Spanish Tourist Trampled to Death by Elephants in South Africa

THE GUARDIAN: Officials say 43-year-old man left his vehicle to take pictures of a breeding herd at Pilanesberg national park

A Spanish tourist has been trampled to death by elephants in a South African national park after apparently trying to take pictures of a breeding herd that included three calves.

The 43-year-old man was killed on Sunday morning at Pilanesberg national park about 130 miles (210km) north-west of Johannesburg.

According to park officials, the man, who was with three friends, climbed out of his vehicle and walked towards the animals to take photos.

“Despite warnings from his fellow passengers, and occupants from two other vehicles that were at the sighting, he unfortunately did not heed their warnings,” the North West province’s parks and tourism board said in a statement. » | Sam Jones in Madrid and agency | Tuesday, July 8, 2024

Oscar Pistorius Released On Parole 11 Years after Killing Reeva Steenkamp | BBC News

Jan 5, 2024 | Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been freed on parole from a South African jail, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Officials confirmed Pistorius was "at home" on Friday morning, having served half of his more than 13-year sentence. Pistorius, now 37, shot Ms Steenkamp multiple times in 2013 through a door. The double amputee later claimed he had mistaken her for a burglar.

Australian PM Called Thatcher a ‘F------ B----’ in Angry Phone Call

THE TELEGRAPH: The two leaders were at loggerheads over British and Irish Lions tour to apartheid South Africa until Mrs Thatcher withdrew the team

Margaret Thatcher and Bob Hawke were said to have a 'love-hate relationship' CREDIT: Getty Images
A former Australian prime minister called Margaret Thatcher a “f------ b----” during an angry phone call about the British and Irish Lions tour in 1986, a new memoir claims.

Bob Hawke, the Labour prime minister from 1983 to 1991, contacted his British counterpart to persuade her to call off the rugby tour in South Africa in protest against apartheid.

John Brown, the former Australian sports minister, has said in his new memoir that the conversation proceeded on diplomatic lines for about 10 minutes when “suddenly the mood changed”.

“Thatcher had popularised the expression ‘the lady is not for turning’ and she was obviously determined to maintain her stance supporting South Africa,” he recalled.

“I could see Bob, as I had seen him many times before, becoming agitated and angry. Eventually he reached the limit of his patience,” Mr Brown wrote. » | Roger Maynard | Friday, December 8, 2023

Why Did Xi Jinping Send His Own Furniture When Travelling to the BRICS Meeting in South Africa? | #shorts

Find out why here.

Weather Tracker: South Africa Floods Kill At Least 11 People

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Cape Town mayor declares major incident as roads closed and 80,000 people left without electricity

Extreme rain and strong winds across South Africa’s Western Cape province have caused flooding, torn off roofs, destroyed crops and damaged roads this week. It is estimated that the 48-hour rainfall totals between Sunday and Monday were between 100mm to 200mm (4-8in) in this region.

According to the Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre, 12,000 people were affected, but a further 80,000 people were left without electricity, according to the national power utility. The mayor of Cape Town signed a major incident declaration for additional resources and relief measures as 80 roads have been closed, 200 farm workers have been stranded and rail services have been suspended in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces. » | Alice Fowle and Morgan Thomas (MetDesk) |Friday, September 29, 2023

South Africa: Life without Electricity | ARTE.tv Documentary

Jul 28, 2023 | Power cuts are part of everyday life in South Africa, with consequences for everyday life and the country’s economy, the largest on the continent. | Available until the 25/05/2053

Why the Lights Are Going Out in South Africa - BBC News

May 11, 2023 | South Africa's President Ramaphosa says its energy crisis is an "existential threat" to South Africa's economy and social fabric. He's promising to bring the daily power cuts "to an end", but already the country has experienced hours of blackouts almost every day this year. So what's being done to actually fix South Africa's power issue?

Thousands Attend South Africa Pride March Despite Terror Warning

THE GUARDIAN: US embassy identified Sandton district as potential target, but event went ahead after South African authorities insisted it was safe

President Cyril Ramaphosa called the US embassy warning ‘unfortunate’. Photograph: Michele Spatari/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands of people gathered for the Pride march in South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg on Saturday despite a warning from the US embassy of a possible terror attack.

The event took place under heavy security in the upmarket district of Sandton, identified by the US embassy as a potential target.

South African authorities had assured organisers it was safe to proceed with the march, returning after a two-year break because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The US warning angered Pretoria. President Cyril Ramaphosa called it “unfortunate” and said it was causing “panic” in the country. » | Agence France-Presse | Saturday, October 29, 2022

South Africa Bids Farewell to Desmond Tutu - BBC News

Jan 1, 2022 • The funeral mass for South African anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has taken place at the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town.

Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped end the racist regime in South Africa, died last Sunday aged 90.

In his eulogy, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation".

