Also known as: Ramaphosa · president Cyril Ramaphosa · President Ramaphosa · South African president Cyril Ramaphosa · South Africa's President Ramaphosa · South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa · the SADC chairperson · the South Africa president · South African President
President of South Africa; appointed Roelf Meyer as US ambassador and declared foot-and-mouth disease a national disaster.
The race for Johannesburg's mayor is now dominated by DA candidate Helen Zille and ActionSA president Herman Mashaba, with the ANC yet to name a candidate and facing declining support in the city. Infrastructure failures and declining voter turnout in traditional ANC strongholds like Soweto have reshaped the political landscape ahead of local elections expected in late November 2026.
The race for Johannesburg's mayor is now dominated by DA candidate Helen Zille and ActionSA president Herman Mashaba, with the ANC yet to name a candidate and facing declining support in the city. Infrastructure failures and declining voter turnout in traditional ANC strongholds like Soweto have reshaped the political landscape ahead of local elections expected in late November 2026.
South Africa's agriculture minister received the first shipment of one million foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from Argentina, marking the start of a 10-year national eradication strategy to vaccinate over 14 million cattle and regain export market access. President Ramaphosa declared FMD a national disaster and announced plans for a coordinated vaccination programme targeting 80% of the national herd by December, with additional vaccine supplies expected from multiple international and domestic sources.
Four South African men lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine returned home Wednesday following talks between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Vladimir Putin. The foreign ministry said the men had worked for private security companies in Russia and were released after their contracts were cancelled, with authorities working to secure the return of remaining men from a larger group of 17.
South Africa will deploy army units alongside police within 10 days to combat crime in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape, where gang violence and illegal mining fuel some of the world's highest murder rates. The move has drawn criticism from security experts and opposition parties who question whether soldiers are trained for policing and whether the short-term measure will effectively reduce daily murders.
Conservative media critic Brent Bozell has arrived in South Africa to take up his post as US ambassador amid strained relations between the countries. Tensions have escalated since Trump returned to office in January 2025, with disputes over South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the Trump administration's boycott of South Africa's G20.
At Ethiopia's 39th African Union Summit, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah advocated for Africa to remain a sovereign partner rather than a battleground for competing global interests, and called for continental investment in water infrastructure and climate solutions. She reported that Namibia's youth unemployment programme has disbursed N$62.3 million to 140 projects creating about 722 jobs, though analysts cautioned that strong speeches must be accompanied by measurable policy implementation results.
An opinion piece argues that President Ramaphosa's decision to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) against gangsterism on the Cape Flats is flawed because the underfunded military cannot address root causes of crime, the 2019 deployment strategy already failed, and the move diverts scarce resources from the military's core mandate.
John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance and agriculture minister in the coalition government, announced he will step down at the party's April congress following multiple scandals including poor handling of foot-and-mouth disease, personal financial mismanagement, and controversy over the sacking of Environment Minister Dion George. His departure opens the way for successors including Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah, speaking at an Africa G20 summit review in Ethiopia, called on G20 leaders to strengthen debt treatment frameworks and provide concessional financing to African countries, highlighting the need for resources to address energy transition, industrialisation, and food security while managing debt-service costs.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he will deploy the military to support police in fighting criminal gangs and illegal mining, with initial deployment focused on the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces where gang violence and illegal mining are rising problems.