Today in Africa — Mar 4, 2026: South Africa Mourns Anti-Apartheid Veteran Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota, UK to Stop Study Visas from Cameroon & Sudan

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening on the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

South African Anti-Apartheid Veteran Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota Dies at 77

South African anti-apartheid veteran and former defense minister Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota passed away today, Wednesday, March 4, at the age of 77 after a period of illness, his party, the Congress of the People (COPE), says. Lekota spent eight years imprisoned on Robben Island from 1974 to 1982 alongside figures including Nelson Mandela for his role in the struggle against apartheid. After South Africa’s democratic transition, he rose within the African National Congress, serving as national chairperson and later as defense minister from 1999 to 2008 under President Thabo Mbeki.

Lekota broke with the ANC after Mbeki’s removal from office in 2008 and co-founded COPE, which won just over 7% of the vote and 30 parliamentary seats in the 2009 elections, briefly becoming the country’s third-largest opposition party. Internal divisions later weakened the party, and it failed to secure parliamentary seats in the 2024 elections. Lekota stepped away from politics in 2025 due to ill health. President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaders across the political spectrum paid tribute to him as a key figure in the liberation struggle and an influential voice in South Africa’s opposition politics. Ramaphosa described him as a patriot whose life was deeply intertwined with South Africa’s liberation and democratic journey.

UK to Stop Issuing Study Visas to Nationals From Four Countries, Citing Asylum Claims

The United Kingdom will stop issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan starting this month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says, citing what the government describes as widespread abuse of the visa system. The Home Office says people from the four countries were most likely to apply for asylum after entering the UK on student visas, with claims from people who initially arrived legally more than tripling between 2021 and 2025. Officials say about 13% of asylum claims currently in the system come from people who first entered on study visas. The government will also stop granting skilled work visas to Afghans, arguing that large numbers later seek asylum after their visas expire.

The move comes as conflicts and instability continue in several of the affected countries, including Sudan’s war that began in 2023, separatist unrest in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, and Myanmar’s civil war following a 2021 military coup. The UK government says new immigration rules to enforce the visa restrictions will take effect tomorrow, Thursday, March 5, as part of broader efforts to tighten immigration controls. The policy follows pressure to reduce migration, including rising Channel crossings and debates over asylum policy, though critics warn that limiting visa routes without expanding safe pathways for refugees could worsen the system’s challenges.

ECOWAS Plans New Regional Force to Tackle Rising Jihadist Threat

Military chiefs from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed to create a new regional force to fight jihadist groups operating across West Africa, according to sources who spoke to the news agency, AFP. The decision was reached during a meeting in Freetown over the weekend, where officials discussed growing security threats, including terrorism, transnational organized crime, and maritime insecurity. The proposed force is expected to begin with about 2,000 troops tasked with responding to “terrorism and insecurity” across the region.

Under the plan, troops would remain stationed in their home countries, with Sierra Leone serving as the logistical base. Officials are still working out how the force will be funded, and ECOWAS has not yet issued an official announcement. The move comes as jihadist insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to destabilize the Sahel, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — three countries that left ECOWAS after recent military coups but may still be encouraged to cooperate with the new force.

MSF Says 26 Staff Still Missing After Attacks on Medical Facilities in South Sudan

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says 26 of its staff remain unaccounted for a month after attacks on two of its medical facilities in South Sudan’s Jonglei State. The charity says a hospital in Lankien was bombed by government forces on February 3, while another facility in Pieri was raided by unknown attackers. Staff and residents fled into remote areas as fighting and aerial bombardments continued. MSF says it has lost contact with the missing workers, possibly due to poor network connectivity in the region, and those reached described widespread destruction and severe hardship. The attacks come as violence in Jonglei has intensified since December, when opposition forces captured several government positions before the army launched a counteroffensive in January. The fighting has displaced about 280,000 people. Aid groups say humanitarian workers and medical facilities have increasingly come under attack, with MSF sites hit 10 times in the past year. The organization warns that the violence is disrupting health services and putting both medical staff and civilians at serious risk.

