Image source, Getty Images

South Africa’s state power firm Eskom has appointed a new chief executive after the exit of the former head following an interview where he accused the ruling party of corruption.

In a statement, the company announced the appointment of chief financial officer Calib Cassim “with immediate effect” as the interim CEO to replace André de Ruyter.

“Mr Cassim will lead the Eskom management team until further notice,” it said.

In the damning interview with a local TV station, Mr De Ruyter, who was due to leave in a month’s time, accused the ANC party of using Eskom as a “feeding trough”.

He also alleged that unnamed senior government officials, including a minister, were benefitting from coal deals at the utility.

The party has dismissed the accusations.

His comments seemed to have to led to his early departure.

South Africa has been enduring up to 12 hours of scheduled power cuts in recent days amid a power crisis in the country.

Nigeria has ordered the closure of all its land borders during Saturday's tightly contested elections.

The directive is meant to ensure that the "elections are free, fair and devoid of anomalies", the Nigeria Immigration Service said.

Border officials have been told to ensure strict enforcement of the order.

The presidential and parliamentary elections are reported to be the most tightly contested since military rule ended in 1999.

The immigration service said it had seized 6,000 voters cards and other Nigerian identification documents from illegal immigrants in the run-up to the elections.

President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier on Thursday urged security agencies to be "firm and courageous" in the election period, and warned against riots after after the announcement of election results.

Image source, AFP

Tunisian President Kais Saied has called on sub-Saharan African people legally in the country to be “reassured” they would not be harmed over his stance against migrants.

He however maintained that illegal migration was causing “demographic” changes in the country, saying those who were there illegally would not be allowed to stay.

The president spoke during a meeting with the interior minister about the security situation in the country.

On Tuesday, Mr Saied had ordered security agencies to crack down on illegal migration from sub-Saharan African countries.

His reported remarks that illegal migration was interfering with the demographic make-up of the country was criticised by human rights groups in the country as racist.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) was quoted on Wednesday as referring to Mr Saied’s remarks as "drowning in racism and hatred".

But Mr Saied on Thursday denied it, saying that those accusing him of racism were seeking to create discord and damage relations with other countries.

Tunisia is a key transit point for migrants seeking to move to Europe crossing through the Mediterranean sea.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Burkina Faso's military government has announced a drive to recruit another 5,000 soldiers to help in the fight against jihadists.

Defence Minister Colonel Kassoum Coulibaly said the recruits must be between 20 and 35 years old and be prepared to serve in the army for at least five years.

A week ago more than 50 soldiers were killed in the north of the country.

At least 15 others were reported to have died on Monday in an ambush by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Since the Islamist insurgency began in 2015 nearly two million people have been displaced.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A court in Sierra Leone has ruled that the main opposition candidate for June's presidential election will have to stand trial over allegations of corruption.

Samura Kamara was chosen as the candidate for the All People's Congress three days ago.

He has denied any wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.

Mr Kamara served as finance and foreign affairs minister under the former president Ernest Bai Koroma.

The trial is due to begin next month.

The current president, Julius Maada Bio, is set to run for a second term.

The opposition APC has described his anti-corruption drive as a witch-hunt against the party.

Image source, AFP

Fifteen African countries on Thursday abstained and 28 supported the vote as the UN General Assembly in New York overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.

The resolution called for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and a halt to fighting. The measure is not legally binding but holds political weight.

It was backed by 141 nations with 32 abstaining and seven voting against. Almost half of the abstentions were from Africa.

South Africa, Ethiopia, Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Namibia, Central Africa Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Guinea, Mozambique, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe abstained in the vote.

Eritrea and Mali were the only African countries who voted against.

Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini and Guinea-Bissau did not take part in the voting.

Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana and Kenya were among the African countries who backed the vote.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the resolution which he described as a powerful signal of global support.

Friday marks exactly a year since the full-scale invasion began.

More on this topic:

• Why is South Africa's navy joining exercises with Russia and China?
• How Russia has outflanked Ukraine in Africa

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A powerful storm is expected to make landfall in central and southern Mozambique in the coming hours (around 10:00 GMT).

Cyclone Freddy arrives after battering the east coast of Madagascar, where at least seven people were killed.

It brought torrential rain and strong winds, tearing roofs off houses - with 80,000 people affected by floods.

Residents in Mozambique have been reinforcing their roofs in readiness.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

The BBC tracks the issues facing Nigerians as the country chooses a new president on 25 February.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa and beyond this week.

