European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a new $5.10 billion (4.7 billion euros) investment package for South Africa Thursday at the eighth EU-South Africa summit in Cape Town. The funding includes "clean energy transition" projects and efforts "to boost vaccine manufacturing," she said in a video. EU chief von der Leyen said the commission is aware of South Africa's drive to protect the "health of its people, autonomy and local industries," adding that "Europeans want to diversify some of our most critical supply chains, and we know that virus knows no borders," she said. Von der Leyen made the remarks while sitting next to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and European Council President Antonio Costa. In his opening remarks, Ramaphosa said the summit attests to the "long-standing and close relationship," that is a "partnership based on shared values and common interests."

Smallholder maize farmers in six South African provinces are using homegrown digital tech normally available only to commercial farmers to get the most out of their fields. Marize de Klerk reports from the maize fields in South Africa’s Magaliesburg region.

Smallholder maize farmers in six South African provinces are using homegrown digital tech normally available only to commercial farmers to get the most out of their fields. Marize de Klerk reports from the maize fields in South Africa’s Magaliesburg region.

Some of Johannesburg’s informal waste reclaimers got an upgrade recently. A collaboration turned a sprawling camp into an award-winning, data-driven solar-powered sorting and bailing hub. As Marize de Klerk reports, incomes are up and the neighbors are happier.

The United Nations says the HIV/AIDS epidemic could be ended by 2030. But patients need to follow their treatment plans to keep the virus in check. Games could help, as Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

The roaring sound of Formula One engines at full throttle is set to fill the air again at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, north of Johannesburg, as developments in South Africa’s pursuit to host an F1 grand prix for the first time since 1993, gains momentum. Reuters’ Sean Hogan has more.

In December, many Africans return to their ancestral homes to reconnect with their families and traditions. In South Africa, that includes traditional healers. As Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg, many are finding that a new app is helping to bring this age-old practice into the digital age.

Food scarcity and habitat decline has seen a drastic fall in numbers of the African Penguin, putting it on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's critically endangered list. "We have lost 97% of the population,” said South African marine biologist Allison Kock.

After weeks of trying to empty an abandoned gold mine, South African police are trying to get illegal miners out of a disused shaft by cutting off supplies. Desperate relatives of the miners gathered there after a minister said the government would "smoke them out." Olivia Zollino of Reuters has more.

Human rights groups are praising an opera that celebrates the life of gay freedom fighter Simon Nkoli. October is South Africa’s Pride Month, and the production, which is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed composer Philip Miller, who authored the work, was staged at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town to mark the occasion. VOA Correspondent Vicky Stark reports.

Snake bites are classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization. In South Africa and other countries in the region, there are numerous barriers to getting the antivenom necessary to save limbs and lives. But scientists are working to make antivenom cheaper, safer and easier to produce. Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg.

Mozambican police patrolled streets of the capital, Maputo, on Tuesday, following protests and violence triggered by disputed election results. The U.S. government on Monday condemned the weekend killings by gunmen of two opposition figures, with Washington urging "a swift and thorough investigation into the murders." Taiwan has again rejected South Africa’s demand to move its representative office from the country's capital, Pretoria, to the commercial center of Johannesburg, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said Tuesday. He blamed pressure from Beijing for the decision. These, and more Africa-related news updates on today’s VOA 60.

A network of volunteer rescuers said Sunday that Sudan’s army carried out an air strike a day earlier on a marketplace in Khartoum, leaving 23 people dead. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting the military as part of a civil war. In Switzerland, the head of the U.N. refugee agency Filippo Grandi warned Monday that displacement crises in Lebanon and Sudan could worsen but said tighter border measures were not the solution, calling them ineffective and sometimes unlawful. Grandi said an unprecedented 123 million people are now displaced around the world. These, and more Africa-related news updates on today’s VOA 60.

The remains of 42 South African freedom fighters who died in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia during the struggle against Apartheid arrived in their home country this week. David Doyle of Reuters has more.