Cyril Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Nov. 28 called on countries to "immediately and urgently" reverse scientifically "unjustified" travel bans linked to the discovery of the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

In an attempt to suppress the violence, the South African authorities deployed the army on the streets of the cities where the fiercest riots were recorded, but despite that, shops and apartment buildings were set on fire during the day.

The WHO is setting up a hub in South Africa to give companies from poor and middle-income countries the know-how and licenses to produce COVID-19 vaccines, in what President Cyril Ramaphosa called a historic step to spread lifesaving technology.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on May 30 that South Africa would re-impose stricter measures against Covid-19 fearing the whole country will soon face a third wave of the pandemic.

Four of the nation's nine provinces, including Gauteng which boasts Johannesburg and Pretoria and has the biggest population, are already battling a third wave of infections, Ramaphosa said.

Europe passed the grim milestone of one million coronavirus deaths on April 12, as the World Health Organization warned that infections are rising exponentially despite widespread efforts aimed at stopping them.

The death toll across Europe's 52 countries, compiled by AFP from official sources, totalled at least 1,000,288 by 1830 GMT.

South Africa's announcement that it will open up electricity generation to other players, effectively breaking Eskom's monopoly, has been welcomed by many, especially the mining industry, a key sector in Africa's most industrialized economy.

South Africa, whose debt is rated as "junk" or non-investment grade by credit rating agencies Fitch and S&P, has escaped a third junk rating from Moody's which suggested the country's economic outlook was set to improve under its new President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Jacob Zuma resigned as President of South Africa on Wednesday, heeding orders by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to bring an end to his nine scandal-plagued years in power, Reuters reported. 

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has formally asked President Jacob Zuma to resign after he refused to do so earlier, reports say, quoted by BBC.

The reported decision to "recall" him followed marathon talks by senior party officials that continued into the early hours of Tuesday.

Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of South Africa’s governing ANC party, said yesterday he aims to stamp out corruption and pursue a policy of “radical economic transformation” that will speed up expropriation of land without compensation.