinabe residents.

This is not the first time a civilian bus has hit a mine.

In November, five civilians were killed when the bus they were travelling in hit a mine. No group has said it was responsible, though Islamist and Tuareg insurgents remain active in the region.

Read our earlier post here.

Sixteen die of lassa fever in Nigeria

Ishaq Khalid

BBC Africa, Abuja

Getty Images

The disease is spread by rodents

Health authorities in Nigeria say at least 16 people, including three health workers, have died of Lassa fever in the country.

They say another 60 people are being treated of the disease which is transmitted by infected rodents and also from human to human.

An outbreak began earlier this month and has hit 10 states in the country.

Three southern states of Ebonyi, Ondo and Edo have been most affected.

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control says it is working with the World Health Organisation and the US’ Centre for Disease Control to contain the outbreak of the disease.

Authorities are urging people to ensure proper personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.

DR Congo spat with Belgium

Laeila Adjovi

BBC Africa, Dakar

Getty Images

Belgium has accused President Kabila's government of repression

A leak of an official letter has exposed a plan by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to shut down Belgium's diplomatic offices in the country.

The move is seen as an escalation of the diplomatic spat between the two countries.

The official letter was leaked to the local press.

In it, authorities call on the closure of Belgium's cooperation agency as well as the Schengen House, which acts as its consulate.

The move comes amidst an intensified push by opposition parties to get President Joseph Kabila to resign.

Belgium and other European countries have repeatedly criticised Mr Kabila's government of using repression to respond to the protests.

According to the UN, six people were killed and 49 others injured, when security forces fired tear gas and live bullets during a protest called by the Catholic church on Sunday,.

Mr Kabila's term in office ended in 2016, he then reneged on a deal to step down by the end of 2017.

Another deal was agreed that would see him step down by the end of this year, but opposition supporters say that he is planning to hang on to power.

South Sudan dismisses claim leaders' failed people

AFP

A third of South Sudan's population has been displaced since fighting broke out

South Sudan has hit back after the US ambassador to the United Nations accused the country's leader of failing their people.

Government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said Nikki Haley's damning statement was "outrageous".

Ms Haley had told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that "the time has come to acknowledge the hard reality - that the leaders of South Sudan are not just failing their people, they are betraying them".

But Mr Ateny said it was nothing more than an insult to South Sudan's people, who had elected their own leaders.

“I would like to call that statement as outrageous, and intended to aggress and disparage the president of another country,” he told the Eye Radio.

“If it is not an insult to the people of South Sudan, they would not have even elected somebody who is unfit to govern the country.”

But Ms Haley is not the only international actor with concerns about what is happening in South Sudan, as the BBC's Anne Soy reports.

A body set up to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan has urged the UN Security Council to define clear consequences for violations of the deal signed more than two years ago.

Reuters

The UN has warned parts of the country are in danger of a man-made famine

According to our correspondent, the Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, former Botswana President Festus Mogae, expressed his frustration with the violation of ceasefire deals shortly after they are signed.

The UK and the US have been pushing for an arms embargo against all parties in the conflict.

Separately, a US-based group – the Enough Project – says the African Union needs to take action against South Sudan’s leaders who are derailing the peace process.

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese have been killed and a third of the population displaced since fighting broke out four years ago between supporters of President Salva Kiir and the exiled former Vice President Riek Machar.

A peace agreement reached in 2015 has been largely ignored on both sides, and several ceasefire deals broken shortly after they were signed.

The UN has warned that parts of the country are a step away from a man-made famine.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but the world’s youngest nation descended into civil war just two years later.

Zuma might testify in state capture investigation

Milton Nkosi

BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Getty Images

Mr Zuma had opposed the setting up of a commission to investigate the state capture report

South Africa's justice department has published terms of reference to guide the investigation of a new commission looking into the so-called state capture scandal.

The decision aligns with a recommendation made by the public protector report into allegations of influence-peddling, corruption and fraud in President Jacob Zuma's government.

Mr Zuma is alleged to have been involved in corrupt deals with three brothers, known as the Guptas. Both parties deny any wrongdoing.

