South Africa

South Africa plans cost-cutting measures as revenue falls

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3 (Reuters) - South Africa's National Treasury wants to implement a number of cost-cutting measures to rein in government spending after a shortfall in revenue collection, the Sunday…

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UPDATED: More than 70 dead as fire engulfs building in South Africa’s Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Scores were killed overnight when fire tore through a derelict Johannesburg apartment block occupied by homeless people, officials and local media said on Thursday, as…

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BRICS expansion hopefuls seek to rebalance world order

An expansion of the BRICS bloc under consideration at a summit this week has attracted a motley crew of potential candidates - from Iran to Argentina - with one thing…

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South Africa gas leak kills 17; link to illegal mining mooted

The death toll from a leak of poisonous gas in a South African shantytown rose to 17 on Thursday, as officials suggested the accident was probably linked to an illegal…

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South African citrus growers say EU pest rules putting squeeze on exports

(Reuters) - New European Union pest control rules will cut South Africa's orange exports to Europe by 20% this year, threatening thousands of jobs, the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) has…

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South Africa’s Johannesburg feels tremors after 5.0 magnitude quake

June 11 (Reuters) - A 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook South Africa's Johannesburg on Sunday morning, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) said. The USGS said the earthquake occurred at 0038 GMT…

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BRICS ministers meet in push to establish group as counterweight to West

Ukraine war repercussions fuel impetus to strengthen BRICS Foreign ministers likely to discuss admitting new members Meeting is prelude to controversial summit in August By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN, June…

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Victims increase from Cholera outbreak in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) - The provincial health department in the South African province of Gauteng announced 19 new cases of Cholera in Hammanskraal, including 10 deaths. South Africa reported its first…

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South Africans call for UK to return diamonds set in crown jewels

JOHANNESBURG, May 4 (Reuters) - Some South Africans are calling for Britain to return the world's largest diamond, known as the Star of Africa, which is set in the royal…

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South Africa braces for nationwide protests

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours across the country over public violence ahead…

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South African president to announce cabinet reshuffle on Monday

JOHANNESBURG, March 5 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce changes to the national executive at 7:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday, presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said on…

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Financial crime watchdog adds South Africa, Nigeria to “grey list”

PARIS/JOHANNESBURG, Feb 24 (Reuters) - International financial crime watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday said it was adding South Africa and Nigeria to its so-called "grey list"…

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UPDATED: Russia will not fire hypersonic missile at S.Africa naval exercise

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russia will not fire its new generation "Zircon" hypersonic missile during a joint naval exercise with South Africa and China, a senior Russian naval officer…

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South Africa’s naval exercise with Russia, China raises Western alarm

S.Africa hosting 10-day exercise with Russia, China Govt rejects criticism, says remains neutral on Ukraine Drills have raised alarm among important Western partners JOHANNESBURG, Feb 17 (Reuters) - South Africa…

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South Africa defends planned military drills with Russia and China

South Africa's foreign minister on Monday deflected criticism of joint military drills planned with Russia and China, saying that hosting such exercises with "friends" was the "natural course of relations."…

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Ramaphosa re-elected as leader of South Africa’s ruling party

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 19 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected leader of the governing African National Congress (ANC) at a party leadership contest, an ANC official said…

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South Africa reports first death causally linked to COVID vaccine

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 4 (Reuters) - South Africa's health regulator reported on Thursday a causal link between the death of an individual and Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, the first time such a…

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Police hunt gunmen who fired 137 rounds in Soweto bar shooting

JOHANNESBURG, July 11 (Reuters) - Police are hunting for five attackers who burst into a bar in Soweto, South Africa, and killed 15 customers in a hail of at least…

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South Africa confirms third monkeypox case in tourist from Switzerland

July 11 (Reuters) - South Africa has confirmed a third case of monkeypox, in a 42-year-old male tourist from Switzerland, the health department of the Limpopo province said. The tourist,…

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South Africa shootings in Soweto tavern kills 15

JOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Reuters) - Gunmen armed with rifles and pistols opened fire at people sitting in a tavern in the South African township of Soweto in the early hours…

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UPDATED: South Africa police investigating at least 22 deaths at East London tavern

CAPE TOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - South African authorities are investigating the deaths of at least 22 patrons found inside a popular township tavern close to East London city, provincial…

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Global warming made S.Africa’s recent floods twice as likely -study

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Global warming made the heavy rains behind South Africa's devastating floods last month twice as likely as they would have been if greenhouse gas emissions had never heated the…

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COVID’s new Omicron sub-lineages can dodge immunity from past infection – study

JOHANNESBURG, May 1 (Reuters) - Two new sublineages of the Omicron coronavirus variant can dodge antibodies from earlier infection well enough to trigger a new wave, but are far less able to…

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Dozens still missing as South Africa floods death toll rises to 443

ETHEKWINI, South Africa (Reuters) - Rescuers searched for dozens of people still missing in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province on Sunday after heavy rains in recent days triggered floods and…

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Death toll from South Africa floods close to 400

JOHANNESBURG, April 15 (Reuters) - The death toll from days of flooding on South Africa's east coast rose to 395 on Friday, up from an earlier estimate of 341. This…

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WHO announces 2nd hub for training countries to make COVID vaccines

Feb 23 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it has set up a hub in South Korea to train low- and middle-income countries to produce their own vaccines and therapies, and…

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S.African study suggests Omicron less severe even for unvaccinated

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Unvaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus may be less prone to severe illness and requiring hospital care or dying than was the…

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J&J booster 85% effective against Omicron for 1-2 months -S.African study

