African press review 27 October 2014

SA’s violence claims the life of its national team’s captain. Rating agencies atch out for mini-budget follow-up. Zimbabwe’s v-p denies plotting to oust Mugabe. Kenya’s government is accused of backing extra-judicial killings and sabotaging NGOs. And how a thief’s hygiene-consciousness led to his downfall.

South African tabloid paper the Sowetan leads with the news of the tragic death of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa in a shooting incident.

While admitting that details remain unclear, the Johannesburg paper says the national team captain died after being shot during a robbery at singer Kelly Khumalo's home in Vosloorus last night.

Captain of both club and country, Meyiwa played for Orlando Pirates on Saturday at Orlando stadium in their 4-1 Telkom Knockout quarter-final win over Ajax Cape Town. The 27-year-old captained South Africa in their last four matches in the African Nations Cup qualifiers without conceding a goal.

The police have offered a reward for information leading to an arrest and have said that there were seven people in the house at the time of the shooting. Two suspects went into the house, while one remained outside. The three fled on foot.

The Johannesburg Star adds that local media are reporting Meyiwa's death as the result of a botched robbery, saying the intruders had demanded a cellphone.

The website News24 says Meyiwa was shot and killed while trying to protect his Afro-Pop singer and girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo.

According to a community safety officer, two men entered the house and demanded cellphones, money and other valuables. Senzo tried to protect Kelly because one of the men had a gun pointed towards her.

The officer said Meyiwa was shot when he jumped to protect Khumalo.

The international rating agencies are keeping a close watch on South Africa in the wake of last week's mini-budget, with at least one of the three major firms expected to review the country’s credit rating as early as December.

That's the main story in this morning's Johannesburg-based financial paper, BusinessDay.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s commitment to cut spending has been welcomed by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.

The agencies have warned that the government’s ability to stick to spending cuts would have a major bearing on South Africa’s foreign currency sovereign credit rating.

Rating downgrades raise the cost of borrowing.

Standard & Poor’s downgraded South Africa’s rating from triple-B to triple-B negative in June and changed the outlook to stable from negative. One more downgrade would put South Africa’s long-term foreign currency credit rating at junk status.

Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Joice Mujuru yesterday rejected as false claims that she is plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe ahead of a ruling party congress in December.

Mugabe’s wife Grace claimed earlier this month that Mujuru was threatening to tear the ruling Zanu-PF party apart and was plotting to overthrow the president.

Grace Mugabe called on Mujuru to resign or be forced to step aside.

Mujuru and the Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who in the past controlled the secret police and military, are seen as the leading contenders to replace the 90-year-old Mugabe.

Kenya’s Standard reports that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has accused the Jubilee government of condoning extra-judicial killings to weaken the opposition.

Raila has alleged that there are state police death squads targeting prominent individuals allied to the opposition.

Raila accused the government of failing to use constitutional institutions like courts to punish offenders. The former prime minister recounted the manner in which Nairobi-based businessman Jared Ochoko, who was linked to controversial land dealings, was killed by gunmen in Nairobi a few weeks ago.

The opposition leader also cited the killing of 26 Muslim imams and four Christian priests in the Coastal region, saying the government had done nothing to have the culprits apprehended.

Also in the Standard, news that the opposition has promised to oppose proposed amendments to the law that would increase oversight by the Jubilee administration over non-governmental organisations and force them to reveal their sources of funds.

The authorities claim that some civil society groups are linked to terror organisations and other criminal activities, including the radicalisation of young people.

Yesterday the opposition Coalition for Reform and Democracy described the proposed bill as draconian and regressive, saying it was a form of revenge on civil society over the alleged role that some NGOs played in “recruiting” and “coaching” International Criminal Court witnesses in the cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

The opposition says the bill will hamper the work of humanitarian agencies that support education and health and offer relief services in many parts of the country by starving them of cash.

Finally, back to South Africa's Sowetan and the story of an 18-year-old caught taking a bath having broken into a business premises in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, on Sunday.

The young man allegedly broke into the fast-food outlet and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and beverages. He then decided to take a bath in the guards' room.

A man was arrested on suspicion of business burglary while bathing at the crime scene according to the police report.