Africa Live this week: 11-17 September 2023

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

Until then you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Quote Message: Good manners cannot be bought with money." from A Yoruba proverb sent by AbdulRafiu Lawal in Damaturu, Nigeria

Good manners cannot be bought with money."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of Rema accepting the Best Afrobeats award for Calm Down at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards - it's one of our recent favourites:

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Matthew NicholsonCopyright: Matthew Nicholson

Kaien Cruz might have become a professional footballer player.

But in a dramatic turn of events the South African singer-songwriter instead ditched their boots and fully embraced music – after their sister encouraged them to record a song they'd written while at university on a football scholarship.

Love Me in the Dark – released in 2017 as a dance mix by local DJ Sketchy Bongo – was an overnight success.

"This song starts going crazy on radio and TV and everyone’s singing it," says Cruz, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them.

"I was blown away because it was like the first song of my own that I had written on guitar - super innocently in my room."

Love Me in the Dark topped the South African charts and was nominated for Song of The Year at South African Music Awards. It also caught the ear of Canadian global star Justin Bieber, who handpicked Cruz to open his sold-out Purpose Tour in 2017.

Cruz, then 18, had only performed at one show before – for about 500 people. Suddenly, they were in a packed stadium in front of 90,000 screaming concertgoers.

That experience made Cruz realise that "music is the path that I should be taking, and I should keep going".

Cruz first picked up a guitar at the age of eight.

Now based in Los Angeles, Cruz believes that their upbringing in South Africa amid many diverse cultures, languages, food and people now allows them to weave between music genres and playing styles, such as R&B, stripped-down acoustic and Afropop.

"It really depends on whatever comes out that day or whatever mood I'm in. I think the through-line for me is music is therapy," they said.

Cruz mostly writes about love and relationships – but they think that "most of their audience is not fully aware of my queerness" because that is "not at the forefront of the music that I make".

Their latest single, I Lay, is Afro-Latin, upbeat and energetic. It follows on from the heartfelt Black Ice, also released this year. They are working on their first full length project, which is 12 tracks.

"I just love every single song and I feel like this is really going to give people a good understanding of who I am and what I can do musically," Cruz says.

When Cruz is not making music, they’re still keen to kick a ball around with friends on a beach.

You can hear Kaien Cruz on This Is Africa on BBC World Service radio over the weekend, and online at BBCWorldservice.com/thisisafrica

chan.dealdut/InstagramCopyright: chan.dealdut/Instagram

Pressure is mounting on Juba's acting mayor to resign after he was apparently caught on camera slapping a female street vendor.

The latest criticism comes from the chamber of commerce in Central Equatoria state, who say Emmanuel Khamis Richard acted in an "uncivilized way".

Their letter also says vendors deserve respect as "people who are hustling in order to make ends meet" and "put foot on the table".

In footage posted on social media, it appears Mr Khamis slapped the female vendor with his right hand while holding a pistol in his left hand at one of the capital city's roundabouts.

The video went viral earlier this week. The mayor has not commented since, and remains in post despite public condemnation and a letter from MPs unanimously calling for his removal.

The MPs' letter has not been acted upon by Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony of Central Equatoria state.

Mr Khamis is not new to controversy. Weeks after he took office in June, he issued a decree almost doubling the price of water drums in Juba. After a public outcry the government ordered him to drop the policy.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Yet another blaze in an abandoned building in central Johannesburg has been reported on Friday.

Nobody is known to have died in the old factory building, which had been home to hundreds of squatters living there in makeshift shacks.

According to local reports, firefighters were quick to reach the scene in the city's central business district and successfully put out the fire. It's not known what caused it and investigations have been promised.

One person is being treated for smoke inhalation and alternative accommodation will be offered to the people who had been living there, the authorities say.

This particular building was close to another in Johannesburg that had burnt down a few weeks ago. The city has initiated an inspection of buildings deemed to pose a fire risk.

On Friday, the mayoral committee for public safety said it remained on high alert and commended firefighters for their "fast response".

Read more on the fires in South Africa:

• Johannesburg fire: 'Others jumped too, but they didn't make it'
• South Africa fire: What are Johannesburg's hijacked buildings?

The army in Burkina Faso says it has killed a large number of Islamist militants as the crisis in the country deepens.

Witnesses quoted by state-controlled media said troops had repelled an assault by around 300 militants in northern region of Sogodin.