Six Killed in Shaft Collapse at Rebel-Controlled Coltan Mine in Eastern DRC

At least six people died yesterday, Tuesday, March 3, after a mining shaft collapsed at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, witnesses say. The victims — three women and three men — were recovered from the Gasasa quarry section of the site, about 70 kilometers west of Goma, while several others were seriously injured. Relatives rushed to the mine searching for missing family members. The incident is the second deadly accident at Rubaya in recent weeks, after a landslide triggered by heavy rain in late January killed at least 200 people. Thousands of artisanal miners work in hazardous conditions at Rubaya, digging with basic tools in pits that produce an estimated 15% to 30% of the world’s coltan supply. The mine has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since April 2024, which collects about $7 per kilogram in taxes on the mineral’s production and sale, earning roughly $800,000 a month. The site lies in a region long shaped by conflict and rich mineral deposits, where fighting has intensified in recent days.

Sudan Accuses Ethiopia of Allowing Drone Attacks From Its Territory

Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory to carry out attacks inside Sudan during February and March, marking the first time Khartoum has directly accused its neighbor of involvement in the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In a statement on Monday, Sudan’s foreign ministry called the alleged launches a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty and warned it could respond to such attacks. The ministry did not specify the locations of the strikes, though eyewitnesses have reported drone attacks and clashes in Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border. Ethiopia has not commented on the allegations, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims. The conflict between the army and RSF has displaced millions, with drones increasingly shaping the fighting as the RSF uses them to challenge the army’s air power.

Mining Firm, Belgium Museum Clash Over Congo Colonial-Era Mineral Archives

A U.S. mining startup backed by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates is in a dispute with Belgium’s AfricaMuseum over plans to digitize colonial-era maps and records documenting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral wealth. KoBold Metals says it offered to help digitize the vast archive — about 500 meters of shelves containing millions of documents — and make the data publicly available to support new mineral exploration. The company says it has reached agreements with Kinshasa and has received permits to explore for lithium and other minerals in the country. The museum has rejected the proposal, saying the archive is already part of a digitization project with the DRC’s National Geological Service, supported by the European Union. Museum officials argue that handing control of the collection to a private company would violate scientific and institutional ethics, while Belgium’s government says the geological records are a public asset that cannot be given exclusive access. The dispute comes as global competition for critical minerals grows, with the DRC holding vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, copper, and coltan — about 90% of which the government estimates remain untapped.

South Africa Says It Is Ready to Mediate in Middle East Conflict

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is willing to help mediate in the Middle East conflict if asked, stressing that dialogue and a ceasefire are the best ways to end the war. Speaking to local media on the sidelines of an energy conference in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said South Africa stands ready to contribute through mediation or other diplomatic efforts if an opportunity arises. "If the opportunity ⁠were to open, we would talk and say: there must be a ceasefire. Dialogue is always the best way of ending conflict ⁠and then ending the war. And we want this war to come to an end ⁠immediately," he said. He added that the government is also working to bring home South African citizens currently stranded in the region. 

West African Farmers Turn to TikTok to Sell Produce and Share Farming Advice

Farmers across West Africa are increasingly using TikTok and other social media platforms to market their produce, exchange farming tips, and reshape the image of agriculture. Senegalese farmer Pape Fall, who first joined TikTok to watch entertainment videos, now sells most of his harvest on the app by posting short clips of his crops, with captions that advertise quantities and contact details. Experts say the platforms help farmers access new markets and practical knowledge, sometimes improving yields. A network of 24 agricultural influencers across 11 African countries now reaches about 5 million people online, translating research and technical advice into accessible content for farmers.

Social media has also helped entrepreneurs like Senegalese agribusiness manager Nogaye Sene, who says Instagram and TikTok bring in about 70% of her clients and allow her to promote modern farming techniques to young people. Still, experts warn that the benefits are uneven because many farmers lack smartphones or cannot afford internet data, leaving about 80% without access to these tools. Despite the divide, researchers say farmers are creatively adapting existing social platforms to connect with buyers and reduce their reliance on middlemen who often control crop prices.