MIDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA: An armed attack Sunday night on Pan African Parliament (PAP) legislators in Midrand, South Africa, has threatened to derail deliberations, with members asking the PAP President Roger Nkodo to put aside the order of business of the day and address the security concerns. The thugs trailed …
Read More »South Africa weighs social media measures to fight fake news
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s state security minister said Sunday the government is considering a move to regulate social media in an effort to curb the proliferation of what he described as “false” information. “The false narrative in the social media, it’s one of the challenges that …
Read More »Telecom giant MTN posts first ever loss
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African telecoms giant MTN said Thursday that it made a $200 million loss in 2016 — the company’s first — after suffering a huge fine in Nigeria and currency challenges in key markets. “MTN Group’s financial results for 2016 reflect the most challenging …
Read More »South African police fire rubber bullets at anti-immigrant march
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South African police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up clashes between local protesters and immigrants in Pretoria on Friday at a march against foreigners. Shops and homes owned by migrants have been looted and torched over the last two …
Read More »South African court rules against govt plan to pull out of ICC
S.African court slaps down bid to leave ICC Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court on Wednesday ordered the government to withdraw its “unconstitutional” bid to pull out of the International Criminal Court, in a boost to the embattled Hague-based institution. The decision was a blow to …
Read More »Africa retail giants Steinhoff, Shoprite shelve merger
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African retail firms Steinhoff International and Shoprite Holdings announced Monday they had scrapped plans to merge their local assets to form the continent’s biggest retailer. The plan announced in December 2016 was geared to create a discount retailer worth over $14 billion to …
Read More »Brazilian wins CAF Super Cup for Onyango’s ‘Brazilians’
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa won the CAF Super Cup at the first attempt Saturday by defeating TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in Pretoria. African champions Sundowns are known as the ‘Brazilians’ and the only goal came from Brazilian centre-back …
Read More »Nations Cup winner Broos, Mancini want South Africa job
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Belgian Hugo Broos, who guided Cameroon to a shock Africa Cup of Nations title 11 days ago, has applied for the vacant post of South Africa coach. His name was among those released Thursday by the South African Football Association (SAFA) for one of …
Read More »Army-worms leave destruction in South Africa
On a South African farm, despair over attack Onderstepoort, South Africa | AFP | Peeling back the maize plant’s leaves reveals a small brown caterpillar — an armyworm that writhes as it burrows into the heart of the crop, producing a sticky dark paste. Eighty percent of the Prinsloo family’s …
Read More »Fistfight in South African parliament as guards eject MPs
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | A brawl broke out in South Africa’s parliament Thursday as guards exchanged punches with opposition lawmakers who shouted down President Jacob Zuma as he tried to deliver his state of the nation address. In chaotic scenes, guards in white shirts forcibly ejected about …
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