Page 2 - South Africa

At least 78 dead at abandoned South Africa gold mine, toll expected to rise

Rescuers and volunteers have pulled at least 78 dead miners and more than 160 survivors from an abandoned South African gold mine, where they have languished for over two months during a standoff with authorities who demanded they surrender to police because they were mining illegally. Hundreds are still believed to be trapped on Wednesday and the death toll is expected to rise in a disaster that has focused criticism on the South African government's decision to try to smoke them out by cutting off food and other supplies for a time. Civic groups claim authorities also removed the ropes and pulley systems that the miners used to enter and exit at least one shaft and send down supplies. The groups say the government's weekslong refusal to stage a rescue effectively left scores of miners to die of starvation or dehydration. A rescue is now underway after a court order but only a few miners can be pulled up at a time, and the operation could take 10 days. South African authorities

South African rescuers pull 36 corpses, 82 survivors from illegal gold mine

Hundreds more men and dozens more bodies are still trapped underground. All 82 that have been arrested are facing illegal mining, trespassing and contravention of the Immigration Act charges

Varun Beverages announces Rs 412 cr investment in South African subsidiary

Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL), the leading bottler of PepsiCo, on Thursday announced to invest Rs 412 crore in its South African subsidiary Beverage Company Proprietary (Bevco). Bevco, an existing subsidiary of our VBL, is engaged in the business of manufacturing and distribution of licensed products from PepsiCo and also own-branded non-alcoholic beverages in South Africa. Besides Bevco also has franchise rights from PepsiCo in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. The company has "invested Rs 412.80 crore by subscribing Ordinary Shares of its subsidiary company i.e. The Beverage Company Proprietary Limited, South Africa," VBL said in a regulatory filing. Bevco allotted 19.84 lakh ordinary shares to VBL and this fresh investment will result in an incremental share capital of 2.42 per cent, according to a disclosure by the company. It will also help "Bevco to repay its existing debt and strengthen balance sheet for business growth," BVL added. Promoted by the Jaipuria family, VBL accou

South Africa-India in 2024: 30th anniversary of resumed diplomatic ties

Trade between India and South Africa picked momentum in 2024 after a sluggish spell following the COVID-19 pandemic. The two countries also marked the 30th anniversary of the resumption of their diplomatic ties this year. Bilateral trade totalled USD 19 billion in the year, surpassing the pre-pandemic figure. We hosted several high-profile Invest India events in partnership with local institutions. An India-South Africa Investment Network was formed to drive more connections and conversations among the investment community. We hosted several capacity-building sessions for South African entrepreneurs through India Entrepreneurs Forum," India's Consul General Mahesh Kumar said. With the India Business Forum, representing the 150 Indian companies with a presence in South Africa, we started sector-specific meetings to have more focused engagements with Indian businesses in South Africa," he added. At a seminar, he also urged South African investors to reconsider the need for Western ..

Imports from UAE, S Africa, Switzerland grew in triple digits in Nov

Contraction in merchandise exports in November was led by dip in shipments to the US, the Netherlands, China, and Bangladesh

South Africa holds great tourism potential for Indians: SA minister

South Africa holds immense potential as a as premier travel destination for the Indian market, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said after returning from a recent visit to India. De Lille led a South African delegation on a mission to directly engage with Indian tourism traders, tour operators and associations, business leaders and the media to work in closer collaboration to improve tourists from India to South Africa. This mission was aimed at building relationships through interactions and engagements with tourism trade, captains of industry as well as other relevant stakeholders in the tourism value chain, whilst emphasising tourism as a tool for economic growth, de Lille said as she also commented on showcasing South Africa's tourism offerings during the country's G20 presidency. South Africa took over the presidency of the G20 grouping from Brazil on December 1 this year. India, as a key partner and one of South Africa's most dynamic tourism markets, holds immense potential

Explained: What is de-dollarisation and why Trump warned Brics nations?

Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Brics nations if they push for de-dollarisation and introduce a currency that could challenge the US dollar

Unclear if US law permits Trump's 100% tariff threat on Brics: Ex-RBI Guv

President-elect Donald Trump's warning that BRICS countries will face 100 per cent tariffs if they choose to move away from the US dollar is unclear to what extent he will carry out his threat, as it remains to be seen if the US law permits such an action, former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on Monday. He also said even for BRICS, there are internal differences about bringing out an alternative to the US Dollar. The nine-member group that includes India, Russia, China, and Brazil, moving out of the US currency and having a common one remains a non-starter because of both politics and economics. "Donald Trump has threatened to slap 100 per cent tariffs on imports from countries that try to move out of the dollar. His ire was particularly directed at the BRICS bloc which has been actively talking about developing an alternative to the dollar. Trump is known to bark more than he bites," Subbarao told PTI. BRICS, formed in 2009, is the only major international group of which the

India to provide powerplant control centre to South Africa's Eskom

India will provide South African parastatal electricity supplier Eskom with a Powerplant Control Room simulator to train locals in Eskom's plans to renew and repurpose its power stations across the country, an official has said. The announcement was made on Friday after representatives of a dozen Indian energy companies met Eskom executives on the sidelines of the Urja Matla Energy Conference. The conference was hosted by the Indian Consulate General and the Wits Business School. Harish Kumar, Commercial Representative and Head of Chancery at the Indian Consulate in Johannesburg, said at the meeting that India was ready to help Eskom in renovation and modernisation, equipping them with efficient systems through supercritical and ultra supercritical sets, emission control, and latest technologies in transmission and distribution. "Also, we would be willing to provide a simulator of Powerplant Control Room to train the local manpower of Eskom in the operation of power plants. This ..

