South Africa News in English - Expat Guide to South Africa

August 24, 2019

S.Africa’s Buthelezi, 90, steps down as Inkatha Freedom Party leader

Mangosuthu Buthelezi, head of the once-feared Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), on Saturday stepped down as party leader after 44 years. Buthelezi, 90 led the party from its inception, a reign marked by bloody territorial battles with ANC supporters…

August 22, 2019

S.African leader defends contested fundraising campaign

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday vowed to act against anyone involved in misconduct during controversial fundraising for his campaign to become ANC party leader. After taking over when graft-tainted Jacob Zuma was ousted in 2018, Ramaphosa led the…

August 21, 2019

Court annuls findings of S.African arms deal probe

A South Africa court on Wednesday set aside the findings of an investigation that cleared all government officials of corruption over a multi-billion dollar arms deal in which ex-president Jacob Zuma was a suspect. The four-year inquiry into the scandal…

August 21, 2019

South African court restricts display of apartheid-era flag

In a landmark ruling, a Johannesburg court on Wednesday barred the unjustified display of South Africa’s apartheid-era national flag, saying such gestures amounted to “hate speech” and “harassment”. Judge Phineas Mojapelo said in Johannesburg that any gratuitous display of the…

August 21, 2019

South Africa inflation dips as growth slows

South Africa’s inflation last month dipped to 4.0 percent, its lowest level since January, the statistics agency said Wednesday. “Annual consumer price inflation was 4,0 percent in July 2019, down from 4,5 percent in June 2019,” said StatsSA. The decline…

August 20, 2019

Top S.African judge who openly declared HIV status retires

A South African Constitutional Court judge and gay rights activist who openly disclosed his HIV status despite at a time it being highly stigmatised retired on Tuesday. Edwin Cameron, 66, who hung up his gown after 25 years of serving…

August 16, 2019

Searching for lost lives: S.Africa’s unidentified corpses

At Olifantsvlei cemetery on the outskirts of southern Johannesburg, undertakers clad in white plastic overalls, boots and face masks take on a grim task: mass pauper burials. They are burying 46 bodies that have been lying in public morgues, unidentified…

August 15, 2019

S.Africa announces visa waivers to boost tourism

South Africa on Thursday announced visa waivers for four countries in a bid to boost tourism amid an economic crisis and falling visitor numbers. Visitors from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand will no longer require a…

August 14, 2019

Kidnapped Zimbabwean mine worker freed in DR Congo: army

A Zimbabwean kidnapped while working for Canadian gold miner Banro in eastern DR Congo was freed on Wednesday after nearly three weeks in captivity, the army said. A South African captured with the Zimbabwean and two local Congolese last month…