That assault followed an attack on Tuesday on a camp for internally displaced people in the Seno province, in which eight people were killed.

The BBC has not been able to verify these reports.

Burkina Faso has been fighting jihadist groups since 2015, but attacks have worsened this year.

Nomsa Maseko/BBCCopyright: Nomsa Maseko/BBC

Ahead of Saturday's state funeral, Zulu regiments have been singing and chanting in honour of of the late Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

The BBC's Nomsa Maseko took these photos of proceedings near Kwa-Phindangene in Ulundi:

Nomsa Maseko/BBCCopyright: Nomsa Maseko/BBC

Nomsa Maseko/BBCCopyright: Nomsa Maseko/BBC

Nomsa Maseko/BBCCopyright: Nomsa Maseko/BBC

Soma NamiCopyright: Soma Nami

A literary festival opens in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today, the third major cultural event since August, as writers, artists and creators capitalise on expanding enthusiasm for creative content from across Africa.

Macondo – whose third edition runs until Sunday at the Kenya National Theatre – is among a handful of festivals that are reviving the literary scene.

It was launched in 2019 by award-winning Kenyan writer Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and cultural curator Anja Bengelstorff.

UK-based writers Leila Aboulela, Jennifer Makumbi and Aminatta Forna are among headliners of the festival that also hopes to amplify writing from Lusophone, Francophone and Arabic-speaking Africa.

In August, the second edition of NBO Litfest was hosted by Book Bunk, which has been restoring public libraries in Kenya.

Earlier that month, the independent bookstore Soma Nami held what it touted as the largest African book fair. Ten-thousand books from 54 African countries featured, challenging the tired phrase “Kenyans don’t read”.

This revival is in response to the gradual retreat by major literary festival organisers even before the Covid-19 pandemic halted public activities.

Storymoja, a collective founded by Kenyan writer Muthoni Garland, held its last event in Nairobi 2017.

One of the region’s pioneer literary magazines – Kwani? – published its last edition in 2015.

This left many book enthusiasts starved of meetings with their favourite writers.

But conversations about writing and publishing shifted to virtual spaces - or the handful of in-person events hosted by several independent and commercial bookstores, podcasts and online literary magazines.

Underpinning this are efforts by emerging writers and artists to take control of creative and cultural capital and better engage with audiences both at home and abroad.

Nomsa Maseko/BBCCopyright: Nomsa Maseko/BBC

Family members are preparing the body of the veteran South African politician, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, at a mortuary before he is taken to his hometown northern Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Hundreds of people are lining the streets leading which lead to Kwa-Phindangene Palace in Ulundi.

Zulu regiments clad in traditional attire and supporters of his Inkatha Freedom Party have been singing and chanting outside the morgue.

They will later take his body back to the palace, where elders of the Buthelezi family will hold traditional ceremonies in accordance with Zulu custom.

Then on Saturday, a state funeral will be held for the veteran politician, who died last week aged 95.

Related stories:

• Who was Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi?
• Zulu rebels and royals - the fight for the throne
• A quick guide to South Africa

Niger’s military junta has scrapped nearly 1,000 diplomatic passports belonging to government officials who served in the ousted government of President Mohamed Bazoum.

Among them are advisers to the former president, staff who worked for former Prime Minister Ouhmoudou Mahamadou, plus MPs and various heads of public institutions.

The move was announced in a letter from the foreign ministry to the heads of Niger’s foreign diplomatic missions, saying it had to be done because the officials were "no longer in a position to hold the said passports".

Two weeks ago, Niger’s military junta also cancelled five diplomatic passports - including those of former Prime Minister Mahamadou, Former Ambassador to France Aïchatou Boulama Kané, and ex-Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou.

Zambian presidency/XCopyright: Zambian presidency/X

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing for bilateral talks on Friday,

The two leaders agreed to upgrade their ties to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership".

China has significant stakes in Zambia's mining sector while the southern African nation seeks to restructure its mounting external debt with its leading creditor.

President Xi said China and Zambia's friendship had "withstood the test of international storms and changes" and encouraged more imports from the African country.

Mr Hichilema said Zambia appreciates the guiding concepts and principles of Chinese-style modernisation, and hopes to learn from the Asian country's development experience.