Almost 10 years ago, Peter MacJob’s life changed forever. Born and raised a devout Christian like so many of his fellow Nigerians, he fell out of love with the Church and discovered the traditional Yoruba religion of his ancestors. Other Africans appear to be doing the same thing, both on the continent and throughout the diaspora. But as Peter has found, it is not always easy to convert: Ifá, or Isese, involves effigies, divination, and making offerings to a range of deities, up to and including animal sacrifice.

Those not initiated into the faith often see it as superstitious and even sinister. Devotees say that outsiders misunderstand, and complain that Ifá is pejoratively depicted as devil worship. It is perhaps little wonder that after Peter adopted Ifá, he chose not to tell his family about it. But now he has decided it is time to come clean, taking a trip back to Nigeria to confront childhood friends and loved ones, in the hope that they will give their blessing.

Presenter: Peter MacJob Producer: Michael Gallagher Strand producer: Rajeev Gupta Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno Editor: Helen Grady

Some of the Nigeria's internally displaced population are still unsure whether they will be able to vote in the upcoming elections.

Women's captain Sune Luus wants the perfect game from her side as the Proteas target a first ever appearance for South Africa in a World Cup final.

Nigeria will hold an election on 25 February, but only a small percentage of the candidates vying for political office are female.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. There'll be an automated service until Friday morning.

You can also follow the news here or listen to our podcast.

Our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this portrait taken in Tunda Dos Gambos by Angolan photographer Jessé Manuel.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Police in south-east Nigeria have blamed a banned separatist group for several attacks against politicians ahead of Saturday's elections.

Late on Wednesday a Labour Party candidate for a senate seat in Enugu State and two colleagues were shot dead and their vehicle set ablaze.

A driver was also killed when a PDP convoy was targeted.

The armed wing of a Biafran separatist group has been blamed for frequent attacks in the south-east where it wants to create an independent state.

The election is taking place as Nigeria faces growing insecurity and frustration at the shortage of cash following a botched effort to change the country's banknotes.

Image source, Getty Images

African Union observer and former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme that he has seen a commitment from the Nigerian government to oversee credible elections.

The authorities seem “quite confident” they can hold a “free, fair” and “transparent” election on Saturday, Mr Kenyatta said.

There have been widespread reports of vote buying and corruption at polling booths in previous ballots.

There are also rising tensions, with a senatorial candidate from the Labour Party being killed on Wednesday.

Oyibo Chukwu was shot dead and his body burned in the south-eastern Enugu state.

Mr Kenyatta warned there would be “challenges”, however he said the presidential candidates had told him they think they can “surmount” those problems, including security concerns and the cash shortage in the country which has sparked a crisis in the last few weeks.

Mr Kenyatta added that he hoped these problems would not result in low turnout.

He said the Nigerian elections were of the upmost important because it is “the largest democracy on the African continent” and one of the largest in the world.

Read more: What you need to know about the elections

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

A leopard has attacked 13 people, including children, in the Ethiopian town of Alaba Kulito, 200km (124 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa, before being shot dead by the police after a chase lasting several hours.

Warning: This article contains a photo that some people may find distressing

It was first reported the animal broke into a residential house early in the morning. Then police forces were despatched to contain the situation.

"It was jumping on the roof of the houses. This created chaos in the society. The panicked leopard then started attacking people," Deputy Police Commander Taju Negash told the BBC.

"Among the victims were two children, and women. The rest are youth," he adds.

It is not known where the leopard came from, police say.

The victims are currently being treated in hospital.

Such incidents are not uncommon. In September last year, a leopard killed a husband and wife who were on their way home and injured another two militias in Jimma, western Ethiopia.

Experts warn that animal attacks are on the increase due in part to people building houses in new areas.

Image source, Ethiopian police

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Getty Images

A court in Mozambique has sentenced five out of eight people involved in the murder of a man with albinism in July last year to jail.

The sentences range from eight to 30 years.

The judge said the convicts had committed crimes of aggravated homicide, possession of human bones and criminal association.

They must also pay $5,000 (£4,000) to the family of the victim.

Four of the five suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime, however they did not say who was behind it.

They had a market in the district of Murrupula for the sale of the albino victim's bones.

The co-defendants told the court that they had dismembered the victim's body, removed his arms and then handed him over to a foreign citizen in Mozambique who paid them about $95,000 (£80,000).

To commit their crime, the convicts lured their victim to a location where they said they would introduce him to a girlfriend.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome says competing in the ongoing Tour du Rwanda has brought back memories of his origins in the sport and growing up in Africa.