South Africa

Economics

Energy

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa endorsed a report from the Eskom Restructuring Task Team outlining plans to establish an independent Transmission System Operator, or TSO, and to strengthen the independence of the state-owned National Transmission Company of South Africa from Eskom, Engineering News reported on July 31. 

South Africa: Government Advancing Power Sector Reforms Agenda

Politics

The Western Cape High Court issued a ruling temporarily interdicting the South African parliament from pressing ahead with its impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa's actions surrounding the Phala Phala scandal, Daily Maverick reported on July 24.

South Africa: Ramaphosa Wins Impeachment Interdictment Bid in Phala Phala Scandal

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry's deadline to submit its final report from Aug. 31 to Nov. 16, the South African Presidency said in a July 9 statement.

South Africa: Ramaphosa Delays Madlanga Report Deadline to November

Military & Security

Social Issues

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in anti-migration demonstrations June 30 across South Africa, following an informal deadline set by anti-immigration groups for employers to terminate the employment of undocumented foreign nationals by that date, RFI reported July 1.

South Africa: Migrant Homes and Businesses Targeted in Anti-Migration Marches, Over 900 Arrested

United States

U.S. multinational oil and gas company ExxonMobil signed a preliminary agreement to supply liquefied natural gas to the planned Zululand Energy Terminal, or ZET, in Richards Bay, South Africa, Reuters reported on June 17.

South Africa: ExxonMobil LNG Supply Deal Unlikely To Result in Thaw With Trump Administration

Anti-immigration activists in South Africa rejected the government's June 7 pledges to crack down on illegal immigration as insufficient and held broadly peaceful protests in Ekurhuleni, during which they warned businesses across the country to end the employment of all foreign nationals by June 30, Daily Maverick reported on June 8.

South Africa: Anti-Immigration Activists Reject Ramaphosa's Pledge To Crack Down on Illegal Immigration

The impeachment committee tasked with leading an inquiry into South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala scandal held its first meeting on June 1, during which it elected the chief whip of the Rise Mzansi party, Makashule Gana, as the committee's chairperson, Eyewitness News reported on the same day.

South Africa: Impeachment Committee for Ramaphosa Holds First Meeting, Elects Chairperson

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked the Western Cape High Court to set aside the Section 89 panel report, which advised that he face an impeachment inquiry surrounding his actions following a robbery at his Phala Phala farm, on several legal grounds, News24 reported on May 27.

South Africa: Ramaphosa Requests Dismissal of Impeachment Report, Vows To Block Proceedings

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(From left to right) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend a plenary session at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 24, 2024.

The bloc's push to develop an independent payment system for trade will not immediately undermine the U.S. dollar's global dominance, though it could reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.

The Implications of an Independent BRICS Payment System

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Vessels at anchorage June 18 in Bandar Abbas, Iran, along the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed June 17 is highly likely to remain in effect over the coming week, and negotiations toward a final deal will begin.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Iranian Talks, Colombia's Presidential Runoff

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech on April 18, 2026.

Ramaphosa will likely attempt to delay his upcoming impeachment process to facilitate the rise of a reformist ANC successor, though he still may preemptively resign, which would likely result in the collapse of South Africa's coalition government.

South Africa's Top Court Shows Ramaphosa the End of the Road

A general view of power lines near the Lethabo power station between Vereeniging and Sasolburg, South Africa, on April 17, 2024.

Environment, Science & Technology

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Although South Africa's power sector reforms remain years from completion, their gradual advancement will still attract investment in energy projects that support the country's long-term energy security and decarbonization goals.

The Outlook for South Africa's Power Sector Reforms and Energy Security

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The Ukrainian flag is projected on the facade of Berlaymont, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels on Nov. 18 to commemorate the Nov. 18, 2024, Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Weekly Rundown: A European Council Decision on Ukraine Financing, South Africa Braces for Commission Findings

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Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

The Weekly Rundown: A High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

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Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025, after youth protesters set fire to the building. 

Recent events in Nepal, Madagascar and elsewhere show how digitally coordinated, leaderless protests can succeed, but eventually face even larger challenges in sustaining the momentum for change.

Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success

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What does the country's latest corruption scandal mean for President Cyril Ramaphosa and South African politics? 

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for South Africa's Coalition Government

 The European Union and China will hold a high-level leaders' summit July 24 in Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese-EU diplomatic relations.

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-China Summit, South Africa's Budget Vote

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The Weekly Rundown: A U.S. Tariff Ruling, Israel's Opposition Seeks To Dissolve the Knesset

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21 during an official trip to the United States.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's U.S. Reset, Three European Elections

Snapshots

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen holds a press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Jan. 28, 2025.

Rising tensions between the ruling ANC and its key coalition partner over the 2025 budget are raising the risk of a coalition breakdown, which would threaten policy paralysis and a marked depreciation of the rand.

What the Democratic Alliance's Exit From Government Would Mean for South Africa

At the tip of the African continent lies South Africa. The country borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and also surrounds Lesotho and much of Swaziland. South Africa's current borders were consolidated by the British in 1910 as the Union of South Africa, following the Boer Wars between the United Kingdom and Dutch settlers.    The Drakensberg and Karoo mountains rim the coastlines, separating a dry interior from a coastal region, which captures the majority of the country's rainfall.    Two key factors distinguish South Africa from much of the rest of the continent. The country has a malaria-free climate, which attracted European settlers. It also has abundant mineral resources — including gold, diamonds, coal and platinum — in the north-central interior.    This mining area is the geographic core of South Africa — encompassing the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and adjoining parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Free State provinces. This core is connected by road and rail to a series of ports — from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, to Durban and Richards Bay — that carry goods and resources to and from Gauteng.    The wealth generated there underwrites financial, agricultural, industrial and manufacturing activity in other parts of South Africa.    South Africa's geographic challenge is to protect the extraction of natural resources in its interior while striving to maintain sufficient employment. It must then find ways to disperse enough wealth to appease its populations in the Gauteng and peripheral zones of the country.

SITUATION REPORTS

South Africa: Government Advancing Power Sector Reforms Agenda

South Africa: Ramaphosa Wins Impeachment Interdictment Bid in Phala Phala Scandal

South Africa: Ramaphosa Delays Madlanga Report Deadline to November

South Africa: Migrant Homes and Businesses Targeted in Anti-Migration Marches, Over 900 Arrested

South Africa: ExxonMobil LNG Supply Deal Unlikely To Result in Thaw With Trump Administration

South Africa: Anti-Immigration Activists Reject Ramaphosa's Pledge To Crack Down on Illegal Immigration

South Africa: Impeachment Committee for Ramaphosa Holds First Meeting, Elects Chairperson

South Africa: Ramaphosa Requests Dismissal of Impeachment Report, Vows To Block Proceedings

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