Businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala appears in Alexandra Magistrates Court with his wife Tsakani Matlala on July 11, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering after he allegedly orchestrated a hit on his ex-girlfriend, actress Tebogo Thobejane, in 2023. Mr. Matlala is also at the center of a scandal surrounding KwaZulu-Natal top cop Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, where General Mkhwanazi recently publicly warned that drug cartels, criminal syndicates infest SA law enforcement at the highest level. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)





Two young boxers from Virunga Club spar during a morning training session in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha/AFP Photo)





Residents cheer as initiates return home after undergoing the koma rite of passage in Moletjie, Limpopo province, on July 19, 2025. The traditional practice, which includes circumcision for boys and men, is a key event on the region's cultural calendar. Girls also take part in separate initiation programmes focused on preparing them for womanhood. Since June, 529 initiation schools have been registered in Limpopo, with more than 25,000 initiates. Officials say the province recorded the lowest fatality rate in the country this season, with two deaths linked to medical conditions, including epilepsy. (Photo by Lucas Ledwaba/AFP Photo)





Initiates gather in a group as they return home after undergoing the koma rite of passage in Moletjie, Limpopo province, on July 19, 2025. The traditional practice, which includes circumcision for boys and men, is a key event on the region's cultural calendar. Girls also take part in separate initiation programmes focused on preparing them for womanhood. Since June, 529 initiation schools have been registered in Limpopo, with more than 25,000 initiates. Officials say the province recorded the lowest fatality rate in the country this season, with two deaths linked to medical conditions, including epilepsy. (Photo by Lucas Ledwaba/AFP Photo)





Sheriff Knight (C), the dancing Cowboy, leads the line dance during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi on July 26, 2025. Country music have a loyal fan base in Kenya and the popularity of the music continuing to grow, the event was celebrated by hundreds of attendees with a collective of country artists performing. The headline of the event was Sir Elvis, Kenya's biggest country star. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)





Eve and Sheila pose for a photo during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)





Revellers line dance during the International Cowboy Day at Ngong race course in Nairobi, Kenya on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP Photo)





The High Priestess, known as Saltigue in Serer, Thioro Faye poses for a portrait during a Xooy (call) divination ceremony in Fatick, on July 27, 2025. Every year with the approach of the rainy season some twenty diviners, better known in Senegal as Saltigues, took it in turns to deliver their predictions on events that could occur in the country over the course of the year during a divination ceremony called "Xooy" on Saturday night in the Fatick region. The ceremony, which was attended by several delegations from the interior of the country, saw the Saltigues discuss a wide range of topics including the rainy season, harvests, social events, celebrity deaths, politics, and possible natural disasters. (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt/AFP Photo)





Egungun masks, of the Yoruba people of West Africa, are showcased during a performance in the second edition of the Benin Mask Festival, in Porto-Novo, Benin, on August 3, 2025. (Photo by Charles Placide Tossou/Reuters)





A man performs a sacred ritual cutting his tongue with a knife without drawing blood during the 2025 Jola Cultural Festival (Futampaff) in Thiobon, Cassamance region, Senegal, on August 6, 2025. The Festival is a significant cultural event for the Jola people, marking the transition from boyhood to manhood. As part of the rites, young initiates prepare to enter the sacred forest, a deeply spiritual journey guided by tradition and ancestral wisdom. The ceremony also teaches the importance of respecting elders and women, learning how to share, and embracing principles of success and community. (Photo by Muhamadou Bittaye/AFP Photo)





Residents of Bouake hold Ivory Coast flags during the arrival of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara (not pictured), one day ahead of Ivory Coast 65th independence anniversary day in Bouake, Ivory Coast on August 6, 2025. (Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)





People gather on a rooftop to get a view of the site where a plane belonging to an air ambulance service provider crashed into a residential area killing several people, in the Mwihoko area of Ruiru, just outside Kenya's capital, August 7, 2025. (Photo by Samson Otieno/AP Photo)





Gounouko masks from the south of Benin, specifically the Porto-Novo region, are showcased during a performance in the second edition of the Benin Mask Festival, in Porto-Novo, Benin, on August 3, 2025. (Photo by Charles Placide Tossou/Reuters)





Participants in Mr. & Ms. Kibera 2025, held to mark International Youth Day, have their makeup done in a classroom serving as the backstage area on church grounds in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi, on August 12, 2025. Mr. & Ms. Kibera annual pageant champions “bold voices, brilliant minds, and inspiring stories” emerging from Kibera, aiming to showcase youth leadership, resilience, and creativity in East Africa's largest urban informal settlement, while providing a platform for young people to reshape the image of Kibera, and convey socially and politically conscious messages about their community's future. (Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)





Women do laundry at the Renk transit center, which hosts more than 12,000 people fleeing the war in Sudan, in Renk, South Sudan, Saturday, August 9, 2025. (Photo by Adlai Coleman/AP Photo)





A model is reflected in the mirror applying makeup during the Mr. and Mrs. Kibera leadership contest, on International Youth Day, in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, August 12, 2025. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)





Kenyan models pose for a photo backstage before they walk the catwalk during the Mr. and Mrs. Kibera leadership contest, held to mark International Youth Day, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, 12 August 2025. International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations that takes place on 12 August. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The theme of this year's IYD, is 'Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond', highlights the unique role of youth in translating global ambitions into community-driven realities. (Photo by Daniel Irungu/EPA)





Rozelda Kim (2nd R), 21, a participant in Mr. & Ms. Kibera 2025, reacts with emotion after being named Miss Kibera 2025 on the main stage on church grounds in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi, on August 12, 2025. Mr. & Ms. Kibera annual pageant champions “bold voices, brilliant minds, and inspiring stories” emerging from Kibera, aiming to showcase youth leadership, resilience, and creativity in East Africa's largest urban informal settlement, while providing a platform for young people to reshape the image of Kibera, and convey socially and politically conscious messages about their community's future. (Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)





Nearly two million people gathers to commemorate the spiritual rank believed to have been attained by Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of the Mouride Sufi order, during his exile by the French colonial administration, in Touba, Senegal on August 13, 2025. The event, known as the 'Grand Magal (Celebration of Praise)', is held annually on the 18th day of the Islamic month of Safar. This year marks the 131st observance of the pilgrimage. Followers honor the occasion by visiting the Great Mosque of Touba and the tomb of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba to perform prayers and pay their respects. (Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu via Getty Images)





Former Kenyan Deputy President and opposition leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), Rigathi Gachagua (C), reacts as his security detail pushes back supporters welcoming him at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on August 21, 2025. Violence erupted in Kenya's capital on August 21, 2025 with teargas and hired goons unleashed, as recently impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua returned from a month-long political tour in the United States. (Photo by Luis Tato/AFP Photo)