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☆ BRICS: South Africa says countries are clamoring to join the China and Russia-backed group
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Nearly three dozen countries are seeking entry into the China and Russia-backed BRICS economic group, member state South Africa said Wednesday, weeks after the body expanded its membership for the first time in more than a decade. Thirty-four countries have submitted an expression of interest in joining the bloc of major emerging economies, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters, without naming the nations. BRICS, which since 2011 had been made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, roughly positions itself as the Global South’s answer to the Group of Seven (G7) major developed economies. The group took shape as a summit-level gathering between Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009 and expanded to include South Africa two years later. Six new BRICS countries were invited during the 2023 summit last August.

Persons: Naledi Pandor, Xi Jinping, Putin, Pandor Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, African Foreign, United Arab Emirates, United Nations Security Council, Finance Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt, United States, Washington, Brazil, India, Beijing, Ukraine, Johannesburg, Russian, Kazan, Argentina

☆ South African Foreign Minister: States Must Stop Funding Israel's Military
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - All states have an obligation to stop funding and facilitating Israel's military actions in Gaza after the World Court indicated that those actions could plausibly be genocidal, South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor said on Wednesday. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent its troops from committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a case brought by South Africa. South Africa has for decades been a strong advocate for the Palestinian cause, comparing the plight of Palestinians to that of Black South Africans under apartheid. Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide and rejects the comparison to the apartheid era. (Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning)

Persons: Naledi Pandor, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning Organizations: Court, Court of Justice, Black South Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Black

☆ Zuma’s Enduring Appeal Threatens His Old Allies’ Hold on South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When the African National Congress suspended former President Jacob Zuma this week, a top party official portrayed him as a traitor to the ongoing struggle for Black prosperity in South Africa and a symbol of corruption that the organization is looking to move past. But to Vincent Mthembu, a longtime A.N.C. activist on the local level, Mr. Zuma was the only hope for the party, which has governed South Africa for 30 years, and the country. “He is the people’s president,” Mr. Mthembu, who owns a construction business in Johannesburg, said on Tuesday. “Whatever that he was doing was enriching Black people.”Many countries seem to have their Donald J. Trumps these days — brash, populist leaders who, no matter how many corruption allegations or legal troubles they face, attract fiercely loyal supporters.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, Vincent Mthembu, Zuma, ” Mr, Mthembu, Donald J Organizations: African National Congress Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg

☆ South Africa's Ruling ANC Suspends Membership of Ex-Leader Zuma
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Nellie PeytonJOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) said on Monday it had suspended the membership of former president Jacob Zuma after he announced he would vote for another party in this year's general election. His suspension reflects deep-seated divisions in the party of liberation hero Nelson Mandela that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid. "The formation of the MK party is not an accident," the ANC said in a statement. The MK party is named after the ANC's former armed wing, in a challenge to the long-dominant movement. Zuma has been at odds with the ANC's leadership since he was forced to quit as party leader in 2018.

Persons: Nellie Peyton JOHANNESBURG, Jacob Zuma, Zuma, Nelson Mandela, Cyril Ramaphosa, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Andrew Heavens Organizations: National Congress, Analysts, ANC, Forces, Natal Locations: South Africa, KwaZulu

It was time, the witness said, to tell the whole truth about the awful things he had done. Moments before testifying this week at an inquiry into one of South Africa’s deadliest residential fires, he pulled an investigator aside and said he needed to change his story. He was the one, he said, who had started the Aug. 31 blaze that engulfed a five-story building in downtown Johannesburg. After that confession at the inquiry, Mr. Mdlalose was arrested by the police, who are running a parallel criminal investigation into the fire, and charged with 76 counts of murder. While Mr. Mdlalose’s confession at the inquiry is inadmissible, prosecutors said, his confession will bolster the criminal investigation.

