Timeline South Africa
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3.41 Bil BC In 2004 Michael Tice,
Stanford graduate student, report finding evidence of fossilized
microbes of this age from a mountain near Barberton, South Africa.
(SFC, 9/30/04, p.A2)
2.6 Bil BC African rocks from South Africa’s
Eastern Transvaal in 2000 indicated primitive microbes on dry land
from about this time.
(SFC, 12/1/00, p.A21)
2 Bil BC A meteorite impacted Earth in South
Africa. The discovery of the Vredefort Crater, 250-300 km in
diameter, was announced in 1994.
(www.hartrao.ac.za/other/vredefort/vredefort.html)
1.977Mil BC In 2008 scientists in South Africa
found 2 skeletons of a new hominid species dating back to about this
time. In 2010 studies were published indicating that the adult
female and juvenile male fossils, dubbed Australopithecus sediba,
have shed light on a previously unknown stage in human evolution. In
2011 Lee Berger of the Univ. of Witwatersrand. Berger said the find
represented the most plausible known ancestor of archaic and modern
humans.
(AFP, 4/8/10)(SFC, 4/9/10, p.A16)(SFC, 9/9/11,
p.A21)
197Mil BC In 2009 Scientists in South Africa said
that a newly discovered dinosaur species that roamed the Earth about
this time may help explain how the creatures evolved into the
largest animals on land. The Aardonyx celestae was a 23-foot-
(7-meter-) long small-headed herbivore with a huge barrel of a
chest. The species walked on its hind legs but could drop to all
fours.
(AFP, 11/11/09)
2Mil BC-1.5Mil BC Australopithecus robustus. Skull of adult female
found by Quarryman Fourie in 1950 at Swartkrans, South Africa. A
survey of Robustus teeth by Alan Mann shows an average age at death
of 17 years. A female Paranthropus robustus was found in 1994
Drimolen, South Africa.
(NG, Nov. 1985, K.F. Weaver, p.570)(SFC, 4/27/00,
p.A4)
1.8Mil BC Fossils of the bipedal Paranthropus
robustus from the Swartkrans cave of South Africa dated to about
this time. The species went extinct about 1Mil BC. In 2006 new
evidence suggested the species had a broader diet than was believed
earlier.
(SFC, 11/10/06, p.A4)
200000BC It is speculated that the Neanderthals
and Homo Sapiens split from a common ancestor about this time. DNA
research in 2008 indicated that shortly after this time Homo Sapiens
split into 2 groups. Most people in 2008 represented one group,
while the bushmen of southern Africa represented the other.
(SFC, 10/1/96, p.A2)(Econ, 4/26/08, p.101)
186000BC Human footprints that dated back to this
time were discovered along Langebaan Lagoon some 60 miles north of
Cape Town, South Africa, in Sep, 1995. The 117,000 year-old prints
were cut out and moved to the South African Museum in 1998.
(SFC, 8/15/97, p.A1,17)(SFC, 2/27/98, p.D3)(SFC,
6/24/98, p.A12)
165000BC In 2009 scientific analysis of stone age
tools from South Africa suggested that humans about this time began
using fire to make it easier to flake stone tools and to make them
sharper. The process was believed to have become widespread by about
70000BC.
(SFC, 8/26/09, p.A3)
164000BC In 2007 scientists reported that
shellfish evidence from the a cave at Pinnacle Point near Mossel
Bay, South Africa, indicated human habitation at this time and that
red ochre at the site indicated a cognitive world enriched by
symbols.
(SFC, 10/18/07, p.A8)
100000BC In 2008 scientists unearthed human-made
paint “toolkits” from the Blombos Cave in South Africa dating to
about this time.
(SFC, 10/14/11, p.A5)
77000BC In 2011 scientists in South Africa said
layers of cave floor at a natural rock shelter called Sibudu dated
to this time with evidence of plant-based bedding used by humans.
(Econ, 12/10/11, p.90)
75000BC In 2002 evidence from the Blombos Cave in
South Africa indicated possible symbolic thinking. Sophisticated
tools of stone and carve bone had etchings that indicated complex
behavior. Evidence of ornamental bead-making was reported in 2004.
(SFC, 1/11/02, p.A2)(SFC, 4/16/04, p.A2)
41000BC Scholars surmised that diggers in Africa’s
Swaziland began to seek iron about this time.
(SFEC, 5/11/97, Z1 p.7)
c8000BC Traces of a man-made shelter from this
time were found in northern South Africa north of Johannesburg.
(SFC, 1/15/99, p.A14)
c1k-14kBC The Mapungubwe kingdom thrived in South
Africa. It was rediscovered by archeologists in the 1930s.
(Arch, 1/05, p.10)
1240-1630BC The site of Thulamela in Kruger Nat’l.
Park in northeastern South Africa had graves containing people with
gold ornaments.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.71)
1488 Feb 3, Bartolomeu Dias,
Portuguese explorer, sighted the coast of Africa sailing north and
made landing at Mossel Bay (South Africa) and realized that they had
rounded the continent. He saw the southern tip on his return journey
in May and named it the Cape of Good Hope. He continued north to the
Great Fish River near present day Port Elizabeth, and then returned
home in December.
(V.D.-H.K.p.173)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeu_Dias)
1497 Nov 18, Vasco da Gama
reached the Cape of Good Hope.
(MC, 11/18/01)
1497 Nov 22, Portuguese
navigator Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope.
(MC, 11/22/01)
1580 Sir Francis Drake rounded
the promontory of what later became Cape Town.
(SFEC, 10/15/00, p.T8)
1652 Officials [farmers] of the
Dutch East India Company were sent from Europe to run the small
victualing station at the cape of South Africa. They were
distinguished from the native born Dutch people who are called
Afrikaner. It marked the beginning of Cape Town. Jan Van Riebeck, a
Dutch ship’s surgeon, founded Dap Town.
(NG, Oct. 1988, p. 563)(SFEC, 6/22/97, Z1
p.5)(SFEC, 10/15/00, p.T8)
1655 Dutch settlers planted the
1st vines for grapes.
(SSFC, 12/3/00, p.T6)
c1656 European settlers arrived
at the cape. Robben Island in Cape Town’s Table Bay from this time
on was variously used as a mental institution, leper colony and
prison.
(SFC, 9/5/96, p.A10)
1687 Dec 31, The 1st Huguenots
departed France to the Cape of Good Hope.
(MC, 12/31/01)
1688 Persecuted Huguenots,
French Protestants, arrived and improved the quality of wine
production.
(SSFC, 12/3/00, p.T6)
1692 A 350-acre vineyard was
established in the Paarl Valley on the border of Nelson Creek. It
was sold to Alan Nelson in 1989, who developed it with his workers
to a prize-winning vineyard. Mr. Nelson in thanks to his workers
gave them 25 acres valued at $500,000 in 1998.
(WSJ, 1/20/98, p.A1)
1761 A transit of Venus
occurred. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon observed it from Cape
Town, South Africa.
(Econ, 5/29/04, p.79)
1772 Oct 30, Capt. Cook arrived
with ship Resolution in Capetown.
(MC, 10/30/01)
1781 Apr 29, French fleet
stopped Britain from seizing the Cape of Good Hope.
(MC, 4/29/02)
1786 Graaff-Reinet, the major
town of the eastern Karoo, was founded.
(Nat. Hist., 3/96, p.60)
1795 Sep 16, The Capitulation
of Rustenburg: A Dutch garrison at the Cape of Good Hope surrendered
to a British fleet under Adm. George Elphinstone.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1799 Nov 5, The Danish ship
Oldenborg was wrecked on her outward passage by being beached in the
roadstead at Cape Town, South Africa, during a north-westerly gale,
thus becoming one of the 127 ships that have been lost on this
minuscule portion of the South African coast.
(www.milhist.dk/weapons/oldenbur/oldenbur.htm)
1800-1900 The Witwatersrand gold mines were
discovered, the largest gold reserve find in the world. The gold
came from a strip of land 62 miles long and 25 miles wide and
produced three-fourths of all the gold ever mined.
(SFEC, 4/21/97, p.A10)(SFEC, 8/8/99, Z1 p.8)
1803 Feb 21, The British return
the Cape of Good Hope to the Dutch (Batavian Republic) under the
Treaty of Amiens.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1806 Jan 10, The Capitulation
of Papendorp: The Dutch in Cape Town surrendered to a British fleet.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1807 Mar 25, The British
Parliament abolished the slave trade. This led to a labor problem in
South Africa.
(HN, 3/24/98)(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1810 Saartjie Baartman (~21)
left South Africa with 2 white men who promised to make her rich.
[see 1816]
(SFC, 5/4/02, p.A8)
1814 May 30, The First Treaty
of Paris was declared, after Napoleon's first abdication. It
returned France to its 1792 borders and secured for the British
definite possession of the Cape of Good Hope.
(HN, 5/30/98)(HN, 5/30/99)(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1814 Aug 13, Treaty of
London-Netherland was signed to stop the transport of slaves. By
agreement Britain paid the Dutch £6 million in compensation
for the Cape of Good Hope. [see May 30]
(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)(MC, 8/13/02)
1816 Saartjie Baartman (26),
taken from S. Africa in 1810, fell sick and died penniless and
friendless in France after being exhibited as the "Hottentot Venus."
Her body was dissected, her brain and genitals were bottled, and her
skeleton was wired and exhibited in the Musee de l’Homme in Paris.
In 2002 her remains were returned to S. Africa. In 2003 Barbara
Chase-Ribaud authored the novel "Hottentot Venus" based on the
Baartman story. In 2007 Rachel Holmes authored “African Queen: The
Real Life of the Hottentot Venus.”
(SFC, 5/4/02, p.A8)(SSFC, 11/9/03, p.M6)(SFC,
1/1/07, p.D2)
1820 Some 4,000 British
colonists, the Albany settlers, settled in the eastern coastal
region of the Cape of Good Hope.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.884)
1826 The British Cape Colony
was extended northward to the Orange River.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1834 Aug 1, The British
Emancipation Act went into effect abolishing slavery throughout the
British Empire. This ended slavery in Canada, in the West Indies and
in all Caribbean holdings. Some 35,000 slaves were freed in the Cape
Colony. The Minstrels Parada in Cape Town, SA, originated as a
spontaneous outpouring of marches, music and dancing to mark the
abolition of slavery.
(NH, 7/98, p.29)(HN, 8/1/98)(EWH, 4th ed,
p.885)(AP, 1/2/06)
1835-1837 Some 10,000 Dutch (Boer) cattlemen and
farmers moved northward from the Cape Colony due to restrictions on
slavery and the sympathetic native policy of the government. They
settled in what became the Transvaal. Under Piet Retief they began
to occupy Zululand and Natal.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1835-1868 Lesotho acted as a buffer between the
Afrikaner’s and British colonial interests and supplied seasonal
farm workers to both.
(WSJ, 3/25/98, p.A11)(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1836 May 31, HMS Beagle
anchored in Simons Bay, Cape of Good Hope.
(MC, 5/31/02)
1838 Feb 6, Having failed to
obtain land by trickery from the Zulus of South Africa, Boar leader
Piet Retief and 60 followers were executed by Dingaan, the Zulu
king.
(HN, 2/6/99)(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1838 Dec 16, Boers led by
Andreas Pretorius defeated the Zulus in the Battle of Blood River
and settled in Natal. The Afrikaners while escaping from British
rule encountered resistance from the native black peoples. In the
Battle of Blood River a few hundred Boers repelled an attack by more
than 10,000 warriors of the Zulu king Dingaan.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)(NG, Oct. 1988, p. 563)
1840 Zulu king Dingaan was
defeated by his rival Umpanda, who accepted the rule of the Boers.
(EWH, 4th ed, p.885)
1845 George Cato, the 1st mayor
of Durban, South Africa, acquired almost 5,000 acres in an area of
Durban that came to be called Cato Manor.
(MT, Fall/99, p.10)
1846 Scottish missionaries set
up a school for Africans near Alice, South Africa. The Lovedale
Bible College, a prep school for Blacks interested in going to
seminary, soon followed.
(MT, Fall/99, p.13)
1852 Jan 17, At the Sand River
Convention, the British recognized the independence of the Transvaal
Board.
(HN, 1/17/99)
1852 Feb 26, The British
frigate Birkenhead sank off South Africa and 458 died.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1853 Jul 5, Cecil John Rhodes
(d.1902), politician, diamond merchant, was born in South Africa. He
discovered a vast lode of diamonds at Kimberley and founded the De
Beers Mining Co. He ran for Cape parliament in 1881 and was prime
minister of the Cape Colony from 1890-1896. He founded Rhodesia
(later Zimbabwe) for mineral speculation and endowed the Rhodes
scholarships upon his death with £3 million.
(WSJ, 1/11/98, p.R18)(MC, 7/5/02)
1854 Feb 23, Great Britain
officially recognized the independence of the Orange Free State.
(HN, 2/23/99)
1854 Richard Owen, founder of
London’s Natural History Museum discovered fossils in South Africa
of a plant-eating prosauropod named Massospondylus (bulky
vertebrae). Owen is the man who coined the term dinosaur.
(SFC, 7/29/05, p.A2)
1855-1920 Olive Schreiner, South African author
and feminist: "My feeling is that there is nothing in life but
refraining from hurting others, and comforting those that are sad."
(AP, 7/24/98)
1857 In South Africa a
millenarian movement started up based on the prophesy that if the
Xhosa destroyed all their cattle, their ancestors would lead them to
victory over the British. Huge numbers of animals were killed
leaving the Xhosa without means to plant sufficient crops. Thousands
of Xhosa starved and the rest moved under protection of other
tribes. The Xhosa never recovered their lands.
(MT, Fall/99,
p.15)(www.stormfront.org/whitehistory/hwr56.htm)
1862 Sep 27, Louis Botha,
commander-in-chief of the Boer Army against the British and first
president of South Africa, was born.
(HN, 9/27/98)
1866 Diamonds were discovered
in South Africa. [see 1867]
(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R49)
1867 In South Africa diamonds
were discovered. This and the later discovery of gold prompted the
end of Boer isolation. [see 1866]
(NG, Oct. 1988, p. 564)
1869 An 84-carat diamond was
found by a shepherd boy in South Africa. It was cut to 47-carat
pear-shaped diamond that came to be called the Star of South Africa.
(SSFC, 12/20/09, p.N7)
1876 The gladiolus rust,
Uromyces trasversalis, was discovered in South Africa. Some 90 years
later it turned up in the Mediterranean region then spread to
Europe, South America, and Australia. In 2006 it was detected in the
US.
(SSFC, 8/9/09, p.L2)
1879 Jan 11, The Zulu war
against British colonial rule in South Africa began. [see Jan 12]
(MC, 1/11/02)
1879 Jan 12, British-Zulu War
began as British troops under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus
invaded Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal. [see
Jan 11]
(MC, 1/12/02)
1879 Jan 22, In South Africa
battles at Isandlwana Zulu impis or regiments armed with spears and
shields killed around 1,300 British troops bearing rifles. Private
Samuel Wassall lived through the battle and was awarded the Victoria
Cross along with 14 others.
(AFP, 2/5/07)(Econ, 2/10/07, p.91)
1879 Jan 22-24, Eighty-two
British soldiers with rifles held off attacks by 4,000 Zulu warriors
with spears at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in South Africa. A large
British troop had just been massacred prior to this battle. The 1964
film "Zulu" was based on this event.
(History Channel, 4/9/98)(HN, 1/22/00)
1879 Mar 12, The British Zulu
War began. [see Jan 11]
(HN, 3/12/98)
1879 Mar 28, British mounted
troops under Colonel Henry Evelyn Wood went up Hlobane Mountain to
battle the Zulus—only to be surrounded by a 22,000-man impi (army).
Lieutenant Colonel Redvers Buller, received the Victoria Cross for
his gallantry during the difficult withdrawal of his troopers from
the mountain. Hlobane was the worst rout of British cavalry—and the
last Zulu victory—of the Anglo-Zulu War in South Africa.
(HN, 3/12/98)(HN, 3/28/99)
1879 Mar 29, Some 2,000 British
and Colonial troops of the 90th Light Infantry Regiment under the
command of Colonel Henry Evelyn Wood repulsed a major attack by
20,000 Zulu tribesmen at Khambula, Zululand. Jubilant over their
victory at Hlobane the day before, the Zulus prepared to finish off
the British at Khambula. This time, however, the outcome was
different as the Zulus vainly assaulted British foes who were dug in
and ready for them. The assault, depicted in "The Battle of
Khambula" by Angus McBride, ended in failure for the Zulus, leaving
them doubting for the first time their ability to win the Anglo-Zulu
War.
(HN, 3/29/99)(MC, 3/29/02)
1879 Jul 4, Afrikaner Union was
formed by Rev SJ du Toit at Cape colony.
(Maggio, 98)
1879 Jul 4, Battle at Rorkes
Drift: Britain ended attack on Zulus.
(Maggio, 98)
1879 Aug 28, Cetewayo (or
Cetshwayo), last of the great Zulu kings, was captured by the
British at the end of the Zulu wars.
(RTH, 8/28/99)
1879 John Dunn (d.1885),
Englishman and friend of Zulu King Cetshwayo, was granted 10,000
acres after the Anglo-Zulu war. Dunn took 27 Zulu wives and was
declared a chief by the king.
