South Africa

Economics

Energy

Politics

Changes announced by South African Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa regarding the unbundling of state-owned utility company Eskom are facing mounting opposition from within South Africa's business community and parts of government, including the National Treasury, News24 reported on Jan. 26.

South Africa: Controversy Mounts Over Watering Down of Eskom Unbundling Plans

United States

Iran

Military & Security

Military officials did not inform the South African government of Iran's inclusion in the BRICS+ "Will for Peace" naval drills held on Jan. 9-16 before Iranian outlet Tehran Times broke the news in late December 2025, News24 reported on Jan. 21 based on South African government sources.

South Africa: Government Allegedly Left in the Dark Over Iran's Participation in BRICS+ Naval Drills

China

Russia

South Africa is scheduled to host the BRICS+ "Will for Peace" naval military exercises off the coast of Simons Town's naval base in the company of Chinese, Russian and Iranian vessels on Jan. 9-16, The Independent Online reported on Jan. 9.

South Africa: Pretoria's BRICS+ Naval Drills With Iran Set To Draw Trump's Ire

South African trade minister Parks Tau amended the country's anti-trust rules to allow companies operating in "industries in distress" to jointly negotiate the purchase of power as well as collaborate on backup energy generation capacity and alternative energy supply, News24 reported on Jan. 7.

South Africa: Government Amends Anti-Trust Laws To Ease High Power Costs for Distressed Sectors

Spokesperson for South Africa's presidency Vincent Magwenya said the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry's interim report, which is due by Dec. 17, would not be made public because some witnesses had not finished their testimonies or forwarded all of their evidence, the South African Broadcasting Corp. reported on Dec. 14. 

South Africa: Presidency Announces Interim Madlanga Commission of Inquiry Report Will Not Be Made Public 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya

Nigeria

The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, Reuters reported on Dec. 11.

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

South Africa oversaw the adoption of a political declaration at the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg that acknowledges the need to increase access to climate finance and ease financing costs for developing countries, despite U.S. opposition to such a move, Reuters reported Nov. 23.

South Africa: G20 Adopts Declaration Despite U.S. Opposition  

Europe

South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union on the formation of a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership, or CTIP, and another on the development of critical mineral supply chains, Daily Maverick reported Nov. 21.

South Africa: Pretoria Strikes Clean Trade and Energy Partnership, MoU on Critical Minerals With EU

Assessments

Chile

France

Ukraine

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.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

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

Angola

Japan

South Korea

United Kingdom

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

Columns

On Security

Madagascar

Ecuador

Peru

Jordan

Lebanon

Morocco

Tunisia

Turkey

Indonesia

Philippines

Thailand

Serbia

Bangladesh

Nepal

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

Media

Podcasts

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

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Poland

Global Trade

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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

Taiwan

Portugal

Romania

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

Germany

A list of countries facing reciprocal tariffs on display April 2 at the White House.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: The Escalating Global Trade War, South Africa's Coalition Government on the Brink

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at a briefing at his African National Congress (ANC) party's headquarters in Johannesburg on May 13, 2024.

Social Issues

South Africa will struggle to meet Trump's demands for major foreign and domestic policy changes, which will risk exposing the country to disruptive U.S. economic retaliation, including entity-based sanctions.

Trump Turns Up the Heat on South Africa

The Reichstag on Jan. 22 in Berlin. The center-right alliance between the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, is widely expected to emerge as the largest bloc in the Bundestag after the Feb. 23 general election and lead the next coalition government.

The Weekly Rundown: German Elections, Macron and Starmer Meet Trump

The Geopolitics of Water

While government reforms will help catalyze much-needed investments in water infrastructure, these are unlikely to rapidly resolve the country's water supply challenges, which threaten to undermine South Africa's economic growth amid more frequent droughts. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Cascading Effects of South African Underinvestment in Water Infrastructure

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: Controversy Mounts Over Watering Down of Eskom Unbundling Plans

South Africa: Government Allegedly Left in the Dark Over Iran's Participation in BRICS+ Naval Drills

South Africa: Pretoria's BRICS+ Naval Drills With Iran Set To Draw Trump's Ire

South Africa: Government Amends Anti-Trust Laws To Ease High Power Costs for Distressed Sectors

South Africa: Presidency Announces Interim Madlanga Commission of Inquiry Report Will Not Be Made Public

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

South Africa: G20 Adopts Declaration Despite U.S. Opposition

South Africa: Pretoria Strikes Clean Trade and Energy Partnership, MoU on Critical Minerals With EU

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