A retired Zimbabwean general and acolyte of ex-president Robert Mugabe has formed a political party to challenge President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the polls later this year, the new grouping called the New Patriotic Front (NPF) party said on Monday. Ambrose Mutinhiri, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s 1970s independence war, quit the ruling ZANU-PF party and gave up his parliamentary seat last Friday, then met Mugabe on Sunday to brief him about the latest developments, an NPF statement said.

Somali militant group, al-Shabab has reportedly ordered the closure of all privately-owned football pitches in three districts of the capital, Mogadishu.

According to Radio Dalsan, more than 20 playgrounds in Karaan, Yaqshid and Heliwaa districts are following the order, which was reportedly issued at a meeting between some of the stadium managers and al-Shabab leaders in Tora Torow, Lower Shabelle Region.

The daughter of Angola's former president, Isabel dos Santos, has denied allegations of corruption when she was head of the state oil firm, Sonangol.

She described as entirely legitimate a payment of nearly $40m (£29m) to a Dubai-based company after she was dismissed from Sonangol.

The South African triathlete, Mhlengi Gwala has been attacked by a chainsaw-wielding gang while on a training ride in Durban.

Three men are believed to have dragged the athlete into a bush and attempted to hack at his leg with a chainsaw.

Voters in Sierra Leone are going to the polls to elect a successor for President Ernest Bai Koroma.

16 political parties are competing in the elections in the West African nation. His successor will face the tough challenge of reviving an economy that’s struggling to recover from the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola and an iron-ore slump.

Several southern African states have banned processed meat from South Africa after it said it had identified the source of a food poisoning outbreak.

The government blamed the sausage known as polony for the listeria poisoning that has killed 180 people. It advised people not to eat any processed meat.

It ordered a recall of the product, prompting shops to clear their shelves.