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Today in Africa — Nov. 13, 2026: African Miss Universe Contestants Struggle to Secure U.S. Visas to Pageant, South Africa Finds 231,000 Foreign Nationals Working in Inspected Workplaces

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Nov. 13, coverage includes: Zambia’s withdrawal of its contestant over U.S. travel restrictions; South Africa’s plans to recruit 10,000 more labor inspectors and set limits on foreign employment; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Ornate diamond-encrusted Miss Universe anniversary crown displayed on a stand against a colorful background.
This year’s Miss Universe crown has 3,150 diamonds set in 18-karat white gold. Some African contestants may not get to see it because of U.S. visa restrictions.

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 across the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more stories like these, check out our News page for updates from across the regions.

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African Miss Universe Contestants Race to Secure U.S. Visas as Pageant Nears

Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall and several other African contestants could miss this year's competition in Puerto Rico because they still need U.S. visas. The 75th edition's winner will be crowned on November 24, and Hall has yet to get a visa to travel to the U.S. territory. "We have been back and forth, trying to get my visa approved," she said in an Instagram video. Zambia has already withdrawn its representative, Pamela Mubanga, because of U.S. travel restrictions. Contestants began arriving in Puerto Rico on November 8 for registration, fittings, and other pre-pageant activities, adding pressure on Hall and others, including the representative from South Sudan.

Travel Restrictions Behind the Delays

  • Zimbabwe is one of 19 countries under partial U.S. travel restrictions introduced by Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on January 1, 2026. The measures suspend visitor, student, exchange, and immigrant visas for nationals of the affected countries and limit other non-immigrant visa categories.

  • The Miss Universe organization in Zambia said Mubanga's case stems from the presidential travel restriction, not personal circumstances, documentation, or organizational problems. Mubanga, 25, a registered nurse, was crowned Miss Universe Zambia on October 8. The group said five other African countries face similar difficulties but did not name them.

  • Hall said she spent the past few weeks in South Africa trying to secure her visa and is "not alone in this predicament." Miss Universe South Sudan commented on her video that it is "50/50 whether we will make it."

  • Three days before her latest video, Hall posted that "the fight to get Zimbabwe to Puerto Rico continues." The final is set for the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.

South Africa Finds 231,850 Foreign Nationals Working in Inspected Workplaces as It Tightens Labor Rules

South Africa's Department of Employment and Labor says inspectors found 231,850 foreign nationals working in inspected workplaces during the first half of the 2026/27 financial year, according to figures published November 12. The department inspected 168,766 workplaces nationwide, and 21,371 of them employed foreign nationals. Aggy Moiloa, the department's Inspector-General of Inspection and Enforcement Services, said many foreign nationals hold entry-level jobs that South Africans could fill. The findings come as President Cyril Ramaphosa's government steps up enforcement of labor and immigration laws and plans tighter rules for hiring foreign workers. The measures do not amount to a blanket ban on foreign workers.

Where Foreign Workers Are and What the Government Plans

  • Agriculture had the most foreign workers, with 46,533 across 1,205 employers. Wholesale and retail followed with 41,359 across 6,698 employers.

  • Gauteng province had the highest provincial number at 59,624, followed by North West with 58,533 and the Western Cape with 34,675.

  • In June, Ramaphosa said employers who knowingly hire undocumented foreign nationals undermine labor standards and fair competition. He said authorities can no longer let employers found guilty of exploiting undocumented workers "simply pay a fine" and keep operating, and he called for tougher penalties, including possible prison time.

  • The government has started a phased recruitment of 10,000 more labor inspectors to strengthen workplace monitoring.

  • The National Labor Migration Policy proposes maximum quotas for documented foreign workers. The Employment Services Amendment Bill would let the employment minister set limits on foreign employment in specific sectors and occupations, and it adds stricter compliance requirements for employers.