2 cubs of cheetah 'Nirva' found dead in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park

Despite these setbacks, there has been some success in breeding, with 17 cubs born in India and 12 of them surviving, bringing the current cheetah population in Kuno, including cubs, to 24

S Africa prez announces measures to address rise in food poisoning deaths

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced stringent steps to control the increasing number of child deaths due to food poisoning from illegal pesticides across the country. Across the country, there has been a rise in reported cases of food-borne illnesses and deaths. A number of people are becoming severely ill and even dying after eating contaminated food. It has been found that some of the food items would have been purchased from spaza shops and street vendors, Ramaphosa said in a nationally televised address on Thursday. His address followed national outcries and attacks in townships on spaza shops by local residents. Spaza' shops are the name given to small, informal, mostly unlicensed shops, operated by foreign nationals in townships, largely by Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Somali and Ethiopian migrants. Some have been blamed for selling expired foods, with videos widely circulating of how brand name products were also faked by printing labels and packaging them with .

Odisha's Trishna Ray wins Miss Teen Universe 2024 held in South Africa

Trishna Ray, a KIIT University student, won the title of Miss Teen Universe 2024 in South Africa. Her institute shared a post about the news of her victory 'making Odisha and India proud'

COP29: India, other developing nations demand fair climate finance pledges

India, as part of the Like-Minded Developing Countries bloc, stood firm in calling for equitable financial support from developed nations at the ongoing COP29 climate negotiations, multiple sources from the grouping said here. Concerns were also raised that nearly 69 per cent of reported finance came in the form of loans adding burdens on the already vulnerable countries. At the annual climate talks, India negotiates in key groupings such as the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs), G77 and China, and BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China), where it aligns with other developing nations to advocate for climate finance, equity, and technology transfer. On Tuesday, G77 and China -- the largest bloc representing around 130 countries at the UN climate talks -- rejected the draft text of a framework for negotiating a new climate finance goal. The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is the central issue at this year's climate summit, the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to

South Africa launches scheme for faster visa processing for Indian tourists

South Africa is setting its sights on increasing the number of Indian visitors from 16,000 to 100,000 by the end of the year

S Africa launches scheme to woo tourists from India, China to boost jobs

South Africa has launched an innovative new scheme to increase tourism, especially from India and China, inviting tour operators from those two countries to join their local counterparts in signing up to the scheme. Two months after Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, conceptualised the concept, his Department on Tuesday announced the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), which is aimed at enhancing job creation that flows from increased tourism. This followed discussion with the tourism ministry and the tourism sector in the country to find ways of eliminating visa inefficiency and red tape which had throttled South Africa's ability to attract more tourists from these two burgeoning source markets. To resolve bottlenecks and reposition Home Affairs as an economic enabler, the Department has today gazetted a call for expression of interest by established tour operators from South Africa and abroad who wish to sign up to the scheme to bring more tourists from China and India

S Africa submits legal claim to UN court which accuses Israel of genocide

The South African legal team delivered a nearly 5,000-page document to the United Nations' top court on Monday, the latest step in a case the country brought accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The document, which the International Court of Justice will not make public until a later stage in the proceedings, puts forth the main case that Israel has a special intent to commit genocide, according to a statement from South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa. Israel has fiercely denied the allegations. The government called the case blood libel when South Africa launched the complaint in Dec. 2023. On Monday a court official at the ICJ confirmed that they had received the document. The filing takes place as the Israeli military has called on Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where it has been waging a large offensive for more than three weeks. The U.N. said earlier this month at least 400,000 people are still in northern Gaza and hunger is rampant

ArcelorMittal SA rejects 19 bn rand buyout offer of Networth Investments

ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has rejected a 19-billion rand buyout offer by local firm Networth Investments. Networth had planned to transform the country's struggling steel industry with green technology and more profitable stainless-steel production based on models in India. Networth CEO Harold Vermaak told the daily Business Report that his company had put in an offer to buy out ArcelorMittal Group's 60 per cent shareholding in AMSA, and around 2 per cent of AMSA's shares held by other foreign investors, in a leveraged buyout. However, a spokesperson of ArcelorMittal told the daily, "the correspondence (it had received from Networth Investments) does not reflect a firm or a bona fide offer. There is, therefore, no offer to be considered". Vermaak said that the strategy was to convert AMSA over time so that it ceases to produce low-value-priced products, and rather produces higher value products such as stainless steel. He said he had planned to fund the proposed capital ..

South Africa amends guidelines to allow genetically modified children

Heritable human genome editing has long been hotly contested, in large part because of its societal and eugenic implications

South Africa plans to ease visa rules for from India, China tourists

Travelers from many Western nations including the US and UK don't need visas for short visits to South Africa. Tourists from India and China require authorization before they travel

Taiwan again rejects South African demand to move its representative office

Taiwan has again rejected South Africa's demand that it move its representative office in the country from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said at a news conference on Tuesday that the demand to move or shut the office entirely violated a 1997 agreement between the sides on the location of their mutual representative offices following the severing of formal diplomatic relations. Facing this kind of unreasonable demand, our side cannot grant our acceptance, Liu said. South Africa maintains a liaison office in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, and the sides have a strong commercial relationship. Liu repeated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's avowal at the legislature on Monday that Taiwan was prepared for all eventualities over the issue. The office is Taiwanese property and Taipei retains the right to determine its location and status, Lin and Liu said. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory that must be