South Africa

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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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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ANC hopes to avert worst post-apartheid result in South Africa local vote

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - South Africans voted in municipal elections on Monday, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) hoping to avert its worst result since the end of…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Saronsberg, South Africa

Riders cross a huge field during Stage 3 of the 2021 Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race over 91km including 2,100m of climbing, near Saronsberg, South Africa, 20 October 2021.…

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New Covid-19 variant identified in South Africa

While much of the world’s focus has been on the Delta variant of coronavirus, a new variant has been identified in South Africa. Currently referred to as the C.1.2 variant, it is…

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South Africa detects new coronavirus variant, still studying its mutations

South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines…

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UPDATED: South Africa’s Zuma admitted to hospital from prison

South Africa's jailed former president, Jacob Zuma, was admitted to hospital for medical observation on Friday, the government's Correctional Services department said. Zuma has been held at Estcourt prison in…

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South Africa rhino poaching returns after pandemic-induced lull

Rhino poaching in South Africa rose by 50% in the first half of 2021 compared to a year earlier when poaching plummeted due to COVID-19 restrictions, the environment ministry said…

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South Africa lifts some coronavirus restrictions after cases drop

South Africa lifted restrictions on the sale of alcohol on weekdays and the movement of people between provinces as President Cyril Ramaphosa said a third wave of the coronavirus may…

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UPDATED: Cyber attack disrupts South African container terminals

A cyber attack disrupted container operations at the South African port of Cape Town, an email seen by Reuters on Thursday said. Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa,…

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South African court grants delay in Zuma’s arms deal corruption trial

A South African court granted former President Jacob Zuma's request for a delay in his arms deal corruption trial on Tuesday, and adjourned proceedings for three weeks. Zuma is accused of receiving…

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South Africa looting dies down in places as more troops expected

A week of violence that has engulfed South Africa slowly began to ebb on Thursday, and people counted the cost of an orgy of arson and looting that has destroyed…

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Citizens arm themselves as looting, unrest rock South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he might order more troops onto the streets as the army and police struggled to quell days of looting and violence, while some…

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Violence spreads in South Africa as grievances boil over

Protesters clashed with police in several areas of South Africa and looters ransacked shopping malls on Tuesday as frustrations over poverty and inequality boiled over into the country's worst unrest…

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South Africa to deploy army to quell violence as ex-leader Zuma faces court

South Africa will deploy soldiers to quell violence that erupted in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma's jailing, the military said on Monday, after days of riots and looting…

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South Africa extends tight COVID-19 restrictions for another 14 days

South Africa extended tight COVID-19 rules on Sunday for another 14 days, maintaining restrictions that include a ban on gatherings, a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and a…

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Violence spreads to South Africa’s economic hub of Johannesburg in wake of Zuma jailing

Shops were looted overnight, a section of the M2 highway was closed and stick-wielding protesters marched through the streets of Johannesburg on Sunday, as sporadic acts of violence following the…

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JPMorgan finds five emerging economies among most vulnerable to Delta variant

Economies of the Philippines, Peru, Colombia, South Africa and Thailand are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 Delta variant within emerging markets, mostly due to low vaccination rates, a…

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South Africa’s Zuma hands himself over to police to begin sentence

South African former President Jacob Zuma turned himself in to police to begin 15 months in jail for contempt of court, the culmination of a long legal drama seen as…

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Delta COVID-19 variant starting to dominate in South Africa, scientists say

New coronavirus infections in South Africa appear to be dominated by the Delta variant that was first identified in India, scientists said as a third wave sweeps the hard-hit African…

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South African health inspectors will not release unsuitable J&J vaccines

South African health inspectors on Sunday said they will not release Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines that may have been contaminated during production at a U.S. plant. The South African…

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Heritage dispute engulfs site chosen for Amazon’s new African HQ

For the Khoi and San - South Africa's first inhabitants - a verdant patch of land in Cape Town embodies victory and tragedy. The two communities drove back cattle-raiding Portuguese…

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South Africa extends nightly curfew as COVID cases surge

South Africa has extended its nightly curfew and limited the number of people at gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19 as positive cases surge, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced. The…

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South Africa to push for military action against Mozambique insurgents

South Africa will press for urgent military action by regional body SADC to quell an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique threatening to destabilize neighbouring countries, the foreign minister said. It will…

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South Africa remains a nation of insiders and outsiders, 27 years after democracy

Twenty seven years into democracy, South African politics is still for the few. And those who complain the most have the least to grumble about. Since South Africa is highly…

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Photo Story: Fire at University of Cape Town

Fire fighters battle a blaze that destroyed the nearly 200-year-old Jagger Library on the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus in Cape Town, South Africa. A bushfire on the slopes…

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South Africa plans to vaccinate 200,000 people daily against COVID-19 – report

South Africa plans to administer coronavirus vaccines to up to 200,000 people a day beginning around May, the Sunday Times newspaper said on Sunday, citing Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. According…

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Portugal to quarantine travellers from South Africa via other countries

Portugal said that passengers arriving from South Africa via a stopover in another country must also quarantine for 14 days and present a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before…

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Pfizer study another worry for South Africa’s vaccine rollout

Johannesburg: Scientists will meet on Thursday to advise South Africa's government on its next steps after a study suggested the dominant local coronavirus variant may reduce protective antibodies from Pfizer's…