U.S. Lawmakers Press Top Africa Diplomat on Nigeria's Failure to Protect Christians

U.S. lawmakers pressed Assistant Secretary of State Frank Garcia yesterday, Thursday, November 12, over what they described as “Nigeria's failure to protect Christians,” in what may be the last hearing focused on Nigeria before Democrats take control of Congress in January. In his first congressional testimony since taking office in June, Garcia said Abuja is building its security infrastructure but "is not being effective yet, and it's not moving fast enough." "Unfortunately, the violence has not stopped," he said. The hearing came a year after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations and threatened military action. Nigeria's government rejected the designation, saying it was based on misinformation and faulty data. Nigerian leaders have said the country is dealing with terrorism, not persecution of Christians, and that they would welcome U.S. help against Islamist insurgents as long as its territorial integrity is respected. Nigeria's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What Lawmakers and Officials Said

  • Another Assistant Secretary of State, Riley Barnes, said Nigeria has hired police, deployed forest guards, and increased prosecutions and arrests since the designation. He said those steps have not made Christians in the Middle Belt region safer.

  • Rep. Riley Moore cited a sharp rise in violence against Christians in central Plateau State and said the designation cannot be lifted because "they have not done enough."

  • Since the designation, the White House has moved toward partnership with Abuja, and Trump has said U.S. strikes "largely ended the slaughter" of Christians in Nigeria. Congressional Republicans, who have held two earlier hearings on Nigeria on the issue, have been less convinced.

  • Insecurity tops the issues ahead of Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections on January 16, 2027. The country faces an Islamist insurgency, banditry, and farmer-herder clashes in the north, plus kidnapping for ransom in the south.

  • Nigeria is home to more than 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam, and traditional faiths. It has a history of coexistence but also sporadic violence, often driven by ethnic tensions and competition over scarce resources, not religious persecution.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Cabo Verde Votes Sunday, With President José Maria Neves Favored to Win a Second Term

Cabo Verde President José Maria Neves is expected to win a second term on Sunday, November 15, when the island nation goes to the polls, giving its oldest party full control of government after its May legislative win. His main challenger is Joana Rosa, a former justice minister and the country's first woman presidential candidate, and analysts call Neves the clear favorite. Cabo Verde sits more than 370 miles west of mainland Africa and has about 500,000 people. The race has focused on jobs and stopping young people from leaving the country. Neves says he wants to hold a "Youth Convention" on employment needs and a forum on development priorities through 2050.

Nigeria Finishes Ebola Contact Monitoring With No New Cases

Nigeria's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says all 62 contacts of the country's Ebola case completed 21 days of monitoring and none fell ill. The last contact was discharged today, Friday, November 13. Thirteen reported fever or other symptoms, and all tested negative. Seven Ebola alerts across five states in the past three weeks also tested negative. The agency stressed that the outbreak is not officially over, since the World Health Organization protocols require a full 42-day countdown from the last confirmed patient's recovery or departure. The patient, a Swiss woman, recovered fully in Switzerland and has left the hospital.

Kenyans Brace for Floods as a Super El Niño Brings Heavier Rain

Kenya's weather service warns that a super El Niño will bring heavier rain until December, peaking in November, and the national disaster center says 1.5 million people are at risk. Residents along Nairobi's rivers, like Mary Okello, who lost everything in the 2024 floods, are anxious. Crews are clearing drains, and homes along the Nairobi River were torn down to leave a 98-foot buffer zone. Officials have identified about 172 shelters and plan to send alerts through Safaricom. Many families cannot afford to move, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission warns of a possible humanitarian crisis.

Rival Militant Groups Fight Deadly Battles Along Burkina Faso's Border With Mali

Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Islamic State's Sahel Province (ISSP) have fought increasingly deadly battles along Burkina Faso's northern border since early September. ISSP claims it killed more than 400 JNIM fighters near Ganadaouri on October 9, a claim JNIM has not answered, and no one has verified. The news outlet i-Sahel counted at least 120 bodies in ISSP's photos but could not confirm who they were. Conflict monitoring organization ACLED has recorded about 320 clashes between the groups and more than 2,200 fighter deaths since 2019. About 4.5 million people in Burkina Faso need humanitarian aid this year.

Residents Near Patrice Motsepe's South Africa Nkomati Mine Say Locals Are Shut Out of Jobs

Communities around the Nkomati Nickel Mine in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province accuse African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), founded by billionaire businessman and Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe, of excluding residents from jobs and contracts. Community forum leader Thabo Nkambule says complaints usually check out and that mine management has avoided meeting. After failing to secure a meeting, residents protested and submitted a memorandum demanding 80% host-community employment and 70% local procurement. ARM is also in a separate legal dispute with partner Assore over their jointly owned Assmang.

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