South Africa News

Climate Change a Risk to South Africa Premiums, Insurer Says

Climate change poses the most significant threat for South African insurance companies and risks raising premiums and the cost of reinsurance, a top official at its biggest insurer by assets said. After staying almost flat in the decade to 2020, …

Elevator Plummets at a Platinum Mine in South Africa, Killing 11 Workers and Injuring 75

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An elevator suddenly dropped around 200 meters (656 feet) while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75 — 14 of them critically, the mine operator said Tuesday. …

Study: Climate Change a Major Factor in South Africa Floods

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — The fatal floods that wreaked havoc in South Africa in mid-April this year have been attributed to human-caused climate change, a rapid analysis published Friday by a team of leading international scientists said. The study by …

South Africa Launches Relief for Durban Flooding; 443 Dead

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Declaring a national state of disaster, South Africa has allocated $67 million to help those hit by floods that have killed at least 443 people in the eastern city of Durban and the surrounding KwaZulu-Natal province. Nearly …

South Africa’s Durban Area Hit by Heavy Floods, 45 Dead

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Prolonged rains and flooding in the Durban area of South Africa have claimed the lives of at least 45 people, damaging the port, major highways and surrounding areas in KwaZulu-Natal province, according to local officials. South Africa’s …

Fire Reignites at South Africa’s Parliament in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)–The fire that has already destroyed South Africa’s main Parliament chamber flared up again Monday about 36 hours after it started in the 130-year-old complex of historic buildings, authorities said. Firefighters have been sent back to …

S. African Insurer Santam Loses Appeal in Coronavirus Case With Hotelier

JOHANNESBURG, — South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled Santam is liable to cover the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hotel group Ma-Afrika for 18 months, rejecting the insurer’s request for a shorter time frame on the claim, Santam …

South African Riots to Cost $1.7 Billion in Insurance Claims

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The rioting that erupted in parts of South Africa in July over former President Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment caused damage worth $1.7 billion (25 billion rand), according to the state insurance company handling the claims. More than 300 …

South Africa’s State Insurer to Raise Cover for Unrest Following Riots

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s only insurer covering political violence will increase its premiums to cover a rise in reinsurance costs following some of the worst unrest in decades, the head of the state-owned company told Reuters. More than 300 people …

Cape Town Wildfire Largely Contained, Damage Assessment Underway

Fire crews had largely contained a big wildfire on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday as the city started to come to terms with the damage caused by what officials described as one of the area’s worst …