RITUALIST ARRESTED ACROSS BORDER AFTER TWO MURDERS
SWAZILAND: RITUALS/TIMES OF SWAZILAND/23/2/18 SABANews 1

MBABANE – A suspected ritual killer from SWAZILAND has appeared on murder charges before the WITBANK Magistrate’s Court in SOUTH AFRICA.
The TIMES OF SWAZILAND newspaper says THOKOZANI MSIBI was arrested after allegedly killing TWO minors in the neighbouring country.
It quotes the TIMES-LIVE publication as saying the Court has remanded the suspect in custody, pending a bail application scheduled for MONDAY.
Mr MSIBI allegedly kidnapped and later murdered NKOSIKHONA NGWENYA and GABISILE SHABANI, who was living with albinism.
The authorities suspect he took the kids from their home in HLALAKAHLE and the police discovered the TWO bodies in separate locations‚ after the children were reported missing.
Media reports quote MPUMALANGA Provincial Corporate Communications Officer Brigadier LEONARD HLATHI as saying they are hunting down more suspects in the matter.
He says the minors went missing on 28 JANUARY this year, after THREE armed gunmen broke into their home and forcibly removed them.
In another development, the TIMES says officials and members of the public have come up with different speculations after an owl appeared in broad daylight at the SWAZI High Court.
It says staff at the Court found the night bird at the entrance of the building between 10:30 and 11:00 AM.
AFRICAN communities mostly believe owls are associated with witchcraft, and the presence of ONE at the court premises has led people into suspecting foul play.
However, wildlife experts say not all owls hunt and eat during the night; and if one sees or hears an owl during the day it means it is a diurnal owl that sleeps at night and feeds during the day.
Nevertheless, the High Court event has forced people to conclude there is something out of the ordinary about it.
After its removal from the entrance, it landed midway by the stairs and remained there for the entire day; and even after High Court staff had knocked off, the owl remained on the steps and never moved an inch since morning.
The Chairman of the SWAZILAND WITCHDOCTORS ASSOCIATION, MAKHANYA MAKHANYA, has dismissed claims that the owl was just flying by like any other bird, saying something is happening since there are ongoing cases./Sabanews/cam
FIRE GUTS GIRLS’ HOSTELS AT SECONDARY SCHOOL
PEOPLE GO WITHOUT FOOD WHILE STATE ORGAN IS STUCK WIT SURPLUSES
STATE ADVISES ON NEED FOR PLANS TO SAVE LIVESTOCK
NAMIBIA: GRAZING/NBC/23/2/18 SABANews 1

WINDHOEK – The government of NAMIBIA has advised farmers to come up with plans to save their livestock in the face of insufficient pastures in the country.
NBC News says the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer in the Agriculture, Water, and Forestry Ministry has made the call.
It quotes JOHN SHOOPOLA as saying farmers have to plan properly to prevent or reduce the effects of poor rainfall, and ensure their livestock survive the drought.
He says areas south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence, also referred to as the Red Line, have bad pastures due to poor rains recorded; but the northern parts of the country got better rains.
The Veterinary Cordon Fence is a pest-exclusion boundary separating Northern NAMIBIA from the central and southern regions.
Mr SHOOPOLA says even if the affected areas were to receive good rains for the remainder of this season it will be too late for the grass to grow.
He says the situation will put livestock under stress if the farmers do not effectively manage their pastures, or even sell off less productive and old livestock.
Mr SHOOPOLA has further advised producers to ensure their livestock have enough water, feeds, and minerals like vitamin supplements to help them overcome the dry spell.
The NAMIBIAN veterinary expert says farmers should also vaccinate their livestock against all diseases while they are still strong, and feed them continuously to withstand the hardships.
Southern AFRICA has continued to receive heavy rains in MOZAMBIQUE, ZIMBABWE, and parts of ZAMBIA, which have had SEVEN-day-totals of more than 50 millimetres.
SOUTH AFRICA, BOTSWANA, and ANGOLA have had lighter, but still widespread rainfall, which was nearly absent across TANZANIA, the drought-affected areas of MADAGASCAR and across abnormally dry parts of NAMIBIA./Sabanews/cam
SIXTEEN SHIPS VANISH FROM OCEAN, GOVERNMENT BREATHES FIRE
TANZANIA: MARINE/DAILY NEWS/16/2/18 SABANews 1

DAR ES SALAAM – At least 16 foreign ships have vanished from the INDIAN Ocean waters in TANZANIA, and the State has ordered all security organs to launch a search.
The DAILY NEWS quotes Livestock and Fisheries Minister LUHAGA MPINA as saying the incident comes amid increased scandalous acts involving government officials and foreigners at sea.
The paper says he has revealed the information after inspecting a fishing vessel owned by the XISHIJI 37 Company of CHINA, which recently docked at the DAR ES SALAAM Port.
In this case, Minister MPINA says the authorities had given Deep Sea Fishing Licences to 24 vessels but only EIGHT have undergone inspection.
The rest of them simply vanished, and the government has discovered some of its officials are involved in the disappearance of the ships, as well as in the other criminal activities.
Minister MPINA says the law-enforcement agencies are chasing up the vessels and are certain to catch the suspects, because they have all their registration particulars; and his Ministry will take tough measures against the employees involved.
In another case, he has directed officials to move to DAR ES SALAAM Port a fishing vessel seized from the BUAH NAGA ONE Company of MALAYSIA.
A Special Task Force patrolling the LINDI and MTWARA coastlines arrested the ship on 25 JANUARY after they found it with fins and gills of 30 sharks, as well as FOUR tonnes of protected rare species of the sea.
Minister MPINA says the vessel violated the laws of the SADC country and the State ordered it to pay a fine of 350-THOUSAND US dollars, within SEVEN days after the seizure, which is still outstanding.
He has told his Permanent Secretary YOHANA BUDEBA to seek a court order to confiscate the ship, the 42 tonnes of fish, and the FOUR tonnes of rare species on board for auctioning.
The government has also launched a search for yet another vessel owned by TAI HONG NO-1 Company, which was escaped arrest after officials found 44 shark fins aboard.
It is not clear however, how the Captain managed to pull away and vanish into the ocean before the security could arrest his ship: which they also later found with links to more offences such as environmental pollution.
The Minister says the current government of TANZANIA took office and amended the Deep Sea Fishing regulations of 2009, adding more sections to curb illegal fishing, so that the nation could benefit fully from its resources./Sabanews/cam