South Africa

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S. African Court Throws Out Zuma Graft Case

Ruling clears way for leader to become president

(Newser) - A South African court has thrown out a corruption case against Jacob Zuma, effectively clearing the way for him to become president next year. The judge ruled that the charges—including 12 counts of fraud, four of corruption, and one each of racketeering and money laundering—were invalid because he...

Zimbabwe Rivals Strike Deal
 Zimbabwe Rivals Strike Deal  

Zimbabwe Rivals Strike Deal

But details won't be out until next week

(Newser) - Zimbabwe's rival factions have reached a power-sharing agreement to end Robert Mugabe's 28-year monopoly on power, the Independent reports. Details, however, won't be spelled out until Monday, leading some Western analysts to reserve celebration. In broad strokes, however, Mugabe will share power with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who will be...

Pistorius Wins Paralympic Gold

South African who sued for right to compete in Olympics takes 100 meters; more to come

(Newser) - One gold medal down and two to go for sprinter Oscar Pistorius at the Beijing Paralympics. Despite a slow start on a wet track, the South African won the most difficult of his three races, taking gold today in the 100 meters in 11.17 seconds. Jerome Singleton was second...

Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives
 Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives 

Crash Kills 4 Carter Relatives

(Newser) - Four British relatives of actress Helena Bonham Carter died this week in a safari bus crash, the London Times reports. The minibus punctured a tire and overturned 6 hours outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, killing Carter's cousin Fiona Bonham Carter, 51, and three relatives including Fiona's mother. The Oscar-nominated actress...

Numbers Soaring, S. Africa Mulls Elephant Cull

In 13 years since killing ban, overpopulation posing serious threat

(Newser) - South Africa's 1995 ban on culling elephants has proven wildly successful—perhaps too successful, writes Karen Lange in National Geographic. As the population has skyrocketed from 8,000 to 13,000 in the years since, starving elephants are now ravaging vegetation and taxing the nation's ecosystem, forcing experts to consider...

Freed Tsvangirai Arrives in South Africa

Zimbabwe opposition leader gets passport back, talks to continue

(Newser) - Morgan Tsvangirai has arrived in South Africa today on the eve of a weekend summit with regional leaders expected to focus on Zimbabwe's political crisis, reports the AP. The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change will meet with Thabo Mbeki, the South African president who is mediating power-sharing talks...

Tsvangirai Barred From Mbeki Meet

Opposition leader detained in airport, passport yanked

(Newser) - Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition, was detained at the airport in Harare today and prevented from flying to South Africa. Authorities confiscated his passport, as well as the travel documents of fellow members of the Movement for Democratic Change, before letting him leave. Tsvangirai was to attend a...

Oprah School Matron Pleads Not Guilty

Former dorm matron pleads not guilty

(Newser) - The former dorm matron at Oprah Winfrey’s $40 million Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa pleaded not guilty to abuse charges today, Reuters reports. Virginia Mokgoba, 27, was charged in November with assault, harassment, soliciting a minor to perform indecent acts, and verbal abuse. Testimony from six teenage...

Mandela's Birthday Wish: Help the Poor

South African legend celebrates 90th, calls on rich to do more

(Newser) - Nelson Mandela turned 90 today, and he used the occasion to talk to reporters about the plight of South Africa’s poor, the BBC reports. “If you are poor, you are not likely to live long,” he said. “There are many people in South Africa who are...

Pistorius Misses Last Shot at Beijing

Amputee not selected for relay team

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius was not chosen today to be on South Africa's Olympic team for Beijing. After failing to qualify for the 400 meters earlier, Pistorius was left off the 1,600-meter relay team, the AP reports. Four other South Africans had faster times, and two others were chosen...

Amputee Racer Fails to Qualify for Olympics

South Africa can still pick him for relay by defying panel

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius fell short of the 400-meter qualifying time for the Olympics today, though his lifetime best run could yet get him to Beijing in the relay. The 21-year-old South African shrugged off the pre-race distraction of threatening legal action against the IAAF and finished third in his...

Pistorius Fails in 2nd Olympics Bid

South Africa's Pistorius short of qualifying for 400, may have one chance left

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius missed out in another attempt to qualify for the Olympics today, the AP reports, improving his time in the 400 meters but still falling short of the qualifying time at a meet in Rome. The 21-year-old South African will try again Wednesday in Switzerland, and could...

South Africa Offers Zimbabwe Truce Proposal

Opposition welcomes plan ceding real power to Tsvangirai as PM

(Newser) - South African president Thabo Mbeki has proposed a compromise in Zimbabwe’s political crisis: Let Robert Mugabe remain president in name, but hand power to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as temporary prime minister, the Guardian reports. Members of opposition party Movement for Democratic Change were said to be largely satisfied...

Stubborn Mbeki Denies the Blood on Hands
Stubborn Mbeki Denies  the Blood on Hands
OPINION

Stubborn Mbeki Denies the Blood on Hands

From HIV to Zimbabwe, S. African's inaction has cost lives, says Cohen

(Newser) - Five years ago Roger Cohen interviewed Thabo Mbeki in the New York Times, and even then the South African president insisted that Zimbabwe will "get over" its conflicts. So as supposed mediator in Zimbabwe's deepening economic and humanitarian disaster, why has Mbeki still done nothing? An earlier act of...

Mandela Finally Removed From US Terror List

US takes icon off terrorist watch list

(Newser) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela is finally being removed from US terrorism watch lists, CNN reports. The 90-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was designated a terrorist because he battled against the old apartheid regime in South Africa. His name was never officially removed from the US lists until a...

Mugabe Faces Chilly Reception at African Summit

Zimbabwe prez faces pressure to negotiate

(Newser) - Newly reinaugurated  Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe arrived today at an African Union summit where he is expected to face pressure to negotiate with the country's opposition. Although Mugabe walked into the conference at an Egyptian resort alongside other leaders, he has faced unprecedented criticism from African governments to yield to...

Stars Turn Out to Fete Mandela
 Stars Turn Out to Fete Mandela 

Stars Turn Out to Fete Mandela

Concert honoring 90th birthday draws huge crowd to London's Hyde Park

(Newser) - A benefit concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday drew a constellation of music stars to London today, the BBC reports. Will Smith kicked off the festivities, and Leona Lewis was a hit with the crowd, but the star of the show, as expected, was Mandela. "Even as we celebrate,...

Soccer Is Key to Get S. Africa to Play Ball on Zimbabwe

Use 2010 World Cup to pressure Mbeki: writer

(Newser) - The last few weeks have further exposed Robert Mugabe as a tyrant—and Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, as a "vacillating, dithering, morally compromised figure," writes Peter Godwin. In an op-ed for the New York Times, the Zimbabwe-born author says that the West must force Mbeki to act...

South African Prez to Plead With Mugabe to Save Race

Results of uncontested race should be ignored, Britain insists

(Newser) - The president of South Africa is is flying today to Zimbabwe to plead with strongman Robert Mugabe to save this week's presidential election after Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew to protest government violence. Britain’s foreign secretary said an uncontested race would be “the most rigged election in African history" and...

Africa Braces for Zimbabwe Refugees

With Mugabe looking ready to hold on to power at all costs, exodus is expected

(Newser) - Zimbabwe's neighbors are preparing for a flood of refugees after next week's election, the London Times reports. About 3 million have already fled Robert Mugabe's regime to South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana. As it becomes increasingly clear that Mugabe will not give up power even if he loses the election,...

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