News

Download logo

HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met on Wednesday with HE Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mcebisi Jonas, and HE Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Zane Dangor, who are currently visiting the country.

The meeting discussed cooperation relations and ways to strengthen and advance them. Discussions also touched on the latest developments concerning the Palestinian cause and the African continent, along with a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

Download logo

President Cyril Ramaphosa has today, 19 August 2025, arrived in Japan to lead South Africa's High Level Delegation participation to the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit (TICAD9).

TICAD9 Summit will convene in Yokohama from 20 - 22 August 2025 under the theme “Co-creating Innovative Solutions With Africa”. The Summit is underpinned by (3) Plenary Sessions, which illustrate established areas of cooperation between the African Union and Japan, namely: 

i) Society: Realising a Sustainable Future; 
ii) Economy: Promoting Trade and Investment; 
iii) Peace and stability: Ensuring Human Dignity and Human Security.

The 9th TICAD Summit takes place at a time of unprecedented threats to global peace and security, ongoing conflicts in some regions of the world, distortions and disruption to global trade and a concerning revision by some states to unilateral action at a time when multilateralism and collective solutions to common challenges is crucial.

Rising fuel, food and energy prices have severely impacted developing countries, entrenching poverty and fuelling higher levels of inequality in the face of constrained employment and job opportunities. The debt and liquidity crisis on the African continent is worsening the challenging socio-economic environment and constraining the fiscal space for governments to cast a safety net over its citizens. The AU discussions with the government of Japan under the auspices of TICAD presents an opportunity for the two sides to engage in discussions that seek to foster collective solutions to these challenges.

South Africa, as a Member State of the AU, will prioritise support from the government of Japan for the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, especially in the priority areas of infrastructure development, peace and security, and health.

President Ramaphosa will advance South Africa's Presidency of the G20 and pursue bilateral economic engagements with the government of Japan with a view to strengthening trade and investment ties between South Africa and Japan.

The 2025 year marks 115 years of relations between South Africa and Japan. The two countries enjoy well-established bilateral relations within the framework of the Partnership Forum held at a Ministerial level, and maintain strong cooperation in the fields of trade and investment; science and technology; education; skills transfer and capacity building through development cooperation. Bilateral trade between Japan and South Africa had been expanding since the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992.

Japan is one of the major investors (over R90 billion) in the South African economy, with 260 Japanese companies, sustaining over 150,000 local jobs. Japan is the 4th largest economy in the world, and total bilateral trade between the two countries in 2024 was R132 billion, with South Africa recording a trade surplus of R52 billion.

President Ramaphosa will engage with leading captains of Japanese industry and business. Japan is one of South Africa's major economic partners with sizeable investments in the South African economy, and the potential for further investments exists. A South African high level business delegation is also participating at the TICAD9.

Also at the margins of TICAD9, In his capacity as the chair of the Global Leader's Network for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, President Ramaphosa will deliver a keynote address to parliamentarians, business and developmental agencies on the importance of increasing investments into women's, children's and adolescents health as an imperative for peace and security.

President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola; Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Dr Bonginkosi Nzimande; Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau; Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa; Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla; and senior Government officials. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

Download logo

• After a seven-year investigation, the Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit has dismantled a major transnational rhino horn trafficking network.
• The syndicate is linked to a fraudulent scheme involving 964 rhino horns, worth millions of rands, destined for illegal markets in Southeast Asia.
• Six suspects, between the ages of 49 and 84, face charges of fraud, theft, and contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) of 2004, with additional charges of racketeering and money laundering under consideration.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has hailed the arrests as a decisive victory in South Africa's fight against international wildlife crime.

“This complex investigation, which was also supported by the Enforcement unit of the Department (the Green Scorpions) and the National Prosecuting Authority, is a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage,” said Minister George. “The Hawks' work shows that our enforcement agencies will not hesitate to pursue those who plunder our wildlife for criminal profit. The illegal trade in rhino horn not only destroys biodiversity but also undermines the rule of law and the foundations of environmental governance.”

Investigations reveal that the suspects allegedly defrauded the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment by securing permits under false pretences to buy and sell rhino horns domestically, while funnelling them into illegal international markets. Under South African law, domestic trade is permitted with valid DFFE-issued permits in terms of NEMBA. International commercial trade in rhino horn is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The six suspects, five men and one woman, surrendered to the Hawks at Sunnyside Police Station and appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates' Court on 19 August 2025.

Dr George added: “Let there be no doubt: South Africa will bring the full force of its laws against those who plunder our wildlife. This arrest proves that syndicates cannot escape justice, no matter how complex their schemes.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.