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 14 (Reuters) - A Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shot is 85% effective in protecting against being hospitalised by the Omicron variant for 1-2 months after it…

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South African studies suggest Omicron has higher ‘asymptomatic carriage’

South African studies suggest Omicron has higher 'asymptomatic carriage' Preliminary findings from two South African clinical trials suggest the Omicron coronavirus variant has a much higher rate of "asymptomatic carriage"…

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South African hospital sees less serious disease, coming end of Omicron surge

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by…

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Suspect charged with arson after second blaze batters South African parliament

A new blaze broke out on Monday at the complex housing the two chambers of South Africa's national parliament in Cape Town, one day after a devastating fire swept through the buildings.…

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UPDATE – Farewell to ‘our national conscience’ at funeral of South Africa’s Desmond Tutu

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "our moral compass and national conscience" as South Africa bade farewell at a state funeral on Saturday…

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South Africa lifts curfew as it says COVID-19 fourth wave peaks

South Africa has lifted a midnight to 4 a.m. curfew on people's movement with immediate effect, believing the country has passed the peak of its fourth COVID-19 wave driven by…

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Activists hail legacy of South Africa’s Tutu as they pay last respects

CAPE TOWN, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Young activists hailed Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a role model for fighting global injustice as they waited in line on Friday to pay their…

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J&J booster slashes Omicron hospitalizations -S.African study

CAPE TOWN, Dec 30 (Reuters) - A booster dose of Johnson & Johnson Inc's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was 84% effective at preventing hospitalization in South African healthcare workers who became…

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South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero Tutu to lie in state at St.George’s Cathedral

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The body of South Africa's anti-apartheid theologian, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, arrived at Cape Town's St George's Cathedral on Thursday morning, where it will lie in state…

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South Africa study suggests Omicron could displace Delta

Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron could displace the Delta variant of the coronavirus because infection with the new variant boosts immunity to the older one. The study…

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Reaction to the death of South Africa’s Desmond Tutu

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's struggle against white minority rule, died on Sunday aged 90, the presidency said. Following…

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South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has died

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's struggle against white minority rule, has died aged 90, the presidency said on…

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South Africa to roll out COVID-19 boosters immediately

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 24 (Reuters) - South Africa will start offering booster shots of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine from Friday, the health department said in a statement, following its…

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South Africa data suggests Omicron mild, should not be extrapolated – Africa CDC

Dec 23 (Reuters) - Data from South Africa which suggests the Omicron coronavirus variant is 70% to 80% less severe than Delta should not be extrapolated to all countries, the…

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Travel ban on southern Africa ‘inefficient’ but EU states oppose lifting – top official

Brussels is pushing to lift an "inefficient" travel ban on southern African states over the Omicron variant, but European Union nations are reluctant to drop it, the EU's commissioner for…

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UPDATED: South Africa to retain ‘Level 1’ curbs in Omicron fight

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16 (Reuters) - South Africa's National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) has retained its lockdown at 'adjusted level 1', or the lowest of a five-tier system of restrictions, in…

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No Omicron deaths in J&J vaccine study in South Africa, scientist says

No one has died from the Omicron coronavirus variant in a study of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, one of the co-lead investigators of the study said…

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South Africa’s Ramaphosa has COVID-19 but symptoms mild

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, but was showing mild symptoms, the presidency said. "The President started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service…

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New COVID strain hits revival of S.Africa’s international tourist trade

Rushdi Harper's tour company in Cape Town was just starting to recover from a disastrous COVID-19 lockdown that had forced him to sell his house just to keep the business…

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South African doctors see signs omicron is milder than delta

As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr. Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Yet he hasn’t had to send anyone to the hospital. That’s…

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South Africa readies hospitals as Omicron variant drives new COVID-19 wave – Ramaphosa

South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron coronavirus variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.…

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South African official says number of children sick with COVID-19 is not cause for panic

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Higher hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that is driven by the Omicron variant should prompt vigilance…

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Omicron causing sharp rise in new cases in South Africa, as country enters fourth wave

CAPE TOWN, Dec 3 (Reuters) - South Africa is facing an "unprecedented rise" in new COVID-19 cases over a short time due to the Omicron variant, top scientist Michelle Groome…

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UPDATED: South Africa scientists expect milder reinfection, post-vaccination symptoms with Omicron

NAIROBI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - South Africa is seeing an increase in COVID-19 reinfections in patients contracting Omicron in a way that it did not experience with previous variants, a…

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S.Africa faces 4th COVID-19 wave, new variant behind rising infections

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28 (Reuters) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the country faced a fourth wave of COVID-19 within weeks, as the new omicron variant was…

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Doctor who discovered Omicron variant says that symptoms “extremely mild”

The doctor who discovered the Omicron variant said the UK was “panicking unnecessarily” and that the symptoms are “extremely mild”. Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association,…

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WHO names new COVID variant omicron, cautions against travel measures

GENEVA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday classified the B.1.1.529 variant detected in South Africa as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern," saying it may spread…

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Best-selling author Wilbur Smith dies aged 88

International best-selling author Wilbur Smith has died at his home in Cape Town at the age of 88, his publisher has announced. He passed away on Saturday afternoon with his…

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South Africa’s last white president, FW de Klerk, dies in hospital

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 11 (Reuters) - South Africa's last white president Frederik Willem (FW) de Klerk died on Thursday morning at his home in Cape Town, the FW de Klerk Foundation…

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ANC records worst poll result, admits South Africans ‘disappointed’ with the party

PRETORIA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday was nursing a fresh political headache after its worst election result, as local polls showed support…

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