The beleaguered president had initially opposed the setting up of the commission and later on, reportedly, wanted the investigations to have a wider mandate to look at crimes committed during the apartheid regime.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, however, disagreed with this push.

He said he did not want this particular case to be “contaminated” by other historical investigations.

He however clarified that all those investigations going back into the apartheid era can still be done but not together with this one.

Given the scope of these terms of reference it goes without saying that sooner or later we will see President Zuma giving evidence from the witness box under oath.

Grammy-winning rapper backs two Ghana schools

Getty Images

Lil Jon wanted his money to give children opportunities

A trip to Ghana inspired a Grammy-winning rapper to help build new schools - and potentially change lives, American broadcaster CNN reports.

Lil Jon - known for hits like Turn Down For What - revealed he donated $70,000 (£50,000) towards two schools being built by charity Pencils of Promise last year.

He told CNN the conditions he saw the children learning in - outside, in the heat - were not conducive to learning, and it spurred him into action.

The artist explained:

One of these kids could grow up to be a scientist, a lawyer, an astronaut, the president of their country. I could create an environment where all these things could happen."

Lil Jon won an Emmy for the hit song Yeah in 2005, in which he collaborated with US star Usher.

Ramaphosa: SA 'captured'

South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the government had been captured by "corrupt elements".

He was speaking to BBC's Hardtalk programme.

He was referring to a long running corruption scandal involving the Guptas, a family who are accused of having undue influence over President Jacob Zuma's government.

The scandal is known as "state capture", but both sides deny any wrongdoing.

Mr Ramaphosa is leading a South African delegation to Davos weeks after he was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Thirteen killed in Mali after vehicle hits mine

Thirteen people travelling from Burkina Faso have died after the vehicle they were in ran over a landmine in central Mali, news agency AFP reports.

Malian security sources blamed the attack near the town of Boni on "terrorists".

According to local official Mahmoud Traore those killed included Malian and Burkinabe residents.

The blast came a day after two Malian customs officers were killed at a market in the village of Toubakoro, which is 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Bamako.

A terrorist was also killed, the agency reported.

The agency notes large areas of Mali are lawless despite attempts to bring them under control, with jihadists carrying out attacks against civilians and security forces.

Teenagers prove autism is no barrier to a modelling career

Three teenagers in Ghana are proving that living with autism is no barrier to a modelling career.

Yacoba Tete-Marmon, Nana Ohenewaa Kuffour and Maame Bema Baffour Awuah have been appointed brand ambassadors for Verna Natural Mineral Water.

Maame is 15 years old and she speaks only a few words.

Her mother - Olivia Awuah - explains how Maame's interest in modelling began:

Yocoba, Nana and Maame are brand ambassadors for mineral water in Ghana

Nigerian 'prophet' arrested for drug trafficking

A Nigerian prophet has been arrested for drug trafficking by Zambian authorities.

Isaac Julius Amata, 42, was arrested after arriving at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, in Lusaka, on a South African Airways flight, Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission said in a post on Facebook.

The flight had come in from Nigeria.

Mr Amata is alleged to have been carrying 26kg of the drug ephedrine, a stimulant used for short-term energy boosts to enhance athletic performance and endurance, to help people exercise longer, feel more alert, and to dampen appetite..

According to Zambian authorities, he is currently in custody and will appear in court in due course.

Nigeria starts largest yellow fever mass vaccination

Ishaq Khalid

BBC Africa, Abuja

Reuters

Millions of people are due to be vaccinated

The largest ever yellow fever vaccination programme has begun in Nigeria.

The programme, run by the Nigerian authorities in conjunction with the World Health Organisation and Unicef, aims to vaccinate 25 million people.

The mass vaccination, part of efforts to eliminate yellow fever epidemics globally by 2026, starts in the states of Zamfara, Kogi and Kwara.

Thousands of health workers are being deployed for the exercise.

Yellow fever is a vaccine preventable acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

More than 300 suspected cases have been reported with 45 deaths since the beginning of the current outbreak of the disease in Nigeria last September.