Persons: Sithembiso Mdlalose, Mdlalose Locations: Johannesburg

☆ Man Arrested on 77 Counts of Murder in Johannesburg Building Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The South African police have arrested a man who confessed to having caused a fire that killed 77 people in a derelict building in downtown Johannesburg last year after a drug dispute led him to strangle a man and set the body alight, a police spokeswoman and a victims’ advocate said on Wednesday. The man, a 29-year-old whose name has not been released, was arrested on Tuesday on 77 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, said Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, a spokeswoman for the police in Gauteng Province, which includes Johannesburg. Colonel Nevhuhulwi initially gave the figure as 76 counts, but then clarified that it was 77. The man made his confession during a hearing of a special commission investigating the fire, which tore through an overcrowded four-story building in the early hours of Aug. 31. The commission was later told that the exact death toll was unclear because of how badly some of the bodies were burned.

Persons: Dimakatso, Nevhuhulwi, incriminated, ”, Andy Chinnah, Norton Rose Fulbright Organizations: South, Norton Rose Locations: Johannesburg, Gauteng Province

☆ South African police arrest suspect in connection with building fire that killed 77
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Police in Gauteng have arrested a suspect in connection with the fire that tore through a five-story building in central Johannesburg last year and killed 77 people, South African public broadcaster SABC reported Tuesday. Gauteng police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhlwi said the suspect was arrested after he confessed before the Commission of Inquiry into the building fire, and that the 29-year-old man will appear in court soon on charges of arson, 76 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, according to SABC. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Dimakatso Nevhuhlwi Organizations: CNN — Police, SABC Locations: Gauteng, Johannesburg, African

South Africa’s genocide case has put the spotlight on a deeper fault line in global geopolitics. Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty ImagesReactions from the Global North to the ICJ case have been mixed. “This war is a war that is not only between Israel and Hamas,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told MSNBC in December. “It’s a war that is intended – really, truly – to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization.”So far, no Western countries have supported South Africa’s case against Israel. Traditionally, the West has wielded significant influence in international affairs, but South Africa’s move signals a growing assertiveness among Global South nations that threatens the status quo, says Adekoya.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, ”, Nesrine Malik, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, Biden, ” Remi Adekoya, Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, ” Hugh Lovatt, Garry Andrew Lotulung, ” Lovatt, Lovatt, Israel –, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Alaister Russell, Isaac Herzog, Hage Geingob, Berlin’s, Namibians, ” Adekoya Organizations: CNN, Israel, International Court of Justice, Guardian, Hamas, West Bank, Getty, US, UN, University of York, Palestine Liberation Organization, North Africa, European Council, Foreign Relations, Global, Arab League, ICJ, West, ”, International, MSNBC, ZDF, Dhaka Tribune, Germany Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg, Israel, The Hague, Gaza, South, Africa, Sudanese, United States, Europe, Ramallah, West, AFP, England, PLO, East, Indonesian, Jakarta, Indonesia, Anadolu, China, Soviet, Ekurhuleni, Germany, German, Germany’s, Namibia, Namibian, Bangladesh, Pakistan

☆ South Africans Rally Around Government’s Case Against Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JOHANNESBURG—South Africans this week rallied around their government’s decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide in the Gaza Strip, with many saying they were motivated by their own country’s struggle against apartheid. Its case at the United Nations court in The Hague, Netherlands, has drawn support from many human-rights organizations and other developed countries. South Africa is asking the ICJ to issue provisional orders for a cease-fire in Gaza while proceedings on the genocide claim, likely to take years, move forward.

