JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An anti-apartheid activist who died in 1971 was tortured and killed by South African police, a court said Thursday, a landmark decision that raised hopes that dozens of similar cases would be investigated. The inquest into Ahmed Timol’s death had riveted South Africans as legal experts said it could set a precedent … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Recent violent protests at some South African universities have caused about $44 million in property damage and threaten to sabotage the country’s system of higher education, President Jacob Zuma said Monday. Zuma spoke at a national education forum as the University of Cape Town re-opened despite some disruptions by students who said … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Laos has promised to phase out farms that breed endangered tigers for their body parts, a positive step from a country believed to be a major hub of wildlife trafficking in Asia, conservation groups said Friday, Sept. 24. The announcement by Laotian officials in South Africa came one day before the start … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The death of a South African university worker who was hospitalized after a student protest has deepened tensions over unrest roiling campuses across the nation. The government on Tuesday called for an investigation, saying protesters were responsible for the death last week at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which has … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African court ruled Thursday that Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has no rights to his rural home. The court in Mthatha town dismissed Madikizela-Mandela’s claim to the Qunu property, where the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 is buried. The couple divorced in 1996 and … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s struggling economy was the focus point of the president’s state-of-the-nation address on Thursday Feb. 11, which went ahead despite disruptions and heckling from opposition politicians. President Jacob Zuma outlined various steps to help the economy including plans to increase investment and grow small businesses. Zuma also announced plans to cut … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The cellphone video pans from passengers, some wearing oxygen masks, in seats toward the back of the airliner in flight, and then swivels to the empty front area with a hole in the side of the cabin, the result of an explosion soon after takeoff from Somalia’s capital. The passengers bunched in … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — With more than half of Africa’s population expected to live in cities by the year 2050, a gathering in South Africa on Sunday is exploring new models for urban Africa. Hundreds of city officials from across Africa have gathered for the seventh Africities Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, to discuss … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An appeals court decided Thursday that Oscar Pistorius got away with murder when he stood trial for killing his girlfriend, a ruling that will almost certainly send the disgraced Olympian back to prison. The court overturned his conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of model Reeva … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry saw the carcasses of a slaughtered rhino and her calf during a visit Wednesday to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, which has been hard hit by poachers. Harry also stepped into a conservation debate in South Africa, saying he believes legalization of the rhino horn trade will “accelerate the … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The eight suspected poachers stood under a tree, apparently unaware they were being tracked by 10 rangers from Congo’s Garamba National Park. But as the rangers approached, gunfire rang out from the tall grass nearby, where other heavily armed men were hidden. The dragnet swiftly turned into a desperate fight for survival. … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A temporary bridge that was part of a construction project collapsed onto one of South Africa’s busiest highways on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring 21 others, South Africa media reported. Those killed in the accident at the M1 highway on the edge of Johannesburg’s Sandton district included a taxi driver, news … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A vehicle carrying a rhino sculpture led anti-poaching marchers in Johannesburg on Saturday. Kenya’s environment minister joined conservationists at a similar rally in Nairobi, the capital. In London, activists in elephant costumes demanded an end to the ivory trade. The demonstrations were part of what organizers called a “global march” for rhinos … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African prison that once held Nelson Mandela is being evacuated after two prisoners died from a disease carried by rats, authorities said on Wednesday. More than 4,000 prisoners will be moved from Cape Town’s Pollsmoor Prison due to a rat infestation, provincial spokesman Simphiwe Xako said. The inmates, both men … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Recent attacks on immigrants and their businesses in some parts of South Africa revealed anger over limited economic opportunities and a degree of intolerance, but they also gave rise to charity and solidarity. Police in KwaZulu-Natal, where the violence first broke out this month, said Monday that the tensions have abated … Continue reading
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