South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday (October 19, 2026) the country should “prepare” for the possibility of being removed from Washington’s duty-free trade programme for Africa, as ties between the two nations continue to fray.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to the U.S. market, has been renewed until the end of 2028.

South Africa is the scheme’s largest beneficiary but its eligibility has come under scrutiny as Washington steps up criticism of Pretoria, including false allegations of discrimination against white Afrikaners that South Africa rejects.

“Congress has decided that we should be kept in AGOA. What now remains is the executive,” Mr. Ramaphosa said, referring to the pact now needing President Donald Trump’s signature after approval by Congress.

“And by the way, so that I prepare our people for this, if we ever have a choice, we are not the first and only country to be taken out of AGOA. And I believe we will not be the last,” he said in response to a question from an AFP journalist during a briefing.

Bilateral ties have deteriorated since Mr. Trump took office, with Washington cutting aid, expelling South Africa’s ambassador and berating Mr. Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a “white genocide”.

Washington in mid-September announced restrictions on visas for South Africans who promote “race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation in South Africa” — all issues that are disputed between the two countries.

Last year, the United States launched a programme to resettle white Afrikaners who say they face persecution and violent crime in South Africa.

By September 30, the United States had admitted 16,287 South Africans under the programme over the preceding year. They were the only people granted refugee status by Washington during that period, apart from five Afghans.

‘Devastating’ impact’

The U..S president reviews countries’ eligibility for AGOA annually.

Any removal requires 60 days’ notice to Congress and the country concerned. To take effect on January 1, an exclusion must be announced by November 2.

Former president Joe Biden declared the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda ineligible on October 30, 2023, with the exclusions taking effect on January 1, 2024.

“South Africa is going to look for alternative markets to minimise the impacts of such an exclusion,” Mr. Ramaphosa said.

“I need as president to prepare us if it ever happens. So we should not go out and jump off tall buildings and think that this is the end of the world,” he said, conceding that the impacts would nonetheless be “devastating”.

Within AGOA, Washington exempts South African cars from customs duties.

After precious metals, cars are the country’s second-biggest export earner to the United States, according to the South African tax authorities.

In 2025, the automobile employers’ organisation Naamsa said 86,000 jobs were directly tied to the accord at car manufacturers, a number that increases to 125,000 when including their sub-contractors.

South African judge and human rights champion Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday (October 9, 2026) in recognition of her work against war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Pillay, currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in a case where Myanmar also stands accused of genocide, has been “instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

Nobel Prize 2026: An Interactive Guide

Born in Durban on September 23, 1941, to Indian parents of Tamil descent, Pillay grew up under apartheid and went on to build a career challenging racial discrimination, defending anti-apartheid activists and advancing human rights and equality.

Here is a brief timeline on her career:

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Anti-migrant protests in two South African cities including Johannesburg’s Soweto ​township turned violent on Thursday (October 8, 2026), with the government blaming disinformation over a ‌court ruling on asylum seekers.

In coastal Durban, the ​second city hit by protests, a Reuters reporter ⁠saw five cars in flames in the urban centre, where foreign-owned shops were also looted.

The unrest followed a protest by a group demanding ‌that a refugee centre stop processing asylum applications.

In Soweto, a Reuters reporter saw residents carrying groceries out of ‌a shop that they said was owned by ‌a ⁠person from Somalia, whom they chased away. The looters ⁠fled after police arrived and made them disperse.

Government spokesperson William Baloyi said the violence was triggered by people spreading deliberately false information about a constitutional court ruling ​in July.

The country’s highest ‌court ruled that asylum seekers cannot be denied access to South Africa’s asylum system solely for procedural reasons such as having entered the country illegally.

Mr. Baloyi said the ruling had ‌been widely misrepresented and did not automatically grant refugee status, ​permanent residence or other legal rights to undocumented migrants. “We are deeply concerned by what is going on ⁠now,” he added.

Police said in a statement that they had mobilised more officers in Durban, where they said at least 14 ‌vehicles had been set alight while a guest house and warehouse were partially burned.

