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☆ S.African lawmakers vote to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel, shut embassy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Supporters of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) and various political parties including civil society groups gather in solidarity with the Palestinian people outside the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, October 20, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - South African lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is agreed in its war with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Monday, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria was recalled to Tel Aviv for consultations ahead of the vote, which on Tuesday was resoundingly adopted by a 248-91 margin. Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Siphiwe, Cyril Ramaphosa's, resoundingly, Nelson Mandela, Pemmy Majodina, Wendell Roelf, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: National Congress, ANC, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Court, Fighters, EFF, Nations, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Africa, Hamas

☆ 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

☆ Russia, expansion and Western relations in the spotlight as leaders gather for pivotal BRICS summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

South African police officers walk in front of an event banner outside the venue for the BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Center in the Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Ramaphosa invited 67 leaders from across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean to attend the summit, but no Western leaders received an invitation. watch nowBilateral deals and cooperation is common among BRICS members, but de Carvalho challenged the idea that there is a unanimous desire to compete with the G7. He added that the BRICS members do not always agree and do not see the group as a "panacea," but simply a "vehicle to become more influential in global discussions." "The G7 contains the rich Western economies, while BRICS contains the two most populous countries and the leading countries on three continents.

Persons: Michele Spatari, Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ramaphosa, Gustavo de Carvalho, de Carvalho, Lula, BRICS, It's, it's, Steven Gruzd, Gruzd Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, West, South, Indian, Russian, International, Court, ICC, Western, African Union Commission, New Development Bank, South African Institute of International Affairs, CNBC Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Ukraine, Africa, Latin America, East, Asia, Caribbean, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, BRICS, Russia, Brazil, China

Russia said at the time that the warrant was "outrageous" and legally void because Russia is not an ICC member. The Kremlin has yet to say publicly if Putin intends to go to the summit. In Saturday's statement it said Ramaphosa had briefed Putin about preparations for the event, but did not give details of their exchange. On the grain deal, which expires on Monday unless Russia agrees to extend it, Putin reiterated to Ramaphosa that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had not yet been fulfilled, the Kremlin said. Russia has threatened to quit the deal before, however, only to renew it at the last minute.

Persons: Ramaphosa, Putin, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kopano, Clelia Organizations: Kremlin ICC, South, Kremlin, Putin, International Criminal Court, ICC, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Brazil's Lula discusses Ukraine war, BRICS with South African leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, June 22 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he had discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and an upcoming BRICS summit with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa as they met in Paris. Lula has also pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The Brazilian leader irritated Western countries earlier this year when he suggested the West had been "encouraging" war by arming Ukraine. "We talked about the next BRICS summit and about President Ramaphosa's trip to Kyiv and Saint Petersburg, as well as the conversations he had with Zelenskiy and Putin," Lula wrote on Twitter after their meeting. Brazil, South Africa and Russia are all members of the BRICS group of emerging nations, which will hold a summit in the African nation in August.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Lula, Ramaphosa's, Zelenskiy, Putin, Gabriel Araujo, David Gregorio Our Organizations: SAO PAULO, Twitter, New, Pact, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Paris, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Brazil, South Africa, India, China

In a response to Reuters questions, South Africa's national treasury said it, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, had appointed a consultant that it did not name to find ways to resolve the issue. It would also allow the decommissioning of three power plants, which the government is considering delaying because of the shortages of generation capacity. Rudi Dicks, the head of project management at the South African presidency, said there was a need to "clarify as a matter of urgency" whether the international loans could be accepted. Of the $8.5 billion pledged to South Africa, $3 billion is from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a leading multilateral investor in developing countries. In a statement it said it remained "committed to supporting South Africa's just transition from coal to clean power".

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa's, Rudi Dicks, Promit Mukherjee, Carien du Plessis, Olivia Kumwenda, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Union, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Partners, Investment Funds, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Britain, France, Germany, United States, South Africa, Africa

☆ S.Africa's army chief visits Moscow for bilateral talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 15 (Reuters) - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday that its army chief, Lawrence Mbatha, was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting, where he will visit Russian military academies and hold talks with officials. "It must be noted that South Africa has military-to-military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond," the SANDF said in a statement, adding that the meeting in Russia was planned well in advance. Brigety was summoned on Friday to meet South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and he apologised "unreservedly" to the government and the people of South Africa, a foreign ministry statement said. "I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor ... and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks," Brigety said in a tweet that did not confirm whether he had apologised. South Africa, which has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on Russia's war in Ukraine, says it is impartial.

☆ South Africa is 'actively non-aligned' on Ukraine war, says government
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 13 (Reuters) - South Africa's presidential security advisor said on Saturday the country was "actively non-aligned" in Russia's war against Ukraine, after U.S. allegations it had supplied weapons to Moscow led to a diplomatic crisis this week. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on Thursday he was confident a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions had collected weapons from a base near Cape Town in December. Senior U.S. officials had "profound concerns" about South Africa not respecting its professed policy of non-alignment, he added. South Africa has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions condemning the war. A government statement late in the evening said: the ambassador "admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly to the government and the people of South Africa."

☆ South Africa, due to host Putin, rows back from pledge to quit war crimes court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ramaphosa had said on Tuesday that the ruling African National Congress would aim to repeal South Africa's membership of the Hague-based court, which hears cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moscow denies committing war crimes including forced deportations of children, and says the ICC has no authority as Russia is not a member. Putin is due to visit South Africa in August for a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. As an ICC member, South Africa would be required to detain him. The presidency said on Wednesday that South Africa would work towards establishing an African continental criminal court that would complement the ICC as a court of last resort.

☆ South Africa's EFF marches to demand president's resignation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Members of the political party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), gather at Church Square after calling for a "National Shutdown" and demanding resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, South Africa March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusJOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - Thousands marched through the streets of South Africa's cities on Monday to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa resign, as security forces guarded malls and roads to prevent violence and looting. The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, whose supporters are mainly poor and working class Black South Africans who feel marginalised since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994, had called for a national shutdown. South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours over public violence ahead of planned protests. Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police.

☆ 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."

☆ Yellen to meet with donors, private sector on South Africa's energy transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends media briefing ahead of bilateral talks with South Africa's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana (not pictured), at the treasury offices in Pretoria, South Africa, January 26, 2023. The United States, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union backed South Africa's "Just Energy Transition Partnership," or JETP, in late 2021 with a combined $8.5 billion, but the total cost could be ten times that high. "The United States' commitment to the energy transition being 'just' is firm. That is why President Biden made an additional commitment to President Ramaphosa of $45 million in grant funding to support South Africa’s efforts," Yellen said. But President Cyril Ramaphosa's plan to transition South Africa away from coal and towards renewable energy has divided the governing African National Congress (ANC).

☆ Yellen says South Africa needs action to maintain energy transition momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends media briefing ahead of bilateral talks with South Africa's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana (not pictured), at the treasury offices in Pretoria, South Africa, January 26, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Jan 27 (Reuters) - South Africa needs concrete action soon if it is to maintain momentum on an energy transition program backed by the United States and other countries, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday after visiting the coal mining region of Mpumalanga. She expressed hope that Washington's focus on a just energy transition would underpin donor interest in backing the nearly $100 billion project aimed at supporting South Africa's gradual phasing out of fossil fuels. The United States, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union have backed South Africa's "Just Energy Transition Partnership" with a combined $8.5 billion, which Yellen called a "substantial down payment" designed to mobilise additional money. "An energy transition that is not just will simply not work.

☆ Russia's Lavrov visits ally South Africa amid Western rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Carien Duplessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, ahead of their bilateral meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, January 23, 2023. Lavrov met his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, after flying in earlier in the day on a trip some South African opposition parties and the small Ukrainian community have condemned as insensitive. President Cyril Ramaphosa's government regards South Africa as neutral in the Ukraine conflict and has expressed a desire to mediate. The South African armed forces said last week the exercise is a "means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China". There was no official public comment from the Ukrainian embassy but officials said it had asked the South African government to help push President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's 10-point peace plan, which he proposed to the G20 in November.

☆ South Africa's president says energy workers face so much danger that some wear bulletproof vests to work, days after a prominent CEO's poisoning was revealed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

South Africa's energy sector has been rocked by the poisoning of the CEO of its biggest provider. Eskom's CEO Andre De Ruyter had been leading a crackdown on corruption in South African energy. South Africa's president said this week that some managers in the sector wear bulletproof vests to work. His wife also has two protectors and his children go to school with protectors as well," Ramaphosa said in the address without identifying who the manager is, per South Africa's Times newspaper. Such thefts, De Ruyter said, have a major impact on the energy available in South Africa, which has faced rolling blackouts in recent years.

SummarySummary Companies Auditors cite past 'financial irregularities'Utility reports $719 mln net loss for 2022Expects bigger loss this yearEskom says reliant on government supportJOHANNESBURG, Dec 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Eskom said on Friday that auditors have questioned the utility's ability to survive as a going concern citing past financial irregularities. Auditors Deloitte & Touche LLP in a report said there is “a material uncertainty relating to Eskom’s ability to continue as a going concern,” the utility said in its annual financial report. [1/2] Locals walk past electricity pylons during frequent power outages from South African utility Eskom, caused by its aging coal-fired plants, in Orlando, Soweto, South Africa, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo 1 2In response, Eskom said it was investigating the incident and was finalising a disciplinary process against an individual. Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter resigned this month saying a lack of political support had made his position "untenable".

☆ South Africa's ANC gathers to vote on new leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the nomination process of the top African National Congress (ANC) officials in the 55th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamJOHANNESBURG, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Delegates of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) gathered on Sunday to choose a new party leader, pitting President Cyril Ramaphosa against former health minister Zweli Mkhize. They will vote on Sunday after the ANC nominated the two candidates late on Saturday. Ramaphosa's backers were singing songs in support of him and were holding up two fingers signalling a second term as leader. Former president Jacob Zuma's supporters are seeking to use the scandal to oust Ramaphosa.

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 55th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg. REUTERS/Sumaya HishamJOHANNESBURG, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Party allies, and even some rivals, of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday condemned opponents who disrupted his opening speech with chants and shouting at a conference of the ruling ANC on Friday. Ramaphosa, who was speaking at a five-day gathering of the African National Congress (ANC) to elect candidates for 2024 national elections, is seeking a second term and is widely seen as the party's strongest candidate. We are all interested to emerge here with a very solid, strong leadership," ANC deputy presidential hopeful and Eastern Cape ANC Chairperson Oscar Mabuyane told reporters. What they did yesterday soiled (their) campaign," Zamani Saul, Northern Cape ANC chairperson told SABC news.

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa awaits ANC panel decision on his fate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

He has said the money stolen was the proceeds of the sale of buffaloes and far less than the millions of dollars alleged when the theft came to light in June. Ramaphosa said on Sunday he would attend the meeting of the African National Congress National Executive Committee (NEC) and would accept its decision. Party leaders and supporters of Ramaphosa clad in the colours of the ANC party were seen arriving at the venue of the meeting on Monday. Having received firm backing from his allies within the party, Ramaphosa has vowed to fight on, with his spokesman saying the panel's findings would be challenged. Reporting by Kopano Gumbi; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by James Macharia Chege and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa hits back as party backs him over 'Farmgate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kopano Gumbi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A copy of court papers filed by Ramaphosa's lawyers in the Constitutional Court showed Ramaphosa wanted the panel report "reviewed, declared unlawful and set aside." Ramaphosa also wants any steps taken by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, over the panel report to be declared unlawful and invalid, the papers showed. South Africa's parliament postponed by a week to Dec. 13 a debate that had been scheduled for Tuesday on the report. [1/5] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa leaves the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 5, 2022. That we will not support this report," Mashatile told reporters.

☆ 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."

☆ South Africa's ruling party to decide Ramaphosa's fate over 'Farmgate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Senior officials in South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) were gathering on Friday to decide whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should stay on after an inquiry found evidence of misconduct over cash hidden at his farm. The president's future has been in doubt since a report by a panel of experts was made public on Wednesday. The South African rand stabilised on Friday, after closing 2% weaker against the dollar on Thursday on speculation that Ramaphosa was going to resign. Local media reported widely that he was considering quitting on Thursday but was then convinced by his own supporters within the NEC to stay. "We are quite determined that the president has to stay," Mathole Motshekga, an NEC member, told local Radio 786.

☆ S.African foreign minister: panel report on Ramaphosa 'troubling moment'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Foreign Minister of South Africa Naledi Pandor addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mike SegarJOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A panel report that found preliminary evidence that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office is a "troubling moment" for the government and governing party, South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. Pandor added that she was still reading the panel report on the robbery at Ramaphosa's farm and that she did not want to rush into the public space with additional comments. Reporting by Tim Cocks and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning, James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Rodger Bosch/Pool via REUTERSJOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - President Cyril Ramaphosa, the anti-apartheid champion who become one of South Africa's wealthiest businessmen and then its most powerful politician, was battling for his political survival on Thursday. Ramaphosa was the leading negotiator for the African National Congress (ANC) during talks that led to a peaceful end to apartheid in 1994, which enabled Nelson Mandela to become South Africa's first Black president. Shanduka Holdings, which is unlisted, has become one of the biggest black-owned groups in the country, holding 10% stakes in South Africa's biggest bank, Standard Bank, and insurer Liberty. Ramaphosa's negotiating skills at constitutional talks in the early 1990s won him grudging respect from South Africa's last white president, F.W.

☆ Reaction to expert panel report on South Africa's Ramaphosa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former minister and chairwoman of the African Union Commission, attends the 54th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa December 17, 2017. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cyril Ramaphosa's future as South African president was in question on Thursday, a day after a panel report found preliminary evidence he may have committed serious misconduct. "We need to look at the report, study its implications very carefully, follow the parliamentary processes and allow matters to take their course." NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA, EX-WIFE OF FORMER PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA"I think the president has to step aside now and answer to the case." JOHN STEENHUISEN, LEADER OF MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY, THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA)"The report is clear and unambiguous.

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