(SFC, 8/13/01, p.A9)
1880 Mar 12, Cecil Rhodes
(1853-1902) and C.D. Rudd launched the De Beers Mining Company after
the amalgamation of a number of individual claims in South Africa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes)
1881 Feb 26, Natal British
troops under General-Major Colley occupied Majuba Hill.
(SC, 2/26/02)
1881 Mar 4, South African
President Kruger accepted a cease-fire with the British in the First
Boer War (1880-1881 – aka Transvaal Revolt). [see Mar 23]
(SC, 3/4/02)
1881 Mar 23, Boers and Britain
signed a peace accord. This ended the 1st Boer war.
(SS, 3/23/02)
1883 Apr 16, Paul Kruger was
chosen president of Transvaal.
(MC, 4/16/02)
1884 Apr 24, Otto von Bismarck
cabled Cape Town that South Africa had become a German colony.
(HN, 4/24/98)
1886 The discovery of gold on
the Witwatersrand, South Africa, launched the city of Johannesburg.
Labor was provided from Lesotho.
(NG, Oct. 1988, p. 562)(WSJ, 3/25/98, p.A11)
1889 Mar 19, Sarah Gertrude
Millina, South African writer (The Dark River, God's Stepchildren),
was born.
(HN, 3/19/01)
1891 Jul 31, Great Britain
declared territories in Southern Africa up to the Congo to be within
their sphere of influence.
(HN, 7/31/98)
1892 Jan 3, J.R.R. Tolkien,
author of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, was born in Bloemfontein,
South Africa. "All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that
wander are lost."
(440 Int'l. 1/3/99)(AP, 1/5/99)(AP, 1/3/00)
1892 Jun 13, Basil Rathbone,
actor (Sherlock Holmes), was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
(MC, 6/13/02)
1892 A Boer government grabbed
90% of the land of southern Africa’s biggest woman, the Rain Queen
of the Lobedu. She was immortalized by H. Rider Haggard as “She.”
(Econ, 12/18/04, p.62)
1893 Mohandas Gandhi (24) moved
to South Africa to work as a legal advisor to an Indian businessman.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1895 Cecil Rhodes supported the
Jameson Raid to help rebellious British settlers in the Dutch
Transvaal.
(WSJ, 7/11/03, p.W19)
1895 Barney Barnato, a mining
magnate, bought a block of land at the corner of Eloff and
Commissioner streets in Johannesburg to develop a world-class hotel.
His untimely death and the Boer War delayed the opening of the
Carlton Hotel to 1906.
(SFEC, 5/31/98, p.A22)
1897 Jan 22, Eighty-two British
soldiers held off attacks by 4,000 Zulu warriors at the Battle of
Rorke's Drift in South Africa.
(HN, 1/22/99)
1898 In South Africa Sir Thomas
Cullinan discovered a prospect that contained kimberlite, a rock
that can be rich in diamonds. A mine was established there in 1903
and became one of the world’s most valuable diamond resources.
(Econ, 12/1/07, p.82)
1899 Sep 8, The British
government sent an additional 10,000 troops to Natal South Africa.
(MC, 9/8/01)
1899 Oct 11, South African
Boers, settlers from the Netherlands, declared war on Great Britain.
In the Boer War Dutch settlers of the South African Republic (the
Traansvaal) under Pres. Paul Kruger and the Orange Free State
refused to accept English rule in southern Africa. The Boers were
the predominately Dutch inhabitants of the two republics, which had
gained their independence from Great Britain in the 1850s. Years of
tensions between British settlers and the Boer governments exploded
into war. Eventual British victory resulted in the Boer republics
becoming colonies of the British Empire and in 1910 part of the
Union of South Africa.
(V.D.-H.K.p.289)(HNQ, 7/12/99)(SFC, 10/8/99,
p.D3)
1899 Oct 12, The Anglo-Boer War
began. [see Oct 11]
(HN, 10/12/98)
1899 Oct 30, British Morning
Post reporter Winston Churchill reached Capetown.
(MC, 10/30/01)
1899 Oct 30, In South Africa
two battalions of British troops were cut off, surrounded and forced
to surrender to General Petrus Joubert's Boers at Nicholson's Nek.
(HN, 10/30/98)
1898 Joseph Silver (d.1918), a
Polish-born Jew, arrived in Johannesburg fresh from a stint in Sing
Sing for burglary and a stay in London a decade earlier. Shortly
after arriving in Johannesburg, Silver set up a string of cafes,
cigar shops and police-protected brothels. Silver was executed as a
spy in Poland in 1918. In 2007 Charles van Onselen authored "The Fox
and The Flies: The World of Joseph Silver,” in which he suggested
that Silver was London’s “Jack the Ripper.”
(AP, 5/2/07)
1899 Nov 15, Winston Churchill
(24), war correspondent for London’s Morning Post, was captured by
Boers in Natal, South Africa. He escaped prison in Pretoria on Dec
12 and after some days reached the English colony in Durban, Natal.
(ON, 12/08, p1)
1899 Nov 28, The British were
victorious over the Boers at Modder River.
(HN, 11/28/98)
1899 Dec 15, In South Africa
the Boars defeated the British at the Battle of Colenso.
(HN, 12/15/98)
1899-1902 In the Boer War some 12,000 blacks and
18,000 whites were killed from epidemics in British concentration
camps. Some 25,000 blacks and 94,000 whites were herded into the
world's first concentration camps. Thomas Packenham later authored
"The Boer War."
(SFC, 10/8/99, p.D3)
1899-1902 The Anglo-Boer War. Winston Churchill
took part as a war correspondent for the Morning Post. Shortly after
his arrival he was caught in an ambush and taken prisoner in
Pretoria from whence he escaped. In 1999 his granddaughter Celia
Sandys authored "Churchill: Wanted Dead Or Alive."
(WSJ, 12/29/99, p.A12)
1900 Jan 8, The Boers attacked
Ladysmith, but are turned back by General White in South Africa.
(HN, 1/8/99)
1900 Feb 6, Battle at
Vaalkrans, South Africa (Boers vs. British army).
(MC, 2/6/02)
1900 Feb 8, British General
Buller was beaten at Ladysmith, South Africa as the British fled
over the Tugela River.
(HN, 2/8/99)
1900 Feb 14, General Roberts
invaded South Africa’s Orange Free State with 20,000 British troops.
(HN, 2/14/98)
1900 Feb 15, The British
threatened to use natives in the Boer War fight.
(HN, 2/15/98)
1900 Feb 18, Battle at
Paardeberg (Boer War), 1,270 British killed or injured.
(MC, 2/18/02)
1900 Feb 28, After a 119-day
siege by the Boers, the English defenders of Ladysmith, under
General Sir George White were relieved.
(HN, 2/28/98)
1900 Mar 11, British Prime
Minister Lord Salisbury rejected the peace overtures offered from
Boer leader Paul Kruger.
(HN, 3/11/98)
1900 Mar 27, The London
Parliament passed the War Loan Act which gave 35 million pounds to
the Boer War cause.
(HN, 3/27/98)
1900 Apr 9, British forces
routed the Boers at Kroonstadt, South Africa.
(HN, 4/9/98)
1900 May 12, Mostly Black
fighters in Mafikeng repelled a Boer assault. Col. Robert
Baden-Powell, commander of the British troops in Mafikeng, armed
black fighters and many died during the 7-month siege.
(SFC, 10/8/99, p.D3)
1900 May 28, Britain annexed
the Orange Free State.
(HN, 5/28/98)
1900 Jun 5, In South Africa,
British troops under Lord Roberts seized Pretoria from the Boers.
(HN, 6/5/98)
1900 Aug 31, British troops
overran Johannesburg.
(MC, 8/31/01)
1900 Nov 30, The French
government denounced the British government and declared sympathy
for the Boers.
(HN, 11/30/98)
1900 Zulu Princess Magogo
kaDinuzulu (d.1984) was born. She became a composer and singer with
a 3-octave range. She became the mother of Prince Mangosuthu
Buthelezi.
(WSJ, 6/22/04, p.D8)
1901 Aug 20, Fawcett committee
visited Mafeking concentration camp in Cape Colony.
(MC, 8/20/02)
1901 Sep 3, Boer General Smuts
entered Kiba Drift in Cape Colony.
(MC, 9/3/01)
1901 Sep 17, At the Battle at
Elands River Port, Boer Gen. Smuts destroyed the 17th Lancers unit .
(MC, 9/17/01)
1900 Dec 1, Kaiser Wilhelm II
refused to meet with Boer leader Paul Kruger in Berlin.
(HN, 12/1/98)
1900 Dec 9, The Russian Czar
rejected Paul Kruger’s pleas for aid to the Boers in South Africa
against the British.
(HN, 12/9/01)
1900-1902 Lord Herbert Horatio Kitchener created
concentration camps where hundreds of thousands of Boer women,
children and old men were herded. An estimated 16,000 died in the
camps.
(WSJ, 2/27/00, p.A24)
1901 Mar 23, The world learned
that Boers were starving to death in British concentration camps.
(HN, 3/23/98)
1901 Jun 20, Charlotte M. Manye
of South Africa became the first native African to graduate from an
American University.
(HN, 6/20/00)
1901 A process of "forced
removals," whereby Blacks were removed to allow for all-white areas,
was begun.
(SFEC, 10/15/00, p.T8)
1902 Jan 17, Gideon Scheepers,
South Africa Boer leader, was executed.
(MC, 1/17/02)
1902 Feb 27, Harry 'Breaker'
Morant (1864-1902) and Peter Handcock were executed for the murder
of 12 prisoners of war in the dying days of the Boer war. George
Witton had his death sentence commuted because it contained serious
errors. Morant, who volunteered to fight with the British in South
Africa, was born in England but became well known in Australia as a
poet and a horsebreaker. In 1980 the film ‘Breaker’ Morant was
produced in Australia. In 2010 Australia sent Britain a petition
calling for posthumous pardons for Morant and Handcock. The petition
argued the accused were denied the right to communicate with the
Australian government or relatives after their arrest and during
their trials and were refused an opportunity to prepare their cases.
(AFP, 2/10/10)(www.awm.gov.au/people/267.asp)
1902 Mar 10, The Boers scored
their last victory over the British, capturing British General
Methuen and 200 men.
(HN, 3/10/98)
1902 Mar 26, Cecil Rhodes (48),
Prime Minister of Cape Colony (1890-96), died. [see Apr 4, 1902]
(SS, 3/26/02)
1902 Apr 4, British financier
Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships
for Americans at Oxford University in England. The first scholars
were selected in 1903. In Rhodesia [later Zimbabwe] after Cecil John
Rhodes, British imperialist, died at age 48 he was buried in a tomb
in the Matopos Hills. He had co-founded De Beers Consolidated Mines
Ltd., and built great railways through southern Africa.
(AP, 4/4/97)(SFC, 12/9/98, p.A25)(WSJ, 12/9/98,
p.A1)
1902 Apr 10, South African
Boers accepted British terms of surrender.
(HN, 4/10/98)
1902 May 6, There was a Zulu
assault at Holkrantz, South-Africa.
(MC, 5/6/02)
1902 May 31, The Boer War ended
between the Boers of South Africa and Great Britain with the Treaty
of Vereeniging. This effectively ended a 3-year uprising by the
Boers, led by Louis Botha, commandant general of the Transvaal
forces. Botha was a signatory at the peace conference. The
combination of superior fire power and a brutal war of attrition
launched by Lord Kitchener forced the Boers to give in. Kitchener
burned the farms of Africans and Boers alike and collected as many
as a 100,000 women and children in carelessly run and unhygienic
concentration camps on the open veldt. Britain annexed Transvaal.
(V.D.-H.K.p.289)(HN, 5/31/99)(SFC, 9/25/99,
p.A21)(HNQ, 6/29/02)
1902 The British Colonial
Administration singed a law that gave 100-acre farms to 63
descendants of John Dunn (d.1885).
(SFC, 8/13/01, p.A9)
1903-1988 Alan Paton, South African author: "The
tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are
not mended again."
(AP, 7/7/98)
1904 Aug 11, German General
Lothar von Trotha defeated the Hereros tribe near Waterberg, South
Africa. [see Namibia]
(HN, 8/10/98)
1904 Soweto (an acronym for
southwest townships) was established as a separate, African-only
district.
(SFEC, 7/19/98, p.T4)
1905 Jan 25, Largest diamond,
Cullinan (3106 carets), was found in South Africa.
(MC, 1/25/02)
1906 Feb 9, Natal proclaimed a
state of siege in Zulu uprising.
(MC, 2/9/02)
1906 Apr 17, In South Africa
Zulu chiefs Siganandi and Ndubi refused to take part in an
expedition in pursuit of chief Bamibaata, who was in rebellion
against the Natal government.
(SFC, 4/18/06, p.A15)
1906 Sep 11, Mohandas Gandhi
addressed a meeting in Johannesburg on social protest against
the Asiatic Law Amendment, a new law by the province of Transvaal
that made it compulsory for all Indians over age 8 to register with
the government and carry ID cards. In the India Opinion he published
articles on what he called Satyagraha (Truth Force): "the
vindication of truth not by infliction of suffering on the opponent
but on one's self."
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1906 The luxury Carlton Hotel
opened in Johannesburg. It closed in 1998.
(SFEC, 5/31/98, p.A22)
1906-1996 Sir Laurens van der Post, South African
author: "Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when
they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right."
(AP, 4/29/01)
1907 Mar 2, General Louis Botha
was named premier of Transvaal.
(SC, 3/2/02)
1907 Jul 1, The Asiatic
Registration Act became law in the province of Transvaal, SA.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1908 Jan 11, Mohandas Gandhi
and a group of other Indian men were arrested for refusing to
register under the Asiatic Registration Act.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1908 Aug 16, Mohandas Gandhi
and hundreds of other registered Indians set fire to thousands of
registration cards at the Hamidia Mosque in Johannesburg.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1908 Oct 8, Mohandas Gandhi was
again arrested. And sentenced to 2 months in prison. Following his
release he was again arrested for not carrying a registration card.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1909 Jul 26, The SS Waratah
left Durban, South Africa, with 211 passengers and crew. The
steamship, enroute from Melbourne to London, was due in Cape Town 3
days later, but never arrived.
(Econ, 9/19/09, p.94)
1909 Nov, Mohandas Gandhi
returned to South Africa from a trip to England to lobby the
government to help repeal the Registration Act. He founded a
communal farm named "Tolstoy" to help support a few members of his
Satyagrahi movement.
(ON, 9/03, p.1)
1909 Dec 28, The first manned,
controlled, powered flight in the whole continent of
Africa and the entire southern hemisphere was successfully carried
out by the Frenchman
Albert Kimmerling (d.6/12/1912) at East London, South Africa using a
Voisin bi-plane.
(Internet)c
1910 May 31, The Union of South
Africa was founded as a union within the British Empire.
(NG, Oct. 1988, p. 566)(AP, 5/31/97)
1910 Jul 9, Govan Mbeki
(d.2001), the son of a Xhosa chief, was born.
(SFC, 8/31/01, p.A24)
1910 Louis Botha was elected
prime minister, and held the post until his death in 1919. Botha was
the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa. His
only formal education was at a German mission school in his native
Orange Free State. He became active in politics when the New
Republic became part of the South African Republic in 1888.
When war broke out in 1899, Botha quickly rose through the ranks
finally being the commandant general of the Transvaal forces and a
signatory at the peace conference in 1902.
(HNQ, 8/18/00)
1911 A group of South Africans
took part in the Trans-Saharan Ostrich Expedition to claim the
Barbary Ostrich from French West Africa. They then sold the
expensive plumes to milliners in across American and Europe.
(Econ, 6/4/11, p.95)
1912 Jan 8, The South African
Native National Congress was founded. It was renamed the African
National Congress (ANC) in 1923.
(SFC, 5/7/03, p.A20)(AFP, 1/1/12)
1912 Dec 14, Louis Botha
resigned as South Africa's premier.
(AP, 12/14/02)
1912 In South Africa Walter Max
Ulyate Sisulu (d.2003), anti-apartheid hero, was born.
(SFC, 5/7/03, p.A20)
1913 Nov 6, Mohandas K. Gandhi
led a march of Indian miners into Transvaal, South Africa. He was
arrested 3 times during the 1st 4 days of the march. The miners had
struck because the Cape Colony Supreme Court Justice had ruled that
only Christian marriages registered by the Registrar of Marriages
would be considered legal.
(AP, 11/6/97)(ON, 9/03, p.5)
1913 A South African Land Act
reserved 87% of the country’s land for the white minority. Blacks
were not allowed to own, or even rent, land outside special black
reserves.
(Econ, 7/25/05, p.38)(Econ, 6/5/10, SR p.9)
1914 Jan, Gen. Smuts began
negotiations with Mohandas Gandhi to eradicate many of the racist
laws imposed on South African Indians.
(ON, 9/03, p.5)
1915 Feb 2, Abba Eban (d.2002),
Israeli statesman, was born in South Africa. He grew up in England,
attaining honors at Cambridge University, where he honed his oratory
as a leader of the university debating society.
(AP, 11/17/02)
1915 May 12, In South Africa
Naspers was founded as Die Nasionale Pers (The National Press) with
the aim of furthering the cause of the Afrikaner people.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naspers)(Econ,
7/10/10, p.61)
1915 Jul 9, Germany’s South
West Africa surrendered to Gen. Botha of the Union of South Africa.