A top police official, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, planned to hold a press conference in Soweto on efforts to maintain law and order there.

South Africa has seen months of anti-migrant marches this year that have drawn international criticism.

Some of ‌the marches have descended into violence and looting, and thousands of African ​foreign nationals have fled the country.

Migrants are often blamed for taking jobs, fuelling crime and straining public services, ⁠claims that social scientists say are not supported by evidence.

Three decades since ⁠apartheid ended, South Africa remains deeply unequal and about a third of people are out of work. Despite ‌this, it remains Africa’s largest economy and continues to draw migrants.

Three assailants shot at least 11 people to death in a mass shooting at a house party in South Africa, police said on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).

One of the victims was a woman who was believed to be pregnant, police said in a statement. Three other people were wounded.

The shooting happened Tuesday (September 22) night in the KwaMakhutha township around 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the city of Durban on the east coast. The people had gathered at the house for a party when the suspects entered and opened fire, police said.

Police said they were searching for the suspects.

A South African court ordered a halt to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving over $580 000 of cash stolen from his farm in 2020.

The Western Cape High Court judgment on Friday does not stop the impeachment committee from doing other preparatory work for the pending proceedings.

Lawmakers had started impeachment proceedings in June after a damning parliamentary report concluded the President had a case to answer regarding the handling of the theft, including why such large amounts of cash were kept in a sofa at the farm.

The inquiry also includes questions over the source of the money, whether the foreign currency was legally declared and why he did not immediately report the theft to the police.

Mr. Ramaphosa is challenging the report in court and has applied for the impeachment proceedings to be halted until the process to review the report is complete.

Mr. Ramaphosa welcomed Friday’s judgment, according to his office, which said he would “cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”

“The President reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” the office said in statement.

The so-called “Phala-Phala scandal” has been one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s major political headaches since he became the country’s leader in 2018.

The country’s Constitutional Court, the highest in the country, ruled earlier this year that the parliamentary report was valid and impeachment proceedings could proceed after the ANC had won a parliamentary vote to block it.

The impeachment committee includes representatives from all political parties in the country’s Parliament. Most parties said Friday they would study the judgment and consider whether to appeal.

Less than a week after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League’s 19th season, the Indian team will be switching to the classical format when it takes on Afghanistan in a one-off Test at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium from Saturday.

Such little turnaround time between formats is a persistent demand of modern-day cricket for Indian players in particular, but head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the focus from now will be on ensuring more extensive preparation leading up to a Test assignment.

India’s fortunes in the longest format have plummeted over the last two years. Having been whitewashed by New Zealand at home in 2024, the subcontinent giant suffered a similar fate at the hands of South Africa last November. In the current World Test Championship cycle, Shubman Gill & Co. are languishing at sixth in the standings.

While India is expected to brush aside Afghanistan easily, it has challenging away tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand later in the year.

“Look, we are a little fortunate that we have got enough time before Sri Lanka. After the white-ball tour of England, we have about a 15-day break before Sri Lanka. So that is enough time to prepare for those two Tests,” Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the Test against Afghanistan.

“We might have to prepare a little differently for New Zealand. Because between the last ODI there and the first Test in Wellington, there is a three-day gap. So we will have to pull out ODI players who are part of the Test squad.

“Because one thing we realised is that we need to start preparing better in red-ball cricket. And that was something that was lacking against the West Indies and also against South Africa. And that is something which we are going to do going forward,” the 44-year-old added.

The pressure of expectations can at once be a blessing and a burden. In past ICC white-ball events, South Africa has appeared to be largely weighed down by that pressure. As it gears up to face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup semifinal at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, head coach Shukri Conrad wants his team to embrace the attention.

The Proteas, after all, are fully deserving of the tag of being the team to beat in the shortest format’s showpiece event. Having strung together seven wins in as many matches, Aiden Markram and Co. are the only undefeated outfit in the tournament.

“There’s always pressure, and it’s really about embracing that pressure. Whether we start as favourites (against NZ), probably because we’re the only unbeaten side. I’m glad we’re favourites because I always felt that as a South African team, you want to be able to play as a favourite. It’s easy being an underdog. The expectation isn’t great or that much,” Conrad said on Sunday.

