Category Archives: South Africa

Rubio accuses South Africa of ‘anti-Americanism’ and snubs G20 meeting

Posted on by

US secretary of state repeats remarks by Donald Trump about ‘expropriation of private property’ in African nation

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has accused South Africa of “anti-Americanism” and refused to attend a G20 meeting in Johannesburg later this month, as diplomatic ties sour between the two countries under Donald Trump’s administration.

Rubio made the announcement on X, where he repeated the US president’s unfounded claim that South Africa was expropriating private property.

Continue reading...

Trump says he will cut off funding to South Africa over land ‘confiscations’

Posted on by

Cyril Ramaphosa’s government ‘treating certain classes of people very badly’, says Trump, calling for investigation

Donald Trump has claimed South Africa is “confiscating” land and “treating certain classes of people very badly”, announcing he is cutting off all future funding to the country pending an investigation.

The US president’s intervention into one of South Africa’s most divisive issues was rebutted by the country’s government and criticised by groups across its political spectrum.

Continue reading...

South Africa launches operation at illegal gold mine amid fears many dead

Posted on by

Phone video shared by mining NGO appears to show dozens of wrapped bodies in underground tunnel

The South African government has launched a mission to bring to the surface potentially hundreds of people in an illegal mine who last year had supplies of food, water and medicine blocked by police in an attempt to force them out.

The government agreed to the attempt on Friday after the sister of one of those underground initiated a court case in response to letters from miners brought to the surface on Thursday.

Continue reading...

South Africa police find 26 naked Ethiopians held by suspected traffickers

Posted on by

Three people arrested after group escapes Johannesburg house by breaking a window and burglar bar

South African police have rescued 26 Ethiopians from a suspected human trafficking ring in Johannesburg after the group broke a window and burglar bar to escape from a house where they were being held naked.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of people trafficking and possessing an illegal firearm on Thursday night after neighbours in the Sandringham suburb heard the commotion and tipped off the police, the Hawks serious crime unit said in a statement. Police urged the public to report any other escaped naked people in the area.

Continue reading...

World of dance mourns death of ‘brilliant light’ Dada Masilo at age of 39

Posted on by

South African dancer and choreographer died unexpectedly after a brief illness, her family says

The dance world is mourning the internationally acclaimed South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo, who died in hospital at the weekend aged 39.

Masilo died unexpectedly on Sunday after a brief illness, a spokesperson for her family said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: Swaths of Canada braced for heavy snow

Posted on by

Temperatures unlikely to exceed -20C in parts of Canada, while a red weather warning has been issued for Sri Lanka

An area of low pressure moving along the US-Canada border brought heavy snowfall to parts of western Canada at the weekend. A weather warning has been issued for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan for 150-250mm (6-10in) of snow.

As the weather system moves, it is expected to bring further snow to eastern parts of the country early this week. Pressure building after the snowfall is expected trap cold air from the north, triggering severe frost.

Continue reading...

Hungary invites Netanyahu to visit as world leaders split over ICC arrest warrant

Posted on by

Viktor Orbán says he will not enforce ICC decision that requires court members to detain Israeli PM if he enters their country

Hungary’s illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said he will invite his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to visit in defiance of an international criminal court arrest warrant, as world leaders split over the ICC’s momentous decision.

The world’s highest criminal court issued warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and the Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, commonly known as Mohammed Deif, who is believed to be dead, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Continue reading...

Miss Universe runner-up to move to Nigeria after South Africa nationality row

Posted on by

Furore over whether Chidimma Adetshina was really South African led to invitation to represent Nigeria

A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country.

Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and came runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night.

Continue reading...

South African officials weigh up rescue mission for illegal miners underground

Posted on by

Police say 350-400 people have stayed in Stilfontein mine to avoid arrest after minister vowed to ‘smoke them out’

South African authorities are assessing whether it is safe to rescue potentially thousands of illegal miners who may be trapped underground, after police stopped food, water and medicine being delivered to them about two weeks ago to try to force the miners to the surface.

A police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, insisted to reporters on Tuesday that the miners were not trapped in the abandoned goldmine in Stilfontein, a town about 100 miles south-west of Johannesburg, but rather staying underground to avoid being arrested.

Continue reading...

Nigeria celebrates victory over South African rivals with Miss Universe runner-up

Posted on by

Chidimma Adetshina crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania after she was stripped of South African identity documents

Beauty queen Chidimma Adetshina’s second place in this year’s Miss Universe competition was not only an occasion for Nigerians to rejoice at their highest ever placing in the global pageant, but an opportunity to celebrate a victory over their continental rivals South Africa.

Adetshina came first runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig and was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania in Mexico on Saturday night.

Continue reading...

South African tiger farms illegally smuggling body parts, says charity

Posted on by

Biggest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, Four Paws animal charity says

The largest tiger farms outside Asia are operating freely in South Africa, facilitating the illegal smuggling of tiger body parts, according to a report by an animal welfare charity.

Research by Four Paws, which is campaigning to shut down South Africa’s big cat industry, found 103 places in the country where tigers were kept in captivity in 2023 or 2024 or had been kept during the previous three years.

