All posts tagged: South Africa

US to expel South Africa ambassador as relations deteriorate

US to expel South Africa ambassador as relations deteriorate

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to Washington had been declared persona non grata, signaling worsening relations between the two countries. In a post on X, Rubio said South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was “no longer welcome in our great country.” “Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS [President of the United States].” There has been no immediate response from South Africa’s embassy in Washington. Rubio’s move came amid tense relations between the U.S. and South Africa. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order suspending aid to South Africa over a controversial land expropriation act that Trump said would lead to the takeover of white-owned farms. Trump also said that South African farmers were welcome to settle in the United States. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a post on X, defended his government’s measure. “We are guided by the Constitution, which places a responsibility on the state to take measures to redress the effects of past racial discrimination,” he …

South Africa reroutes Mozambique trade, travel to Eswatini border amid violence

South Africa reroutes Mozambique trade, travel to Eswatini border amid violence

MBABANE, ESWATINI —  As Mozambique grapples with a political crisis following a disputed national election and violent protests, the situation at its southern border with South Africa is increasingly volatile, affecting trade and travel. The violence in Mozambique forced trade and travel to be diverted from South Africa’s Leebombo Border Post to Eswatini’s Mananga Border Post, with Mananga serving as a makeshift lifeline for those seeking passage from Mozambique. Michael Masiapato, commissioner of South Africa’s Border Management Authority, told VOA that although authorities are managing the crisis, it continues to pose significant challenges. “Even … when they deploy the military and when they deploy police officers on the corridor [between the capital, Maputo, and the border], it is not able to cover each and every area,” he said. The protests, he said, are “very much sporadic” and “very much widespread.” Following presidential candidate Daniel Chapo’s controversial election victory Monday, Mozambique plunged into turmoil, leaving scores dead amid violent protests. Some analysts expressed concern that continued political violence could destabilize regional security and impede economic development, …

How the U.S. Election Matters for the Rest of the World

How the U.S. Election Matters for the Rest of the World

Israel and Gaza Patrick Kingsley is The Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief. Israelis, if they could, would vote by a large margin for Trump — the polls show that very clearly. But whoever wins, the long-term impact will probably be limited. Israeli society, not to mention the government, is more opposed to Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution than it has been in decades. No U.S. president is likely to change that. President Harris would probably put more pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and open up talks with the Palestinians. But she would be unlikely to, say, cut off military support to Israel. President Trump would perhaps be less bothered about Israel allowing Jewish settlers back into Gaza, as part of the Israeli government would like to do. He also talks a much more aggressive line on Iran than Harris, which pleases many Israelis. But you don’t quite know which side of the bed he’s going to wake up on. You get the sense he’s more risk averse than he sounds, and he recently …

Fragile Unity in South Africa | Mark Gevisser

Fragile Unity in South Africa | Mark Gevisser

On July 18—Nelson Mandela’s birthday—the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, opened a parliament where, for the first time since the advent of democracy thirty years ago, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was not in the majority. The ANC had led Black South Africans in the struggle against apartheid and brokered the historic settlement that brought the party to power in 1994. But it was dealt a devastating blow in this past May’s elections: it won only 40 percent of the vote, down from 66.5 percent in 1999. Now it is forced to share power with other parties, primarily its bitter rival, the white-led Democratic Alliance (DA), which won 22 percent. In his address to parliament, Ramaphosa reached for the upside. South Africans had, he said, instructed their leaders to “set aside their political differences and come together as one to overcome the severe challenges that confront our nation.” They had “sent a clear message that without unity, cooperation, and partnership, our efforts to end poverty, unemployment, and inequality will not succeed.” The ANC …

South African President Ramaphosa set for re-election as DA gives backing | Politics News

South African President Ramaphosa set for re-election as DA gives backing | Politics News

Cyril Ramaphosa is set for re-election as South Africa’s president after the country’s second biggest party said it would back the African National Congress (ANC) leader following a government coalition deal. The ANC, which came to power in 1994 after waging a decades-long battle against apartheid, lost its majority for the first time in last month’s election and has spent two weeks locked in intensive behind-the-scenes talks with other parties. As the newly elected parliament convened on Friday, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said his white-led main opposition party formally signed a governing agreement with the ANC and part of it would make Ramaphosa president. “We will be supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa in his election for the president of the republic of South Africa,” Steenhuisen said during a pause in the opening session of parliament. Lawmakers are due to elect a president later in the day and the ANC and DA together have a majority of lawmakers that would see the 71-year-old return for a second term. In the May 29 polls, the AND gathered …

Why South Africa’s ANC wants a national unity gov’t after election setback | Elections News

Why South Africa’s ANC wants a national unity gov’t after election setback | Elections News

Johannesburg, South Africa — Reeling from its worst electoral performance in 30 years, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday said it would seek to stitch together a “Government of National Unity” to administer the nation. After days of internal debate within the party, President Cyril Ramaphosa told a meeting of the ANC’s top leadership structure, the national executive committee (NEC), late on Thursday, that South Africa was at a moment of “fundamental consequence” and that the country required extraordinary leadership. In last week’s elections, the ANC lost its majority in South Africa’s parliament for the first time since the end of apartheid. “We therefore agreed to invite political parties to form a Government of National Unity as the best option to move our country forward,” Ramaphosa said. In effect, that means that the ANC – instead of entering into a direct coalition agreement with its main rival parties, the market-friendly and right-leaning Democratic Alliance (DA) or the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – will seek a broad multiparty alliance. And while Ramaphosa …

Ruling ANC on course to lose majority in South Africa’s election

Ruling ANC on course to lose majority in South Africa’s election

South Africa’s ruling ANC was on course to lose its 30-year-old parliamentary majority on Thursday, opening the prospect that the party that defeated apartheid will have to share power for the first time.  Issued on: 30/05/2024 – 04:06Modified: 30/05/2024 – 20:44 3 min With a third of votes in Wednesday’s election tallied, the ANC was leading but with a score of only 42 percent — well below the 57 percent it won in 2019. Followed by the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) on 25 percent. The leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former South African president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) were neck and neck on around nine percent each.  The final results are expected in the next three days. Read moreSouth Africa votes in most crucial election since end of apartheid “The broad church of the ANC has taken a substantial knock. This is a shock to the system for the ANC and ultimately will also be a shock to the system for the average South African, who has only known ANC rule since 1994,” …

South Africa goes to the polls – in pictures | World news

South Africa goes to the polls – in pictures | World news

With the country’s highest rates of unemployment, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Eastern Cape province offers a snapshot of the state of South Africa’s housing, employment, poverty, crime, and public service delivery. As the country goes to the polls, many of those voting will be part of the ‘born free’ generation who were born after apartheid ended in 1994. On a visit to Nelson Mandela Bay in December, the photojournalist Ilvy Njiokiktjien spoke to many about their disillusionment with modern South Africa but also their hopes, ingenuity and resilience Source link

South Africa: a nation at the crossroads – in pictures | Global development

South Africa: a nation at the crossroads – in pictures | Global development

With the country’s highest rates of unemployment, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Eastern Cape province offers a snapshot of the state of South Africa’s housing, employment, poverty, crime, and public service delivery. As the country goes to the polls, many of those voting will be part of the ‘born free’ generation who were born after apartheid ended in 1994. On a visit to Nelson Mandela Bay in December, the photojournalist Ilvy Njiokiktjien spoke to many about their disillusionment with modern South Africa but also their hopes, ingenuity and resilience Source link