Organizations: International Court of, United Nations Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Israel, Gaza, The Hague, Netherlands, South Africa

☆ A decade after Mandela's death, his pro-Palestinian legacy lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (L) address the media after holding talks on the crisis in the Middle East May 3, 2001. It was a gesture as controversial then as South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause is today, but Mandela brushed off criticism. Last month, the ruling ANC backed a motion in South Africa's parliament to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has disputed the comparison with apartheid as a lie motivated by antisemitism, but many South Africans follow Mandela's lead. Some in South Africa's Jewish community criticise the ANC's stance, pointing out that Mandela himself eventually tried to build bridges with Israel.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Mandela, Arafat, S.Africa, Carien du Plessis, Mandla Mandela, Obed Bapela, Lebogang Mashile, David Saks, Ehud Barak, Ezer Weisman, Saks, Shafiek, Tim Cocks, Alex Richardson Organizations: South, Arafat ANC, ANC, Palestine Liberation Organisation, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafiek, JOHANNESBURG, Palestine, Johannesburg, South Africa's, South Africa, South

Up a stairwell with popcorn walls stained black, he found a hallway ceiling with jumbles of wires for illegal electrical connections. He rounded a corner, and suddenly he and the two men guiding him heard a high-pitched squeal that sounded like a wire whipping through the air. The two guides ducked and ran. Something is happening,” Mr. Hamman said. He took a few steps away, then caught sight of a small flame glowing from one of the wires strung overhead.

Persons: ” Mr, Hamman Locations: Johannesburg

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The two main spot prices for iron ore diverged last week, with Singapore-traded contracts gaining but China's domestic futures posting a decline. The exchange said on Nov. 30 that it will continue to strengthen its supervision of iron ore futures to maintain what it termed the safe and stable operation of the market. But despite the travails of the property sector, China's iron ore imports have been relatively robust so far in 2023. In the same week last year iron ore stockpiles were 137.5 million metric tons and were 155.4 million in the same week on 2021. History suggests that the authorities can cool iron ore prices, but only for a relatively short period, especially if the market conditions are supportive for stronger prices.

Persons: Sonali Paul Organizations: Singapore Exchange, Dalian Commodity Exchange, National Development, Reform, it's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, Singapore, Beijing, Dalian

JOHANNESBURG—Wealthy nations are sending tens of billions of dollars to poorer ones for clean energy, the linchpin of a global strategy to cut greenhouse-gas emissions in the developing world. But two of the most ambitious efforts yet—in South Africa and Indonesia—are now at risk of unraveling, sowing doubts about the rich world’s ability to push developing countries away from coal and other fossil fuels.

Organizations: JOHANNESBURG — Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Indonesia

It will see suspended payments repaid from 2027 to 2029 after a grace period from 2025 to 2026, the Paris Club said in a statement, noting that the deal was reached on Nov. 23. If Ethiopia does not get an IMF staff-level agreement by March 31, the official creditor committee "reserves the right to declare the suspension null and void", the Paris Club said. The Paris Club said 10 of its members were on Ethiopia's official creditor committee, which is co-chaired by France and non-Paris Club member China. Other non-Paris Club committee members are India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. "We welcome the recent announcement of an interim standstill agreement with official creditors," the IMF spokesperson added.

Persons: Tellimer, Patrick Curran, Rachel Savage, Rodrigo Campos, Alex Richardson, Toby Chopra, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Paris Club, French Treasury, Ethiopian, IMF, Club, OCC, China, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, China, Addis Ababa, Tigray, Ethiopia, France, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

What the group did agree was total production curbs of 2.2 million bpd from eight members, a figure that includes an extension of the existing voluntary Saudi and Russian cuts of 1.3 million bpd. This is up 1.86 million bpd from the figure of 40.10 million bpd for 2022, according to Kpler. China's crude imports were 11.36 million bpd in the first 10 months of the year, up 1.21 million bpd from the level for 2022 as a whole. India saw arrivals of 4.62 million bpd in the first 10 months of the year, according to LSEG data, up 462,000 bpd on the 4.14 million bpd for 2022. Asia's crude imports in the first 10 months of the year were 26.93 million bpd, according to LSEG data, up 1.34 million bpd on the 25.59 million bpd recorded for the whole of 2022.