The knockout phase has historically been South Africa’s Kryptonite, but as the 58-year-old pointed out, it is only by getting that far time and again that the albatross around its neck can be banished. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, the African giant, which notably won the 2025 World Test Championship final against Australia under Temba Bavuma’s leadership, has reached the last-four stage of every ICC limited-overs event.

“If you continually make semifinals and finals, eventually you’re going to win one. But if you don’t make it, you can’t win anything,” Conrad stated.

In the 2012-13 series against England, when skipper M.S. Dhoni asked for a turning track at Eden Gardens, the curator Prabhir Mukherjee told him this was “immoral.” Coach Gautam Gambhir’s instructions, however, were taken on board by Mukherjee’s successor, but India lost again, making it four in six at home.

Visiting spinners claiming more wickets than Indians on home tracks is not a recent phenomenon. India lost to Australia in 1969-70 despite fielding the great spinners Erapalli Prasanna (26 wickets), Bishan Bedi (21), and S. Venkatraghavan and better batters against spin in the line-up. Ashley Mallett (28) and John Glesson (10) were the successful spinners while medium pacers Graham McKenzie and Alan Connolly had 38 wickets between them.

“Better batters against spin” turned out to be an exaggeration then, as it appears to be now. The Indian spinners kept telling their batters, as Bedi often reminded us, “Please give us at least 250 runs to bowl at.”

Challenging the home team

In the last century, home tracks often challenged the home team. Richie Benaud (23 wickets to Vinoo Mankad’s 11 and Subhash Gupte’s 12) in 1956 (Australia won 2-0), Derek Underwood (29 to Bedi’s 25) in 1975-76 as England won 3-1 are other examples. Just over a decade ago, England won a series in India after 28 years thanks to Graeme Swann (20 wickets) and Monty Panesar (17). By themselves these statistics may not tell the whole story, but together they point to a pattern, perhaps suggesting the adage about spin in India might not necessarily be true.

It is also useful to remember that just as India’s game against pace and swing while playing abroad has improved well enough to win them series in Australia and England, the preparation against spin by visiting teams has seen a sea-change too.

Gambhir might have, by his own admission, got the wicket he wanted in Kolkata, but you have to be careful what you wish for. If two spinners cannot do the job, there is little point in picking four, at least one of whom is bound to be under-bowled, and only one can be classed a genuine Test all-rounder.

So where did India lose the Test? When they were dismissed for 189 in the first innings? When they collapsed in the second? On the third morning, India took their foot off the pedal, allowing South Africa to score 60 runs. Some of their intensity was gone. India seemed to feel it was only a matter of time, as if their win was pre-ordained and South Africa’s batters would merely have to play out the roles allotted to them.

Missing a trick

This is a dangerous attitude in Test cricket. Things don’t just happen, you have to go out and make them happen. Rishabh Pant, normally a proactive captain might have delayed bringing on Jasprit Bumrah. You start the day’s play with your best bowler; especially against the bottom half of the batting. That is woven into the fabric of strategy.

Gambhir may have been right when he said that the 124 to win was gettable. Clearly he didn’t explain how and why well enough to his batters. South Africa were superb, India choked.

Temba Bavuma didn’t get to lead his team to ten wins in 11 matches by hanging around and allowing things to happen. He made things happen. His captaincy is a lesson for both Pant and Gill, the latter forced to watch from his hospital bed (if at all). Quietly, professionally, Bavuma went about his business. He should have been Player-of-the-Match as much for his captaincy as for his batting. In Marco Jansen and off-spinner Simon Harmer he had men for the job. Their self-belief was evident.

Indian batters tend to look down upon off spin, viewing it as fodder in any format. Perhaps that’s why Washington Sundar was given just one over on a helpful track.

India were once seen as tigers at home, but lambs abroad. The turnaround has been startling. If Gambhir is beginning to feel insecure, he has time enough to look afresh at the team’s attitude. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings is a cliché in sport for a good reason.