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South Africa

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#South Africa

308 Articles

Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa Lead to Reported Fatalities

Mozambique announced on Tuesday that five of its citizens lost their lives in what it described as "xenophobic attacks" in South Africa over the weekend, and efforts are currently underway to bring hundreds more home. In contrast, South African police confirmed only two Mozambican nationals had died in the violent events that unfolded in Mossel Bay, a coastal town in the south, marking the first recognized fatalities amid the recent surge in anti-migrant demonstrations. A South African teenager was also reported…

Ghana Repatriates Citizens as Immigration Tensions Rise in South Africa

With tensions simmering in South Africa and protesters demanding tougher action on immigration, Ghana has started flying home its nationals in a move aimed at heading off the threat of xenophobic violence. Ghanaian authorities began repatriating the first group of citizens from South Africa as fears grew over anti-immigrant demonstrations and the possibility of attacks on foreigners. Around 300 people were expected to depart from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, and 800 Ghanaians have registered to return…

Ramaphosa Launches Legal Bid to Halt Impeachment Inquiry

President Cyril Ramaphosa has put the National Assembly on notice: if lawmakers push ahead with an impeachment process over his conduct in the Phala Phala saga, he says he will be “compelled” to ask the Western Cape High Court for an interdict to stop it. The warning revives a controversy that has dogged Ramaphosa since 2022, when an independent panel concluded he might have committed serious misconduct linked to the theft of large sums of cash that had been hidden in a sofa at his private farm. Ramaphosa has repeatedly…

As South Africa Reviews Ban, Omotoso Faces Possible Extradition

In a significant twist to a long-running legal saga, Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi said Home Affairs would lift the five-year entry ban on Nigerian evangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso if the National Prosecuting Authority succeeds in its attempt to appeal his acquittal on sexual offences charges. Omotoso was declared an undesirable person in South Africa and handed a five-year ban in May 2025, after which he left the country voluntarily. The move came on the heels of his acquittal following a seven-year trial on…

HIV Shot Faces South Africa’s Weakened Healthcare Delivery System

South Africa will begin offering the twice-yearly HIV prevention shot lenacapavir (LEN) on June 5, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced, hailing a major step forward in the fight against the virus. For individuals who are HIV-negative, the long-acting injection has proven to be almost completely effective at preventing sexual transmission. But new drugs alone won’t end the epidemic, argue Mitchell Warren, executive director of the international health advocacy group AVAC, and Wawira Nyagah, executive director of…

HRW Urges South Africa to Stop Scapegoating Migrants Amid Xenophobia

After coordinated protests by the anti-immigrant group March and March targeting undocumented migrants in Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban, Human Rights Watch urged South African authorities to act decisively. South Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka said authorities "should intensify efforts to address anti-immigrant sentiments and violence to ensure the safety and protection of at-risk foreign nationals in the country," calling for stronger measures to curb hostility and safeguard…

South Africa’s Ramaphosa Faces Mounting Push for Impeachment

South Africa’s political temperature rose sharply after the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to relaunch impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, reigniting the Phala Phala scandal and placing him under fresh legal and political scrutiny. Ramaphosa has dismissed demands that he step down and says he will fight the process in court. He intends to seek a judicial review of the 2022 Section 89 panel report, which concluded there was preliminary evidence he may have breached the Constitution or engaged…

South African Court Ruling Bars Repeat Asylum Applications

South Africa’s top court has drawn a clear line in the sand: foreign nationals whose asylum bids have already been rejected may not file fresh applications. In its ruling, the Constitutional Court warned that permitting repeat filings without a legal framework to govern them would fuel a “never-ending cycle,” stall deportations, and overwhelm the system with administrative disorder. Leon Schreiber, the minister of home affairs in South Africa’s coalition government, hailed the judgment as a “major victory” against what he…