(http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/swatf.htm)
1916 Jan 12, Pieter W. Botha,
later president of South Africa, was born in Orange Free State.
(MC, 1/12/02)
1916 In South Africa the Univ.
of Fort Hare (UFH) was officially established.
(MT, Fall/99, p.13)
1917 Ernest Oppenheimer founded
the Anglo American Corp., a mining company.
(SFC, 8/21/00, p.A20)
1918 Jun 11, Nelson Mandela,
president of South Africa, anti-apartheid leader, was born. Prior to
becoming president he served 18 of 27 years in jail on Robben
Island. [see Jul 18, Sep 18]
(WP, 6/29/96, p.A20)(SFC, 9/5/96, p.A10)(HN,
6/11/98)
1918 Jul 18, Nelson Mandela,
first black president of South Africa, was born in Qunu, S. Africa.
[see Jun 11]
(HN, 7/18/98)(MC, 7/18/02)
1918 Sep 18, Nelson Mandela,
later pres. of South Africa, was born. [see Jun 11, Jul 18]
(MC, 9/18/01)
1919 May 6, Paris Peace
Conference disposed of German colonies; German East Africa was
assigned to Britain & France, German SW Africa to South Africa.
(MC, 5/6/02)
1919 Prime Minister Louis Botha
died.
(HNQ, 8/18/00)
1920 Feb 4, The 1st flight from
London to South Africa took off and lasted 1 month.
(MC, 2/4/02)
1920 Dec 17, The League of
Nations assigned the colony to South Africa to govern as a "Class A"
mandate.
(http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/swatf.htm)
1921-1929 In South Africa the nomadic Nama people
were forced from their lands near the mouth of the Orange River
following the British discovery of diamonds in the area. In 1998
community elders initiated a bid to reclaim their land and asked for
ownership of the mining operations and compensation of $350 million
for the removed diamonds and environmental damage. A 2003 ruling
established that community members were entitled to both land and
monetary restitution.
(SSFC, 11/27/05, p.A22)
1922 Oct 8, Dr. Christiaan
Barnard, Pioneering South African heart-transplant surgeon, was
born. [see Nov 8]
(MC, 10/8/01)
1922 Nov 8, Christiaan Barnard,
South African surgeon, was born. He performed the first human heart
transplant operation. [see Oct 8]
(HN, 11/8/00)
1923 Nov 20, Nadine Gordimer,
Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist, was born.
(HN, 11/20/00)
1925 Jul 7, Afrikaans was
recognized as one of the official languages of South Africa, along
with English and Dutch.
(HN, 7/7/98)
1927 South Africa’s first
Immorality Act prohibited sex between whites and blacks. It was
amended in 1950 to prohibit sex between whites and all non-whites.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immorality_Act)
1927 In South Africa Alexkor
Ltd., a state-run diamond mining company, was set up in the town of
Alexander Bay as a work program for poor whites. The local Nama were
forced out after mineral rights were awarded to Alexkor Ltd. In 2007
the government agreed to restore the 330-square-mile northern
coastal strip to the tribe and pay $28 million compensation as well
as millions more in development funding.
(AP, 10/9/07)
1929 Ernest Oppenheimer,
founder of the Anglo American Corp., took control of De Beers.
(SFC, 8/21/00, p.A20)
1931 Oct 7, Desmond Tutu, South
African Black archbishop who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, was
born.
(HN, 10/7/98)
1932 Mar 4, Miriam Makeba,
singer (Grammy 1965), was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
(HN, 3/4/01)(SC, 3/4/02)
1932 Jun 11, Athol Fugard,
playwright, director, actor and novelist, was born in Middelburg,
South Africa as Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard. As a child he was known
as Hally before he decided he wanted to be called Athol.
(www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1651)(HN,
6/11/01)
1934 Jan 27, Julian Ogilvie
Thompson, CEO of De Beers, was born.
(MC, 1/27/02)
1935 May 29, André P.
Brink, South African writer (Dry White Season), was born.
(SC, 5/29/02)
1935 May 29, Denis J. Worrall,
South African politician/leader (DP), was born.
(SC, 5/29/02)
1936 Mar 18, Frederik Willem de
Klerk, president of the Republic of South Africa, was born in
Johannesburg. He initiated the abolition of apartheid.
(Hem. 1/95, p. 19)(HN, 3/18/99)
1937 In South Africa the vervet
monkey was classified as vermin after one bit the daughter of the
country’s finance minister. In 1976 the species was listed as
threatened by the Convention on Int’l. Trade and Endangered Species.
(SFC, 5/19/07, p.B6)
1938 Karen Blixen wrote her
novel: "Out of Africa."
(SFEC, 11/3/96, BR p.5)
1939 Sep 6, The Union of South
Africa declared war on Germany.
(AP, 9/6/07)
1939 Olive Schreiner wrote her
novel: "The Story of an African Farm."
(SFEC, 11/3/96, BR p.5)
1939 Solomon Linda’s Original
Evening Birds made recordings that included the piece "Mbube" (The
Lion). In 1951 the Zulu song was recorded by Pete Seeger with
"Uyimbube" (You’re the lion) mistranslated to "Wimoweh." The song
became a big hit in 1961 recorded by the Tokens as "The Lion Sleeps
Tonight." Linda died in poverty.
(NH, 6/97, p.66)(SFC, 7/9/01, p.A10)
1943 May 25, Wynand C. Malan,
South African lawyer, NP/DP-politician, was born.
(SC, 5/25/02)
1944 May 17, D. du Toit
(Harvard College Observatory, Boyden station, Bloemfontein, South
Africa) discovered the comet, 66P/du Toit, on a photograph.
(http://cometography.com/pcomets/066p.html)
1944 In South Africa Walter
Sisulu (1912-2003), Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo formed the ANC
Youth League.
(AP, 5/6/03)(SFC, 5/7/03, p.A20)
1945 Jan 25, The US Justice
Department's Antitrust Division filed suit in the U.S. District
Court in New York against De Beers, four other British or South
African companies, three Belgian companies and one Portuguese
Company which together produced and sold 95 percent of the world's
diamonds, 'charging them with conspiring to restrain and monopolize
the foreign trade of the United States in gem and industrial
diamonds in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Wilson
Tariff Acts.
(www.macha.f9.co.uk/d-Ch5-rationing.html)
1946 Dec 18, Stephen Biko,
South African anti-apartheid activist, was born.
(MC, 12/18/01)
1948 May 26, South Africa
elected a nationalist government with apartheid policy. The National
Party of the Dutch Afrikaners came to power and imposed apartheid.
P.W. Botha (1916-2006) was among those elected to parliament.
(WSJ, 7/28/98,
p.A16)(http://tinyurl.com/yxx4zh)(Econ, 11/4/06, p.56)
1948 Alan Paton authored the
novel "Cry the Beloved Country."
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)
1949 Jan 14, There was a
Black-Indian race rebellion in Durban, South Africa that left some
142 dead. 2 days of murder, pillage and arson left some 50 Indians
dead, more than 500 injured and thousands in makeshift refugee
camps. The Africans, whose toll was 87 killed and 550 injured,
believed they'd won the Battle of Cato Manor.
(MC,
1/14/02)(http://durban.kzn.org.za/durban/about/3.html)
1949 Jun 29, The government of
South Africa enacted a ban against racially mixed marriages.
(AP, 6/29/99)
1949 South Africa established
an apartheid program.
(TOH, 1982, p.1949)
1950 Jan 29, Riots broke out in
Johannesburg, South Africa, over Apartheid.
(HN, 1/29/99)
1950 Apr 27, South Africa
passed the Group Areas Act, formally segregating races.
(HN, 4/27/98)(SFEC, 10/15/00, p.T8)
1950 May 1, South Africa’s 1927
Immorality Act, which prohibited sex between whites and blacks, was
amended to prohibit sex between whites and all non-whites.
(http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Immorality_Amendment_Act,_1950)
1950 Jul 7, South Africa’s
Population Registration Act commenced. It required that each
inhabitant of South Africa be classified and registered in
accordance with their racial characteristics as part of the system
of apartheid. It was repealed by section 1 of the Population
Registration Act, Repeal Act No 114 of 1991.
(http://africanhistory.about.com/od/apartheidlaws/g/No30of50.htm)
1950 Sep 11, Jan C. Smuts,
co-founder of British RAF and S. African PM (1919-48), died at 80.
(MC, 9/11/01)
1950 Laurence Marshall, a
former president of Raytheon, took his family to the bush land of
the Kalahari Desert in South Africa where they encountered the
native Bushmen. The area later became the border of Namibia and
Botswana. In 2006 his daughter Elizabeth Marshall Thomas authored
”The Old Way: A Story of the First People.”
(SSFC, 11/5/06, p.M3)
1950 The South Africa
Nationalist government banned Communists and forced them to go
underground to struggle against apartheid.
(SFC, 7/6/02, p.A19)
1950 South Africa set up Sasol
as a state-owned company and authorized funds for the development of
a coal-to-liquids facility called Sasolburg.
(WSJ, 8/16/06, p.A12)
1950-1980 About 3.5 million blacks were forcibly
trucked off to ethnic territories, often abandoning land, houses and
cattle.
(WSJ, 5/17/96,p.A-10)
1951 J.D. Bold wrote "Phrase
Book, Grammar and Dictionary of Fanagalo," a pidgin language used by
miners.
(WSJ, 4/15/98, p.A9)
1951 In South Africa Drum
magazine was founded in Johannesburg. Drum journalists living in
Sophiatown, a racially-mixed suburb of Johannesburg, soon began
producing the best investigative journalism, short fiction,
satirical humour, social and political commentary, and musical
criticism South Africa had ever seen.
(AFP,
12/26/11)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophiatown)
1952 Mar 24, Great
demonstrations took place against apartheid in South Africa.
(MC, 3/24/02)
1953 A freedom charter in the
struggle against apartheid was framed in Soweto, South Africa.
(AFP, 5/20/06)
1954 South Africa began
refining oil.
(SFC, 8/16/00, p.A17)
1955 Feb 9, In South Africa
some 2,000 policemen, armed with handguns, rifles and clubs known as
knobkierries, forcefully moved the black families of Sophiatown to
Meadowlands, Soweto.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophiatown)
1955 Jun 26, South Africa’s
congress of the People adopted a Freedom Charter. It called for the
mineral wealth beneath the soil to be transferred to the people as a
whole.
(www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/charter.html)(Econ, 12/3/11, p.62)
1955-1960 In South Africa residents of Sophiatown
were forcibly removed and relocated to townships outside
Johannesburg because white blue-collar areas sprang up nearby.
Sophiatown had generated a cultural flowering unequalled in the
urban history of South Africa.
(SFC, 12/19/00, p.B5)(AFP, 12/26/11)
1956 Dec 6, Nelson Mandela and
156 others were arrested for political activities in South Africa.
(MC, 12/6/01)
1956 The New Zealand Maori
rugby team was ordered by Maori Affairs Minister Ernest Corbett
(d.1968) to throw a game against the South African Springboks to
ensure the All Blacks weren't stopped from touring South Africa.
News of this was only made public by a former player in 2010. The
indigenous Maori side went on to lose 37-0. Maori players were
excluded from All Black tours to white-controlled South Africa in
1928, 1949 and 1960.
(AFP, 4/13/10)
1957 May 22, South Africa
government approved race separation in universities.
(MC, 5/22/02)
1957 South African reporter
Henry Nxumalo was stabbed to death while investigating abortions. He
was famous for his investigative pieces. Fondly called "Mr Drum",
Nxumalo once enlisted as a farm worker to expose the brutality of
white farmers. Nxumalo's life story was portrayed in a 2004 film
called "Drum."
(AFP, 12/26/11)
1957 Ernest Oppenheimer,
founder of the Anglo American Corp., died.
(SFC, 8/21/00, p.A20)
1959 The Pan African Congress
was founded.
(SFC, 8/21/96, p.A8)
1959 The Usutu virus, a life
threat to birds, was 1st observed in South African mosquitoes. By
2004 it had spread to Europe and ravaged the blackbird population.
(SFC, 8/21/04, p.B10)
1960 Mar 21, A police massacre
in Sharpeville, South Africa, left 69 black protestors dead as
people gathered to protest the pass books that the apartheid
government required them to carry at all times. The ANC was
outlawed.
(SFC, 12/5/96, p.C2)(SFEC, 2/9/97, Z1 p.7)(AP,
3/21/08)
1960 Mar 31, The South African
government declared a state of emergency after demonstrations led to
the deaths of more than 50 Africans.
(HN, 3/31/98)
1960 Albert John Luthuli
(c1898-1967), tribal chief and president-general of the African
National Congress, won the Nobel Peace prize.
(http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1960/lutuli-bio.html)
1960 Joe Modise was appointed
high commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC.
(SFC, 11/28/01, p.A22)
1961 Mar 15, South Africa
withdrew from British Commonwealth.
(MC, 3/15/02)
1961 Mar 29, In South Africa
Nelson Mandela was acquitted on a treason charge after a 4 year
trial .
(MC, 3/29/02)
1961 Apr 13, The U.N. General
Assembly condemned South Africa for apartheid.
(HN, 4/13/98)
1961 May 31, South Africa
became an independent republic.
(AP, 5/31/97)
1961 Aug 24, Johannes Vorster,
a former Nazi leader, became South Africa's minister of justice.
(MC, 8/24/02)
1962 Aug 4, Nelson Mandela was
captured by South African police.
(MC, 8/4/02)
1962 Aug 5, Nelson Mandela was
arrested for incitement and illegally leaving South Africa.
(MC, 8/5/02)
1962 Nov 6, The UN General
Assembly adopted resolution 1761 (XVII), which established a Special
Committee on Apartheid in South Africa. The non-binding resolution
called upon members "separately or collectively, in conformity with
the charter" to break diplomatic relations with South Africa, to
close ports to South African vessels, to forbid vessels flying their
flags to enter South African ports, to boycott South African trade,
and to suspend landing rights for South African aircraft. The
committee held its first meeting on April 2, 1963.
(Econ, 9/15/07,
p.74)(www.anc.org.za/un/reddy/aamun.htm)
1963 In South Africa Arthur
Goldreich (1929-2011), who helped the anti-apartheid leader Nelson
Mandela hide out on a farm by posing as his employer, was arrested.
Goldreich and his family pretended to be the owners of a farm on the
outskirts of Johannesburg that was the ANC underground headquarters
in the 1960s. The raid on the farm led to the Rivonia Trial, and
decades in prison for Mandela. Goldreich and three others escaped
from a downtown Johannesburg police station and made it out of South
Africa disguised as a priest. He eventually settled in Israel.
(AP, 5/25/11)
1963 The Rivonia trial began
and resulted in the jailing of Nelson Mandela and Govan Mbeki. In
1999 Glenn Frankel authored "Rivonia's Children." White activists
(Joe Slovo and his wife Ruth First, Rusty and Hilda Bernstein, and
Anna Marie and Harold Wolpe) of the South African Communist Party,
involved in the trial, fled into exile. The trial was named after
the area where the ANC members were arrested.
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)(SFC, 7/18/02, p.A26)
1963 Albie Sachs was jailed
without charges for 168 days. He described his experience in the
book: "The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs."
(SFEC, 2/9/97, z1 p.7)
1963 Steve Tshwete (d.2002 at
64) was arrested and sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island, where
he spent time with Nelson Mandela. He later became South Africa’s
security minister.
(SFC, 4/30/02, p.A24)
1963 South Africa conducted a
joint nuclear test with Israel, but the Israelis did not confirm the
report.
(SFC, 5/18/02, p.A2)
1964 Jun, In South Africa
Nelson Mandela, convicted of treason in the Rivonia Trial, was moved
into a jail cell on Robben Island. He stayed there until Apr 1982.
(SFC, 12/19/96, p.C1)(SFC, 7/6/02, p.A19)
1964 Aug 18, South Africa was
banned from Olympic Games because of apartheid policies.
(MC, 8/18/02)
1965 Dec 1, South Africa
government said children of white fathers are white.
(MC, 12/1/01)
1965 Donald Woods founded and
edited the Daily Dispatch until 1977 when the government put him
under effective house arrest.
(SFC, 8/20/01, p.A15)
1966 Aug 8, South African
Broadcasting banned the Beatles for Lennon's anti-Jesus remark.
(MC, 8/8/02)
1966 Sep 6, South African Prime
Minister Hendrik Verwoerd was stabbed to death by a deranged page
during a parliamentary session in Cape Town. Demitrios Tsafendas was
reported to have been insane with the belief that a tapeworm inside
his head instructed him to do the killing. In 2001 Henk Van Woerden
authored "The Assassin: A Story of Race and Rage in the Land of
Apartheid."
(AP, 9/6/97)(SSFC, 7/8/01, DB p.63)
1966 Oct 27, The UN deprived
South Africa of Namibia.
(MC, 10/27/01)
1966 In South Africa PM B.J.
Vorster (1915-1983) appointed P.W. Botha (1916-2006) as defense
minister. In 2010 it was revealed that Botha, as South Africa’s
defense minister, asked for nuclear warheads from Israel and that
Israel’s defense minister Shimon Peres offered them in 3 sizes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Willem_Botha)
1966 In South Africa District
Six, a multicultural community in Cape Town, was declared an
all-white area. Black were allowed to return in 2004.