Persons: It's, Stephen Coates Organizations: Organization of, Petroleum, Brent, OPEC, International Energy Agency, world's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, OPEC, Russia, Saudi, United States, Brazil, Guyana, Asia, China, India

☆ Robb M. Stewart — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Robb M. Stewart | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Robb M. StewartRobb M. Stewart is a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal in Ottawa, where he covers Canada's economy. He writes about changes in employment, trade, inflation and other trends, and how they reflect the broader economy and factor into central bank decisions. He also writes about a range of companies and industries across corporate Canada. Robb joined the Canada bureau in 2022 after a two-year stint in the New York office, where he was a publishing editor. Over roughly two-and-a-half decades with Dow Jones, he has been a senior correspondent in Australia, where he mostly wrote about the big resources companies and banks in the region; a bureau chief in Johannesburg writing about southern Africa; a bureau chief in Stockholm leading a team of reporters covering the Nordic region; and a senior reporter in London, where he launched a column that held a critical lens up to businesses in Europe.

Persons: Robb M, Stewart Robb M, Stewart, Dow Jones Newswires, Robb, Dow Jones Organizations: Street Locations: Ottawa, Canada, New York, Australia, Johannesburg, Africa, Stockholm, London, Europe

A South African company will make vaginal rings that protect against HIV, which AIDS experts say should eventually make them cheaper and more readily available. The Population Council announced Thursday that Kiara Health of Johannesburg will start making the silicone rings in the next few years, estimating that 1 million could be produced annually. The nonprofit council owns the rights to the rings, which are now made by a Swedish company. About 500,00 rings are currently available to women in Africa at no cost, purchased by donors. Last year, activists charged the stage in a protest during last year's biggest AIDS meeting, calling on donors to buy the silicone rings for African women.

Persons: Ben Phillips Organizations: Population, World Health Organization, WHO, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Johannesburg, Swedish, Africa, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe

☆ Deadly Mine Accident Highlights Dangers of South Africa’s Deep Underground Shafts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Alexandra Wexler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A view of the Impala Platinum site near Rustenburg, South Africa. Photo: phill magakoe/AFP/Getty ImagesJOHANNESBURG—An industrial elevator that plunged some 650 feet down a decades-old shaft killed 11 miners and injured 75 others at South Africa’s largest platinum mine, the mine’s owner, Impala Platinum , said Tuesday. The accident was one of the worst in years at a facility run by an international mining major, and the deadliest in South Africa in more than two decades. It highlights the dangers involved in mining in the country, the largest producer of platinum globally and a major gold producer. Hundreds of thousands of workers still toil underground here in some of the world’s oldest and deepest shafts.

Persons: phill magakoe Organizations: Impala, Getty Locations: Rustenburg, South Africa, AFP, JOHANNESBURG, South

A woman picks a gold earring at a jewellery shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 24, 2023. While India's gold demand has been solid so far in 2023, matching strength in the domestic economy, it appears that some momentum may be coming out of the market. The high price of gold for consumers in China may further crimp demand in the fourth quarter, after the World Gold Council reported a decline in third. The recent price rally is likely to trim demand growth in India in the current quarter. But countering the positive drivers are signs that high prices are undermining demand growth in the key markets of China and India.

Persons: Anushree, they're, Hong Kong, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Federal Reserve, Hong, Hong Kong Census, Statistics Department, Gold, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Delhi, India, Rights LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Hong, Central

☆ 11 people died and 75 were injured after an elevator plunged 650 feet at a platinum mine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

11 miners were killed and 75 were injured when an elevator plunged 650 feet at a platinum mine. All 86 people were being brought to the surface when the elevator suddenly plunged. AdvertisementJOHANNESBURG (AP) — An elevator suddenly dropped about 650 feet (200 meters) while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75, the mine operator said Tuesday. The injured workers were hospitalized. Theron said the elevator dropped about 650 feet (200 meters) down the shaft in what was a highly unusual accident.

