Page 8 - South Africa

S Africa polls to end 3 decades of ANC dominance as votes slashed to 40%

The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.71 per cent and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, managed to grab 14.76 per cent

South Africa heads closer to coalition govt as ANC's vote share drops

Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party, which has ruled South Africa since the advent of democracy 30 years ago, is likely to lose its majority after voters overwhelmingly turned to alternative parties in the just-concluded polls, with a coalition government now most likely. General elections were held in South Africa on May 29 to elect a new 400-member National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces. As vote counting continued at lunchtime on Friday, the ANC received only 42% of the confirmed 62% of votes cast. The Democratic Alliance was next with 23%. Analysts had earlier predicted that the ANC would not get more than 42%. The ANC has been worst affected by the emergence of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party formed by former president Jacob Zuma, who was ousted by the ANC after huge public outcries about his alleged role in enabling massive looting of state resources. In Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Nat

S Africa heads for 'coalition country' as partial results put ANC below 50%

South Africa was heading closer to the reality of a national coalition government for the first time Friday as partial election results put the ruling African Nation Congress well short of a majority. With more than half of votes counted across the country's nine provinces, the ANC had received just under 42% of the national vote, according to the early results as counting continued. That represented a huge drop from the 57.5% it received in the last national election in 2019, although the final results from Wednesday's election have not yet been declared. The commission that runs the election said those would be announced by Sunday, although they could come sooner. The count from more than 12,000 of the 23,000 polling stations raised the strong possibility that the ANC would need a coalition partner to form a government and reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second and final term. The frenzied negotiations were likely set to start behind closed doors. The ANC was still leadin

South Africans begin voting in most competitive election since apartheid

Voter dissatisfaction over high rates of unemployment and crime, frequent power blackouts and corruption in party ranks lies behind the ANC's gradual fall from grace

S Africa's IEC optimistic about record turnout for nations' general polls

South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) remained optimistic that a record number of voters would show up on Wednesday for the country's general elections. At a media briefing on Tuesday evening, the IEC said it was buoyed by the 937,144 voters on the second and final day of the special voting which was scheduled for those who would be working on election day or unable to go to polling stations due to disability, old age, or other reasons. This figure is much higher than was the case in the previous elections and augurs well for an improved voter turnout tomorrow, said IEC Chief Executive Sy Mamabolo. Commending the election commission's staff, he said, We are impressed with the diligence of the electoral staff who visited voters at homes and places of confinement in order to administer home visits." "This category of voters would otherwise have been unable to record their political choices, he added. Mamabolo said the Commission, however, remained concerned about ..

S Africa polls: How Mandela's once revered ANC lost its way with scandals

For years, the African National Congress rose above politics in South Africa. It was a movement dedicated to freeing Black people from the oppression of white minority rule and to the lofty principle of democracy, equality and a better life for all South Africans. It was widely revered as a force for good under Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to the apartheid system of racial segregation. But 30 years after the ANC transformed from a liberation organisation to a political party in government at the end of apartheid in 1994, it faces growing dissatisfaction from South Africans who feel it has failed to live up to its promises. South Africans will vote on May 29 in a national election that could be the biggest rejection yet of the ANC, which has governed one of Africa's most important countries largely unchallenged since it led the fight to bring down apartheid. Now, the ANC is for many a byword for graft and failed government. Here's how the famous pa

South Africa plans visa waiver for Indian tourists: What you must know

Tourism South Africa has set an ambitious goal of attracting 100,000 Indian tourists in 2024

Israel to address charges at UN's court post South Africa's cease-fire plea

Israel will respond to charges of genocide at the United Nations' top court on Friday, after South Africa filed an urgent request with the court to order a cease-fire in Gaza. It's the third time that the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, has held hearings on the Israel-Hamas war since South Africa filed proceedings at The Hague-based court in December. On Thursday, South Africa told the court that the situation in Gaza has reached a new and horrific stage, and urged the 15 judges to take urgent action. Israel must totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip, said Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa's ambassador to the Netherlands. South Africa has submitted four requests for the ICJ to investigate Israel. According to the latest request, the country says Israel's military incursion in Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza. During hearings earlier this year, Israel strongly denied committing genocide in Gaza, saying it does all it can to spare .

South Africa urges UN's top court to order immediate cease-fire in Gaza

South Africa urged the United Nations' top court on Thursday to order a cease-fire in Gaza during hearings over emergency measures to halt Israel's military operation in the enclave's southern city of Rafah. It was the third time the International Court of Justice held hearings on the conflict in Gaza since South Africa filed proceedings in December at the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, accusing Israel of genocide. The country's ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, urged the panel of 15 international judges to order Israel to totally and unconditionally withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The court has already found that there is a real and imminent risk to the Palestinian people in Gaza by Israel's military operations. This may well be the last chance for the court to act, said Irish lawyer Blinne N Ghrlaigh, who is part of South Africa's legal team. Judges at the court have broad powers to order a cease-fire and other measures, although the court does not h

Hope fading for 44 workers missing days after S Africa building collapse

Hope was fading Friday for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa, with authorities saying rescuers are now faced with the challenge of moving thousands of tons of concrete with heavy machinery to see if there are any more survivors. The death toll rose to nine after a worker who was in critical condition died in the hospital, authorities said. Of the 28 workers rescued from the site, 21 were in critical condition or had life-threatening injuries following Monday's collapse of the five-story apartment complex that was under construction. With fears that the final death toll could exceed 50, authorities in the city of George on South Africa's south coast said large earth-moving equipment had arrived and rescue teams were removing huge slabs of concrete and rubble to reach deeper into the wreckage. City authorities said it was still a rescue rather than a recovery operation, but no survivors have been located or brought out

