Tag Archives: SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Pravin Gordhan, who was sacked late Thursday, is liked and admired by many ordinary South Africans — an unusual achievement for any finance minister. He held onto the purse strings for longer than many analysts expected after he was parachuted into the job in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma has come under fire from both his own party and the opposition over a cabinet reshuffle in which he fired his internationally respected finance minister. Zuma is no stranger to scandal. Here are five of his biggest career controversies: – …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The backlash against South African President Jacob Zuma’s shock reshuffle has intensified pressure on him to resign ahead of the 2019 general election. Here are four of his possible successors: – The negotiator – Cyril Ramaphosa, a 64-year-old veteran with strong anti-apartheid struggle credentials, …

MTN pays $98 million part of Nigerian fine: officials Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | South African telecoms giant MTN has paid nearly $100 million of a $1.7 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM cards in Nigeria, officials said on Friday. “MTN has paid 30 billion naira ($98 million, 92 …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |South African President Jacob Zuma sacked his finance minister and made ten new cabinet appointments late Thursday in a dramatic reshuffle which could split the ruling ANC party. The African National Congress, which led the fight against apartheid and came to power under Nelson Mandela …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The funeral of celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada on Wednesday was transformed into a rally against President Jacob Zuma, who had been barred from the event. The family of the African National Congress (ANC) stalwart, one of Nelson Mandela’s closest colleagues in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, one of Nelson Mandela’s closest colleagues in the struggle against white rule and a fellow Robben Island prisoner, died Tuesday aged 87. Kathrada was among those tried and jailed alongside Mandela in the 1964 Rivonia trial, which …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | Ghanaian referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey was on Monday banned for life by world football’s governing body FIFA for match fixing. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had already slapped a three-month ban on Lamptey after he awarded South Africa a controversial penalty in their 2-1 …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Goalkeeper Mbongeni Mzimela was the unexpected two-goal hero as Platinum Stars of South Africa this weekend booked a CAF Confederation Cup play-offs place. The 31-year-old converted two penalties in a 3-1 victory over Vipers of Uganda that overturned a 1-0 away loss in the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa has formally revoked its controversial decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) following last month’s High Court ruling that such a move would be unconstitutional. Notice of Pretoria’s decision to end the withdrawal process was posted on the UN’s treaty website this …