All articles tagged with #south africa
The Trump administration expands refugee access for White South Africans, a policy change announced during a White House meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, signaling a broader shift in U.S. refugee policy.
A South African group led by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases identified hantavirus as the cause of illnesses aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius within 24 hours, after rapidly ruling out Legionella, bird flu and influenza, with international help from hantavirus experts via the WHO.
South African Gaza flotilla activists allege they were shocked with electricity during detention in Israel after their boats were intercepted; others, including Irish nationals, have returned home as the incident underscores ongoing tensions and allegations of mistreatment surrounding Gaza flotilla interceptions.
Kira Meyer, a 12-year-old South African figure skater, died after suffering a brain injury in an electric scooter accident on May 10 and was brain dead after six days in the ICU; a memorial service was planned in Pretoria.
The United States will raise the number of white South Africans admitted as refugees this year from about 7,500 to 17,500, citing an 'emergency refugee situation' and estimating a $100 million cost to resettle the extra 10,000. The move comes amid tensions with South Africa’s government and past Trump-era rhetoric; it follows a broader shift in refugee policy that paused others from war zones. The report notes apartheid-era inequalities, current unemployment disparities, and the white-genocide conspiracy still amplified by some figures, including Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will legally challenge the report that could trigger impeachment over the Phala Phala cash theft and will not resign, after the Constitutional Court ruled parliament acted unconstitutionally in the prior attempt and Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing.
South Africa’s Parliament will form an impeachment committee to investigate President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Farmgate scandal after a Constitutional Court ruling revived impeachment proceedings; the panel will review evidence about a $4 million cash stash found at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and decide whether to pursue formal proceedings, a process expected to take months. Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing and plans to challenge an independent panel’s preliminary finding; even if findings are negative, removal would require a two‑thirds vote in the National Assembly, and the ANC faces internal debate as it navigates a reduced majority.
South African authorities euthanised a large crocodile and retrieved a Portuguese businessman’s remains from its stomach, confirming the victim as Gabriel Batista, 59, who disappeared after his vehicle was swept away while crossing a partially submerged bridge over the Komati River. The crocodile, about 600 kg and five metres long, was airlifted for examination and its stomach also contained several clothing items; identity was confirmed by DNA analysis as the investigation continues.
South Africa’s police captain Johan Potgieter was lowered from a helicopter into the crocodile-infested Komati River to recover the body of a businessman swept away by floods; after police shot a suspect crocodile, the team tied it and Potgieter found remains inside, with DNA tests to confirm identity. The operation, deemed highly dangerous, aimed to give the family closure.
A missing 59-year-old South African businessman, Gabriel Batista, who was swept into floodwaters, was found inside a crocodile that police shot and airlifted; a necropsy confirmed human remains inside (identified by Batista’s ring), and six other pairs of shoes recovered from the crocodile have raised concerns about additional victims and possible further crocodiles in the area.
Rescuers in flood‑ravaged South Africa recovered the remains of Gabriel Batista, 59, from inside a swollen 15‑foot crocodile caught in the Komati River; the giant animal—over 1,000 pounds—was killed and dissected to reveal body parts and a ring, while six pairs of shoes were found in its stomach as DNA testing continues and investigators pursue missing‑person links.
South African police recovered the missing businessman’s remains after an officer was lowered from a helicopter into a crocodile-infested Komati River; the crocodile suspected of eating him was killed, remains were found in its intestines, DNA tests will confirm identity, and six different shoes were also recovered.
Three people have died on the Atlantic cruise ship MV Hondius amid a hantavirus outbreak; the WHO says one laboratory-confirmed case and five additional suspected cases are among six affected, with a patient in intensive care in South Africa. The agency is coordinating medical evacuations and a full risk assessment with affected states as the ship travels toward Cape Verde.
South Africa’s police, led by Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter, were forced to lower a diver from a helicopter into a crocodile-infested Komati River in a bid to find a businessman swept away by floods. The massive crocodile believed to have eaten the missing man was killed, and remains and six different types of footwear were recovered from its intestines; DNA testing will confirm whether the remains belong to the victim.
Hundreds of South Africans marched in Johannesburg to protest illegal migration as shops closed amid fears of looting.