Continue reading...

Mystery surrounds John Smyth after leaving UK and Zimbabwe for South Africa

Posted on by

Smyth enjoyed ‘opulent lifestyle’ in Cape Town after he was barred from Zimbabwe, where he abused boys at summer camps

The evangelical Christian barrister John Smyth abused as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK, Zimbabwe and possibly other African countries but an independent review has said there remains little concrete information on his time in South Africa.

The review into the Anglican church’s handling of Smyth’s abuses said he might have been brought to justice had Justin Welby, who on Tuesday announced he would step down as archbishop of Canterbury, formally reported him to the police when he found out in 2013.

Continue reading...

LED lights on underside of surfboards may deter great white shark attacks

Posted on by

An Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys found underside lighting disrupted ability of great whites to see silhouettes against sunlight above

Using LED lighting on the underside of surfboards or kayaks could deter great white shark attacks, new research suggests.

In an Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys, underside lighting disrupted the ability of great whites to see silhouettes against the sunlight above, reducing the rates at which the sharks followed and attacked the artificial prey. The brighter the lights, the more effective the deterrent was.

Continue reading...

Prince William says he wants to carry out duties with a smaller ‘r’ in the ‘royal’

Posted on by

Prince of Wales says he wants to approach engagements differently and to focus on helping people

Prince William has said he wants the monarchy to evolve and for him to carry out his duties with a “smaller r in the royal”.

Speaking at end of a major visit to South Africa where he mixed the informal with traditional elements of the monarchy, the Prince of Wales said he was trying to do things differently.

Continue reading...

Prince William describes ‘brutal’ impact of wife’s and father’s cancer diagnoses

Posted on by

Royal says ‘it’s probably been the hardest year in my life’ as Catherine and King Charles underwent cancer treatment

Prince William has described the past year as “brutal” and “probably the hardest year in my life” as he dealt with his wife and father having cancer.

In a video interview to mark the end of his week-long visit of Cape Town in South Africa for the Earthshot prize awards ceremony, William was asked about his year. “Honestly, it’s been dreadful,” he said. “It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: More rain forecast in Spain as storms push in

Posted on by

Heightened risk Cádiz river could overflow, with yellow and orange rainfall warnings for southern regions

The low-pressure system responsible for Spain’s most devastating floods in decades in Valencia also set new rainfall records across south-eastern Spain. In Jerez de la Frontera, 115mm of rain fell in 24 hours on Wednesday – the wettest day on record for the southern Spanish city. The deluge caused widespread flooding and road closures, and there is a heightened risk that the River Barbate in Cádiz could overflow as more rain is forecast through Friday and into the weekend.

While the rare red warning issued on Thursday for Valencia has expired, Spain’s national meteorological service, Aemet, has maintained yellow and orange rainfall warnings for southern and Mediterranean regions as storms continue to push in.

Continue reading...

Seventeen killed in two mass shootings in South African town

Posted on by

Police hunting for suspects in attacks that took place in same neighbourhood in Eastern Cape province

Seventeen people, including 15 women, have been killed in two mass shootings that took place close to each other in a rural town in South Africa, police said.

A search was under way for the suspects, the national police spokesperson, Brig Athlenda Mathe, said in a statement on Saturday. One other person was in critical condition in the hospital, she added.

Continue reading...

Eswatini opposition leader in critical condition after alleged poisoning

Posted on by

Mlungisi Makhanya stable in hospital in South Africa, where he was in exile from Africa’s last absolute monarchy

The leader of Eswatini’s main opposition party is in a critical but stable condition after allegedly being poisoned in what allies say is an assassination attempt.

Mlungisi Makhanya is in a hospital in South Africa after the alleged poisoning on Monday night at his home in the capital, Pretoria, where he was living in exile from Africa’s last absolute monarchy, said Penuel Malinga, the secretary general of the People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo).

Continue reading...

‘Thrown like a rag doll’: British tourist narrowly survives hippo attack in Zambia

Posted on by

Roland Cherry, from Warwickshire, sustained severe bite wounds after being mauled by animal during safari

A man narrowly survived after being dragged to the bottom of a river and “thrown through the air like a rag doll” when he was attacked by hippo while canoeing on holiday in Zambia.

Roland Cherry, who was on five-week holiday through southern Africa with his wife, Shirley, sustained severe bite wounds across his body, including a 10in wound to his abdomen, as well as a thigh injury and dislocated shoulder in the attack.

Continue reading...

South Africa school language law stirs Afrikaans learning debate

Posted on by

The DA party argues Afrikaans education will be harmed, while the ANC says law is necessary to redress inequality

A contentious South African education law has drawn furious condemnation from politicians and campaigners who claim it is putting Afrikaans education under threat while evoking for others an enduring association of the language with white minority rule.

The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act was signed into law on Friday by the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who said he would give dissenting parties in his coalition government three months to suggest alternatives to two sections that give provincial officials the powers to override admission decisions and force schools to teach in more than one of South Africa’s 12 official languages.

Continue reading...