5 workers dead, 49 still missing after building collapsed in South Africa

Rescue teams worked through the night searching for dozens of construction workers buried for more than 12 hours under the rubble of concrete after a multi-story apartment complex that was being built collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa. Authorities said early Tuesday that the death toll had risen to five, while 49 workers remained unaccounted-for in the mangled wreckage of the building, which collapsed on Monday afternoon. Authorities said a further 21 workers had been rescued from the rubble and taken to various hospitals, with at least 11 of them suffering severe injuries. The collapse happened in the city of George, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Cape Town on South Africa's south coast. More than 100 emergency personnel and other responders were on the scene, using sniffer dogs to try to locate the workers, some of whom were feared buried under huge slabs of concrete that fell on them when the five-story building came down. Large cranes and other heavy lifting equipme

Why India's voter turnout is low and improving it will be complicated

Its numbers trail those of several developing countries like Indonesia and Brazil

South Africa to mark 30 years of freedom amid tense elections ahead

As 72-year-old Nonki Kunene walks through the corridors of Thabisang Primary School in Soweto, South Africa, she recalls the joy she and many others felt 30 years ago when they voted for the first time. It was at this school on April 27, 1994 that Kunene joined millions of South Africans to brave long queues and take part in the country's first democratic elections after decades of white minority rule which denied Black people the right to vote. However, as the country gears up for celebrations Saturday to mark 30 years of freedom and democracy, much of the enthusiasm and optimism of that period has subsided as Africa's most developed economy faces a myriad of challenges. Like many things in South Africa, the school that Kunene remembers has changed, and what used to be a school hall has now been turned into several classrooms. I somehow wish we could go back to that day, because of how excited I was and the things that happened thereafter, said Kunene, referring to Nelson Mandela

Climate change: Drought in southern Africa leaves some 20 mn facing hunger

Delicately and with intense concentration, Zanyiwe Ncube poured her small share of precious golden cooking oil into a plastic bottle at a food aid distribution site deep in rural Zimbabwe. I don't want to lose a single drop, she said. Her relief at the handout paid for by the United States government as her southern African country deals with a severe drought was tempered when aid workers gently broke the news that this would be their last visit. Ncube and her 7-month-old son she carried on her back were among 2,000 people who received rations of cooking oil, sorghum, peas and other supplies in the Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe. The food distribution is part of a program funded by American aid agency USAID and rolled out by the United Nations' World Food Programme. They're aiming to help some of the 2.7 million people in rural Zimbabwe threatened with hunger because of the drought that has enveloped large parts of southern Africa since late 2023. It has scorched the cr

Former South African President Jacob Zuma debarred from general elections

Former South African president Jacob Zuma has been disqualified as a candidate in South Africa's general elections scheduled for May 29 due to his criminal record, the Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Friday. Zuma, who was recalled by his own African National Congress (ANC) in February 2018 for refusing to step down, was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2021 by the highest judicial body in South Africa, the Constitutional Court after he earlier walked out of hearings at the Commission of Enquiry into State Capture. The ANC recalled Zuma after huge public outcries about his alleged closeness to the now self-exiled Gupta family who looted billions from state-owned enterprises such as Eskom. These entities are now financially crippled, leading to embattled electricity supplier Eskom being unable to meet the power needs of the country and the rail infrastructure inoperable. The Guptas are believed to be in Dubai and South Africa is seeking their extradition to face trial here. Zuma

South Africa wants to preserve its wild animals by eating them more

It's also an opportunity to boost Black ownership of a wildlife-use sector that three decades after the end of apartheid is just 3.5% owned by historically disadvantaged South Africans

Bus plunges off bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people, say authorities

A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor of the crash was an eight-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 164 feet into a ravine before busting into flames. Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle. Authorities said they believe the bus was travelling from the neighbouring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage.

Explosion near police station in Kenya kills 4 people, including 3 officers

An explosion at a small hotel located near a police station in northeastern Kenya killed four people, including three officers, and wounded several others on Monday, authorities said. The blast in the town of Mandera, which is on the border with Somalia, was caused by an improvised explosive device that had been planted at the hotel and was detonated as a crowd of people sat down to eat breakfast, police said. Mandera police chief Samwel Mutunga said that two of those wounded were in critical condition and would be flown to the capital, Nairobi. Investigators have blamed east Africa-based extremist group al-Shabab for the attack. The group, which hasn't claimed responsibility for the explosion, has staged major attacks in Kenya and neighboring Somalia. The latest attack followed another one on Sunday in coastal Kenya's Lamu County, where two police reservists were killed. The area has a forest, which has often been the site of security operations because it's a known hideout of ..

Taps run dry across S Africa's Johannesburg in unprecedented water crisis

For two weeks, Tsholofelo Moloi has been among thousands of South Africans lining up for water as the country's largest city, Johannesburg, confronts an unprecedented collapse of its water system affecting millions of people. Residents rich and poor have never seen a shortage of this severity. While hot weather has shrunk reservoirs, crumbling infrastructure after decades of neglect is also largely to blame. The public's frustration is a danger sign for the ruling African National Congress, whose comfortable hold on power since the end of apartheid in the 1990s faces its most serious challenge in an election this year. A country already famous for its hours long electricity shortages is now adopting a term called water-shedding the practice of going without water, from the term load-shedding, or the practice of going without power. Moloi, a resident of Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg, isn't sure she or her neighbours can take much more. They and others across South Africa'

South African Cheetah gives birth to 5 cubs in MP's Kuno National Park

The Union Minister said that the total number of Indian-born Cheetah cubs has gone up to 13