(SFEC, 10/15/00, p.T8)(AP, 2/12/04)
1966 Attorney Albie Sachs
(b.1935) was ordered by the South African government into exile. He
went to England and spent 11 years studying for a Ph.D., and then
moved to Mozambique.
(SFEC, 2/9/97, z1
p.7)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albie_Sachs)
1967 Jul 21, In South Africa
ANC president Albert Luthuli died after being hit by a train in what
was widely thought to have been an assassination operation. The
anti-apartheid icon received the 1960 Nobel prize for his role in
the struggle against whites-only rule.
(AP, 7/11/07)
1967 Dec 3, Surgeons in Cape
Town, South Africa, led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard, performed the
first human heart transplant at the Groote Shur Hospital. Louis
Washkansky lived 18 days with the new heart. The first heart
transplant operation in the U.S. was on December 6, 1967, in New
York City.
(AP, 12/3/97)(HNQ, 1/9/99)
1967 Dec 21, Louis Washkansky
(55) died in South Africa 18 days after undergoing the 1st heart
transplant.
(AP, 12/3/97)(HNQ, 1/9/99)
1967 Miriam Makeba (1932-2008),
South African folk singer and anti-apartheid activist, released her
hit single “Pata Pata.”
(SFC, 11/11/08, p.B5)
1969 May 12, Winnie Mandela was
detained under South Africa’s Terrorism Act and was placed in
solitary confinement for seventeen months. In 1970 she was placed
under house arrest.
(www.answers.com/topic/winnie-madikizela-mandela)
1969-1991 Alfred Nzo (d.2000 at 74) served as the
secretary general of the ANC.
(SFC, 1/14/00, p.D4)
1970 May 15, South Africa was
excluded from Olympic play.
(http://tinyurl.com/4p3x2n)
1971 Mar 3, South African
Broadcasting Corp lifted its ban on the Beatles.
(www.southafrica.to/history/history1948.htm)
1971 Dec, The main 600-room
structure of the Carlton Hotel was completed.
(SFEC, 5/31/98, p.A22)
1971 "Umabatha" by
Welcome Msomi, playwright and director, premiered at the
Amphitheatre of the Univ. of Natal. It was a recast of Shakespeare’s
Macbeth in the context of 19th century Zulu history.
(WSJ, 7/25/97, p.A12)
1971 In the Orange Free State,
South Africa, 19 citizens were arrested for contravening the
Immorality Act by having sex across the color line.
(Econ, 2/28/04, p.81)
1971 In South Africa shaft No.
14 in Gold Reef City near Johannesburg closed. In the 1980s
developer Norman Jarrett helped create the "Gold Reef City" theme
park.
(SFEC, 8/10/97, Z1
p.4)(http://tinyurl.com/2oam78)
1971-1985 In 2005 Peter Hug, history professor at
the Univ. of Bern, reported that a Swiss nuclear research center
aided South Africa between 1971 and 1985 in the sectors of
acceleration technology and uranium enrichment.
(AP, 10/28/05)
1973 In South Africa Eugene
Terre’Blanche (1941-2010) founded the Afrikaner Resistance Movement,
with an ideology that blacks were not only inferior but also a
mortal threat to the Afrikaner volk.
(Econ, 4/10/10, p.88)
1973 Fossils of 190 million
year old dinosaur embryos were unearthed in South Africa. They
belonged to a plant-eating group called prosauropods named
Massospondylus (bulky vertebrae) first discovered in 1854.
(SFC, 7/29/05, p.A2)
1974 Nov 12, South Africa was
suspended from UN General Assembly over racial policies.
(www.anc.org.za/un/un-chron.html)
1975 Oct 14, South Africans
secretly launched Operation Savannah when the first of several South
African columns (task force Zulu) crossed into Angola from Namibia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_intervention_in_Angola_(1975-1991))
1975 Oct 23, A Battle between
Cuban and South Africa troops took place in Angola.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_intervention_in_Angola_(1975-1991))
1975 Nov, In Ebo, Angola, some
1,300 Cuban troops halted the advance of a much larger South African
column.
(SSFC, 3/29/02, p.A12)
1975 Breyten Breytenbach
(b.1939), Afrikaner writer, was charged with sabotage during a
clandestine visit. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison but was
released in 1982 with the intervention of Francois Mitterand.
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)
1976 Jun 16, In South Africa
white police gunned down teenagers Hector Pieterson and Hastings
Ndhlovu and caused a nationwide riot that left 700 people dead.
Students at Morris Isacson High School in Soweto had marched to
protest a new rule that called for Afrikaans as the medium of
instruction.
(SFC, 6/15/96, p.C12)(USAT, 7/9/04, p.10D)
1976 Aug 10, In South Africa
Jimmy Kruger, minister of justice and police, recommended killing
anti-apartheid demonstrators at a cabinet meeting.
(SFC, 11/30/96, p.A12)(http://tinyurl.com/2678bd)
1976 Nov 9, The UN General
Assembly approved ten resolutions condemning apartheid in South
Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as
"illegitimate."
(AP, 11/9/00)
1976 South Africa's Surgeon
General, Major N.J. Nieuwoudt, hired Dr. Wouter Basson to work for
the SADF's medical military unit known as the 7th SAMS Battalion.
Under Dr. Basson, head of the chemical and biological and weapons
program, black prisoners were killed by injections. In 2000 Johan
Theron, a former special forces officer, testified how he flung the
victim’s corpses from an airplane into the Atlantic between 1979 and
1987. Theron and Gen. Fritz Loots had decided that there were too
many guerrillas of the South West African People’s Organization in
the prison camps.
(SFC, 5/5/00,
p.A18)(www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/mass/south_africa/2.html)
1977 Aug 18, In South Africa
Steve Biko and Peter Jones were picked up by police at Grahamstown.
They were arrested at a police roadblock under the Terrorism Act No
83 of 1967. Biko suffered a major head injury while in police
custody, was chained to a window grille for a day and died on Sep
12.
(WSJ, 2/6/97,
p.A9)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko)
1977 Sep 11, Steve Biko was
found by a guard to be semiconscious and foaming at the mouth. A
doctor ordered him transported 750 miles to a prison hospital in
Pretoria.
(WSJ, 2/6/97, p.A9)
1977 Sep 12, In South Africa
Steven Biko died while under police custody. He headed the Black
Consciousness Movement and was the country’s best known political
dissident. He was detained and held in Port Elizabeth and later
driven naked in a truck 700 miles to Pretoria where he died in a
prison cell. In 1997 the five police officers involved in his
detention filed for amnesty. They were retired Col. Harold Snyman,
retired Lt. Col. Gideon Nieuwoudt, Ruben Marx, Johan Beneke, and
then Capt. Daantjie Siebert. In 1999 former Detective Sgt. Gideon
Nieuwoudt was denied amnesty because he denied any crime. This
killing was the breaking point and led to international protests and
a UN imposed arms embargo.
(SFC, 1/28/97, p.A7)(WSJ, 2/6/97, p.A9)(AP,
9/12/97)(SFEC, 1/10/99, p.A23)(MC, 9/12/01)
1977 Dec 14, The South African
government eased job restrictions on blacks.
(AP, 12/14/02)
1977 Dec, In South Africa
journalist Donald Woods received a package containing children’s
t-shirts laced with acid. His young daughter was badly burned and he
blamed South African authorities.
(Econ, 11/6/10, p.74)
1977 South Africa prepared to
detonate a nuclear device in the Kalahari desert, but the plans were
detected by a spy satellite and cancelled under int'l. pressure led
by Pres. Jimmy Carter. The events were later described by Seymour M.
Hersh in "The Samson Option."
(SFC, 10/13/99, p.A3)
1977 US Rev. Leon H. Sullivan
(d.2001 at 78) drafted guidelines (the Sullivan Principles) to help
persuade American companies to treat their workers in South Africa
the same way as in the US.
(SFC, 4/26/01, p.A6)
1977 South African police shut
down the Christian Institute founded by anti-apartheid Afrikaner
cleric Beyers Naude (1915-2004).
(Econ, 9/18/04, p.89)
1977 The United Nations imposed
an arms embargo against South Africa to pressure it to end
apartheid.
(WSJ, 12/19/03, p.A8)
1978 May 4, The South African
Air Force (SAAF) engaged in air to ground combat at the Battle of
Cassinga in Angola.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Border_War)
1978 Sep 12, The first annual
"Day of Martyrs" was held in South Africa to remember those who gave
their lives in the struggle against apartheid.
(http://tinyurl.com/3xydbn)
1978 Sep 20, John Vorster,
prime minister of white-ruled South Africa since 1966, announced his
resignation.
(AP, 9/20/03)
1978 Sep 28, P.W. Botha
(1916-2006) began serving as Prime Minister of the apartheid regime
of South Africa. In 1984 he became president and continued until
1989.
(SFC, 9/18/96,
p.A8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Willem_Botha)
1978 Donald Woods escaped to
Britain where he waged a campaign for South African democracy.
(SFC, 8/20/01, p.A15)
1979 May 19, The Regents of the
Univ. of California asked General Motors to stop doing business with
the police and military forces in South Africa.
(SFC, 5/14/04, p.F5)
1979 Jun 4, South African Pres.
Vorster resigned due to scandal. Marais Viljoen became the last
non-executive State President of South Africa and served until
September 3, 1984.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marais_Viljoen)
1979 Sep 7, The Karoo National
Park in South Africa was proclaimed. It officially opened on
September 12.
(Nat. Hist., 3/96,
p.60)(www.sanparks.org/about/news/default.php?id=43)
1979 Sep 22, A 2-3 kiloton
thermonuclear device was set off in the waters off Bouvet Island, a
little-visited possession of Norway located between the bottom of
South Africa and the Prince Astrid Coast of Antarctica. The list of
suspects quickly narrowed to South Africa and Israel.
(SFCM, 9/25/05,
p.6)(www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/israel/nuke-test.htm)
1979 Dec 16, In South Africa
Eugene TerreBlanche gave instructions to some 40 men to tar and
feather Van Jaarsveld at the University of South Africa, after Van
Jaarsveld had delivered a paper calling for the abolition of the Day
of the Covenant.
(SFC, 6/16/99,
p.B2)(www.doj.gov.za/trc/media/1999/9905/p990510a.htm)
1979 South Africa privatized
Sasol, a coal-to-liquids facility, and listed it on the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange.
(WSJ, 8/16/06, p.A12)
1980 Apr 1, The southern
African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) was established
by 9 countries with the Lusaka declaration (Angola, Botswana,
Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe).
The main aim was coordinating development projects in order to
lessen economic dependence on apartheid South Africa. On
August 17, 1992, it was transformed into the Southern African
Development Community (SADC). By 2008 it included 15 members.
(www.sadc.int/index/browse/page/52)
1981 Sep, Salomon Brothers
merged with Phibro Corp. and dumped 62 partners including Michael
Bloomberg. He received $10 million and went on to start a financial
information empire. South Africa’s AngloAmerican mining
conglomerate, owned 27.3% of Phibro's stock through Anglo's
subsidiary, the Minerals and Resources Corporation (Minorco).
(SFC, 10/16/04,
p.C1)(http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1981/09/anglo.html)
1981 Nov 10, In South Africa
Durban human rights attorney Griffiths Mxenge was found slain.
Mxenge was stabbed 46 times by a police death squad that included
Dirk Coetzee. In July 1985 his wife Victoria Mxenge was attacked by
four men in the driveway of her home in Umlazi, Durban. She was
stabbed and shot shortly after disembarking from a family friend’s
vehicle.
(SFC, 7/18/96,
p.E3)(http://campus.ru.ac.za/index.php?action=category&category=932)
1981 Nadine Gordimer, 1991
Nobel Prize winner, authored "July’s People." It was set in a
futuristic South Africa roiling from racial revolution. In 2001 it
was struck from the approved reading list for the 12th grade by the
Education Department of Gauteng.
(WSJ, 4/20/01, p.A14)
1981 Pieter-Dirk Uys (b.1945),
South African writer, brought his newspaper character Evita to life
in the theater. He had begun using the character to write critical
commentary on apartheid in the late 70s.
(SFEC, 5/2/99, p.A27)
1982 Mar 14, South African
police bombed the London offices of the African National Congress.
Gen'l. Johann Coetzee commander of apartheid police and 8 officers
received amnesty in 1999. Col. Eugene de Kock testified in 1998 that
he blew up a building belonging to the African National Congress in
London and received a Star of Excellence medal approved by Pres.
Botha.
(SFC, 6/4/98, p.A12)(SFC, 10/16/99,
p.A16)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_in_South_Africa)
1982 Mar 31, In South Africa
Nelson Mandela and 3 others were transferred from Robben Island to
Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland. Mandela had spent 18 years on
Robben Island.
(www.sabcnews.com/features/walter_sisulu/timeline.html)
1982 Aug 17, Ruth First, an
exiled anti-apartheid activist, was killed in Mozambique from a
letter bomb sent by agents of the Nationalist South African
government. In 1997 her daughter, Gillian Slovo, published
"Every Secret Thing: My Family, My Country."
(SFEC, 5/11/97, BR p.5)(SSFC, 2/10/02,
p.M6)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_First)
1982 Nov 20, South Africa
backed down on a plan to install black rule in neighboring Namibia.
(HN, 11/20/98)
1982 Dec 19, Four bombs
exploded at South Africa's only nuclear power station in
Johannesburg.
(HN, 12/19/98)
1983 Sep 10, John Vorster,
prime minister of white-ruled South Africa from 1966 to 1978, died
in Cape Town at age 67.
(AP, 9/10/99)
1983 The Organ and Tissue Act
of this year allowed officials to remove needed organs and tissues
without consent if reasonable attempts to locate the potential
donor’s next of kin had failed.
(NH, 10/98, p.51)
1983 The Booker Prize in
Literature was won by J.M. Coetzee of South Africa for his novel
"Live and Times of Michael K."
(SFC, 10/26/99, p.G2)
1983 In the Church Street
bombing a car bomb outside Air Force headquarters in Pretoria killed
and injured a number of people.
(WSJ, 7/17/00, p.A18)
1983 Didata, a South African
computer firm, was established.
(Econ, 7/15/06, p.59)
1983-1985 Brig. Jack Cronje ran the Vlaakplaas
counter-insurgency unit.
(SFEC, 10/13/96, p.A18)
1984 Feb 14, In South Africa
under Apartheid rule the Black community at Mogopa was displaced in
a "force removal" action. Some 300 homes and a cluster of community
buildings were bulldozed over.
(WSJ, 3/10/00, p.A1)
1984 Mar 16, Mozambique and
South Africa signed a pact banning support for one another’s
internal foes.
(HN, 3/16/98)
1984 Jun 28, In Angola the wife
and daughter of activist Marius Schoon were killed by a parcel bomb.
It was sent by Craig Michael Williamson (b1949), a former South
African police major, who was exposed as a spy in 1980.
(Econ, 11/6/10, p.74)
1984 Oct 16, Desmond Tutu,
black Anglican Archbishop in South Africa, won the Nobel Peace Prize
for his decades of non-violent struggle for racial equality.
(SFC, 6/23/96, BR, p.32)(AP, 10/16/04)
1984 Dec 10, South African
Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize.
(SFC, 6/23/96, BR, p.32)(AP, 12/10/99)
1984 Breyten Breytenbach,
Afrikaner writer, authored "The True Confessions of an Albino
Terrorist," a memoir of his arrest and 7-year incarceration.
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)
1984 Sep-1993 Dec, In South
Africa some 19,000 people were killed in political violence during
this period.
(SFC, 8/22/96, p.E1)
1984 The South African magazine
Drum was bought by Naspers, a staunchly pro-apartheid media house.
The magazine was founded in 1951 in Johannesburg.
(AFP, 12/26/11)
1984-1996 Fighting between the Inkatha and the ANC
was believed to have killed 14,000 people over this time.
(USAT, 6/25/96, p.10A)
1985 Mar 18, The 1st remote
location for ABC’s "Nightline" news was in South Africa.
(http://openweb.tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/1985-3/1985-03-18-ABC-19.html)
1985 Mar 21, Police in Langa
(Uitenhage), South Africa, opened fire on blacks marching to mark
the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville shootings; the reported
death toll varied between 29 and 43.
(AP,
3/21/08)(www.un.org/av/photo/subjects/apartheid.htm)
1985 Sep 9, President Ronald W.
Reagan issued Executive Order No. 12532 establishing sanctions
against South Africa. Reagan banned the sale of computers to South
African security agencies, barred most loans to the Pretoria
government, halted the importation of the Krugerrand, South Africa's
gold coin (effective Oct 11), and stopped exports of nuclear
technology until South Africa signs an accord to prevent the spread
of nuclear weapons.
(www-tech.mit.edu/V105/N38/apart.38n.html)(http://tinyurl.com/2ruefg)
1985 Oct 11, President Reagan’s
ban on the importation of South African Krugerrands went into
effect.
(http://tinyurl.com/2ruefg)
1985 Oct 18, Benjamin Moloisi
(30), South African poet, was hanged for his role in the 1982 murder
of a security policeman.
(http://tinyurl.com/2mubof)
1985 Eugene de Kock took over
the Vlaakplaas counter-insurgency unit and ran it until 1993. The
existence of the unit was only made public in 1989 and the full
extent of its activities were not revealed until the Truth
Commission in 1994.
