South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has cut short his attendance at the Commonwealth summit in London to deal with violent protests at home. Clashes have taken place in North West province where protesters are demanding jobs, housing and an end to corruption. Shops have been looted, roads barricaded and vehicles set alight. President Ramaphosa, who … Read more
South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma is to face prosecution for 16 charges of corruption relating to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal. The case centres on a 30bn rand ($2.5bn; £1.7bn) deal to modernise the country’s defence in the late 1990s. The charges – which Mr Zuma denies – include counts of fraud, racketeering and money … Read more
South Africa’s former President, Jacob Zuma, is to face prosecution for 16 charges of corruption, Chief Prosecutor Shaun Abrahams has confirmed. Mr Abrahams said he believed there were “reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution”. The charges – which Mr Zuma denies – include counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering. Mr Zuma, 75, was forced … Read more
New South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced his cabinet, making substantial changes to ministerial positions. He reappointed Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister, reversing his sacking by the former President Jacob Zuma. Mr Zuma, who is facing charges of corruption, was forced to stand down earlier this month by his own party. Mr Ramaphosa took … Read more
New South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to continue the “long walk” Nelson Mandela began in a State of the Nation Address which touched on corruption, poverty, gender equality and racial divides. Mr Ramaphosa, who was sworn in as president yesterday, told those gathered in Cape Town to hear the speech that the … Read more
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commended Jacob Zuma for showing “patriotism and statesmanship” for resigning as president of South Africa. He was pleased that Mr. Zuma listened to the demands of South Africans, and accordingly resigned Wednesday after years of attempts to remove him failed. “…His Excellency Jacob Zuma, is also to be commended … Read more
South Africa’s elite police unit have raided the home of the controversial Gupta family as the investigation into so-called state capture continues. Three people have been arrested so far, including one of the brothers, with two other people expected to hand themselves in, police said in a statement. The Gupta family have been accused using … Read more
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will formally ask for President Jacob Zuma to resign after he refused to do so earlier, reports say. The reported decision to “recall” him followed marathon talks by senior party officials that continued into the early hours of Tuesday. If Mr Zuma, 75, still does not budge, he … Read more
Leaders of South Africa’s governing ANC party are meeting to decide the future of President Jacob Zuma. The National Executive Committee (NEC) is likely to ask him to step down, says BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding. ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged on Sunday that the issue was causing “disunity and discord”. Mr Zuma, 75, faces … Read more
Police brutality, “fake news” propaganda and official cover-ups at the height of apartheid have been laid bare in a South African court probing the death of a communist activist 46 years ago. Ahmed Timol, a 29-year-old anti-apartheid volunteer, was arrested in Johannesburg in October 1971 and after five days in detention he died after plummeting … Read more
South Africa’s respected former finance minister Pravin Gordhan called Tuesday for President Jacob Zuma to resign, stepping up pressure on the embattled leader. Gordhan joined a growing number of activists in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) along with anti-apartheid veterans and business leaders who have appealed for Zuma to leave office. Gordhan was seen … Read more
Inside South Africa’s maximum security Groenpunt prison, hawk-eyed guards stroll between rows of wooden benches, watching inmates closely as they meet visitors. Among the notorious jail’s residents is 51-year-old triple murderer Percy Chepape, an anti-apartheid fighter serving a 60-year sentence for his “politically motivated” crimes committed in the chaos that followed liberation in 1994. The … Read more
South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday sought to calm an increasingly fractious battle to succeed him that is threatening to split the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party. Zuma, who has been hit by corruption scandals and the country’s poor economic performance, will step down as ANC party head in December and as national … Read more
South African President Jacob Zuma admitted Friday the ruling ANC party is beset by corruption and divisions that could threaten its uninterrupted hold on power since the end of apartheid rule. Zuma, who has himself been at the centre of several major corruption scandals, called on the African National Congress (ANC) to reform and turn … Read more
The brutal death of anti-apartheid campaigner Ahmed Timol was allowed to go quietly unsolved in the interests of South Africa’s democratic reconciliation. But now more than 45 years after he fell from a 10th-floor window at a notorious regime security building and died, Timol’s case is being re-examined following a campaign to expose the truth … Read more
South Africa’s highest court on Thursday ruled that lawmakers can cast secret ballots in a no-confidence vote in President Jacob Zuma, who is facing mounting criticism within the ruling ANC. Although no date has been set for such a vote, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said the National Assembly speaker had the authority to order a … Read more
Tributes were paid Tuesday to Joel Joffe, the lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela in the trial that saw the anti-apartheid icon jailed, following his death at the age of 85. Lord Joffe died on Sunday, said Oxfam, the aid agency which he chaired. The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the human rights lawyer died in London. … Read more
Close bonds between the people of the African continent and the Caribbean island-nation of Cuba have been centuries in the making. Africans caught in the Atlantic Slave Trade were taken to Cuba where their presence made an indelible mark on the character of the political, economic and cultural fabric of the country. Since the 1960s, … Read more
South Africa’s main opposition party Tuesday removed former leader Helen Zille from all party leadership roles after a disciplinary hearing over a controversial tweet in which she praised aspects of colonialism. Zille also apologised ‘unreservedly” Tuesday for the tweet, which she posted in March. Mmusi Maimane, the current leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, … Read more
Credit ratings agency Moody’s on Tuesday said it had downgraded a slew of top South African banks, insurers and local authorities prompted by fears over the country’s worsening financial position. It slashed the creditworthiness of the five largest banks — FirstRand, Standard, Nedbank, Investec and Absa — to just one notch above junk status, all … Read more