Demos over Afrikaans school

Protesters have gathered outside a school in South Africa's Gauteng province, over an ongoing row over the institution's admission policy.

They say Hoërskool Overvaal (Overvaal high school) has refused to admit students who don't speak Afrikaans.

Campaigners have gone to court to seek orders to compel the school to open up its admission to English-speaking schoolchildren.

Our colleague has been tweeting about the demonstrations.

Buhari's former aide arrested

Chris Ewokor

BBC Africa, Abuja

Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has arrested and is holding a former top official who served in President Muhammadu Buhari's government.

Babachir Lawal's arrest comes 24 hours after former president Olusegun Obasanjo claimed people close to Mr Buhari are immune to his fight against corruption.

Mr Lawal was removed from the position last year following allegations that he had diverted funds intended for the humanitarian crisis in the north-east Nigeria.

But he came into the sights of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over awarding $6m (£4.2m) worth of government contracts to his private company while he was public servant.

Sahara Reporter says the contracts related to grass cutting.

He has denied any wrong doing.

Dr Love chats up DR Congo

Aime Lokulutu runs a sexuality and reproductive health app in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The service helps overcome cultural taboos around sexual health and gives young people the answers they need.

He spoke to the BBC's Newsday programme:

Meet 'Dr Love' the health app for young people in Africa

Elephant poaching rises in South Africa

get

The numbers of elephants killed by poachers in South Africa has jumped by almost a third, according to official figures.

A total of 67 elephants were poached from Kruger National Park, and one in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, last year.

This is a leap from 46 elephants last year.

As a result, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said in a statement that "specific risk areas have been identified and strategies to address the threat are being adapted and implemented".

However, there was good news: the number of rhinos killed for their horns dropped from 1,054 in 2016 to 1,028 in 2017.

Ms Molewa said just 504 rhino were poached from Kruger National Park last year, a 24% reduction from the 662 in 2016.

But poachers, she said, had instead turned their attention to five other regions - KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West provinces.

Weah begins making changes in Liberia

AFP

George Weah (right) has taken over from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (left)

Just days into his presidency, former footballer George Weah has begun making changes to the way Liberia's government is run.

Mr Weah has ordered all "autonomous agencies and public corporations of the government" to keep their operational expenses below $3,000 (£2,100).

Any which wish to exceed the budget, "must seek approval from the Office of the President”, a statement on the Executive Mansion's website declared.

It also allowed the relevant people in the agencies and corporations to sign off all "legitimate salaries and other benefits".

Mr Weah took office on Monday with a vow to crack down on corruption.

Private funeral for SA's Masekela

Milton Nkosi

BBC Africa, Johannesburg

AFP

Masekela died on Monday after a long battle against prostate cancer

The family of jazz maestro Hugh Masekela, who died on Monday, has said that his funeral will be held in private.

The announcement was jointly made by the legendary trumpeter's foundation.

A date for the funeral was not given but only family, relatives and close friends will be allowed to attend.

Memorial services will however be held from 27 January, with the main service set to be held the following day at Soweto University in Johannesburg.

The foundation encouraged people to attend the memorial services.

A member of the Masekela Foundation, Ronnie Ntuli, said: “He wanted the foundation to be about African heritage. It wasn’t about Hugh Masekela. It’s always been about the continent of Africa. Dr Masekela was always a people’s person.”

The world renowned trumpeter and an-apartheid activist died in Johannesburg after a long battle against prostate cancer.

Read: Hugh Masekela: South Africa's 'Father of Jazz'

Zambia dismisses teachers for sex with pupils

Kennedy Gondwe

Lusaka

Authorities in Zambia have dismissed 14 teachers for allegedly having sex with minors, reports the state-owned Times of Zambia newspaper.

The teachers, who had been working in the southern province, are among 79 sacked for offenses ranging from fraud and absenteeism to having sex with their pupils.

Provincial education officer Florence Chikalekale said 41 of the fired teachers joined the profession with fake qualifications.

She said the province still had a number of disciplinary cases awaiting hearing.