(SFEC, 10/13/96, p.A18)(SFEC, 5/23/99, p.A19)
1985 South Africa repealed laws
that prohibited interracial sex and marriage.
(http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/IES/southafrica.html)
1985 Two ANC activists and 8
others were killed in a raid into Lesotho. A government assassin
told a court in 1996 that plans for the raid were approved by the
highest levels of Pres. Botha’s apartheid regime.
(WSJ, 9/17/96, p.A1)
1985 Three Port Elizabeth
activists, the Pepco 3, were beaten and strangled at an unused
police station.
(SFEC, 10/13/96, p.A19)
1985-1993 Dr. Mike Odendaal headed the
microbiology division at Roodeplat Research Labs (RRL), a biological
research front for the chemical and biological warfare program known
as Project Coast.
(WSJ, 5/20/02, p.A1)
1986 Jan 6, In Johannesburg,
South Africa, Impala Platinum fired 20,000 black mine workers.
(http://tinyurl.com/lnq3m)
1986 Apr 14, Desmond Tutu was
elected Anglican archbishop of Capetown.
(http://tinyurl.com/lqrlx)
1986 May 19, South African
commandos struck alleged ANC "operational centers" in Zimbabwe,
Botswana, Zambia.
(www.iie.com/research/topics/sanctions/southafrica.cfm)
1986 Sep 7, Desmond Tutu was
installed as the Anglican archbishop of Capetown, the first black to
lead the Anglican Church in southern Africa.
(AP, 9/7/97)
1986 Dec 1, In South Africa
National Congress supporter Dr. Fabian Ribeiro (b.1933) and his
wife, Florence, were assassinated.
(SFEC, 10/13/96,
p.A19)(http://sahistory.org.za/pages/people/ribiero-f.htm)
1986 Mark Mathabane authored
"Kaffir Boy," an account of the poverty, violence and racism under
apartheid. In 2000 his sister, Miriam Mathabane authored "Miriam’s
Song: A Memoir." The award-winning book was later frequently banned
in US schools due to two paragraphs describing child prostitution.
(SFEC, 7/9/00, BR p.7)(SFC, 4/12/07, p.A1)
1986 In South Africa 10 youths
were drugged and then blown to pieces with explosives. In 1999
Abraham Joubert, former special forces commander, testified that he
authorized a plan for the slayings submitted by provincial special
forces commander Charl Naude. In 1999 3 police officers received
amnesty for their roles in the killings.
(SFC, 4/7/99, p.C12)(SFC, 8/20/99, p.D3)
1986 Adriaan Vlok was appointed
as South Africa’s minister of law and order and still headed the
ministry when allegations surfaced in 1989 that police hit squads
may have been involved in the murder of more than 100 political
activists.
(AP, 8/28/06)
1986 The Belhar Confession, a
Christian statement of belief originally, was written in Afrikaans
and adopted by the synod of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in
South Africa. It stressed racial and social inclusiveness.
(Econ, 10/18/08,
p.70)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belhar_Confession)
1986 In Sweden Prime Minister
Olaf Palme was assassinated. In 1996 South African former police
officer Eugene de Kock said that Craig Williamson, a South African
spy, was involved in the murder.
(SFC, 9/27/96, p.A12)
1987 Jan 21, A paramilitary
force killed 13 civilians in their sleep in the KwaMakutha
Zulu township (KwaZulu-Natal black homeland). In 1996 former defense
minister Magnus Malan and 20 others were charged with authorizing
the killing. The first six defendants of the Inkatha Freedom party
were acquitted by Judge Jan Hugo. Former intelligence officer Johan
Opperman admitted to planning the attack.
(SFC,7/18/96, p.E3)(SFC,10/11/96,
p.A16)(WSJ,10/11/96, p.A1)(SFC,10/12/96, p.A10)
1987 Apr 11, Invoking emergency
powers, the government of South Africa outlawed any action, word or
written document protesting the practice of detention without trials
or calling for the release of detainees.
(AP, 4/11/97)
1987 May 6, The London building
that housed the Congress of South African Trade Unions was bombed
under orders of the apartheid government of South Africa.
(SFC, 9/18/96, p.A11)
1987 Jul 15, In South Africa
Ashley Kriel, an anti-apartheid activist was killed. Police officer
Jeffrey Benzien later confessed to the killing and was absolved by
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1999.
(SFC, 2/19/99,
p.B12)(www.doj.gov.za/trc/decisions/1999/99_benzien.html)
1987 Nov 5, Govan Mbeki, an
early leader of the African National Congress, was released from
Robben Island prison after 24 years.
(www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/pr/1980s/pr871105.html)(SFC, 8/31/01, p.A24)
1987 Nov 28, A South African
Airways Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean with the loss of
all 159 people aboard.
(AP, 11/28/97)
1987 The film "Cry Freedom" was
made by Richard Attenborough. It covered the relationship of Steve
Biko and Donald Woods.
(SFC, 8/20/01, p.A15)
1987 South African legislator
Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert (1940-2010) led a delegation of white
South Africans to Senegal to meet the African National Congress
(ANC), which was banned in South Africa.
(AP, 5/14/10)
1987 Standard Chartered PLC
divested its South African holdings.
(www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Standard-Chartered-plc-Company-History.html)
1988 Feb 29, South African
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other religious leaders were arrested
while kneeling near Parliament with a petition against government
bans on anti-apartheid groups. All were freed hours later.
(AP, 2/29/00)
1988 Mar 22, In Angola the
battle of Cuito Cuanavale changed the region's political landscape,
accelerating the independence of Namibia and the fall of apartheid
in South Africa. While the Cuban and Angolan forces claimed victory,
South Africa claimed it lost only 31 soldiers against 4,785 who fell
on the other side.
(AP, 3/22/08)
1988 Apr 12, Alan Stewart Paton
(b.1903), South African writer (Cry The Beloved Country), died. He
founded and served as president of the Liberal Party (1953-68).
(www.kirjasto.sci.fi/apaton.htm)
1988 Apr 13, In South Africa
Aubrey Jabulani Ndaba, from the Pietermaritzburg area, and Oscar
Maleka, from Soweto, were working for the armed wing of the African
National Congress when they died in firefights with security forces.
In 2005 they became first of 477 missing people to be recovered.
(AP, 3/9/05)
1988 Apr, Albie Sachs was
working in Mozambique on legal guarantees that be part of the new
South African Constitution when a car bomb exploded that left him
without a right arm.
(SFEC, 2/9/97, z1 p.7)
1988 Jun 11, Nelson Mandela
spoke at Wembley Stadium, London, for the Freedomfest.
(www.geetarz.org/reviews/misc/mandela-laser.htm)
1988 Jul, The apartheid regime
in South Africa, having entered into discussions with the ANC,
agreed to elections in Namibia in exchange for the withdrawal of
Cuban troops from Angola.
(AP, 3/22/08)
1988 Aug 31, The Khotso House
was bombed. In South Africa police chief Johan van der Merwe was
instructed to blow up the Johannesburg headquarters of the South
African Council of Churches, called Khotso House, for harboring
anti-apartheid groups. The bombing injured 21 people. He said in
1996 that the instructions came from Law and Order Minister Adriaan
Vlok, who told him that the order came directly from Pres. P.W.
Botha. In 1997 a document submitted by Vlok said the order to
destroy the headquarters came from Pres. Botha. Col. Eugene de Kock
testified in 1998 that he was called in by a police general to
blowup Khotso House. Vlok testified in 1998 that Botha dictated the
bombing. Vlok and van der Merwe were given amnesty in 1999.
(SFC, 11/23/96, p.A9)(SFC, 6/21/97, p.A10)(SFC,
6/4/98, p.A12)(SFC, 7/22/98, p.A11)(SFC, 8/6/99, p.A14)
1988 Nov 24, South Africa's
justice minister announced that Nelson Mandela would not be returned
to prison upon his recovery from tuberculosis, but would instead
remain in custody in another location.
(AP, 11/24/98)
1988 Dec 3, In South Africa 11
black funeral mourners were slain in Natal Province in an attack
blamed on security forces. The Trust Feed massacre was masterminded
by policeman Brian Mitchell. He was later convicted of 11 murders in
the botched assassination attempt and served less than five years of
a 30-year sentence. He was freed from prison in 1996 by the
Reconciliation Commission.
(SFC, 12/11/96,
p.C3)(www.doj.gov.za/trc/media/1996/9607/s960725k.htm)(AP, 12/3/98)
1988 Dec, Stompie Seipei (14)
was kidnapped and killed by the Mandela United Football Club, the
bodyguards of Winnie Mandela. Jerry Richardson was convicted of the
murder and sentenced to a life sentence. In 1997 he reported to the
truth commission that Mrs. Mandela asked him to do it. Dr. Abu-baker
Asvat, who examined Stompie, was also murdered. The events were
later described in the 1997 book "Katiza’s Journey" by Fred
Bridgland. Bodyguard Katiza Cebekhulu in 1997 testified that he saw
Winnie Mandela plunge a shiny object into Stompie. Pelo Mekgwe, one
of the 4 young men brought to the Mandela house, testified in 1997
that chief bodyguard Jerry Richardson ordered him to help kill
Lerothodi Ikaneng, who survived a cut throat.
(SFC, 9/17/97, p.C2)(SFC,11/26/97, p.C4)(SFC,
12/4/97, p.C2)(SFC, 11/30/99, p.A16)
1988 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
assaulted and kidnapped a young activist and was later convicted on
the charges. Lolo Sono beaten and his body was never found. It was
reported that she played a role in as many as a dozen killings. In
1999 Jerry Richardson, her former bodyguard, testified that he
killed Koekie Zwane on orders from Winnie Mandela.
(SFC,11/25/97, p.A8)(SFC, 11/30/99, p.A16)
1989 Jan, Abu Baker Aswat, a
Soweto doctor, was killed. Thulani Dlamini was later convicted and
sentenced to 25 years in prison. Dlamini testified in 1997 that
Winnie Madikizela Mandela paid him for the murder.
(SFC, 12/3/97, p.C2)
1989 Apr 27, In South Africa
Frans "Ting-Ting" Masango (1958-2009), an anti-apartheid activist,
was sentenced to death following the historic "Delmas Four" trial.
He was released in 1991 after the ANC was unbanned. In 2008 Peter
Harris authored “In A Different Time, the Story of the Delmas Four.”
(www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=802399)(AP, 9/21/09)
1989 Jul 5, South-African Pres
Pieter Botha visited ANC leader Nelson Mandela.
(www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/etc/cron.html)
1989 Aug 14, South African
President P.W. Botha announced his resignation after losing a bitter
power struggle within his National Party.
(AP, 8/14/99)
1989 Aug 15, F.W. de Klerk was
sworn in as acting president of South Africa, one day after P.W.
Botha resigned as the result of a power struggle within the National
Party.
(AP, 8/15/99)
1989 Sep 6, The National Party,
the governing party of South Africa, lost nearly a quarter of its
parliament seats to far-right and anti-apartheid rivals, its worst
setback in four decades.
(AP, 9/6/99)
1989 Sep 13, Desmond Tutu led
the biggest anti-apartheid protest march in S. Africa.
(www.iie.com/research/topics/sanctions/southafrica.cfm)
1989 Sep 20, F.W. de Klerk
(b.1936) was sworn in as president of South Africa. Frederik Willem
de Klerk was the last president (1989-1994) of Apartheid-era South
Africa.
(AP,
9/20/99)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_Willem_de_Klerk)
1989 Oct 10, South African
President F.W. de Klerk announced that eight prominent political
prisoners, including African National Congress official Walter
Sisulu, would be unconditionally freed, but that Nelson Mandela
would remain imprisoned.
(AP, 10/10/99)
1989 Oct 15, South African
officials released eight prominent political prisoners, including
Walter Sisulu, a leader of the African National Congress.
(AP, 10/15/99)
1989 Dec 13, South African
President F.W. de Klerk met for the first time with imprisoned
African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, at de Klerk's
office in Cape Town.
(AP, 12/13/99)
1989 Mary Benson, South African
anti-apartheid campaigner, wrote her autobiography: "A Far Point."
(SFC, 6/23/00, p.D5)
1989 Winnie Mandela sent a
young man to the mission of Paul Verryn, a Methodist minister, to
try to trap him into a sexual liaison. She then kidnapped 4 youths
from the mission and beat them until they agreed to accuse the
minister of having sex with them.
(SFC,11/27/97, p.B2)
1989 In South Africa Eugene de
Kock’s covert Vlakplaas unit began to be exposed in newspapers and
court proceedings.
(SFC, 9/19/96, p.A8)
1989 In South Africa Rev. Frank
Chikane almost died after his underwear was laced with poison. In
2007 Adriaan Vlok, former security minister, and Johann van der
Merwe, former police chief, faced charges of attempted murder.
(Econ, 8/4/07, p.41)
1989 The African Management
Services Company (AMSCO) was formed in South Africa by the Int’l.
Finance Corp., the private sector arm of the World Bank, to help
small African firms become competitive. In 2004 Ayisi Makatiani took
over the leadership of AMSCO.
(Econ, 8/5/06, p.58)
1990 Feb 2, In a dramatic
concession to South Africa's black majority, President F.W. de Klerk
lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free
Nelson Mandela.
(AP, 2/2/00)
1990 Feb 10, South African
President F.W. de Klerk announced that black activist Nelson Mandela
would be released the next day after 27 years in captivity.
(AP, 2/10/00)
1990 Feb 11, Nelson Mandela was
released from a South African prison after being detained for 27
years as a political prisoner fighting against Apartheid.
(AP, 2/11/97)(HN, 2/11/99)
1990 Mar 16, South African
President F.W. de Klerk announced that exiled African National
Congress leaders could return home for talks with the white-led
government.
(AP, 3/16/00)
1990 Mar, After UN-observed
elections the previous year, South Africa formally ceded sovereignty
to Namibia, generally known before independence as South West
Africa.
(HNQ, 2/13/01)
1990 May 2, The government of
South Africa and the African National Congress opened their first
formal talks aimed at paving the way for more substantive
negotiations on dismantling apartheid.
(AP, 5/2/00)
1990 May 4, The South African
government and the African National Congress concluded historic
talks in Cape Town with a joint statement agreeing on a "common
commitment toward the resolution of the existing climate of
violence."
(AP, 5/4/00)
1990 May 6, Former president
P.W. Botha quit South Africa's ruling National Party as a protest
against the apartheid reform program of his successor F.W. de Klerk.
(www.cnn.com/almanac/9805/06/)
1990 Jun 5, South African
troops plundered Mandela's dwelling.
(MC, 6/5/02)
1990 Jun 7, South African
President F.W. de Klerk announced he was lifting a four-year-old
state of emergency in three of the country’s four provinces, with
the exception of Natal.
(AP, 6/7/00)
1990 Jun 16, A crowd in the
Netherlands welcomed African National Congress leader Nelson
Mandela, who thanked them for staunch Dutch support for the
anti-apartheid movement.
(AP, 6/16/00)
1990 Jun 20, South African
black nationalist Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, arrived in
New York City for a ticker-tape parade in their honor as they began
an eight-city US tour.
(AP, 6/20/00)
1990 Jun 26, African National
Congress leader Nelson Mandela addressed the U.S. Congress, asking
for "material resources" to hasten the end of white-led rule.
(AP, 6/26/97)
1990 Jun 30, African National
Congress leader Nelson Mandela visited Oakland, California, a day
after receiving a star-studded welcome in Los Angeles.
(AP, 6/30/00)
1990 Sep 23, South African
President F.W. de Klerk arrived in the US for talks with President
Bush.
(AP, 9/23/00)
1990 Sep 24, South
African President F.W. de Klerk met at the White House with
President Bush.
(AP, 9/24/00)
1990 A letter bomb from a
pro-apartheid hit squad left Rev. Michael Lapsley maimed for life.
(SFC, 2/23/01, p.A18)
1990-1994 Over 5,000 people were killed in
KwaZulu-Natal province prior to the first all-race elections.
(SFC, 5/13/99, p.C3)
1990-1998 In the Northern Province some 577
killings were committed related to witchcraft.
(SFC, 10/23/98, p.D3)
1991 Jan 13, Forty-two people
were killed in a brawl and stampede during a soccer match in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
(AP, 1/13/01)
1991 Feb 1, South African
President F.W. de Klerk said he would repeal all remaining apartheid
laws.
(AP, 2/1/01)
1991 Feb 15, The government of
South Africa and the African National Congress announced an
agreement on terms of the ANC’s decision to suspend its armed
struggle against apartheid.
(AP, 2/15/01)
1991 May 13, South African
black activist Winnie Mandela and two co-defendants were convicted
of abducting four young black men and keeping them at her Soweto
home. After an appeal, Mrs. Mandela was ordered to pay a fine.
(AP, 5/13/01)
1991 Jun 17, The South African
Parliament abolished the Population Registration Act, the last major
apartheid law still in effect.
(AP, 6/17/01)
1991 Jul 2, The first national
conference of the ANC, since the organization was banned in 1960,
began in Durban, South Africa. Oliver Tambo, whose health was
suffering, handed over the presidency of the ANC to Nelson Mandela
and assumed the largely honorary post of national chairperson.
Walter Sisulu was elected deputy president.
(www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/tambo.html)(http://tinyurl.com/z63lx)
1991 Jul 9, The International
Olympic Committee readmitted South Africa.
(AP, 7/9/97)
1991 Jul 10, President Bush
lifted economic sanctions against South Africa, citing its "profound
transformation" toward racial equality.
(AP, 7/10/97)
1991 Jul 19, The South African
government acknowledged that it had been giving money to the Inkatha
Freedom Party, the main rival of the African National Congress.
(AP, 7/19/01)
1991 Aug 9, Hundreds of police
battled neo-Nazis as pro-apartheid extremists tried to stop a speech
by President F.W. de Klerk.
(AP, 8/9/01)
1991 Sep 4, President F.W. de
Klerk proposed a new constitution that would allow blacks to vote
and govern; the African National Congress rejected the plan,
charging it was designed to maintain white privileges.
(AP, 9/4/01)
1991 Sep 8, More than 40 people
were reported killed in factional fighting around Johannesburg,
South Africa.
(AP, 9/8/01)
1991 Sep 14, The government of
South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom
Party signed a national peace pact.
(AP, 9/14/01)
1991 Oct 3, Arkansas Gov. Bill
Clinton entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
(AP, 10/3/01)
1991 Oct 3, South African
author Nadine Gordimer was named winner of the Nobel Prize in
literature.
(SFEC, 1/11/98, BR p.3)(AP, 10/3/01)
1991 Ted Botha wrote "Apartheid
in My Rucksack."
(WSJ, 11/8/96, p.A12)
1991 South Africa signed on to
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. South Africa had secretly
built several bombs but dismantled them before signing on to the
NPT.
(Econ, 6/10/06, p.23)
1991 Afrikaner nationalists led
by Prof. Carel Boshoff, son-in-law of the late PM Hendrik Verwoerd,
founded the Orania enclave in the desert of South Africa with a ban
on using black laborers for menial tasks.
(SFC, 11/25/02, p.A8)
1991 Winnie Mandela and Xoliswa
Falati were both convicted of assaulting and kidnapping Stompie
Seipei in 1988. Both received 6-year prison sentences. Mandela paid
a $3,200 fine on appeal and Falati had her sentence reduced to 2
years.
(SFC,11/26/97, p.C4)
1991 In South Africa Eugene
TerreBlanche provoked a street battle that left 3 people dead.
(SFC, 6/16/99, p.B2)
1991 Charles D. Moody, Univ. of
Michigan vice-president for minority affairs, led a delegation to
bestow an honorary doctorate to Nelson Mandela. It had been awarded
in absentia in 1990.
(MT, Fall/99, p.16)
1992 Mar 17, The whites of
South Africa voted in a referendum to endorse the “continuation of
the reform process” by a margin of 68.73% to 31.27%. They supported
the negotiated reforms begun by State President F.W. de Klerk two
years earlier, in which he proposed to end the apartheid.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_apartheid_referendum,_1992)
1992 Apr 13, Nelson Mandela
announced he would seek a divorce from Winnie.
(www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/etc/cron.html)
1992 Jun 20, An enraged mob
forced South African President F.W. de Klerk to cut short a visit to
the black township of Boipatong, the scene of a massacre three days
earlier.
(AP, 6/20/97)
1992 Aug 3, Millions of South
African blacks joined a nationwide strike against white-led rule.
(AP, 8/3/97)
1992 Sep 7, Troops in South
Africa fired on African National Congress supporters near the
Transkei homeland, killing 28 and wounding 200. 29 ANC protestors
were killed in the Bisho massacre by troops of the homeland of
Ciskei. Major General Marius Oelschig radioed the "open fire"
command. He said that he was convinced by officers on the seen that
they were under danger of imminent attack.
(WSJ, 9/10/96, p.A1)(SFC, 9/12/96, p.A14)(AP,
9/7/97)
1992 Sep 26, South African
President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson
Mandela held their first meeting in three months, during which they
agreed on the urgent need for an interim government.
(AP, 9/26/97)
1992 Nov 28, In King William's
Town, South Africa, four people were killed, about 20 injured, when
black militant gunmen attacked a country club.
(AP, 11/28/97)
1992 Dec, Sol Kerzner,
multimillionaire, unveiled his $280 million Palace of the Lost City
in Sun City in the state of Bophuthatswana.
(Hem, 6/96, p.134)
1993 Mar 24, South African Pres
F.W. de Klerk admitted for the 1st time that his country had built 6
nuclear bombs, but that the weapons had been dismantled.
(AP, 3/24/03)
1993 Apr 10, Chris Hani, leader
of the South African Communist Party, was killed by Janusz Walus and
Clive Derby-Lewis. The 2 men appealed for amnesty in 1997. Amnesty
was denied and the 2 continued to serve life sentences
(SFC, 8/12/97, p.A8)(SFC, 4/8/99, p.C3)
1993 Apr 13, Anti-apartheid
activists of the ANC killed 2 white brothers, Alistair and Glen
Weakly, who were on a fishing trip, in retaliation for the killing
of Chris Hani. The activists applied for and received amnesty in
1999.
(SFC, 8/20/99, p.D3)
1993 Apr 14, Millions of black
workers in South Africa went on strike to protest the slaying of
activist Chris Hani.
(AP, 4/14/98)
1993 Apr 14, Sam Ntombani,
ANC-secretary in Soweto South Africa, was shot to death.
(www.kulture.com/site/peopleSearch.cfm?mode=endDay&key=1404)
1993 Apr 24, Former African
National Congress president Oliver Tambo (75) died in Johannesburg,
South Africa.
(AP, 4/24/98)
1993 May 7, In South Africa,
representatives of 23 political parties signed a declaration of
intent to hold multiracial elections within a year.
(AP, 5/7/98)
1993 May 10, Nelson
Mandela [of the ANC] moved into the president’s office of South
Africa.
(Hem. 1/95, p.19)
1993 Jun 2, South Africa's
Supreme Court upheld Winnie Mandela's conviction for kidnapping four
young blacks, but said she would not have to serve her five-year
prison term.
(AP, 6/2/98)
1993 Jul 4, South African
leaders F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela received the Liberty Medal
in a ceremony outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall.
(AP, 7/4/03)
1993 Aug 25, Amy Biehl,
Stanford graduate and Fulbright scholar from Newport Beach, Calif.,
was slain while attempting to drive black friends home to Guguletu
outside Cape Town. Four members of the Congress’ youth wing were
arrested, convicted and sentenced to 18-year jail terms. They later
requested amnesty from the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. In
1998 the 4 men convicted of Biehl’s murder were given amnesty.
(SFC, 8/21/96, p.A8)(SFEC, 6/29/97, p.D1)(WSJ,
7/29/98, p.A1)(AP, 8/25/98)
1993 Sep 8, Black gunmen in
South Africa launched a series of attacks on black commuters,
claiming two dozen lives.
(AP, 9/8/98)
1993 Sep 23, The South African
parliament voted to allow blacks a role in governing.
(AP, 9/23/98)
1993 Sep 24, Addressing the
United Nations, Nelson Mandela asked the world community to lift
economic sanctions against South Africa, saying huge foreign
investments would help prevent unrest and build a multiracial
democracy.
(AP, 9/24/98)
1993 Oct 8, The UN lifted
remaining economic sanctions against South Africa.
(www.anc.org.za/un/gm-93-94b.html)
1993 Oct 15, Nelson Mandela and
F.W. de Klerk were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their
efforts to end apartheid.
(AP, 10/15/98)
1993 Oct, Pres. De Klerk
authorized an attack in the Transkei Homeland on a house where arms
were allegedly stored. Five youths were killed while asleep by a
death squad. He claimed the attack was a military operation but in
1996 Eugene de Kock testified that de Klerk knew that a covert
operation would carry out the attack.
(SFC, 9/19/96, p.A8)
1993 Nov 18, Representatives of
21 South African political parties approved a new constitution.
(AP, 11/18/98)
1993 Nov 23, President Clinton
signed legislation lifting remaining US sanctions against South
Africa, and announced an initiative to spur investment in South
Africa's black private sector.
(AP, 11/23/98)
1993 Dec 6, Crimes committed up
to this date became eligible for amnesty as set up by special
constitutional legislation that set up the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. A 1996 extension was requested to move the deadline to
May 10, 1994.
(SFC, 10/19/96, A10)
1993 Dec 10, South African
President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson
Mandela accepted their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.
(AP, 12/10/98)
1993 Breyten Breytenbach,
Afrikaner writer, authored "A Return to Paradise."
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)
1993 The Nobel Peace Prize was
awarded to Nelson Mandela and Frederic de Klerk of South Africa.
(SFC, 10/12/96, p.A13)
1993 South Africa renounced its
biological weapons program.
(SSFC, 4/20/03, p.A16)
1993 In South Africa Petrus
Matthews testified in 1998 how he and 8 members of the neo-Nazi
Afrikaner Resistance Movement erected a bogus roadblock to kill ANC
supporters. The pulled over 2 carloads of blacks and shot the
victims in a ditch.
(SFC, 6/1/98, p.A9)
1993 Wouter Basson was forced
to resign from the army after a government report linked him with
making poisons and chemical bombs for the army. In 1998 it was
revealed that an army project, Project Coast," plotted to poison
Nelson Mandela with Thallium to induce brain damage.
(SFC, 6/11/98, p.A11)(SFC, 4/12/02, p.A8)
1993 An attack on St. James
Church in Capetown by the ultra-radical Azanian People’s Liberation
Army under commander Daniel Mofokeng left 11 people dead. Mofokeng
in 1997 refused to either regret or apologize for the killings
before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
(SFC, 10/8/97, p.A10)
1994 Jan 29, In South Africa,
Nelson Mandela kicked off his party's campaign for the country's
first multiracial elections.
(AP, 1/29/99)
1994 Jan, A US warrant was
issued for the arrest of Isaac Amuah, a son-in-law of former South
Africa President Nelson Mandela. He was charged with raping a US
woman at his home in Connecticut in 1993. He went to South Africa
before trial and never went back to the United States. On Feb 11,
2011, A South African judge decided not to extradite Amuah.
(Reuters, 2/11/11)
1994 Mar 13, A South African
diplomat took over as leader of Bophuthatswana as the black
homeland's president, Lucas Mangope, was deposed.
(AP, 3/13/99)
1994 Mar 18, The South Africa
Goldstone Commission published a report which finally confirmed that
senior South African Police (SAP) officials had been involved in
supplying Inkatha with weapons and financial support.
(www.hrw.org/reports/1995/WR95/AFRICA-09.htm)
1994 Mar 28, In Johannesburg,
South Africa, ANC guards killed more than 50 people in violence that
erupted during a march by Zulu nationalists.
(AP, 3/28/99)(WSJ, 3/29/96, p.A-1)
1994 Apr 25, Terrorist bombers
struck twice on the eve of South Africa's first all-race election,
killing about a dozen people. Car bombs near voting stations killed
20 people. Afrikaner Nationalists led by Eugene Terre’Blanche
(TerreBlanche) were responsible. In 1997 Clifton Barnard and Abraham
Myburgh were sentenced to 50 years in prison for the bomb blasts
that killed 21 people. [see 12/24/96]
(SFC, 12/25/96, p.A10)(SFC, 6/18/97,
p.A10)(SFC,10/24/97, p.D6)(AP, 4/25/99)
1994 Apr 26, Voting began in
South Africa's first all-race elections. Nelson Mandela won the
presidency.
(AP, 4/26/99)(HN, 4/26/01)
1994 May 1, South Africa's
first all-race elections ended.
(SFC, 11/30/96, p.A12)
1994 May 2, Nelson Mandela
claimed victory in the wake of South Africa's first democratic
elections; President F.W. de Klerk acknowledged defeat.
(AP, 5/2/98)
1994 May 6, Nelson Mandela and
his ANC finally were confirmed winners in South Africa.
(MC, 5/6/02)
1994 May 9, South Africa's
newly elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's
first black president.
(AP, 5/9/97)
1994 May 10, Nelson Mandela
was sworn in as Prime Minister of South Africa. His ANC party
earmarked $4 billion to be spent over ten years to help correct the
land imbalance largely due to the forced abandonment by blacks
between 1950-80 when about 3.5 million blacks were forcibly trucked
off to ethnic territories, often abandoning land, houses and cattle.
It was later declared that crimes committed under apartheid up to
this time would be considered for pardon under an amnesty act.
(WSJ,5/10/94)(WSJ, 5/17/96,p.A-10)(SFEC,
12/15/96, p.C22)
1994 May 11, In South Africa
the Rand Supreme Court sentenced to death six white rightwing
extremists for the murder of four blacks, including an 11-year-old
child, at a roadblock near Randfontein on December 12, 1993.
(http://tinyurl.com/c77m9)
1994 May 25, The UN Security
Council lifted a 10-year-old ban on weapons exports from South
Africa, scrapping the last of its apartheid-era embargoes.
(AP, 5/25/99)
1994 Jun 7, The Organization of
African Unity formally admits South Africa as its fifty-third
member.
(HN, 6/7/00)
1994 Oct 3, South African
President Nelson Mandela addressed the United Nations, urging the
world to support his country's economy.
(AP, 10/3/99)
1994 Oct 4, President Clinton
welcomed South African President Nelson Mandela to the White House.
(AP, 10/4/99)
1994 Oct 6, In an address to a
joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, South African President Nelson
Mandela warned against the lure of isolationism, saying the U.S.
post-Cold War focus should be on eliminating "tyranny, instability
and poverty" across the globe.
(AP, 10/6/99)
1994 Mary Benson authored the
biography: "Nelson Mandela: The Man and the Movement."
(SFC, 6/23/00, p.D5)
1994 South Africa’s government
adopted a plan to redistribute 30% of white-owned farmland to poor
blacks. At this time 87% of commercial farmland was owned by whites
and 13% by blacks, the exact reverse of their proportion of the
population. This excluded the 4 million blacks making a bare living
on subsistence farms.
(Econ, 12/5/09, p.58)
1994 King Goodwill Zwelithini
broke with Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and tension between
the Zulu royal family and Inkatha escalated.
(SFC, 4/28/96, A-13)
1994 In South Africa public
schooling was desegregated.
(Econ, 1/15/11, p.52)
1994 Dr. Nkosazana Zuma became
the first South African black minister of health.
(SFC, 11/28/98, p.C3)
1994 Prudence Mabele became the
first black South African woman to admit being HIV-positive.
(SFC, 12/28/98, p.A7)
1994 South Africa’s Shoprite
supermarket began expanding across Africa. In 2005 it was Africa’s
largest retailer with 700 shops in 16 countries.
(Econ, 1/15/05, p.62)
1994 South African Breweries
(SAB) moved into the China market.
(Econ, 7/15/06, p.59)
1994 Chinese triads arrived in
South Africa seeking abalone to supply black markets in China,
Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Poaching soared and "Operation Neptune" was
begun to combat a feared extinction.
(SFC, 11/28/03, p.C1)
1994-1995 South African Moses Sithole raped and
strangled 38 women in the Johannesburg area. He was sentenced in
1997 to more than 2,400 years in jail.
(AP,
1/13/04)(http://members.skcentral.com/html/articles.php?cat_id=13)
1994-1999 In South Africa Mac Maharaj (b.1935)
served as transportation minister. In July 2011 he was appointed as
a spokesman for Pres. Zuma. In Nov 2011 it was reported that from
1997-1999 Maharaj was paid 1.2 million French francs, through an
offshore bank account registered in his wife's name, before French
weapons maker Thales was awarded a credit card license contract.
Zuma's former financial adviser and convicted fraudster Shabir
Shaik's Swiss bank account was allegedly used as a conduit by Thales
to channel the money into Maharaj's wife's bank account.
(AFP, 11/19/11)
1995 Mar 25, A protest took
place in South Durban over the high pollution at the Engen oil
refinery.
(SFC, 8/16/00, p.A17)
1995 May 10, One-hundred-four
miners were killed in an elevator accident in Orkney, South Africa.
(AP, 5/10/00)
1995 Jun 24, Nelson Mandela,
wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and baseball cap, presented the
William Webb Ellis Cup to South African captain Francois Pienaar
following the Springbok win over New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup.
This was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in
one country. In 2008 John Carlin authored ”Playing the Enemy: Nelson
Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Rugby_World_Cup)(Econ, 9/13/08,
p.92)
1995 Jun, The death penalty was
abolished by the Constitutional Court.
(SFC, 4/23/97, p.A4)
1995 Nov, The first McDonald’s
restaurant opened in Johannesburg.
(WSJ, 10/22/98, p.B21)
1995 Dec 25, In South Africa
supporters of the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party carried out
a Christmas massacre where 18 supporters of the African National
Congress (ANC) were killed in the KwaZulu-Natal province. 600
members of Inkatha, a Zulu nationalist group, were responsible. In
1998 5 of the 13 men convicted in the massacre were freed from
prison.
(WSJ, 12/26/95, p. A-1)(SFC, 12/23/98, p.C2)
1995 Dec 26, Floods in eastern
South Africa killed at least 130.
(WSJ, 12/27/95, p. A-1)
1995 Nelson Mandela published
his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom." In 1998 British journalist
Martin Meredith published a biography titled "Nelson Mandela."
(SFEC, 3/1/98, BR p.3)
1995 Former South African
defense minister Magnus Malan and 19 other top military brass were
charged with murder and creating hit squads to destabilize the
country, and specifically with the 1987 massacre of 13 people in
KwaZulu's Kwamakutha township. After a 7-month trial, all 20 were
cleared of the charges in a verdict that found the apartheid
government had paid Inkatha vigilantes for the killings, but ruled
the prosecution had not proved the link to Malan.
