Bafana qualify for AFCON 2015

Durban - Goals from Thulani Serero and Tokelo Rantie either side of half-time secured South Africa's passage to next year's Africa Cup of Nations, beating Sudan 2-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

As it happened: Bafana Bafana v Sudan

Serero was instrumental in creating both, rounding off a move he began eight minutes before half-time, before turning supplier for Rantie, with a terrific through-ball which the striker buried high into the net eight minutes after the break, sending Bafana Bafana soaring into an unassailable four-point lead at the top of group A.

Nigeria revive AFCON hopes

Abuja - Defending champions Nigeria beat Congo Brazzaville 2-0 on Saturday to revive their bid to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations as South Africa and Cameroon ensured their presence in the finals.

South Africa beat Sudan 2-1 in their first outing since the slaying of captain Senzo Meyiwa to top Group A, while Cameroon edged past DR Congo 1-0 to claim Group D.

Mugabe succession battle intensifies ahead of key congress

Harare - Zimbabwe's ruling party has suspended two senior officials and expelled another as tensions over President Robert Mugabe's succession intensify ahead of a key congress next month, media reported on Friday.

The state-owned Herald newspaper said Zanu-PF politburo suspended spokesperson Rugare Gumbo and lawmaker Enoch Porusingazi for five years, while war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda was expelled.

"I can confirm the suspensions," Psychology Maziwisa, the Zanu-PF party deputy party spokesperson told AFP declining to comment further.

Senegal partially reopens borders with Ebola-hit states

Dakar - Senegal has reopened air and sea borders with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the countries worst hit by the Ebola virus.

The frontiers had been closed since 21 August, but the restriction was lifted with immediate effect, Senegalese interior minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo said on Friday.

"Senegal has decided to partially open its borders with the Republic of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as of this Friday... this measure applies only to air and maritime borders excluding the land border," Diallo said.

DRC declares itself Ebola-free

Kinshasa -The Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday declared itself Ebola-free, after a three-month outbreak of the killer disease claimed at least 49 lives.

The DRC outbreak, which began in August, involved a different strain of Ebola from the one that has claimed more than 5 100 lives in west Africa.

"The end of the epidemic... does not mean we are completely out of danger," said DRC Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi.