Page 4 - South Africa

Expulsion of S African envoy by US just hiccup in relations: Prez Ramaphosa

The arbitrary expulsion of South Africa's Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool on Friday is "just a hiccup" in the relations between the two countries, President Cyril Ramaphosa said as the controversy around the issue raged over the weekend. Ramaphosa was speaking informally to journalists on Monday afternoon for the first time since US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Rasool "persona non grata" in a post on the social media platform X on Friday. This was after Rasool had participated in a discussion hosted earlier on Friday by the South African NGO Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection in which Rasool made comments which angered Rubio enough to call for his repatriation even before any formal diplomatic channels were followed. In his post on Friday, Rubio referred to Rasool as a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. "South Africa's ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country," Rubio added. In his academic address

Trump admin says South African ambassador has to leave US by Friday

After Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was no longer welcome in the US and posted his decision Friday on social media

Want to build biz in India for 100 years: Shriram Capital-Sanlam executives

Executives talk about their plans for the wealth management business and the group's banking ambitions

South African ambassador 'no longer welcome' in US, Marco Rubio says

Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Ebrahim Rasool 'a race-baiting politician who hates America' and officially declared him persona non grata

Mahindra SA inks MoU to explore auto production feasibility in South Africa

Mahindra South Africa, the local subsidiary of the Indian automative giant, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to undertake an in-depth feasibility study on the potential establishment of a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) vehicle assembly facility in the country. Mahindra South Africa is also in the process of increasing its productive capacity at its assembly facility operation by AIH Logistics in KwaZulu-Natal province as it enters a third decade in the country, which it often refers to as "Mahindra's second home." Reaching the milestone of our 25,000th locally assembled Pik Up is (a) testament to Mahindra's growing footprint and long-term commitment to South Africa," said Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa. "As we continue to strengthen our operations, this MoU allows us to explore the feasibility of expanding our local assembly capabilities. This study will provide valuable insights into the potential for deeper ...

Over 100 firefighters battle blazes on South Africa's Table Mountain

More than 100 firefighters battled two blazes on the slopes of South Africa's Table Mountain on Wednesday, and national parks authorities said they were starting to bring them under control after the fires threatened to move toward nearby Cape Town. South African National Parks, which manages the mountain, said 115 firefighters, four helicopters and two planes had been deployed and there had been significant progress. The fires have burned since at least Sunday on the flat-topped mountain that overlooks Cape Town. A meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from Group of 20 countries began Wednesday in the city and was due to continue Thursday. There was no danger to the gathering. Fires are common in the Cape Town region in the hot, dry summer months between December and April, when they are often fed by strong coastal winds. A fire on Table Mountain in 2021 was the worst in recent years and burned down historic buildings at the University of Cape Town and forced ...

G20 finance ministers to meet in South Africa amid fractious geopolitics

South Africa had hoped to make the G20 a platform for pressuring rich countries to do more to tackle climate change

Jaishankar calls on S African prez, meets counterparts from Russia, China

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar, who is in Johannesburg on a two-day visit to South Africa to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, assured India's support for South Africa's G20 priorities. Honoured to call on President @CyrilRamaphosa of South Africa on the sidelines of the G20 FMM in Johannesburg. Conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Assured India's support for South Africa's G20 priorities, Jaishankar said in a post on X. South Africa holds the Presidency of the G20 for this year, the first time that it is being hosted on the African continent. On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Jaishankar interacted with several world leaders, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. Glad to meet FM Sergey

G20 foreign minister's meet underway in S Africa amid tensions with US

A meeting of foreign ministers from G20 countries will get underway in Johannesburg on Thursday, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend amid diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US. Diplomats including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to attend the gathering, while the US will be represented by acting ambassador to South Africa Dana Brown. The European Union, the United Nations and the African Union, which is part of the G20, will also be in attendance. Rubio snubbed the meeting after an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump stopped foreign aid to the country over a law that the White House said amounts to discrimination against the country's white minority. The US is also displeased with South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has said that Rubio's decision was not a complete boycott of South Africa's G20." He s

Jaishankar to visit South Africa for G20 foreign ministers' meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to South Africa beginning February 20 to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the MEA announced on Wednesday. The minister is expected to hold a few bilateral meetings on the margins of the meet. South Africa is currently the chair of the influential grouping. "External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar will be visiting Johannesburg, South Africa on 20 & 21 February 2025 to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) at the invitation of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Ronald Lamola," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The minister's participation in the G20 FMM will "strengthen" India's engagement with G20 countries and "bolster the voice of the Global South" in this important forum.