(AFP, 7/18/11)
1995 The first lion infected
with tuberculosis was discovered by Dewald Keet, chief veterinarian
at Kruger National Park. They picked up the disease from feeding on
infected Cape Buffalo, who picked it up from infected cattle herds.
(SFC, 10/22/98, p.A12)
1995-2005 In South Africa Jacob Zuma was alleged
in 2005 to have accepted over $596,000 from his friend and financial
advisor Schabir Shaik, during this period, for using his influence
to help secure government contracts for Mr. Shaik’s companies.
Charges against Mr. Zuma were dropped in 2009.
(Econ, 4/18/09, p.23)
1996 Feb, Afrikaner men
attacked 300 black students protesting outside a primary school in
rural Trompsburg for admittance. The men chased away the youths
while police watched. three girls were severely injured and the
angry students went on a rampage. Afterwards white parents pulled
their kids out of the school rather than integrate it.
(SFC, 6/29/96, p.A12)
1996 Mar 19, Winnie Mandela
divorced Nelson after 38 years of marriage.
(MC, 3/19/02)
1996 Apr 25, Princess
Nonhlanhla Zulu disappeared during a gang attack on a royal
residence in KwaMashu black township near Durban, South Africa.
(SFC, 4/28/96, A-13)
1996 May 8, South Africa
approved a National Constitution that guaranteed equal rights for
all races. Zulu nationalists and white extremists boycotted the
parliament vote and the entire process. The Constitution contained a
clause that prevented discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation.
(SFC, 5/8/96, p.A-19)(WSJ, 5/9/96, p.A-1)(SFEC,
9/6/98, p.A22)
1996 May 9, In South Africa the
National Party withdrew from a national-unity government with Pres.
Mandela’s African National Congress.
(WSJ, 5/10/96, p.A-1)
1996 Jun 5, Anglican Church
leaders chose Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane to succeed Desmond Tutu as
the archbishop for southern Africa.
(SFC, 6/6/96, C3)
1996 Jun 27, A report from the
World Health Organization said that South Africa has the worst
tuberculosis problem in the world and that drug-resistant forms
(XDR-TB) of the disease were spreading rapidly.
(SFC, 6/27/96, p.A12)(Econ, 2/24/07, p.58)
1996 Jul 5, In South Africa the
Anglo American Platinum Corp. fired an additional 7,000 striking
workers. That makes the total 28,261 fired workers since the strike
began June 25.
(WSJ, 7/5/96, p.A4)
1996 Jul 7, The average cost of
a Big Mac in South Africa was $1.64.
(SFC, 7/7/96, Parade, p.17)
1996 Jul 13, Winter storms
raged across South Africa and snowdrifts up to 8-feet high blocked
the main road from Johannesburg to Durban.
(SFC, 7/13/96, p.A10)
1996 Jul 31, In South Africa
rush-hour crowds panicked when guards used electric prods to drive
off fare-beaters. At least 15 died and 65 were injured in a
stampede.
(WSJ, 8/1/96 p.A1)
1996 Aug 13, In South Africa
Nadthmie Edries, leader of a group called People Against
Gangsterism, was charged with sedition in connection with the
vigilante slaying of a drug-gang leader.
(SFC, 8/15/96, p.C1)
1996 Aug 17, It was reported
that 900 million South African bees died this year. The Cape bees
were introduced in the north and threw off the breeding patterns of
the native bees. They were unable to endure the harsher climate and
died. Fruit farmers and native plants were put into severe jeopardy.
(SFC, 8/17/96, p.A4)
1996 Aug 26, Eugene de Kock,
former police colonel, was found guilty of 5 counts of murder. He
still faced 116 charges that included 3 for murder. He admitted to
killing about 65 people and was later sentenced to 212 years.
(WSJ, 8/27/96, p.A1)(SFC, 12/11/98, p.A18)
1996 Aug 28, South Africa
announced an investigation into killings that have left 25 miners
dead in recent weeks at 4 gold fields.
(WSJ, 8/28/96, p.A1)
1996 Sep 6, The high court
rejected the 140-page constitution in part because of the proposals
for a restructured senate. 3 months were allotted for changes.
(SFC, 9/7/96, p.A8)
1996 Sep 23, In South Africa 2
days of ethnic fighting among gold miners at Buffeslfontein left 18
people dead.
(WSJ, 9/24/96, p.A1)
1996 Sep, The government
disclosed that it was sending $18 million worth of arms to Rwanda.
(SFC, 11/8/96, p.A16)
1996 Oct 11, In South Africa
former defense minister Magnus Malan and other members of the
military hierarchy were acquitted of charges in the massacre of 13
people in 1987. Judge Hugo said that evidence showed that Inkatha’s
leader, Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, had in 1996 secretly
requested assistance from apartheid leaders for a paramilitary force
against political rivals but that the prosecution had not shown
sufficient evidence against the defendants.
(SFC, 10/12/96, p.A10)
1996 Dec 4, A new constitution
was given final approval. It would go into full effect in 1999.
(SFC, 12/5/96, p.C2)
1996 Dec 10, Pres. Nelson
Mandela signed the finished constitution, largely the work of Albie
Sachs.
(SFEC, 2/9/97, z1 p.7)
1996 Dec 10, A policeman
convicted of 11 murders in a botched 1988 assassination attempt and
serving a 30-year sentence was freed from prison by the amnesty
panel.
(WSJ, 12/11/96, p.A1)
1996 Dec 24, In Worcester,
South Africa, 2 pipe bombs killed 1 adult and 2 children in shopping
areas. The Boer Attack Troop claimed responsibility. in 1997 Jan van
der Westhuizen (44), Clifton Barnard (41) and Abraham Myburgh (24)
were convicted and given sentences of life in prison for the bombing
that killed 4 people.
(SFC, 12/25/96, p.A10)(SFC, 1/6/97,
p.A9)(SFC,10/24/97, p.D6)
1996 In the US Arthur Penn
directed the film "Inside." It focused on the abuses of the penal
system in South Africa just before and after the collapse of
Apartheid.
(SFEC, 1/5/97, EM p.9)
1996 A census was conducted in
all 11 of South Africa’s official languages. It revealed that over
half the population did not have running water in their homes.
(SFC, 10/21/98, p.C2)
1996 Chief Khayelihle Mathaba
of the Mangethe tribe claimed the lands of the descendants of John
Dunn (d.1885) and tried to declare himself their chief.
(SFC, 8/13/01, p.A9)
1996 The South Africa Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research patented the active chemical
of hoodia, called P57, and licensed development rights to a British
firm. They did not acknowledge the San Bushmen who used the cactus
raise energy and fight hunger. In 2003 an agreement was reached to
pay the San 6% of the royalties. Some 100,000 San lived in South
Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola.
(SFC, 4/11/03, p.D5)
1996 The vigilante group People
Against Gangsterism and Drugs publicly lynched gang boss Rashaad
Staggie.
(SFC, 8/29/98, p.A12)
1996 Sbu Ndebele, premier of
KwaZulu-Natal, set up the Vukuzhake program to boost jobs and
promote a policy of “black economic empowerment” in poor
communities. In 2009 Ndebele was appointed to be South Africa’s
transport minister.
(Econ, 5/23/09, p.49)
1996 The South Africa mining
firm Gencor acquired Billiton. In 2001 a merger with BHP created the
BHP-Billiton Group, the world’s largest mining company.
(WSJ, 11/18/05,
p.A8)(www.mineweb.net/sections/mining_finance/490641.htm)
1997 Jan 5, In Algeria Muslim
guerrillas massacred 16 in Ben Achour village.
(SFC, 1/6/97, p.A9)
1997 Jan 5, In South Africa
police arrested 2 white men in connection with 3 bomb blasts near
Johannesburg.
(SFC, 1/6/97, p.A9)
1997 Jan 28, Five former police
officers in South Africa admitted to killing anti-apartheid activist
Stephen Biko, who died in police custody in 1977. His death had been
officially listed as an accident.
(MC, 1/28/02)
1997 Jan 29, Wouter Basson,
retired brigadier general, was arrested for selling 1,000 tablets of
the drug Ecstasy to undercover police.
(SFC, 2/1/97, p.C1)
1997 Jan, Eicker Henning
ordered a worker to tie Ndelwa Kepisi Mgaga to his truck. Henning
dragged Mgaga along a gravel road and left Mgaga to die. Henning was
convicted in 2000 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
(SFC, 11/16/00, p.A16)
1997 Feb 6, Mixed race rioters
protested in Eldorado Park. One died and more than 100 were injured.
(SFC, 2/7/97, p.A17)
1997 Apr, In South
Africa Eugene Terre'Blanche was convicted of attempted murder and
assault in 1996 incidents. He led the radical wing of the Afrikaner
nationalists that set off bombs in 1994 that killed 21. In 1997 he
was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
(SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1997 May 10, The amnesty act
was extended to this date.
(SFEC, 12/15/96, p.C22)
1997 May 11, In South Africa
some 8,000 people filed for amnesty to meet the deadline of the
commission for the investigation of apartheid-era crimes.
(WSJ, 5/12/97, p.A1)
1997 Jul 22, In South Africa 5
killings in Magoda, Kwa Zulu / Natal Province, were suspected of
being caused an unknown "third force," a presumed right-wing group
dedicated to fomenting black-on-black violence.
(SFC, 8/11/97, p.A7)
1997 Jul, Max, a 400-pound
gorilla, beat up a fleeing armed robber, a former police officer,
who tried to hide in his cage at the Johannesburg Zoo. Max survived
3 gunshots.
(SFC,10/31/97, p.D2)
1997 Aug 3, In South Africa a
Greyhound bus crashed near Trompsburg and left 4 people dead.
(Eyewitness, Brett Moses)
1997 Aug 26, Former Pres.
Frederik de Klerk announced his retirement from politics and his
leading role in the National Party.
(SFC, 8/26/97, p.C2)
1997 Oct 28, The First National
Branch in Pretoria was robbed of $2,500. Mzwakhe Mbuli, a renowned
"people's poet," and 2 suspects were arrested shortly after the
robbery. Mbuli was convicted in 1999, but claimed that he was framed
due to his knowledge of government officials involved in drug
smuggling. He was given a 13-year jail term.
(SFC, 3/30/99, p.F3)(SFC, 4/23/99, p.D3)
1997 Oct 29, South Africa’s
Nelson Mandela arrived in Libya to bestow the Order of Good Hope on
Colonel Muammar Qaddafi.
(Econ, 9/3/11,
p.45)(www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/ir/sirga/ARboyd273.pdf)
1997 Dec 16, Pres. Mandela
stepped aside as leader of the African National Congress and was
succeeded by Deputy Pres. Thabo Mbeki. In 2005 William Mervin Gumede
authored “Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC.”
(SFC,12/17/97, p.A26)(Econ, 3/26/05, p.82)
1997 Dec 20, President Nelson
Mandela stepped down as leader of South Africa's governing African
National Congress. [see Dec 16]
(AP, 12/20/98)
1997 Dec 30, South Africa
established diplomatic ties with China and ended formal ties with
Taiwan.
(SFC,12/31/97, p.A9)
1997 The film "Fools" was the
first South African feature film directed by a black South African,
Ramadan Suleman.
(SFEM, 9/28/97, p.17)
1997 Aspen Pharmacare, a
generic drug maker, was founded in Durban, South Africa. By 2005 it
was the country’s leading drug-maker with an annual revenue of $467
million.
(Econ, 10/8/05, p.74)
1998 Jan 7, The attorney
general announced that former Pres. Peter Botha would be prosecuted
for refusing to appear before the Truth Commission and for hindering
its work.
(SFC, 1/8/98, p.A12)
1998 Jan, In South Africa 6
white police officers made a video tape showing a "training
exercise" where they incited their dogs to maul 3 black men and beat
the victims if they tried to protect themselves. The officers were
arrested in 2000 on charges of attempted murder. 4 officers pleaded
guilty in 2001.
(SFC, 11/10/00, p.A17)(WSJ, 11/20/01, p.A1)
1998 Mar 19, Hundreds of black
demonstrators clashed with police as they marched on the Vryburg
High School. Some 2,500 residents of Huhudi township marched in
support of the students who said they no longer feel safe at school.
A later investigation revealed that the 140 black students were
isolated from the 750 white students in classrooms and facilities.
(SFC, 3/20/98, p.A18)(SFC, 3/26/98, p.B3)
1998 Mar 26, President Clinton
stood with President Nelson Mandela in a racially integrated South
African parliament to salute a country that was "truly free and
democratic at last."
(SFC, 3/21/98, p.A13)(AP, 3/26/99)
1998 Mar 28, President Clinton,
during his visit to South Africa, went to Soweto, a landmark in the
bloody uprising against apartheid, to honor South Africans "who
answered the call of conscience" and defeated their country's system
of white supremacy.
(AP, 3/28/99)
1998 Apr 11, In Benoni
Nicholas Steyn (42), a white farmer, shot Francina Diamina (11) and
her 6-month old cousin, Angelina, for trespassing. The baby was hit
in the head and killed and Francina was wounded in the back. Steyn
was convicted of culpable homicide in 1999. Steyn was given a
suspended sentence in 1999 and freed.
(SFC, 4/18/98, p.A8)(SFC, 3/6/99, p.A14)(WSJ,
3/24/99, p.A1)
1998 Apr 15, It was reported
that Fanagalo, a pidgin tongue based on Zulu, English and Afrikaans,
was still being used by miners, despite industry and government
efforts stamp it out.
(WSJ, 4/15/98, p.A1)
1998 Apr 20, The Goldman
Environmental Awards were presented to six winners in SF. The prizes
were increased to $100,000. Sven "Bobby" Peek (31) of South Africa
won for fighting for the rights of poor people in industrialized
South Durban.
(SFC, 4/20/98, p.A8)
1998 Apr 29, Pres. Mandela
named Siphiwe Nyanda as the first black to head the nation’s armed
forces.
(SFC, 4/30/98, p.A10)
1998 May 8, The National Sports
Council asked the world to boycott South African Rugby in a move to
push for the resignation of Louis Luyt, the league’s president, over
racist and corrupt practices.
(SFC, 5/9/98, p.A10)
1998 May 10, Louis Luyt
announced his resignation as the president of the South African
Rugby Football Assoc.
(SFC, 5/11/98, p.A10)
1998 Jun, Four bombings
occurred in the center of Cape Town and attributed to rival gangs.
(SFEC, 7/5/98, p.T8)
1998 Jul 10, In South Africa 8
people were gunned down in the Kwa-Zulu-Natal town of Richmond.
Pres. Mandela spoke out against the police after another 15 were
killed with no arrests. 40 people had been killed since May.
(SFC, 7/13/98, p.A8)(SFC, 7/28/98, p.A8)
1998 Jul 18, South African
President Nelson Mandela capped his 80th birthday by marrying Graca
Machel, the widow of a Mozambican president and black liberation
leader.
(AP, 7/18/08)
1998 Jul 31, The Truth and
Reconciliation Commission closed down after 2 years of hearings. A
report was due in October.
(SFC, 8/1/98, p.A12)
1998 Aug 21, Former Pres. Botha
(82) was convicted of ignoring a subpoena to testify about apartheid
atrocities in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He
was fined $1,577 and given a suspended 1 year jail sentence.
(SFC, 8/22/98, p.A8)
1998 Aug 25, In South Africa a
bomb exploded in a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Cape Town and
killed one person and injured 24. A group called Muslims Against
Global Oppression claimed responsibility. One injured man died 10
days later.
(SFC, 8/26/98, p.A8)(SFC, 9/4/98, p.D4)
1998 Oct 28, In South Africa
the 3,500 page report of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee was
formally handed over from Desmond Tutu to Pres. Mandela. It was
based on years of testimony from the people who ran the 1960-1994
white-government and their victims.
(SFC, 10/29/98, p.A13)(WSJ, 10/30/98, p.A1)
1998 Oct, Parliament approved
one of the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws.
(SFC, 11/28/98, p.C3)
1998 Oct, Former Pres. F.W. de
Klerk completed his divorce with Marike de Klerk and married his
companion Elita Georgiades, the former wife of Tony Georgiades,
Greek shipping magnate.
(SFC, 12/6/01, p.A6)
1998 Dec 1, A rally of 82
vintage cars entered Cape Town after a 39 day, 18,600 mile journey
that began in London.
(SFC, 12/2/98, p.C12)
1998 Dec 15, In South Africa a
tornado killed 13 people in Umtata. Pres. Mandela narrowly escaped
injury while shopping there.
(SFC, 12/16/98, p.C3)
1998 Dec 22, In South Africa
Gugu Dlamini (36), an AIDS activist, died from wounds inflicted by a
mob.
(SFC, 12/28/98, p.A7)
1998 A South Africa court
struck down the law against sodomy.
(SSFC, 5/25/03, p.A12)
1998 South African senior
foreign ministry official Robert McBride was arrested on suspicion
of gun running in neighboring Mozambique and held for six months
before being released.
(AFP, 9/9/11)
1999 Jan 23, In South Africa
Sifiso Nkabinde, leader of the small United Democratic Movement
party, was shot and killed in Richmond. Later gunmen in the same
town killed 11 people who backed the ANC.
