Africa in Focus with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

1. DR Congo- Kinshasa

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, to voice their opposition to a government-proposed constitutional amendment that could allow President Felix Tshisekedi -- elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023 -- to stand for a third term following a referendum.

Organised by the C64 coalition, the opposition is calling on President Felix Tshisekedi to "give up" proposed constitutional changes that could open the way for him to secure a third term.

Elections are two years away, but tensions are already high between the government and its opponents since the ruling-party-majority parliament approved a proposal to extend the presidential mandate.

1. Cape Verde- Praia

Cape Verde President Jose Maria Neves will run for a second five-year term in the country's November elections.

The West African archipelago nation, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Senegal, heads to the polls on November 15. Neves, 66, served as prime minister from 2001 to 2016 and was elected president in 2021.

The president of the National Assembly, Janira Hopffer Almada, will serve as interim president of Cape Verde for the next two months, following Neves's announcement of his resignation.

1. South Sudan- Juba

Kiir appoints son as presidential guard commander

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has appointed his son, Major General Atem Salva Kiir, as commander of the presidential guard, known as the Tiger Division.

The appointment has attracted attention in a country where there has been speculation that members of President Kiir’s family could eventually play a role in the country’s political leadership.

It has also raised questions over whether Kiir is following a path like that of his ally, Uganda’s long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, whose son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has risen to become the country’s top military commander.]

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day, 16 September 1996, when the Former Police Colonel Eugene de Kock began his testimony in the Pretoria Supreme Court by revealing his part in the apartheid regime's 'dirty tricks' campaign. During a two-week mitigation period, his testimony implicated leading National Party (NP) figures and senior security force officers.

He insisted that he was part of a systematic campaign that encompassed the police, the armed forces, and covert security units