KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhinoceros has died, an official said on Monday, dashing efforts to save the critically endangered species in the country. The rhino, named Tam, was about 30 years old and lived at a wildlife reserve in Sabah state on Borneo island since his capture in 2008, Christina Liew, state […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s long-delayed carbon tax has been enshrined in law, the treasury said on Sunday, as the country – one of Africa’s worst polluters – transitions to lower emissions in its efforts to meet agreements on global climate change. The tax was first mooted in 2010 but has been postponed at least three […]

PRETORIA – Trade unionist-turned-businessman Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president on Saturday, vowing to create jobs and tackle deep-rooted corruption that has strangled economic growth. Ramaphosa, who becomes the country’s fourth democratically elected president since the end of apartheid, took the presidential oath before a crowd of about 32,000 people in a […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa will host England for four tests and a limited overseas series and then Australia in Twenty20 and One Day Internationals in a packed summer programme, Cricket South Africa announced on Friday. England will start their tour with two warm-up matches in December before the first test in Pretoria from Dec. […]

Algeria – the nation where malaria was discovered – is officially free of malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, making it the third African country to eliminate one of the world’s leading killer diseases. With no recorded cases of malaria in three consecutive years, Argentina was also declared malaria-free – the second […]

South Africa’s central bank kept its benchmark repo rate unchanged at 6.75 % on Thursday, saying while the medium-term inflation forecast had moderated, economic growth was set to contract in the first quarter and continue to weaken. “Recent monthly inflation outcomes have remained around the mid-point of the inflation target range, in part due to […]

KATHMANDU – The first black African woman to conquer Mount Everest urged fellow Africans to “never give up” on their dreams on Thursday as she set herself a new challenge to scale the highest peaks on seven continents. South African Saray N’kusi Khumalo stood on top of the world’s highest mountain on her fourth attempt […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africans were offered low-fee, digital accounts by two “traditional” banks this week in a sign of how competition from a new breed of cheaper, online-only rivals is driving change in the $30 billion market. Young, tech-savvy and cost-conscious South Africans are being targeted by low-cost, digital-only newcomers such as Discovery, ThymeBank and […]

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s deputy president, David Mabuza, will not be sworn in as a lawmaker on Wednesday after requesting a postponement to address allegations he brought the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into disrepute, President Cyril Ramaphosa said. Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC, is due to be elected on […]

LONDON – British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain went into administration on Tuesday, leaving 1,000 people without jobs as the majority of branches ceased trading immediately in the latest blow for Britain’s high street. Oliver, 43, a well-known figure in Britain and beyond for his popular TV shows and top-selling cookery books, founded his […]

CAPE TOWN – Laurian Johannes will become the first woman to coach a national rugby team in South Africa following her appointment to take charge of the country’s Under-20 women’s side, South Africa Rugby said on Tuesday. She will begin next month with two internationals against neighbouring Zimbabwe in Harare. “This is a massive achievement […]

South African athlete Caster Semenya will compete in the 3,000 metres at the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic in Stanford, California on June 30, a distance she can race without reducing her testosterone levels. Semenya, who has won two Olympic golds over 800 metres, has been adamant that she will not take medication to lower her […]

CAIRO – Egyptian security forces have killed 12 suspected Islamist militants in Cairo, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, a day after an explosion targeting a tourist bus – carrying South African passengers – injured at least 12 of those on board. A rudimentary device containing nails and pieces of metal detonated on the perimeter […]

JOHANNESBURG – Jacob Zuma’s lawyers argued on Monday that the former South African president had been treated unfairly by prosecutors in his bid to have revived corruption charges set aside because he is unpopular in the country at large. Zuma has applied for a permanent stay of prosecution from 16 charges of fraud, racketeering and […]

If you’ve always wanted to visit Mount Kilimanjaro, but just can’t be asked to actually get fit enough to climb it… you could be in luck! Tanzania wants to boost tourist numbers by putting a cable car on Africa’s tallest mountain, and is currently in talks about the project with a Chinese and a Western […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa followed up his election pledge to tackle corruption by appointing a veteran lawyer to lead a newly formed anti-corruption unit, his office said on Friday. Ramaphosa has promised to root out corruption, cited by ratings agencies and investors as a major obstacle to economic reforms needed to turn […]

As has been discussed over the years, Formula One definitely wants to return to Africa… but it’s not only South Africa’s Kyalami circuit that’s keen to host the race. Commercial managing director Sean Bratches said on Thursday that Kyalami and the Moroccan city of Marrakesh have expressed interest in fan festivals on their territory. Rwanda […]

The South African government said on Monday it was “instructing” the country’s athletics governing body to appeal against the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on female eligibility that directly affects their Olympic champion Caster Semenya. Yet Athletics South Africa (ASA) maintained silence on the matter with sources telling Reuters they were still considering their […]

Boosting South African growth and overhauling bloated power firm Eskom are post-election priorities for the African National Congress, but a reduced majority may force President Cyril Ramaphosa to compromise on those and other economic reforms. Ramaphosa took office in February 2018 with a pledge to revive a sclerotic economy and attract foreign investors. But as […]

HARARA – Zimbabwe has started rolling power cuts lasting up to eight hours that will also hit mines, a schedule from the state power utility showed on Monday, after reduced output at both the largest hydro plant and ageing coal-fired generators. The power cuts will add to mounting public anger against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government […]

PRETORIA – The African National Congress (ANC) was headed toward victory in South Africa’s election on Friday, partial results showed, though the party was on course for its worst performance in a national poll in its 25 years in government. As of 07h30, ballots in 75.6 percent of 22,925 voting districts had been counted. The […]

PRETORIA – Results from over half of voting districts in South Africa’s election put the African National Congress on course to retain power but at risk of its worst performance in a national poll since the end of white minority rule 25 years ago, as analysts say the turnout in black areas was lower this […]

PRETORIA – South African elections officials counted ballot papers early on Thursday, a day after a vote seen as the toughest test yet for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party 25 years after it swept to power. The elections for a new parliament and nine provincial legislatures are the first barometer of national sentiment […]

WINDSOR, England – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan showed off their newborn son to the world on Wednesday, saying the arrival of their “little bundle of joy” was magic. UPDATE: Prince Harry and Meghan name their newborn baby son. Tightly cradling his son, wrapped in a white shawl and wearing a hat, Harry […]

CAPE TOWN – Athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) hoping to compete at the World Championships must submit to new rules curbing their levels of testosterone from Wednesday but South Africa’s Caster Semenya appears ready to resist the regulations. Athletics chiefs had set a Wednesday deadline for DSD athletes to submit blood samples to […]