South African NGOs worry Trump's aid freeze will disrupt HIV treatment

At a rural village in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, unemployed 19-year-old Nozuko Majola is trying to figure out if she has enough money for the one-hour ride to collect her much-needed HIV medication, usually delivered to her home that can't be easily reached due to rough, untarred roads. Majola is one of millions of patients in South Africa affected by US President Donald Trump's global foreign aid freeze, raising worries about HIV patients defaulting on treatment, infection rates going up and eventually a rise in deaths. In 2024, think tank Human Sciences Research Council released figures showing that Majola's province recorded the second-highest HIV prevalence in the country, at 16 per cent, with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week. KwaZulu-Natal also had the highest number of people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, about 19,80,000. The country counts more than 7.5 million people infected with the virus that causes AIDS -- mo

India-linked firms partner to resolve South Africa's water, energy crisis

Two South African companies with strong links to India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help resolve the water and energy crisis in the country. Imbanita Consulting and Engineering Services, established in 2017 as a joint venture company between Imbani Holdings and Tata Africa, and the local subsidiary of ION Exchange, which offers total water and environment management solutions, signed the MoU at the office of the Consul General of India here on Wednesday. Bish Chakraborty, CEO of Inbanita, said his company could assist in significantly reducing the load-shedding problems which have left South Africa in the dark for lengthy periods during the past few years. Load-shedding problems have had a drastic effect on the South African economy. Chakraborty claimed Imbanita was very well-placed to assist on the power generation side. Gourish Chakravorty, CEO of Ion Exchange Safic, said his company had been working on the water challenges in South Africa for the past 17 .

Varun Beverages' stock poised for steady growth amid strong India business

Operating profit margins were flat Y-o-Y at 15.7 per cent due to the consolidation of South Africa business

S Africa's white minorities' groups say no to Trump's resettlement offer

Groups representing some of South Africa's white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial assistance to South Africa as punishment for what the Trump administration said were rights violations by the government against some of its white citizens. The Trump administration accused the South African government of allowing violent attacks on white Afrikaner farmers and introducing a land expropriation law that enables it to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation. The South African government has denied there are any concerted attacks on white farmers and has said that Trump's description of the new land law is full of misinformation and distortions. Afrikaners are descended from mainly Dutch, but also French and German colonial .

Trump orders freeze of aid to S Africa citing land expropriation law

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday formalizing his announcement earlier this week that he'll freeze assistance to South Africa for a law aiming to address some of the wrongs of South Africa's racist apartheid era a law the White House says amounts to discrimination against the country's white minority. As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country, the White House said in a summary of the order. The White House said Trump is also going to announce a program to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees. Trump was responding to a new law in South Africa that gives the government powers in some instances to expropriate land from people. The White House said the law blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority Afrikaners. The Expropriation Act was signed into law by South African

MICT or SEC? Allan Donald gives his verdict on the SA20 final showdown

Looking forward to the final, Donald expressed excitement about the showdown between MI Cape Town and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

S African President Ramaphosa alludes to Trump's threat in speech to nation

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to respond to threats from US counterpart Donald Trump by saying in his annual speech to the nation Thursday that his country would not be bullied." The comment by Ramaphosa was seen as a reaction to Trump's pledge to cut all funding to South Africa over a new land expropriation law although Ramaphosa did not mention Trump by name. We are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause, Ramaphosa said at Parliament in Cape Town. "This is the world that we, as a developing economy, must now navigate. "But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interests, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy." That part of the speech was met with applause and cheers by members of Parliament and others attending Sou

US Secretary of State to skip G20 summit: 'South Africa doing bad things'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip the G20 summit, accusing South Africa of pushing an 'anti-American' agenda and criticising its stance on DEI and climate policies

StanChart appoints former South African bank CEO Ramos as new chair

Ramos, 65, joined StanChart's board as an independent non-executive director in January 2021 and was the head of South African bank ABSA Group Ltd from 2009 to 2019

South Africa launches faster, simpler visa process for Indian travellers

Indian tourists currently account for just 3.9% of all international arrivals in South Africa