Page 6 - South Africa

ArcelorMittal SA rejects 19 bn rand buyout offer of Networth Investments

ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has rejected a 19-billion rand buyout offer by local firm Networth Investments. Networth had planned to transform the country's struggling steel industry with green technology and more profitable stainless-steel production based on models in India. Networth CEO Harold Vermaak told the daily Business Report that his company had put in an offer to buy out ArcelorMittal Group's 60 per cent shareholding in AMSA, and around 2 per cent of AMSA's shares held by other foreign investors, in a leveraged buyout. However, a spokesperson of ArcelorMittal told the daily, "the correspondence (it had received from Networth Investments) does not reflect a firm or a bona fide offer. There is, therefore, no offer to be considered". Vermaak said that the strategy was to convert AMSA over time so that it ceases to produce low-value-priced products, and rather produces higher value products such as stainless steel. He said he had planned to fund the proposed capital ..

South Africa amends guidelines to allow genetically modified children

Heritable human genome editing has long been hotly contested, in large part because of its societal and eugenic implications

South Africa plans to ease visa rules for from India, China tourists

Travelers from many Western nations including the US and UK don't need visas for short visits to South Africa. Tourists from India and China require authorization before they travel

Taiwan again rejects South African demand to move its representative office

Taiwan has again rejected South Africa's demand that it move its representative office in the country from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said at a news conference on Tuesday that the demand to move or shut the office entirely violated a 1997 agreement between the sides on the location of their mutual representative offices following the severing of formal diplomatic relations. Facing this kind of unreasonable demand, our side cannot grant our acceptance, Liu said. South Africa maintains a liaison office in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, and the sides have a strong commercial relationship. Liu repeated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's avowal at the legislature on Monday that Taiwan was prepared for all eventualities over the issue. The office is Taiwanese property and Taipei retains the right to determine its location and status, Lin and Liu said. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory that must be

Ramaphosa calls on Brics to help in industrialisation of African continent

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on its BRICS partners to extend assistance in the industrialisation of the countries on the African continent. He said the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACTFA) has been unlocking massive opportunities for trade, investment and industrial growth and the continent seeks partnerships that would unlock the dynamism and potential of its 1.3 billion people. "The success of ACFTA requires a substantial investment in infrastructure. We, therefore, call on fellow BRICS countries to partner with us to build the roads, ports for imports and exports, rail, energy and telecommunications networks that will enable Africa to industrialise and trade with other countries across the world," Ramaphosa said at the BRICS Business Forum in the Russian city of Kazan. Making a plea to the grouping to extend support to women-owned and small businesses, he said, "Africa is home to a population that is young, digitally connected and increasingly ...

Over 140 killed, dozens injured after gasoline tanker explodes in Nigeria

More than 140 people, including children, were killed and dozens were injured in Nigeria after an overturned gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames while they were trying to scoop up fuel pouring from the vehicle, emergency services said Wednesday. The accident occurred at midnight in Jigawa state's Majiya town when the tanker driver lost control of the vehicle while travelling on a highway, police spokesperson Lawan Adam said. Residents rushed to the scene and were scooping up fuel, sparking a massive inferno, he said. "Close to 140 people were put in a mass grave apart from people buried in other places," Nura Abdullahi, head of the National Emergency Management Agency in the region, told The Associated Press. Residents of Majiya were in mourning on Wednesday as they held a mass burial for the victims. Most of the bodies were unrecognizable, emergency services said. Deadly tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where traffic regulations are not

Huge potential for Brics nations to cooperate in energy security: S Africa

There is a huge potential for the members of the extended BRICS group to cooperate in ensuring energy security in their countries, South African Minister of Energy and Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa said at the 9th BRICS Energy Ministerial Meeting in Moscow earlier this week. "We believe that this BRICS group of like-minded country members has a huge potential and working together will strengthen this resolve through cooperation on energy security, and also provide an opportunity to join efforts to annihilate the challenges diagnosed during the BRICS 2023 Summit held in South Africa, such as addressing the lack or absence of an integrated energy policy framework," Ramokgopa said. The minister said this meeting came at "a critical phase where our countries are grappling with the challenge of balancing developmental goals with energy transition pathways". "We must ensure that these transitions safeguard energy sovereignty and security, promote sustainable economic development, ...

17 people killed across 2 mass shootings in South Africa's Lusikisiki

Seventeen people were killed in two mass shootings that took place in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa, police said Saturday. A search was underway for the suspects, national police spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe said in a statement. The victims were 15 women and two men, she said. One other person was in critical condition in the hospital. The shootings took place Friday night in the town of Lusikisiki in Eastern Cape province in southeastern South Africa. Video released by police showed that the shootings occurred at two houses in the same neighbourhood. Twelve women and a man were killed in one house and three women and a man were killed in the other house, police said.

