Botswana, the World’s Diamond Capital, Pivots to Critical Minerals
Botswana critical minerals are the new bet: the world's top diamond nation is pushing into copper and nickel as lab-grown...
July 3, 2026Section
Southern Africa
Southern Africa – South Africa, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana – anchors the continent’s deepest capital markets and its richest seams of platinum, copper, gold, diamonds and gas. The Rio Times follows the rand, the Johannesburg market, mining and energy deals, and the South Atlantic ties that increasingly link the region to Brazil and Latin America. This hub collects our daily Southern Africa coverage for investors and expats.
Browse by themeAfrica Critical Minerals · Africa Energy · Africa Markets & Investment · Africa & Latin America · Africa & the Great Powers · Doing Business & Living in Africa
Gold’s Slide Tests African Gold Miners
Gold crashed from $5,600 to $4,000 an ounce, squeezing African gold miners' margins. South African and Ghanaian producers face their...
July 3, 2026
A Gates- and Altman-Backed Miner Breaks Ground in Zambia
A new Zambia copper mine backed by Bill Gates and Sam Altman has broken ground, a $2.3 billion bet on...
July 2, 2026
Absa Share Price Drop: Why a Stronger Rand Cost 7%
Absa share price drop explained: Africa's biggest bank fell almost 7% after warning a stronger rand would trim first-half profit....
July 2, 2026
A Johannesburg Writer Takes Africa’s Commonwealth Short Story Prize
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize named Lisa-Anne Julien its 2026 Africa winner for a quiet, devastating tale set in a...
July 2, 2026
Africa’s Digital Nomad Visas: Where Remote Workers Can Now Settle
Africa digital nomad visas now cover at least six countries, from South Africa to Kenya, Namibia and Cape Verde, as...
July 2, 2026
Africa Intelligence Brief
Africa Intelligence Brief for Wednesday: the continent opened a new half-year and, in East Africa, a new fiscal year, as...
July 1, 2026
Tyla’s Second Album A*POP Arrives on 24 July
Tyla releases her second album, A*POP, on 24 July 2026, a 14-track follow-up from the South African pop star behind...
July 1, 2026
Johannesburg’s Exchange Tightens the Rules on AI Trading
JSE algorithmic trading faces stricter oversight as brokers must directly control market access, with key rules moving into the formal...
July 1, 2026