South African authorities have arrested the pan-African activist Kemi Seba, and initiated extradition proceedings linked to a Benin-issued warrant over allegations of “inciting rebellion”.

Benin issued the warrant in December 2025 following Seba’s public support for an attempted coup that was later suppressed. He is accused of undermining state authority, allegations his supporters frame as part of a wider pattern of political criminalisation of dissenting pan-African currents.

South African police said Seba was detained at a shopping centre in Pretoria alongside his 18-year-old son and a South African national. He remains in custody as investigations continue.

Born Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi in France to Beninese parents, Seba has long positioned himself as a critic of French influence in Africa, advocating for political and economic sovereignty across the continent and aligning himself with emerging anti-Western alliances in the Sahel, including governments that have deepened ties with Russia.

South African Police allege the group was preparing to move across borders through irregular channels, with assistance from a South African intermediary. Cash and electronic devices were reportedly seized during the arrest.

The case places Seba once again at the centre of a widening geopolitical fault line in West Africa and beyond, where competing visions of sovereignty, security, and external influence are increasingly contested between traditional Western partners and rising pan-African and multipolar blocs.

Seba, his son, and the South African national are due to remain in custody pending further proceedings.

A South African court has handed a five-year prison sentence to Julius Malema, in a ruling that could ultimately disqualify one of the country’s most prominent political figures from serving in parliament.

Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, remained in court in KuGompo City on Thursday as magistrates weighed whether to admit an appeal against the sentence. It was not immediately clear whether that process would delay any transfer to prison.

The 45-year-old was convicted last year on multiple charges stemming from a 2018 rally in the Eastern Cape, where he fired a rifle into the air inside a stadium. Delivering judgment, magistrate Twanet Olivier warned that impunity for such offences would pose “a serious threat to our democratic state”.

The court imposed five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and a further two years for unlawful possession of ammunition, alongside fines for additional offences, including discharging a firearm in a built-up area. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Under South Africa’s constitution, any prison term exceeding 12 months—once all appeals are exhausted—renders an individual ineligible to serve as a lawmaker. For Malema and his party, the implications are significant.

The EFF, parliament’s fourth-largest party, has built a strong following among younger South Africans disillusioned by the enduring inequalities that have persisted since the end of apartheid in 1994. Its platform—centred on the nationalisation of mines and land redistribution—has made Malema both a galvanising and polarising figure in the country’s political landscape.

Prosecutors argued that failing to impose a custodial sentence would set a dangerous precedent, urging the court to consider the maximum penalty of 15 years. Malema’s legal team, by contrast, maintained that the firearm was discharged as part of a celebratory gesture, with no intent to cause harm, and called for a more lenient sanction, such as a fine.

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, during his appearance at the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. (Source: witness.co.za)

Benin’s finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, has won the country’s presidential election with a commanding 94% of the vote, according to provisional results released by the electoral commission (CENA), after more than 90% of ballots were counted.

The result confirms a widely anticipated victory for Wadagni, 49, who stood as the candidate of the ruling alliance between the Progressive Union Renewal (UPR) and the Republican Bloc (BR). His campaign was strongly backed by outgoing president Patrice Talon, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term after completing two five-year mandates.

Wadagni’s ascent caps a decade in which he served as finance minister, overseeing sustained economic growth averaging above 6% annually. He has pledged continuity of that trajectory in a country often cited as one of West Africa’s more stable democracies, despite a failed coup attempt in December 2025.

His only challenger, Paul Hounkpe of the FCBE party, conceded defeat while counting was still under way. In a statement, he extended “republican congratulations” and called for respect for democratic norms.

CENA chair Sacca Lafia said the vote had been conducted peacefully. Civil society observers reported around one hundred incident alerts, including early openings of polling stations and cases where ballot boxes appeared already full at opening time.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) observer mission described a “peaceful atmosphere” and “smooth running” of the vote.

About 7.9 million citizens were registered to vote, with turnout recorded at 58.75% nationally. Participation was significantly lower in the capital, Porto-Novo, where it fell to between 20% and 40% in some polling stations.

However, the election took place under conditions criticised by analysts, who argue that political space has narrowed during Talon’s presidency. The main opposition party, Les Démocrates, was excluded from the ballot after failing to secure parliamentary endorsements required under constitutional changes introduced last year.

Those reforms, which tie presidential eligibility to legislative backing, effectively blocked opposition leader Renaud Agbodjo from qualifying for the race, as his party holds no seats in the National Assembly.

Romuald Wadagni campaigning in Cotonou, Benin, last month. He has been declared the country’s new president according to provisional results. Credit: Charles Placide Tossou/Reuters (via The New York Times)