JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) on Sunday appointed John Steenhuisen as interim leader a month after the country’s main opposition party was thrown into chaos by the sudden resignation of Mmusi Maimane. Maimane, who was appointed as leader to broaden the traditionally white liberal party’s appeal to black voters, quit in October in […]

VENICE, ITALY – Reeling from devastating floods this week, Venice suffered another exceptional high tide on Sunday, with the water peaking at 150 cm (4.9 feet), marking the worst week for the city since official tide statistics were produced in 1872. All photos on this page were taken today (17 Nov 2019). The city’s center […]

JOHANNESBURG – A union that called a strike at South African Airways said on Sunday it was consulting with workers on a secondary strike across the industry after talks with the state-run carrier ended without a deal. “This secondary strike will have the impact of shutting down the entire aviation sector,” National Union of Metalworkers […]

SUN CITY, South Africa – Overnight leader Zander Lombard recovered from a horror start on Saturday to card a par score of 72 and hold a one-shot lead after the third round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club. Lombard, ranked number 234 in the world and without a […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African Airways (SAA) and unions on Saturday met for talks the troubled state-run carrier hopes can bring an end to a crippling strike that it says could push it to collapse. Unions representing more than half of SAA’s workforce called the strike from Friday, forcing SAA to cancel hundreds of flights, and […]

SUN CITY, South Africa – South African golfer Zander Lombard overcame a poor start to surge into a two-shot lead after the second round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, sinking six birdies and an eagle in a round of 65 at the Gary Player Country Club on Friday. Lombard is 11 under-par for […]

Workers at South African Airways (SAA) downed tools on Friday in a strike over wages and job cuts that has forced the troubled state-owned carrier to cancel all flights. SAA, which has not turned a profit since 2011 and is without a permanent CEO, says the strike by unions representing around 3,000 of its 5,000-strong […]

SUN CITY, South Africa – Home favourite Louis Oosthuizen produced a stunning birdie blitz to card a faultless nine-under-par 63 for a three-shot lead after the first round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge on Thursday. Former Open champion Oosthuizen, seeking his maiden title in the tournament regarded as ‘Africa’s Major’, turned in 32 […]

VENICE, Italy – Venice’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after “apocalyptic” floods swept through the lagoon city, killing two people and flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings. The state of emergency was declared as the city was hit by the highest tide in more than 50 years. Thoroughfares were […]

BLANTYRE – Seventeen black rhinos have been released into Malawi’s Liwonde national park after arriving from South Africa as part of conservation efforts aimed at keeping the local population of the endangered species healthy and safe. By moving the animals, in one of the biggest international relocations of its kind, conservationists hope to ensure wild […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s SAA’s restructuring plan will be finalised by March next year and should save the firm R700 million rand, SAA’s executive team told a media briefing on Tuesday. “If you look at the 944 employees (who could lose their jobs), it’s estimated, depending on how the process pans out, it could save […]

JOHANNESBURG – Two people have tragically died amid downpours in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa which brought down their house, just a few months after many were killed in another torrential rain. “A man and a woman died when their house collapsed,” Robert Mckenzie, media liaison officer for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Emergency Medical Services told Reuters by phone. […]

SYDNEY – Firefighters across Australia’s east coast are bracing for “catastrophic” fire conditions as temperatures across the country’s most populous state were set to soar. Many South African expats have reported fires burning near to where they now live, and some in New Zealand posted photos of the smoke from Australia clouding up their skies. […]

JOHANNESBURG – Researchers and city officials are racing to understand the extent of a beetle infestation damaging trees across South Africa that, if left unaddressed, could have a ripple effect on the climate, air quality and ecosystems. The Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB), indigenous to Southeast Asia, is a tiny beetle that drills holes into […]

ArcelorMittal’s South Africa unit said on Monday it would close its steel operations at Saldanha Works in the south of the country because it could no longer compete in export markets. The company, majority-owned by ArcelorMittal, announced in September that it could close some operations as part of a review aimed at strengthening long-term sustainability amid cheap imports, rising costs […]

Zimbabwe is planning an enforced mass migration of wildlife away from a park in the country’s south, where thousands of animals are at risk of death due to drought-induced starvation. At least 200 elephants have already died at two other parks due to lack of food and water, along with scores of buffalo and antelope, Zimbabwe Parks […]

South African lender Absa said on Monday its representative office in New York should be operational by the end of the year, after it received the necessary regulatory approvals. The office is aimed at enabling Absa to better serve clients, including international corporations and institutions, that invest or work in Africa. The bank has already opened a representative office […]

South Africa loose-forward Francois Louw – affectionately known as ‘Flo’ – confirmed his retirement from an outstanding career in international rugby on Sunday, the second of the Springboks’ World Cup-winning side to call time on their careers in the green and gold. Louw (34), who came off the replacement bench for captain Siya Kolisi in […]

AUSTRALIA – Three people have died, four are missing and at least 150 homes have been destroyed as bushfires rage across eastern Australia, authorities said on Saturday. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) confirmed two people had been killed by a fire near Glen Innes, more than 550 km (340 miles) north […]

South Africa’s rand was weaker early on Friday after Eskom’s nationwide loadshedding (electricity blackouts) spooked investors and reignited worries about the economy. At 0645 GMT the rand was down 0.23% at 14.7700 per dollar, compared with the previous session’s best of 14.6630. Power firm Eskom implemented stage 2 power cuts, or load shedding, shaving off […]

Heavy rains and floods have killed more than 50 people and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes across East Africa as researchers warn warming oceans are causing unpredictable weather patterns in the region. South Sudan declared a national emergency last week after 420,000 people fled from the floods, the United Nations said. […]

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa secured about R200 billion ($13.5 billion) of investment pledges, mainly from domestic companies, on Wednesday as part of his drive to boost flagging economic growth. Ramaphosa announced the investments during his opening speech at a forum aimed at drawing direct investment into the economy. “The new investments over […]

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said the country’s underprivileged children should “keep dreaming and keep believing” as he carried the Rugby World Cup trophy through thousands of fans on the team’s return home on Tuesday. Kolisi led the Springboks to victory in Japan when they beat England 32-12 in the final in Yokohama […]

JOHANNESBURG – There’s more good news for South Africans as both grades of petrol are set to come down tomorrow. The retail price of petrol in the country will decrease by 0.8% from Nov. 6, while the price of wholesale diesel will fall by 1.1%, the energy department said on Tuesday. The price of petrol […]

The South African rand and government bonds jumped on Monday after ratings agency Moody’s kept the country’s last investment-grade credit rating intact, but many investors expected the rally could fade soon. Moody’s decision on Friday to leave South Africa’s sovereign debt at Baa3, the lowest rung of investment grade, was a relief to beleaguered President […]