Zambia defaulted on its $18.6bn (£17bn) foreign debt in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, becoming the first country on the continent to default on its external debt since the start of the pandemic.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations/XCopyright: Directorate of Criminal Investigations/X

Kenyan detectives have arrested a Polish drug trafficking suspect with $22,000 (£18,000) worth of heroin at the main airport in the capital, Nairobi.

Arkadiusz Stanislaw, the suspect, was arrested moments before boarding a Hungary-bound Egyptian airline at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Police have detained the suspect who is awaiting to be arraigned in court.

Kenya's Director of Anti-Narcotics Directorate Margaret Karanja warns that all drug suspects will be treated with the "severity" of the law, regardless of their roles in the trade.

The east African country is a key transit point for drugs from the Middle East to the West.

947/FacebookCopyright: 947/Facebook

Driving Trevor Noah to a radio show in his hometown of Johannesburg became a team effort as members of the public stepped in to help.

The South African comedian, who's been based in the US for many years, was late for his interview on station 947, blaming bad traffic and his driver who he says "didn't know where he was going".

So, Noah decided enough was enough:

Quote Message: I jumped out [the car].

I jumped out [the car].

Quote Message: While I'm running people are in the street listening to [the radio] show, hooting and shouting 'Trevor [it's] the other way! You're going the wrong way, Trevor!'

While I'm running people are in the street listening to [the radio] show, hooting and shouting 'Trevor [it's] the other way! You're going the wrong way, Trevor!'

Quote Message: They're all pointing...

They're all pointing...

Quote Message: Then one guy decides to stop the car, and says, 'Trevor get in'. Then he took me to the wrong building!"

Then one guy decides to stop the car, and says, 'Trevor get in'. Then he took me to the wrong building!"

He eventually made his way to the studio in a different car, after witnessing an altercation between a taxi driver and a cyclist.

Noah of course saw the comedy value in it all, telling listeners through the mic:

Quote Message: Can I just say, whoever is in this traffic, I feel you. We are together!"

Can I just say, whoever is in this traffic, I feel you. We are together!"

You can watch the full clip here.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The highest fuel prices in recent memory have been announced by Kenya's regulator, to the fury of many in the country.

Overnight the cost of petrol rose to about 212 shillings ($1.40; £1.20) per litre in the capital Nairobi – with the prices of different types of fuel rising by about 9% to 20%.

The move comes despite countrywide protests in recent months against high living costs and the government's economic policies.

It's going to be "painful" and "it may not work", said President William Ruto's chief economic adviser David Ndii on X (formerly Twitter), adding that he was not going to sell false hope to Kenyans.

Both Mr Ndii and the fuel prices have been trending topics on social media.

"[Mr] Ndii has told us the bitter truth that we are repugnant fools and stupid morons for having believed that people who used a wheelbarrow as a party symbol had any idea of fixing the country. It is our fault for believing them," a Kenyan said on X.

"Matatus [public minivans] use diesel which is the means of transport for the poor, gone up by 21.32 shillings. The poor majority use kerosene, has gone up by 33.13 shillings…," said another.

President Ruto removed fuel subsidies when he came into office last September.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Barry Steenkamp, the father of murdered South African model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp, who was killed by athlete Oscar Pistorius, has died aged 80.

Steenkamp’s death was announced on social media by the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation.

"We find solace in the knowledge that he is now with his beloved Reeva," it said.

Reeva's family had set up the foundation after her death to fight violence and abuse against women and children.

She was shot dead on Valentine’s Day in 2013 by Pistorius, who was her boyfriend. He is currently serving a 13-year sentence for the murder.

Amid the Pistorius trial in January 2014, Barry Steenkamp had suffered a stroke, but later recovered.

In March this year, Pistorius's bid for parole collapsed after it was revealed he had not yet served enough time to qualify for early release.

Reeva’s mother, June, opposed the bid, saying she did not believe Pistorius was remorseful or rehabilitated.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The large number of decomposing bodies still under collapsed structures and in floodwaters in Derna city has raised concerns about the risk of disease for survivors.

Libya's Interior Minister Emad al-Trabelsi on Thursday told Al-Hadath TV that health authorities were investigating health hazards in the city and would make a decision on the threat of a potential outbreak.

He said electricity has been connected to some areas of Derna and work was under way around the clock to restore services.

The minister put the official death toll at 3,000 with more than 2,800 people still missing.

There is discrepancy over these figures, with Libya's ambassador to the UN saying about 6,000 people have died so far. The Red Crescent put that number higher, at 11,300.