| Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa can’t catch a break. Fresh from a crisis over the axing of a deputy minister that imperiled the stability of his ruling coalition and bracing for the crippling trade tariffs US President Donald Trump is imposing, he now faces an even-graver threat.  Cyril Ramaphosa. Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg Over the weekend, a provincial police head accused his law-enforcement minister of frustrating probes into political killings, a malaise that has sullied South Africa’s credentials as a working democracy. While it’s fodder for his political opponents — and has prompted shrill demands from both coalition partners and the opposition that he take action — it highlights the rot that has bled support from his African National Congress. Seven years after the ousting of President Jacob Zuma, whose name is synonymous with the state graft that kneecapped the economy, South Africa is still struggling with one of the world’s highest murder rates and endemic corruption. Commissions of inquiry, such as those some political parties are demanding Ramaphosa set up to probe the latest scandal, have publicly laid out in excruciating detail how deeply criminal syndicates have penetrated the ANC.  South African police officers. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg Yet there have been few prosecutions and Ramaphosa has deigned not to act against those in his cabinet who face accusations. Now he is being put to the test. At stake is not only the fate of his coalition but also his own credibility in the eyes of the public. Critics (and some allies) will be wondering if he can put the state before his party. — Antony Sguazzin Key stories and opinion:
Ramaphosa Ally Tied to Stalling South Africa Assassination Probe
Fresh From a Crisis, South Africa’s Ramaphosa Faces Another
‘Irresponsible’ Trump Tariff Threat Draws Ire of BRICS Host Lula
South Africa’s Ramaphosa Sees Scope to Lower US Tariff in Talks Ramaphosa stepped in to an escalating spat with Trump over the US president’s threats of extra tariffs for BRICS nations, saying that “it cannot be that might should now be right.” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva joined South Africa by calling the move “irresponsible” during the final day hosting the 10-member group. Companies hired by TotalEnergies to build a $20 billion gas project in northern Mozambique have started preparing to resume work four years after it was suspended because of a militant insurgency, sources say. Firms including Portuguese builder Mota-Engil got letters of notice to proceed with site preparation last week. Meanwhile, the cash-strapped nation is open to asking China to restructure the $1.4 billion it owes its biggest bilateral creditor, President Daniel Chapo said in an interview. At least 15 people were killed in violent clashes between Kenyan police and protesters demanding the removal of President William Ruto. Another 63 people were injured and 567 arrested, police said. The demonstrations commemorated the July 7 marches that marked the start of multi-party democracy in the East African nation 35 years ago and took place in almost half of the nation’s 47 counties, with looting reported in at least six.  WATCH: At least 11 people were killed in violent clashes between Kenyan police and protesters. Bloomberg’s Ondiro Oganga reports. Rwandan President Paul Kagame praised the US role in orchestrating a peace deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo and promised that his country would implement its side of the bargain. The two countries agreed last week to take steps to put an end to a three-decade conflict that escalated this year when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group took over a large part of eastern Congo. Nigeria’s currency appears to be decoupling from the price of oil, the nation’s main foreign-exchange earner. After volatility in the first half, the naira stabilized even as oil prices fell. Analysts from Deutsche Bank to Cardinal Stone expect the currency to end 2025 near 1,556 per dollar — its average exchange rate in the first six months of the year after it slumped 41% in 2024. Walk down the aisles of a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods Market in the US and chances are many of the piles of oranges and lemons will be labeled “Produce of South Africa.” They are a staple for the world’s largest citrus importer — especially during the off-season summer months when the southern hemisphere winter harvest is at its peak. But now a potential tariff of about 30% threatens supplies from the top exporter of the fruits after Spain.  WATCH: South African agriculture braces for Trump tariffs. Thank you for your responses to our weekly Next Africa Quiz and congratulations to Deon Fourie who was first to correctly identify South Africa as the country where lawmakers are considering legislation to nationalize the central bank. | 
