JOHANNESBURG – A South African man was arrested and will be charged in court for posting a video on social media in which he hurled racial abuse at President Cyril Ramaphosa, police said on Thursday. It was the latest such incident to cause a public outcry in South Africa and shows the racial tensions that […]

WELLINGTON – South Africa captain Siya Kolisi did little to ease any fears that his side can arrest their slide in the Rugby Championship ahead of their clash with the All Blacks on Saturday. The Springboks have lost their last two matches in the southern hemisphere competition while the All Blacks are on the verge […]

JOHANNESBURG  – The judge leading an inquiry into claims of influence-peddling (or ‘state capture’) against former South African president Jacob Zuma rejected an application by the Gupta brothers to cross-examine witnesses, saying they could only do so if they testified. The public inquiry, which is being telecast live in South Africa, is reviewing allegations that […]

A small stone flake marked with intersecting lines of red ochre pigment some 73,000 years ago that was found in a cave on South Africa’s southern coast represents what archaeologists on Wednesday called the oldest-known example of human drawing. The abstract design, vaguely resembling a hashtag, was drawn by hunter-gatherers who periodically dwelled in Blombos […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s plans to change the constitution to allow the expropriation of land without compensation could hit property prices and trigger a banking crisis, the chief executive of Nedbank warned parliament on Friday. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Aug. 1 that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) planned to change the constitution […]

Burt Reynolds, whose good looks and charm made him one of Hollywood’s most popular actors as he starred in films such as “Deliverance,” “The Longest Yard” and “Smokey and the Bandit” in the 1970s and ’80s, has died at age 82. Reynolds died on Thursday morning at the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida, his manager, […]

JOHANNESBURG – Trading resumed at two of South Africa’s biggest shopping malls on Wednesday following bomb threats, after police found no explosive devices at either location. The Mall of Africa, located between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the Sandton City mall in Johannesburg’s Sandton district both closed after reporting bomb threats. “Police searched and nothing was […]

PRETORIA – South Africa has cancelled plans to add 9,600 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power by 2030 and will instead aim to add more capacity in natural gas, wind and other energy sources, the energy minister announced on Monday. Africa’s only nuclear power has an installed capacity of 1,860 MW but plans under the government […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Vodacom launched what it said was Africa’s first commercial 5G internet service in Lesotho on Saturday, but said it would only be able to provide a similar service in its home market once spectrum was made available. Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest mobile operator by market value, said the rollout of the […]

NEW YORK – The U.S. Open offers South African Kevin Anderson a shot at redemption as he bids to claim his first Grand Slam title after twice coming heartbreakingly close in the last 12 months. Anderson burst through the tournament to make his Grand Slam final debut at Flushing Meadows last year at the age […]

JOHANNESBURG  – Former South African deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas told an inquiry that business friends of ex-president Jacob Zuma threatened to kill him if he spoke about a meeting at which they offered him money and the post of finance minister. The public inquiry, which started on Monday and is being telecast live, is […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has told the U.S. charge d’affaires of its disappointment over Washington’s “failure” to use diplomatic channels after President Donald Trump angered Pretoria with comments on its land policy. Trump said in a late-night tweet two days ago that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to study South African “land […]

HONOLULU – Hurricane Lane weakened to a Category 3 storm on Thursday but was already lashing Hawaii with high winds and torrential rains, touching off flash floods, landslides and raging surf as residents hunkered down to ride out the storm. With the storm still spinning in the Pacific Ocean about 180 miles (290 km) southeast […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s state-owned Land Bank said on Monday a plan to allow the state to seize land without compensation could trigger defaults that could cost the government R41-billion ($2.8 billion) if the bank’s rights as a creditor are not protected. Land Bank is a specialist bank providing financial services to the commercial farming […]

JOHANNESBURG  – The judge leading an inquiry into claims of state-capture against former South African president Jacob Zuma on Monday urged more witnesses to come forward, as public hearings began in a case that could last two years. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will review allegations that the Gupta brothers – who headed one of […]

DURBAN – Siya Kolisi says he has settled into his role as captain of South Africa after his whirlwind appointment in June and is looking for a strong start when the Springboks host Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener at King’s Park on Saturday. Kolisi, the first black captain of the Bok test team in […]

South African expat and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who lives in the US, has revealed in a highly emotional interview with the New York Times the high price that he’s paid for his business success. In an interview where he reportedly “alternated between laughter and tears”, Musk described the intensity of running his businesses, and […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Members of South Africa’s AMCU mining union are ready to strike for a year if necessary and would bring the platinum belt to a standstill if Impala Platinum carries out plans to cut up to 13,400 jobs, the union’s president said on Thursday. Joseph Mathunjwa, who led a five-month strike in 2014, […]

JOHANNESBURG – The leader of South Africa’s far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, has introduced a bill to nationalise the central bank, parliament said late on Thursday. The South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill would “make the state the sole holder of the shares in the bank” and “provide for the appointment of certain board […]

Aretha Franklin, the preacher’s daughter whose powerful voice made her the long-reigning “Queen of Soul” with such hit songs as “Respect” and “Chain of Fools,” died on Thursday at the age of 76, officials said. Franklin, who won 18 Grammys and had some 25 gold records, died at her home in Detroit surrounded by family […]

JOHANNESBURG – The chief executive of South Africa’s Transnet and two other senior officials have been told they will be suspended, the chairman of the state-owned logistics utility said on Wednesday, without giving a reason for the possible suspensions… although it follows allegations of corruption worth billions. Popo Molefe told talk radio station 702 that […]

JOHANNESBURG – A bill that would toughen anti-smoking legislation in South Africa has been submitted to parliament for review by lawmakers, a health ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, as a campaign against the proposed changes intensifies. The Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill would restrict smoking in public places, introduce plain packaging, […]

JOHANNESBURG – The chairman of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, Gwede Mantashe, was quoted as saying the state should take without compensation land from those who own more than 12,000 hectares, comments that sent the rand weaker.   More than two decades after the end of apartheid, white people still own most of South […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Gold Fields said on Tuesday it plans to slash costs at its struggling South Deep mine, including cutting 1,100 jobs, or around 30 percent of its workforce. South Deep, the company’s last South African asset, has faced operational obstacles in a tough geological setting 3 km below the surface. The mine […]

NAIROBI – A hippopotamus attacked and killed a Taiwanese tourist who was taking photographs on the shore of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, on Saturday evening. The male tourist was sadly pronounced dead on arrival at the Naivasha District Hospital. His colleague, who suffered minor bruises, survived the attack over the weekend, according to the Kenya […]