Tutu had insisted there should be no "lavish spending" on the funeral. He wanted "the cheapest available coffin".


With a Simple Funeral, South Africa Bids Farewell to Desmond Tutu: The archbishop and Nobel laureate left plans for an unostentatious ceremony, which were stripped back further under Covid restrictions. »

Desmond Tutu, Whose Voice Helped Slay Apartheid, Dies at 90

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The archbishop, a powerful force for nonviolence in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Desmond M. Tutu at Washington National Cathedral in 1984. The archbishop was a spellbinding preacher, assuring his parishioners of God’s love while exhorting them to follow the path of nonviolence in their struggle. | Associated Press
Desmond M. Tutu, the cleric who used his pulpit and spirited oratory to help bring down apartheid in South Africa and then became the leading advocate of peaceful reconciliation under Black majority rule, died on Sunday in Cape Town. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by the office of South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who called the archbishop “a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”

The cause of death was cancer, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said, adding that Archbishop Tutu had died in a care facility. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, and was hospitalized several times in the years since, amid recurring fears that the disease had spread.

As leader of the South African Council of Churches and later as Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Tutu led the church to the forefront of Black South Africans’ decades-long struggle for freedom. His voice was a powerful force for nonviolence in the anti-apartheid movement, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. » | Marilyn Berger | Sunday, December 26, 2021

Desmond Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace winner, dies at 90: Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights, has died at 90 »

Desmond Tutu’s long history of fighting for lesbian and gay rights »

Desmond Tutu kämpfte sein Leben lang für Gerechtigkeit und blieb bis zuletzt ein Quälgeist für die Mächtigen: Desmond Tutu war neben Nelson Mandela der grosse Held Südafrikas, für das er den Traum der Regenbogennation am Leben erhielt. Tutu hatte unermüdlich zum Sturz des Apartheidregimes beigetragen – und legte sich danach unverändert vehement mit den neuen Mächtigen an. Er starb am Sonntag im Alter von 90 Jahren in Kapstadt. »

Ein Architekt des neuen Südafrika: Mit unbedingtem Willen zur Aussöhnung: Der Erzbischof Tutu bekam den Friedensnobelpreis für seine Bemühungen um das Ende der Apartheid. Er blieb ein scharfer Kritiker des ANC. Im Alter von 90 Jahren ist er gestorben. »

Décès du Nobel de la Paix Desmond Tutu : les hommages se multiplient : Le président sud-africain Cyril Ramaphosa a exprimé «sa profonde tristesse» après le décès de ce «patriote sans égal». Emmanuel Macron a salué son combat «pour la fin de l'apartheid et la réconciliation sud-africaine». »

Desmond Tutu, infatigable pourfendeur de l'apartheid et des injustices : DISPARITION - L'archevêque, Prix Nobel de la Paix, s'est battu sans relâche contre le système ségrégationniste, puis contre les injustices qui traversent son pays. Il est décédé ce dimanche à l'âge de 90 ans. »

Is South Africa Really a Beacon of LGBTQ+ Rights? | DW News

Dec 12, 2021 • It's been exactly a quarter of a century since Nelson Mandela signed South Africa's new constitution and made the rainbow nation into a beacon on the continent when it comes to LGBT rights. The document forbids discrimination on grounds of sexual identity. And so far, South Africa is the only African nation to allow same-sex marriage. All this means one thing for LGBT people in the region: hope. But: there is also anti-LGBT violence in the rainbow nation: a survey by South African rights group "Out" revealed that half of black respondents knew someone who had been killed because of Ngutjinazo reports from Cape Town.

De Klerk Apologises for Apartheid in Posthumous Video

F.W. de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president, apologized for his past statements on apartheid, which had angered some people who still live with the legacy of its injustices, in a posthumous video. Mr. de Klerk had helped dismantle the apartheid system as the president.

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F.W. de Klerk, Last President of Apartheid South Africa, Dies at 85

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A prominent Afrikaner, he vehemently defended the separation of the races but later stunned his deeply divided nation, and the wider world, by reconsidering the country’s racist ways.

F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1994. They shared the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the end of the apartheid state. | Juda Ngwenya/Reuters
F.W. de Klerk, who as president of South Africa dismantled the apartheid system that he and his ancestors had helped put in place, died at his home near Cape Town on Thursday. He was 85.

The former president’s death was confirmed by the F.W. de Klerk Foundation, which said in a statement that he had been receiving treatment for cancer.

