Southern Africa

Leaders of the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – converged on Johannesburg on Tuesday for a summit where they will weigh expanding the bloc as some members push to forge it into a counterweight to the West, Reuters reported. Heightened global tensions provoked by the …

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again declared that his country will not be drawn into global power dynamics, local media reported. Mr Ramaphosa’s televised address came ahead of the meeting of the Brics nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – in Johannesburg on Tuesday. “We …

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet African heads of state on the sidelines of the BRICS summit next week “to advance China-Africa cooperation in the new era”, Reuters reported, citing China’s ambassador to South Africa. “The meeting will take place late on Thursday, the last day of the three-day summit,” …

Seven political parties in South Africa has signed a pact in a bid to unseat the governing African National Congress (ANC) in the 2024 election, the BBC reported. The Multi-Party Charter for South Africa said if they came to power, they would work together and allocate ministerial positions and parliamentary …

Police in Zimbabwe have arrested 40 members of an opposition coalition who were campaigning ahead of elections next week, local media reported. They were detained in the Glenview suburb of the capital, Harare, on Tuesday. Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said that Gladmore Hakata, the party’s Glenview …

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday told Zimbabweans that they would be lost if they failed to re-elect him, in a clarion call for them to vote for him in the upcoming election. Mr Mnangagwa also told his supporters that they would suffer if they voted for the opposition, whom …

An opposition supporter in Zimbabwe has been killed while travelling to an election rally, according to the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), local media reported. The death comes during an increasingly contentious and violent campaign period. CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said Tinashe Chitsunge was among a group of …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Johannesburg to attend a summit of the BRICS group of nations this month, the Indian government said on Thursday. BRICS’ current five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are due to convene there on Aug. 22-24. China and …

South African former President Jacob Zuma has returned from Russia where he has been receiving medical treatment. “The check-up and observations went well,” his foundation said in a statement. His trip came after he lost a case last month at the Constitutional Court, where he had tried to overturn a …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered a helicopter to the President of Zimbabwe, the country’s government announced on Thursday, as the Russian leader seeks support from African leaders meeting in St Petersburg. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is among African leaders taking part in the two-day Russia-Africa summit. Today I met …