India, Brazil, South Africa push for efforts to counter Al-Qaeda, ISIS, LeT

During the meeting, the ministers urged collective action against all terrorist individuals and entities designated by the United Nations

Wildlife hospital starts on second anniversary of cheetah reintroduction

A wildlife hospital was inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the arrival of cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) as part of an ambitious reintroduction program. State Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat inaugurated the hospital for cheetahs in Palpur area, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.29 crore. That 12 cheetah cubs were born on Indian soil over the last two years testifies to the project's success, claimed the minister, speaking at the function at Sesaipura village. However, the project has also seen setbacks with eight adult cheetahs and five cubs dying during the same period. All surviving cheetahs are currently in enclosures. The Indian government is aiming to revive the cheetah population in the country after the species, the fastest land animal, became extinct in the wild decades ago. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his birthday on September 17, 2022, released eight cheetahs imported from Namibia -- five females and t

India becomes top source of vehicle imports for South Africa's auto sector

India has become the South African automotive industry's top country of origin for vehicle imports since 2013, the Automotive Business Council says in its BRICS+ Research Report 2024. This was because India has been established by various brands as the global hub for small and entry-level vehicles which comprise the bulk of sales in the domestic market, the report said. Tata and Mahindra have firmly established their automotive products in South Africa. Mahindra executives have even repeatedly reaffirmed that South Africa is their second home outside India because of major investments, including a production line in Durban. China and India have consistently featured as two of the South African automotive industry's top 10 trading partners since 2010, mainly due to the increasing level of automotive imports. More recent entrant China has consolidated its position as the second largest country of origin for vehicle imports since 2022 as financially strapped consumers gravitated towar

Namibia's drought triggers wildlife culling; Vantara steps in with help

The Vantara Foundation has expressed deep concern over the severe impact of the drought on Namibian wildlife

South Africa to offer 90-day visa waiver for Indian tourists from Jan 2025

South Africa will introduce the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to simplify the entry process for Indian and Chinese tourists

Mpox concerns grow in Pakistan as fifth case reported in Peshawar

Dr Saleem emphasised the importance of vigilance, particularly among travellers from the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia identified as a potential point of exposure

Namibia's drought crisis: Over 700 wild animals to be killed for food

The drought has depleted 84% of Namibia's food reserves, putting nearly half of the country's 2.5 million people at risk of severe food shortages from July to September

S Africa investigating alleged $7 bn corruption at state-owned companies

South Africa has active investigations into alleged corruption totalling more than USD 7 billion at some of its top state-owned companies, according to a report published Tuesday by the national anti-graft unit. The investigations are not new, and some have been running since 2018, and all of them were cited by the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) in a report to a parliamentary committee to give an update on the status of the probes. Those investigations involve six state-owned businesses: ports and rail company Transnet, arms company Denel, power utility Eskom, the National Lotteries Commission, national airline South African Airways and passenger rail company PRASA. Around 60 suspicious contracts and hundreds of cases of conflict of interest and other alleged corruption worth nearly $4 billion of public money are under investigation at Transnet alone, according to the report. Also, there are nearly 40 other ongoing investigations into alleged corruption involving different state-r

Officials expediting efforts to bring next batch of cheetahs by year-end

India has expedited efforts to bring a new batch of 12-14 cheetahs by the end of the year, with a delegation set to visit South Africa soon for ground-to-ground negotiations, officials said on Tuesday. PTI has learned that negotiations are also ongoing with Kenya, and a memorandum of understanding is being finalized. "We are actively engaging with South Africa on the matter. A delegation will visit the country in late September or early October to hold ground-to-ground negotiations. The next batch of cheetahs could come from either of these two countries," the official said. The 'Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India' talks about bringing around 12-14 cheetahs each year from South Africa, Namibia, and other African countries for five years to establish a founder stock. "We have communicated to South Africa that we want to expedite efforts to bring another batch of cheetahs by the end of the year as per the recommendation of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee and in

Cheetahs set to roam free in MP's Kuno after year-long enclosure stay

African cheetahs brought to India as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of big cats will soon be released into the wild, nearly a year after they were returned to enclosures in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park for health check-ups and monitoring, according to officials. Officials told PTI that the Centre's Cheetah Project Steering Committee on Friday decided to release the African cheetahs and their cubs, born in India, into the wild in a phased manner after the monsoon withdraws from central parts of the country. "Members of the committee and NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) officials conducted field visits to Kuno and discussed the schedule for releasing the cheetahs. While adult cheetahs will be released into the wild in phases once the rains end, the cubs and their mothers will be released after December," an official said. All 25 cheetahs -- 13 adults and 12 cubs -- are doing well, according to the official. The first batch of eight cheetah

India-S Africa ties special, can provide global leadership: Envoy-designate

India and South Africa share a special relationship that has potential at every level, the African nation's newly appointed High Commissioner to India Anil Sooklal has said, expressing hope that the two countries can play an important role in providing leadership on the global stage. Sooklal, the first person of Indian-origin to be appointed South Africa's High Commissioner to India, made the remarks at an event here hosted to felicitate his appointment. South Africa and India have a special relationship, and I feel extremely privileged and indeed very lucky that I have been chosen to represent my country in India at one of the most interesting times in the history of our relationship, Sooklal said. He said the "special relationship" was highlighted by late President Nelson Mandela, who, after becoming South Africa's first democratically elected leader, visited India "not only to thank the government of India but the people of India for the important role they played (in leading the

BASIC bloc slams rich countries for 'leadership void' on climate change

They called on developed countries to set ambitious new targets to reach net-zero "significantly ahead of 2050 (and) preferably by 2030" and to achieve "net-negative" emissions immediately after that