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☆ The top UN court has ruled on Gaza genocide case. Here's what happens now
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Dalya Al Masri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The hearing of Israel's defense at the International Court of Justice on Jan. 12, 2024, in the Hague, Netherlands. Dursun Aydemir | Anadolu | Getty ImagesLast month, the International Court of Justice ruled on South Africa's legal case accusing Israel of genocide. Legal proceedings began after the African country submitted cause for emergency measures in Gaza, leading to a two-day hearing, with testimonies from the South African and Israeli legal teams. Israel rebuffed the allegations of genocide at the World Court and accused South Africa of being used as a legal cover for Hamas. "It is this obligation that informed our application to the International Court of Justice to halt the violence unleashed by Israel on the Gaza Strip," Magwenya added.

Persons: Dursun, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Francesca Albanese, Albanese, Vincent Magwenya, Cyril Ramaphosa, Magwenya Organizations: International Court, Justice, Anadolu, Getty, International Court of Justice, CNBC, World, Serbia —, ICJ, South, Israel, CNBC Sunday, The Hague, Palestinian Health Ministry, Hamas, Bosnian Locations: Hague, Netherlands, Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Serbia, Africa, The, Turkey, Jordan, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine, Bosnian, Bosnia

☆ South Africa says it discussed aid with Hamas leader, denies reports of support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Local publication News24 earlier reported a statement from Hamas that the group had received a call of support from South Africa's foreign minister. It said the Hamas statement did not name Pandor. South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor attends a press conference as BRICS foreign ministers meet in Cape Town, South Africa, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Nic Bothma/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights"We do not have a bilateral relationship with Hamas... Support for the Palestinian struggle against occupation does not equate to support for Hamas," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. South Africa has long been an advocate for peace in the region, likening the plight of Palestinians to its own under an apartheid regime that ended in 1994.

Persons: Naledi Pandor, Ismail Haniyeh, Nic Bothma, Cyril Ramaphosa's, Vincent Magwenya, Israel, Tannur Anders, Bhargav, Nick Macfie Organizations: South African Foreign, government's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa's, REUTERS, Hamas, Twitter, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Gaza, Israel, South, Cape Town , South Africa, Africa, Israel's

☆ G20 set to grant membership to African Union - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man walks past a model of the G20 logo outside a metro station ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, September 4, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG/NEW DELHI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The Group of 20, comprising the world's richest and most powerful countries, will grant membership to the African Union, sources said on Thursday. The South African official, who did not want to be named before the decision was made public, however said that there was still a possibility that someone might veto the resolution. South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: "We wouldn't comment now until the official announcement or post the summit." Countries including Germany, Brazil, South Africa and Canada have also voiced support for African Union membership.

Persons: Anushree, Narendra Modi, Modi, Vincent Magwenya, Carien du, Clarence Fernandez, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, African Union, African, European Union, AU, Reuters, South, Indian, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights JOHANNESBURG, DELHI, African Union, South Africa, Brazil, Delhi, Germany, Canada, Carien du Plessis, Johannesburg, Akanksha, Bengaluru

☆ South Africa to host BRICS summit despite Putin arrest warrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa has a duty as a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Putin if he attends the talks between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, due to an arrest warrant over the deportation of children from Ukraine. "South Africa will host the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, from 22 to 24 August 2023," the Department of International Relations said in a statement. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed to Reuters in a text message that this meant the whole summit, including the main part involving the BRICS heads of state, would take place in South Africa. He and a spokesperson for the international relations department declined to comment on whether or not Putin will attend. On Tuesday, South Africa's Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor said Putin had not yet replied to an invitation, sent before the ICC charged him on March 18.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, International Relations Naledi Pandor, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Pandor, Sergey Lavrov, Tim Cocks, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International Criminal Court, ICC, African National Congress, ANC, Department of International Relations, Reuters, South Africa's, International Relations, India's, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, China, Brazil, Russia, India, Ukraine, Africa, Sandton, Johannesburg

CNN —An African delegation on a peace mission to Ukraine headed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was greeted with explosions and forced to shelter in bunkers amid air strikes on the capital Kyiv. The African leaders are expected to travel to Russia Saturday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. “Russia’s missile attack took place just as African leaders arrived in the capital,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday. He has also come under fire after the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said South Africa supplied arms to Russia in December last year. He added that the future of this agreement would be discussed at his meeting with the African leaders on Saturday.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Andriy Yermak, “ Putin, ”, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres, ” Yermak, ” Ramaphosa, Macky Sall, Hichilema, Azali Assoumani, Andriy Kostin, Valentyn Ogirenko, Andrzej Duda, Ramaphosa, Reuben Brigety, Vincent Magwenya, Putin, Moscow, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, South, UN, Russia, Ukraine's, Reuters, Polish Border Guard, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, ”, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Egypt, Congo, Uganda, Africa, Bucha, Poland’s, Warsaw, Poland, South Africa, America, Latin America

☆ South Africa aware of legal obligations regarding Putin visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 19 (Reuters) - South Africa is aware of its legal obligation, a spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday, referring to a proposed visit by Vladimir Putin after an international court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian leader. Russian President Putin was expected to visit South Africa in August to attend a BRICS summit. But such a visit would place Ramaphosa's government, which has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in a precarious position after the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday. "We note the report on the warrant of arrest that the ICC has issued," Magwenya said. "It remains South Africa's commitment and very strong desire that the conflict in Ukraine is resolved peacefully through negotiations."

