South Africa

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Economics

Politics

South African lawmakers voted to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel and shut the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria until Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reach a cease-fire in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported on Nov. 21.

South Africa: Lawmakers Voted to Suspend Diplomatic Ties With Israel

South Africa's ruling African National Congress party said it would back a motion by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters calling for the closure of the Israeli Embassy in South Africa due to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Reuters reported on Nov. 16.

South Africa: Ruling Party Backs Motion to Close Israeli Embassy

Energy

South Africa’s state-owned electricity utility Eskom reported a 23.9 billion rand (about $1.2 billion) annual loss in the 12 months through March 2023, up from an 11.9 billion rand loss in the same period the previous year, Bloomberg reported Oct. 31.

South Africa: Eskom Reports $1.2 Billion Annual Loss

Zimbabwe

Census data from South Africa shows that 1.01 million Zimbabweans lived in South Africa in 2022, up from 672,308 in 2011 at an average annual increase of almost 31,000, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 14.

Zimbabwe: Worker Migration Numbers Rise as Economy Struggles

Ethiopia

Argentina

Brazil

Egypt

Iran

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

China

Russia

India

Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will join the BRICS trade bloc on Jan. 1, 2024, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 24.

Global: BRICS' Growth Will Attract Funds, Division

A group of seven South African opposition parties signed the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa, which stipulates that the parties will form a coalition government should they collectively win a majority in the 2024 parliamentary elections, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 18.

South Africa: Seven Opposition Parties Form Coalition to Unseat ANC

Military & Security

Former South African President Jacob Zuma returned to prison the morning of Aug. 11 to complete his sentence for a contempt of court charge, but he was quickly released under a clemency program to relieve overcrowding in jails, Bloomberg reported the same day. 

South Africa: Former President Zuma Granted Clemency

Minibus taxi drivers in South Africa's capital Cape Town called off their strike and returned to work after violent protests caused eight days of chaos in the city, killing five people, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 11.

South Africa: Minibus Protests Suspended, but Unrest Demonstrates Safety Risks for Travelers

Assessments

United States

Ukraine

Pakistan

Israeli tanks on the border with Lebanon on Oct. 26, 2023, in Israel amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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 Possible Middle Eastern Escalation, an IMF Team Visits Pakistan

Ecuador

Guatemala

Supporters of Guatemalan presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo attend a campaign rally in the Central Square in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Aug. 16, 2023. 

The Weekly Rundown: Lunar Landings, the BRICS Summit and a Host of Elections

From left to right, foreign officials from China, Brazil, South Africa, Russia and India (the five BRICS countries) hold a press conference in Cape Town on June 1, 2023, ahead of the bloc's summit in August. 

Internal divisions will slow plans for membership expansion and increased trade at the upcoming BRICS summit.

Internal Divisions Ensure BRICS' Expansion Will Remain Slow

Media

Sudan

Chile

Turkey

Germany

France

Afghanistan

Podcasts

Cyber

Social Issues

What Q3 security risks should companies expect and prepare for?

Essential Geopolitics: An Overview of RANE's Q3 Forecast

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (center) delivers his 2023 state-of-the-nation address at the Cape Town City Hall on Feb. 9, 2023. 

The ruling party's waning support will limit its ability to enact structural economic reforms, portending persistently low growth through the 2024 election and beyond.

No End in Sight to South Africa's Economic Stagnation

What can people do to mitigate the impact of electricity cuts?

Essential Geopolitics: Anticipating the Fallout from South Africa's Electricity Crisis 

An attendant stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, on Sept. 4, 2017. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The addition of other non-Western nations like Saudi Arabia would boost BRICS’ economic and political heft as an alternative to the G-7, though it may come at the cost of the bloc’s internal cohesion.

For BRICS, More Members Would Mean More Power -- and More Problems

Snapshots

An illuminated Eskom sign is seen outside the power utility's regional office in Johannesburg, South Africa, during load-shedding (i.e. a rolling blackout) on Jan. 31, 2023.

The $13.9 billion bailout may save the country's embattled grid operator from a debt default, but socially and economically disruptive power outages will persist in the short to medium term.

South Africa Bails Out Eskom (Again), but Blackouts Remain Likely

A general view shows the darkened Braamfontein district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Jan. 15, 2023, after the ''load-shedding'' blackout was implemented. 

More funding and expedited regulatory processes are unlikely to fix the underlying issues forcing the country to impose politically and economically disruptive blackouts.

What Does the State of Disaster Declaration Mean for South Africa's Electricity Crisis?

South African President and ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa on Jan. 7, 2023, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's State of the Nation Speech, Biden and Lula Meet

Senegal

Zambia

Japan

South Korea

Vietnam

United Kingdom

Two Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks of the German armed forces participate in the NATO Iron Wolf military exercises on Oct. 27, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. On Jan. 20, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of military equipment donors to Ukraine will meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where a breakthrough is expected regarding the supply of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. 

The Weekly Rundown: Germany Discusses Tanks for Ukraine, the Lunar New Year Approaches

Columns

On Geopolitics

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Burundi

Central African Republic

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kenya

Mali

Mozambique

Nigeria

Tanzania

Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in 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: Lawmakers Voted to Suspend Diplomatic Ties With Israel

South Africa: Ruling Party Backs Motion to Close Israeli Embassy

South Africa: Eskom Reports $1.2 Billion Annual Loss

Zimbabwe: Worker Migration Numbers Rise as Economy Struggles

Global: BRICS' Growth Will Attract Funds, Division

South Africa: Seven Opposition Parties Form Coalition to Unseat ANC

South Africa: Former President Zuma Granted Clemency

South Africa: Minibus Protests Suspended, but Unrest Demonstrates Safety Risks for Travelers

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