South Africa

South Africa’s rand firmed in early trade on Wednesday ahead of consumer inflation data and as hopes of economic recovery increased global risk appetite.

Former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, has expressed support for the sudden U-turn by the Federal Government not to allow Nigerian candidates to participate in this year’s school-based West African Senior Secondary School Examination (WASSCE) being conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which has been fixed for between August 3 and September 5.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a global finance expert and Nigerian-nominated candidate for the position of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General, has said during her tenure as the finance minister of Nigeria, “we saved billions of dollars that were channeled to other priorities”.

Zindzi Mandela, whose mother was anti-apartheid activist, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, rose to international prominence when she read out Nelson Mandela’s rejection of then-president P.W. Botha’s offer for freedom in 1985.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has announced a new round of coronavirus restrictions on Sunday in response to the country’s rising rate of infections.

Asian markets rose Monday, recovering some of the losses at the end of last week, as investors followed a strong performance on Wall Street fuelled by hopes for a coronavirus vaccine, though a spike in infections around the world capped gains.

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela, has died aged 59, local media reported Monday.

An NGO, the Amaka Chiwuike Uba Foundation (ACUF), has urged the Federal Government to lay emphasis on credibility and high performance of the 2020 Revised Budget as a catalyst for infrastructure development.

South Africa’s rand recovered in afternoon trade on Friday, after sliding earlier due to concerns about rising COVID-19 cases both at home and abroad.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there are 19 potential COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials globally.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa has joined immunisation experts in urging the international community and countries to take concrete actions to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, as researchers around the world race to find effective protection against the virus.

A South African court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by administrators in charge of South African Airways (SAA) against a ruling which prevented them from laying off staff.

South Africa’s manufacturing output fell 49.4% year on year in April during a nationwide lockdown, after contracting by a revised 5.5% in March, the statistics agency said on Thursday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the African Region in the past week.

On the morning of April 24, Fritz Takang became so breathless he could barely walk across the cramped cell he shared with 60 inmates at the main prison in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.

African countries urgently need to scale up coronavirus testing and the use of face masks, a regional disease control body said on Thursday, as the epidemic gains traction across the continent with confirmed cases topping half a million.

South Africa’s rand backtracked early on Thursday after gaining ground in the previous session as investors opted to take profits ahead of local manufacturing data expected to highlight the weakness of the real economy.

Brazil may be struggling in its battle against the coronavirus, but it is on the cutting edge of vaccine development with large-scale trials and the production of millions of doses on the horizon.