☆ South Africa energy blackouts: Ramaphosa skips Davos to tackle crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

London CNN —South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced this week to cancel a trip to Davos by an escalating energy crisis that is inflicting rolling blackouts on the continent’s most developed economy. At peak times, demand in South Africa averages between 28,000 MW and 34,000 MW. Electricity theft, including by impoverished townships in South Africa, and non-payment by municipal customers have made matters worse. Despite an abundance of sunshine and wind, South Africa still derives about 80% of its electricity from coal. South Africa’s National Energy Crisis Committee, a body run out of Ramaphosa’s office, has proposed several measures to ease the crisis in the short term, including importing energy from neighboring countries and buying excess energy from private producers.

☆ South Africa's president to skip WEF to deal with crippling power cuts at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 15 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will no longer attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos due to the ongoing energy crisis in the country, his spokesman said on Sunday. Power cuts have worsened since Tuesday when struggling state utility Eskom said it would implement its worst-ever outages until further notice. The power cuts are a major source of public frustration with the governing African National Congress (ANC) and a brake on economic growth in Africa's most industrialised nation. "Currently the President is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament, NECCOM (National Energy Crisis Committee) and the Eskom board," Vincent Magwenya, presidential spokesman said. The beleaguered utility supplies the vast majority of South Africa's electricity, relying mainly on an ageing fleet of coal-fired power stations that are unreliable and prone to faults.

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa will not resign, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 3 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will not resign and will seek a second term as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) after allies rallied behind him to stay on, a spokesperson from the president's office said on Saturday. "President Ramaphosa is not resigning based on a flawed report, neither is he stepping aside," Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told journalists by text message. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. The president would challenge the report and its findings, the spokesperson said. "It is in the long term interest and sustainability of our constitutional democracy... that such a clearly flawed report is challenged."

☆ Calls intensify for South Africa leader to quit over theft probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Lawmakers are expected to debate the report on Tuesday, and they will vote on whether further action should be taken, including whether to proceed with impeachment proceedings. According to the parliamentary report, Ramaphosa claimed the stolen money amounted to $580,000, disputing the initial amount of $4 million that Fraser alleged was stolen. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is among those calling for Ramaphosa’s impeachment. “President Ramaphosa most likely did breach a number of constitutional provisions and has a case to answer. Impeachment proceedings into his conduct must go ahead, and he will have to offer far better, more comprehensive explanations than we have been given so far,” Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said.

☆ Cyril Ramaphosa: South African president resists calls to resign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( David Mckenzie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —After days of speculation, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks set to fight calls for his resignation despite a damning report that found he could have covered up the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars at his private game farm. Prior to the release of the report, Ramaphosa was widely expected to win a second term as ANC leader. And will never do so,” he said while addressing members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in June this year. President Ramaphosa most likely did breach a number of Constitutional provisions and has a case to answer. Some allies of former president Zuma are now openly asking for Ramaphosa to step down.

☆ South Africa President Ramaphosa is facing the threat of impeachment over 'Farmgate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa could face impeachment after an independent panel found that he may have violated anti-corruption law during the investigation of a robbery at his farm. In what has become known as the "Farmgate" scandal, Ramaphosa is alleged to have covered up a $4 million theft from his Phala Phala farm in the north east of the country in 2020. Ramaphosa staunchly denies the allegations and has not been charged with any crimes. Ramaphosa delayed a planned parliamentary appearance on Thursday to consider the panel's findings, while his spokesman Vincent Magwenya also canceled a scheduled media briefing. "I categorically deny that I have violated this oath in any way, and I similarly deny that I am guilty of any of the allegations made against me."

[1/3] South African president Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the Green Hydrogen Summit at Century City in Cape Town, South Africa, November 29, 2022. The inquiry centred on the theft of a millions of dollars of cash from the billionaire president's farm in 2020, which came to light in June. The country's biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has called for an early election and the report has plunged the governing African National Congress (ANC) into crisis. The ANC's executive committee is due to meet to discuss the panel report on Thursday evening. Asked by Reuters about a local media report that Ramaphosa was due to address the nation on Thursday, Ramaphosa's spokesman Vincent Magwenya said: "An announcement is imminent.

☆ South Africa will allow a Russian oligarch to moor his superyacht in Cape Town as it continues on epic global cruise avoiding Western sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The yacht, owned by sanctioned billionaire Alexei Mordashov, is now headed to Cape Town, South Africa. Nord has now left the city state, and is sailing towards South Africa where it is expected to moor on November 9, Marine Traffic data shows. When it arrives in South Africa, it will be allowed to dock, despite outcry from some in the country. "South Africa has no legal obligation to abide by sanctions imposed by the US and EU," Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, per the BBC. South Africa was among the 35 countries which abstained from a UN resolution in March which demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

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