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Malta: Covid-19: South African variant detected in Malta

Malta has recorded its first case of the South African variant of coronavirus, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne has confirmed. Replying to questions on Tuesday following a…

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Pfizer says it could directly deliver COVID-19 vaccine to points of vaccination in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said it could deliver its COVID-19 vaccine, which requires ultra-cold temperatures for storage and distribution, directly to points of vaccination in South Africa.…

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South Africa says selling AstraZeneca doses is an option

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) - South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday that selling the AstraZeneca vaccine doses the country had bought was an option and that it…

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UK says AstraZeneca vaccine prevents death as South Africa decision raises questions about it

The Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine prevents death and serious illness and is effective against the main variants of the virus in the United Kingdom, though people may have to have a…

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S.Africa suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine after trial showing limited protection

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 7 (Reuters) - South Africa will suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in its immunisation programme while scientists advise on the best way to proceed, Health Minister Zweli…

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Photo Story: Rehabilitation of 1700 Cape Cormorant chicks, South Africa

Volunteers assist an abandoned Cape Cormorant chick during rehabilitation at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coast Birds (SANCCOB) in Cape Town, South Africa, on 27 January 2021.…

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South Africa bracing for third wave of coronavirus, even a fourth

South Africa is struggling to contain a second wave of Covid-19 infections, fuelled by a virulent new local variant of the virus, “Covid fatigue” and a series of “super-spreader” events.…

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UPDATED: South African Covid variant could be resistant to vaccine

Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV's political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified…

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South Africa’s total COVID-19 cases cross 1 million mark

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 27 (Reuters) - South Africa's total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday, its Health Ministry said, just days after a new…

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Photo Story: Christmas lights in Johannesburg

People walk by lights during the annual Festival Of Lights at the Waler Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Johannesburg, South Africa. The gardens show off their Christmas lights annually even during…

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England bans travel from South Africa after two cases of ‘more transmissible’ variant

England has banned travel from South Africa after two cases of a new "more transmissible" COVID-19 variant linked to the country were found in the UK. Health Secretary Matt Hancock…

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South Africa urges quarantine after ‘super-spreader’ student parties

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa on Sunday urged school students who attended a series of end-of-year “Rage” parties to enter 10 days of quarantine after identifying four such parties…

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Start in South Africa of a single handed Trans-Atlantic rowing attempt

South African rower Zirk Botha starts his single handed Trans-Atlantic crossing from Cape Town, South Africa, 05 December 2020. Former South African Naval officer, 59-year-old Zirk Botha, now working in…

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Copper theft cripples South Africa’s railways, leaving commuters waiting

Hloni Doporo stands on a platform in Soweto's Orlando Station, waiting for a train that may never come because thieves have stripped away most of the power cables. When South…

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Photo Story: Johannesburg lights up for Christmas

People next to a recently erected Christmas Lights at the annual lights festival at the Melrose Arch shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa. The lights are a tourist attraction as…

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Photo Story: Sticking out in Soweto

Pedestrians walk under a huge retired Shackleton aircraft that has been placed on top of a petrol station near Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. The Avro Shackleton was a British long-range…

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South Africa to reopen borders

South Africa will reopen its borders to all African countries from today while barring tourists from around 50 nations with high infection rates, including Britain, France, India, Russia and the…

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South Africa reimposes curfew as coronavirus cases spike

South Africa will reimpose a ban on the sale of alcohol and a night-time curfew to reduce pressure on its hospitals as coronavirus infections rise rapidly, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced.…

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Mandela’s daughter Zindzi dies in South Africa

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela has died aged 59, local media reported Monday. She was ambassador to Denmark at the time of…

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Five killed, 40 arrested after hostage situation involving 200 people in South Africa church

Five people were killed in an attack on a church west of Johannesburg in the early hours of Saturday, South African police said, with some of the attackers taking hostages…

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South Africa confirms a record one-day case increase

South Africa has confirmed a record 24-hour case increase of 13,674. Africa’s most developed country is now a hot spot in the global pandemic with 238,339 total confirmed cases. Gauteng…

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South Africa reports record daily infections

South Africa has announced another record daily number of confirmed coronavirus cases with 9,064, as Africa’s most developed country shows signs of strain in coping with the pandemic. Thirty percent…

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South Africa’s surge of virus cases expected to rise rapidly

South Africa’s current surge of COVID-19 cases is expected to dramatically increase in the coming weeks and press the country’s hospitals to the limit, the health minister said Sunday night.…

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South Africa consults with industry on nuclear power plans

South Africa’s energy ministry began consultations with industry on preparations for a proposed 2,500 megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant building programme, which has faced opposition from environmental campaigners. South Africa…

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South Africa sees record rise in coronavirus cases

South Africa has recorded 3,267 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, the biggest increase since the pandemic hit the country. Africa’s biggest industrial power now has a total of 40,792 infections,…

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South Africa’s virus cases jump past 5,000

The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa surged past the 5,000 mark on Thursday after it saw the largest single-day jump to date, health ministry figures showed. A total…

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Photo Story: Coronavirus situation in South Africa

Members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) patrol the Denver Mens Hostile during a joint South African Police Services (SAPS) and SANDF patrol on day 31 of the…

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