Persons: —, Nico Muller, Johan Theron, Theron Organizations: Service, Impala Platinum Holdings Locations: Rustenburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, South

☆ Impala Platinum halts work at some S.African mines after 11 workers died
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Impala Platinum (IMPJ.J) said on Tuesday it had temporarily halted operations at its Rustenburg mining complex in South Africa after 11 workers died in an incident at one of its underground shafts. The Johannesburg-based platinum miner said in a statement that 86 workers were involved in the incident at its No. 11 shaft and 75 injured workers had been admitted at four hospitals in the area. The company said all mining operations at the sprawling Rustenburg complex in South Africa's North West province had been suspended on Tuesday. Impala is among South African platinum producers that operate some of the deepest and oldest mining shafts in the world.

Persons: Nico Muller, it's, Felix Njini, Nelson Banya, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed, Louise Heavens Organizations: Impala, National Union of Mineworkers, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa's, West

China's imports are being driven by increased arrivals from Indonesia, the world's largest exporter of thermal coal, with Kpler estimating 18.03 million metric tons will arrive this month. This is up from imports from Indonesia of 16.70 million metric tons in October, according to Kpler data. Imports from Indonesia are expected to decline to 10.92 million metric tons in November from 12.19 million in October. Thermal coal arrivals from Australia are forecast to be 1.11 million metric tons in November, up slightly from the 1.02 million in October. Overall, its possible that China's increased appetite for imported thermal coal ahead of the northern winter is crowding out some demand in India, which tends to be a more price-sensitive buyer.

Persons: Stephen Coates Organizations: Argus, CHINA, Atlantic, Indonesian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, Indonesia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Beijing, Canberra, South Africa, Asia, Europe

☆ Olympian Oscar Pistorius Granted Parole 10 Years After Killing Girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexandra Wexler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius will be released from jail in January 2024 after being granted parole on Friday. Pistorius was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2013. Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersJOHANNESBURG—Former Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, was granted parole on Friday after serving half of his 15-year sentence. Pistorius will be released from prison on Jan. 5, according to a statement from South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, after a decision issued by the parole board at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Pistorius has been incarcerated since 2016.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Pistorius, Siphiwe Organizations: South African Paralympic, Reuters, Olympic, South, South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, Atteridgeville Correctional Locations: Reuters JOHANNESBURG, South Africa’s, Pretoria

☆ VW struggling with S.Africa costs as group targets savings - executive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Joe Bavier | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen's CEO of the VW Passenger Cars Brand speaks with Reuters about the future of VW production in Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 24, 2023. The German automaker has been in South Africa for nearly 80 years. Factors like competitive labour costs once placed it among the company's higher-ranking bases globally, VW brand chief Thomas Schaefer said during a visit to the country. Schaefer said there were no current plans to introduce EV manufacturing in South Africa, since electric cars are currently priced out of the reach of most domestic consumers. "There's a realistic chance that South Africa, with enough focus, with all the raw materials in the neighbourhood, they could be a champion," Schaefer said.

Persons: Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen's, Sumaya Hisham, Schaefer, We're, " Schaefer, Victoria Waldersee, Mark Potter Organizations: VW, Reuters, REUTERS, Volkswagen, Polo, European Union, Thomson Locations: Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Uitenhage, Britain, Berlin

☆ Oscar Pistorius granted parole, to be released from prison nearly 11 years after murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oscar Pistorius, the disgraced South African Paralympian who murdered his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 10 years ago, was granted parole at a hearing on Friday and will be released. Pistorius was told at a hearing in Pretoria, the administrative capital where he has been held, that he will be released on Jan. 5, 2024. Tania Koen, a lawyer who has represented the Steenkamps throughout the parole process and Pistorius' appeals, confirmed to NBC News that parole was granted. As a condition of the parole process, Pistorius met with Steenkamp's father, Barry, in June 2022. When he shot Steenkamp he had assumed it was a burglar, he said.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius, Steenkamp, Tania Koen, wouldn't, Steenkamp's, Barry Organizations: South, Valentine's, NBC News, Olympics Locations: Pretoria, Gauteng Province, Johannesburg

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