A member of a prominent Afrikaner family, Mr. de Klerk had vehemently defended the separation of the races during his long climb up the political ladder. But once he took over as president in 1989, he stunned his deeply divided nation, and the wider world, by reconsidering South Africa’s racist ways, a step that led to him and Nelson Mandela, whom he released from prison, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

South Africa had become such a pariah in the eyes of the world by the 1980s, its internal strife and tainted reputation so disruptive to the economy, that Mr. de Klerk argued that the country’s future depended on a new course. » | Marc Lacey | Thursday, November 11, 2021

Afrique du Sud : mort de Frederik de Klerk, «l'homme qui a aboli l'apartheid» : DISPARITION - Le dernier président blanc du pays, prix Nobel 1993 de la paix, était connu pour avoir officiellement mis fin à l'apartheid et libéré l'icône Nelson Mandela. Malade d'un cancer, il s'est éteint le jour de ses 85 ans. »

„Aus dem Kreislauf der Gewalt ausbrechen“ : Frederik Willem de Klerk, Südafrikas letzter weißer Staatspräsident, ist im Alter von 85 Jahren gestorben. Er trug maßgeblich zur Überwindung der Apartheid bei, obwohl er als Verfechter der Rassentrennung angetreten war. »

Südafrikas Türöffner für Demokratie: Frederik Willem de Klerk ist tot: Nichts hatte in der Biografie von de Klerk darauf hingedeutet, dass er entscheidenden Anteil am Ende der Apartheid in Südafrika haben würde. Im historisch richtigen Moment brachte er dennoch den nötigen Mut für den weitgehend friedlichen Regierungswechsel auf. »

FW de Klerk obituary: Last president of South Africa under apartheid who oversaw the orderly transfer of power »

Princess of Monaco Rushed to Hospital in South Africa

MONACO LIFE: Princess Charlene is in a “reassuring state” after being admitted to hospital in South Africa and later released, the Palace has confirmed.

Just days after saying goodbye to her husband Prince Albert and children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella who were in South Africa for a brief visit, Princess Charlene was rushed to hospital on Wednesday night after collapsing.

Following widespread media reports of the late-night dash to the emergency room, the Prince’s Palace issued a statement Friday evening confirming the Princess’ health situation: » | Cassandra Tanti | Saturday, September 4, 2021

South African Activist Kumi Naidoo: Trump Is Attempting a Coup to Install Minority Rule

We continue to look at the world’s response to the U.S. election with South African activist Kumi Naidoo, a global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity, former secretary general of Amnesty International and former head of Greenpeace. Naidoo says President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden is good news, but notes that the world lost four crucial years to tackle the climate crisis and other issues because of the Trump administration. “This is a relief, but it is not something for us to — at this stage, anyway — celebrate with any great enthusiasm,” he says.

Coronavirus: South Africa's Alcohol and Cigarette Lockdown - BBC News

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the world has seen lockdowns in many countries. In South Africa, not only have people been told to stay at home, but exercise outside was banned for some time - and cigarettes and alcohol still can't be purchased. What is the impact of such a ban and how do people feel about it? The BBC's Andrew Harding reports.

South Africa's History Of Burning Hatred

Fear and Foreigners in South Africa (2008) - Xenophobia erupts into violence

Nelson Mandela Memorial Interpreter 'Was a Fake'

Man who provided sign language interpretation on stage for Nelson Mandela's memorial service, attended by scores of heads of state, was simply "making childish hand gestures" for hours

Read the Telegraph article here | Josie Ensor | Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Nelson Mandela Memorial Service: Obama Eulogises 'Giant of History'

Celebrating one of his personal heroes, Obama praised Mandela as the last great liberator of the 20th century, urging the world to carry on his legacy by fighting inequality, poverty and discrimination

Read the Telegraph article here | Aislinn Laing, and Neil Tweedie at the FNB stadium in Soweto | Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Syria Crisis: Barack Obama Faces Growing Opposition to Airstrikes as He Arrives for G20

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama is facing growing international opposition to military intervention in Syria as China, the European Union and the Pope all warned against attacks on the Assad regime.

Mr Obama arrived [at] St Petersburg for a tense G20 summit amid signs that Russia's opposition to US airstrikes was gaining significant international support.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, welcomed Mr Obama to his home town in an encounter that laid bare the increasingly difficult relationship between the two men.

After exchanging a stiff handshake and stern looks, Mr Obama and Mr Putin offered fixed smiles for the cameras before entering the Konstantinovsky Palace.

In the summit room, diplomats said the two men were seated well aware [sic: away] from each other and did not speak to one another directly during opening talks about the world economy.

The awkward initial encounter came after some other leaders arriving in St Petersburg pointedly sided with Russia in its opposition to US-led military action.

Intervention would damage the global economy by pushing up oil prices, China said. Syria is not a significant oil exporter, but the prospect of conflict in the Middle East often pushes up oil prices.

"Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price - it will cause a hike in the oil price," said Zhu Guangyao, the Chinese Vice Finance Minister.

Brazil, India and South Africa also worry that intervention would do economic harm, according to Mr Putin's officials.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president, said the leaders of the large emerging economies spoke before the St Petersburg summit and agreed that Syrian intervention would have an "extremely negative effect" on the global economy." » | James Kirkup, Political Editor in St Petersburg | Thursday, September 05, 2013