(SFC, 1/25/99, p.A7)
1999 Jan 28, In Cape Town,
South Africa, a bomb exploded at the main police station and wounded
11 people. It was the 3rd bombing in 5 months.
(SFC, 1/29/99, p.E9)
1999 Feb 4, It was reported
that a $650 flamethrower, invented by Charl Flourie, was available
for installation on cars to protect against carjackers.
(SFC, 2/4/99, p.A11)
1999 Feb 10, In South Africa a
helicopter crashed on the roof of an office building in Cape Town
and all 4 people aboard were killed.
(SFC, 2/11/99, p.C2)
1999 Feb 16, In South Africa
the 4 policemen charged with the fatal beating of Steve Biko were
denied amnesty.
(WSJ, 2/17/99, p.A1)
1999 Mar 3, From South Africa
it was reported that 3.6 million people, one in eight adults, were
carrying the AIDS virus by the end of 1998. This compared with 2.7
million in 1997.
(SFC, 3/4/99, p.C5)(SFC, 4/27/99, p.A10)
1999 Mar 9, In South Africa a
gunman killed Patata Nqwaru, vice chairman of the local United
Democratic Movement in Cape Town.
(SFC, 3/10/99, p.A13)
1999 Mar 17, Allan Boesak (53),
a leading anti-apartheid activist, was convicted of stealing money
from foreign donors intended for the Foundation for Peace and
Justice. He was later sentenced to 6 years in prison for theft and
fraud.
(SFC, 3/18/99, p.A13)(SFC, 3/25/99, p.A10)
1999 Mar 25, In South Africa
Wouter Basson, the former head of chemical and biological warfare
dubbed "Doctor Death," was indicted on 64 charges that included
murder, theft and fraud. Conspiracy charges for offenses in Namibia,
Swaziland, Mozambique and Britain were later dismissed. 61 charges
remained. Basson was acquitted of 46 counts of murder, fraud and
drug dealing in 2002.
(SFC, 3/26/99, p.A16)(SFC, 10/13/99, p.A12)(SFC,
4/12/02, p.A8)
1999 Apr 20, In South Africa
the police beating of 4 carjacking suspects was broadcast over TV.
One suspect died from the beating and the officers were suspended
and put under criminal investigation.
(SFC, 4/21/99, p.A13)
1999 May 11, Authorities found
over 7 tons of arms, ammunition and explosives in KwaZulu-Natal
province. It was believed to have been amassed by former police
commander Eugene de Kock.
(SFC, 5/13/99, p.C3)
1999 May 14, In South Africa
the ruling African National Congress signed a peace pact with the
arch-rival Inkatha Freedom Party.
(SFC, 5/15/99, p.A14)
1999 May 21, In South Africa a
principal and teacher opened fire on students who were throwing
stones angered by field trip fees. Sithembiso Gcwenya (19) was
killed and 2 students were wounded near Scottburgh on the Indian
Ocean.
(SFC, 5/22/99, p.A12)
1999 May, President Nelson
Mandela handed the Schmidtsdrift San communities almost 13,000
hectares of farmland, including Platfontein, near Kimberley. The
Schmidtsdrift San are members of the !Xun and !Khwe tribes who were
employed by the former SA Defence Force in its war against the South
West African People's Organization (Swapo) during the eighties. When
Namibia gained independence in 1990, the San soldiers were given the
option to move to Schmidtsdrift with their families. The !Xum and
Khwe Bushmen pooled government allowances and purchased the
Platfontein Farm.
(http://tinyurl.com/l62ne)(Econ, 4/15/06, p.50)
1999 Jun 2, An appeals court
set aside the contempt conviction against former Pres. P.W. Botha
based on a technicality.
(SFC, 6/2/99, p.C5)
1999 Jun 2, In South Africa
Pres. Mandela set this date for elections. Thabo Mbeki, the deputy
of Pres. Mandela, was expected to win. The ANC headed for victory
with 62.2% support after half the votes were counted. The final
count showed a 65.7% win. The Congress Party trailed a rival black
party in KwaZulu-Natal province. The ANC won 266 seats, one shy of a
two-third majority.
(SFC, 3/4/99, p.C3)(SFC, 6/3/99, p.A12)(SFC,
6/4/99, p.D2)(SFC, 6/7/99, p.A11)(SFC, 6/8/99, p.A12)
1999 Jun 13, In South Africa
Pres. Mandela welcomed visiting Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy as his
last official guest. Khadafy was on his first foreign tour since
sanctions were lifted in April.
(SFC, 6/14/99, p.A13)
1999 Jun 15, The Truth
Commission granted amnesty to Eugene TerreBlanche after he made full
disclosure for his apartheid-era crimes.
(SFC, 6/16/99, p.B2)
1999 Jun 16, Thabo Mbeki took
the oath as president of South Africa, succeeding Nelson Mandela.
Mbeki soon appointed Jacob Zuma, chairperson of the ANC, as deputy
president.
(AP, 6/16/00)(www.anc.org.za/people/zumaj.html)
1999 Jul 29, In South Africa
some 300,000 workers staged a public sector strike and demanded a
10% pay hike.
(SFC, 7/30/99, p.D3)
1999 Jul 29, Simon Mahlathini
Nkabinde, lead groaner of the Mahlathini and the Mohatella Queens,
died at age 62. The group performed together from 1964-1997 and
popularized mbaqanga music.
(SFC, 7/31/99, p.A17)
1999 Aug 8, Tito Mboweni was
inaugurated as governor of the South African Reserve Bank.
(WSJ, 3/29/00, p.A1)
1999 Aug 16, In South Africa
thousands of state workers stayed home from work and some 10,000
Telkom and post office workers demonstrated in Pretoria and other
cities.
(SFC, 8/17/99, p.A10)
1999 Aug 24, In South Africa an
estimated 100,000 workers joined marches across the country in a
one-day strike for wage increases.
(SFC, 8/25/99, p.A16)
1999 Aug 29, In South Africa a
heavy storm in Cape Town left 4 people dead and some 5,000 homeless.
(SFC, 8/30/99, p.A14)
1999 Sep 15, The government
reported that it would purchase $3.5 billion in arms over the next 8
years in exchange for investments in the country.
(SFC, 9/16/99, p.A13)
1999 Sep 27, In South Africa a
bus of British tourists overturned as it approached Lydenburg and 27
people were killed.
(SFC, 9/28/99, p.C16)
1999 Oct 11, South Africa and
the European Union signed a free-trade pact.
(SFC, 10/12/99, p.C16)
1999 Oct 18, Nelson Mandela
visited Israel for the 1st time in an effort to end enmity between
the Jewish state and the African National Congress. Israel had
supported the apartheid government in South Africa.
(SFC, 10/19/99, p.A13)
1999 Oct 25, The 31st Booker
Prize in Literature was won by J.M. Coetzee of South Africa for his
novel "Disgrace." He became the 1st author to win the prize twice.
He won in 1983 for the novel "Live and Times of Michael K."
(SFC, 10/26/99, p.G2)
1999 Oct, The policy manual for
South Africa’s national prosecuting authority was released. The
authority took over cases that left over from the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission.
(www.iss.co.za/Pubs/Monographs/No53/Chap4.html)(Econ, 8/4/07, p.41)
1999 Nov 4, At Empangeni rival
minivan taxi operators waged a gun battle that left at least 10
people dead and 24 wounded.
(SFC, 11/5/99, p.A17)
1999 Nov 28, In South Africa a
pipe bomb injured at least 43 people at St. Elmo's pizza restaurant
in Camps Bay, just south of Cape Town.
(SFC, 11/29/99, p.A12)
1999 Dec 14, In South Africa
Clarence Mlokoti (69), co-founder of the Kaizer Chiefs soccer team,
was killed during an attempted car-jacking in Soweto.
(SFC, 12/16/99, p.C2)
1999 Dec 24, In South Africa 7
policemen were injured after responding to a bomb threat in Cape
Town.
(WSJ, 12/27/99, p.A1)
1999 Dec 29, In South Africa
police arrested 3 members of a Muslim vigilante gang and seized bomb
materials linked to recent bombings near Cape Town.
(WSJ, 12/30/99, p.A1)
1999 Breyten Breytenbach,
Afrikaner writer, authored "Dog Heart: A Memoir," a look at South
Africa since the 1994 elections.
(WSJ, 10/4/99, p.A40)
1999 Nadine Gordimer authored
"Living in Hope and History: Notes from Our Century."
(SFEC, 12/12/99, BR p.5)
1999 South Africa’s Pres. Thabo
Mbeki created Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), better known
as the Scorpions. It was a crime-fighting unit of the National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA) set up to fight corruption and organized
crime. In 2008 the government planned to disband the unit and merge
it into the police force.
(Econ, 10/15/05, p.48)(Econ, 5/10/08, p.56)
1999 South Africa signed a deal
with Saab for 26 JAS Gripen fighter jets for 1.6 billion euros. The
deal was later trimmed to 26 planes. Allegations of fraud later
arose after Saab disclosed that bribes had been paid in the form of
bonuses and salaries between 2003 and 2005 by its South African
subsidiary Sanip, which was then controlled by BAE Systems.
(AP, 7/31/11)
1999 Mark Shuttleworth of South
Africa sold Thawte, a company that made digital certificates and
security software to support internet commerce, to VeriSign for over
$500 million.
(Econ, 6/9/07, TQ p.33)
1999 Taddy Blecher and 3
partners founded CIDA City Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. The
university charged only $21 per month for tuition. The official
inauguration was held on Nov 8, 2002.
(Econ, 9/1/07, p.63)
1999 In South Africa a wine
buyer suggested the vinification of a Rhone-style blend called Goats
do Roam owned by Charles Back.
(SFC, 10/31/08, p.F2)
2000 Jan 10, In South Africa
there was a rock fall at the African Rainbow Minerals gold mine. 9
miners were rescued after 4 days, but 4 were found dead and two were
feared dead.
(SFC, 1/14/00, p.D2)
2000 Feb 11, In South Africa it
was reported that at least 19 people had died and 12 were feared
drowned after torrential rains hit the northern province of
Mpumalanga.
(SFC, 2/12/00, p.A9)
2000 Feb 18, The telephone
company, Telkom, announced that it would buy and distribute 5
million condoms to its employees in an effort to fight AIDS which
had infected some 13% of the adult population.
(SFC, 2/19/00, p.A12)
2000 Feb 26, Heavy rains
continued to ravage South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
33 people were reported dead in the northern province of South
Africa and 29 dead in Zimbabwe.
(SFEC, 2/27/00, p.A22)
2000 Mar 2, Dr. Larry C. Ford
committed suicide just days after a botched assassination attempt on
his business partner at Biofem Inc., of Irvine, Calif. Ford had met
with scientists from South Africa's Project Coast in the 1980s to
discuss chemical and biological warfare under Wouter Basson, head of
the project. Project Coast, which has been accused of trying to
create deadly bacteria that would only affect blacks, poisoning
opponents' clothing and stockpiling cholera, HIV and anthrax, opened
an offshore bank account to pay Ford. In 2002 former FBI informant
Peter Fitzpatrick told "60 Minutes" that Ford passed a bag filled
with cholera, typhoid, botulism, anthrax and bubonic plague to a
South African military doctor during a meeting at the house of the
South African trade attache in California.
(AP, 11/3/02)
2000 Mar 25, In South Africa a
flashflood down the Storms River Gorge left 7 dead and 6 missing
from a group of 24 whitewater enthusiasts.
(SFC, 3/27/00, p.A12)
2000 May 28, Themba Khoza,
member of parliament and leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, died
of AIDS at age 41.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.D5)
2000 May, The Kimberley process
started when Southern African diamond-producing states met in
Kimberley, South Africa, to discuss ways to stop the trade in
‘conflict diamonds’ and ensure that diamond purchases were not
funding violence.
(www.kimberleyprocess.com/background/index_en.html)
2000 Jun 19, Mary Benson,
writer and anti-apartheid campaigner, died at age 80. Her work
included a 2-volume history of the African National Congress.
(SFC, 6/23/00, p.D5)
2000 Jun 23, A Panamanian
registered tanker sank off Cape Town, South Africa and at least
1,300 tons of seeped out. Oil began to soak the local penguins at
Robben Island.
(SFC, 6/30/00, p.A16)
2000 Jul 9, The 13the Int’l.
AIDS Conference convened in South Africa. Pres. Thabo Mbeki opened
the conference and insisted that poverty was a greater enemy than
the AIDS virus. Hundreds of delegates walked out.
(SFC, 7/7/00, p.A1)(SFC, 7/10/00, p.A1)
2000 Jul 14, In South Africa
Nelson Mandela closed the 13th Int’l. Conference on AIDS with a call
for scientists to set aside differences with Pres. Thabo Mbeki and
to concentrate on fighting the disease.
(SFC, 7/15/00, p.A1)
2000 Jul, Nkosi Johnson (10), a
victim of AIDS, spoke to int’l. delegates and implored South Africa
to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with anti-retroviral drugs to
block transmission of the virus to children at birth. Johnson died
June 1, 2001 at age 12.
(SFC, 1/12/01, p.A18)(SFC, 6/2/01, p.A8)
2000 Aug 26, In Sasolburg,
South Africa, black employee John Mosoko Rampuru (37) died after
being dragged behind a pickup for over 3 miles by white building
contractor Pieter Odendaal (44). On November 12, 2001, the
Bloemfontein High Court sentenced Odendaal to 10 years in jail after
finding him guilty of culpable homicide but not murder with intent.
Judge AP van Coller suspended 3 years of Odendaal's sentence and
freed him on bail pending appeal.
(SFEC, 9/10/00,
p.C12)(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1651683.stm)
2000 Sep 13, The government
announced war with the Muslim vigilante group, PAGAD, People Against
Gangsterism and Drugs, following a series of bombings.
(SFC, 9/14/00, p.C7)
2000 Nov 17, In South Africa 11
workers died from a fire while apparently locked in a floor polish
factory in Lenasia.
(SFEC, 11/19/00, p.C16)
2000 Dec 1, On World AIDS Day
the government agreed to accept a $50 million donation of the drug
fluconazole from Pfizer to treat a brain inflammation associated
with AIDS. Recent approval was also given for nevirapine, a drug to
reduce transmission of the AIDS virus to a fetus.
(SFC, 12/2/00, p.A12)
2000 Dec 5, In South Africa 7
people were killed at 2 polling stations during the 2nd all-race
municipal elections. The elections slashed the number of
municipalities from 843 to 284 with 6 mega cities, each presided by
a single mayor. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) won at
least 59% of the contests.
(SFC, 12/6/00, p.A18)(WSJ, 12/7/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 15, Pres. Mbeki spoke
at a MERCOSUR meeting in Brazil and planned to begin negotiations to
join the trading block.
(SFC, 12/31/00, p.B2)
2000 Dec 18, Edmund Ntemi
Piliso, jazz musician, died at age 75. He led the Alexandra All-Star
band in Sophiatown in the 1950s.
(SFC, 12/19/00, p.B5)
2000 In South Africa the
Johannesburg consortium “Business Against Crime” moved its
Cueincident program, a video-monitoring system of the central
business district, to the Carlton building. Crime soon began to
decline and people moved back into the area.
(Econ, 4/8/06, Survey p.11)
2000 South Africa ranked as the
world’s 8th largest wine producer. Its output was roughly in line
with Germany.
(SSFC, 12/3/00, p.T6)
2001 Jan 6, It was reported
that cholera had sickened some 13,000 people in KwaZulu-Natal and
had killed at least 53.
(SFC, 1/6/01, p.D8)
2001 Jan, A single lightning
bolt killed 14 people huddled in a hut in Kwa-Zulu-Natal province.
(WSJ, 2/1/00, p.A1)
2001 Mar 20, New AIDS
statistics indicated that 25% of the adult population, one of every
9 people, was infected with HIV.
(SFC, 3/21/01, p.A13)
2001 Mar, Billiton, a South
African mining company, and Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP), an
Australian rival, revealed plans to merge.
(Econ, 8/21/10, p.56)
2001 Apr 11, In Johannesburg 43
people were killed in a stampede at a soccer game in Ellis Park
Stadium. Over 150 were injured.
(SFC, 4/12/01, p.A12)
2001 May 8, In South Africa 12
miners were killed in a gold mine explosion.
(WSJ, 5/9/01, p.A1)
2001 May 18, Shareholders of De
Beers, a giant diamond company, approved a move the privatize the
company. Shares would be delisted June 1 and the company will be
taken over by DB Investments, a consortium owned by the Oppenheimer
family, Anglo-American and Debswana.
(SFC, 5/19/01, p.C3)
2001 May 24, US Sec. of State
Colin Powell traveled to South Africa as part of his 4-nation
African tour to promote the fight against AIDS.
(WSJ, 5/25/01, p.A11)
2001 May 25, US Sec. of State
Colin Powell spoke to students at the Univ. of Witwatersrand and
called on Pres. Mugabe of Zimbabwe to submit to free elections next
year.
(SFC, 5/26/01, p.B12)
2001 Jun 1, Nkosi Johnson (12),
a victim of AIDS, died. In 2000 he had spoken to int’l. delegates
and implored South Africa to provide HIV-positive pregnant women
with anti-retroviral drugs to block transmission of the virus to
children at birth.
(SFC, 1/12/01, p.A18)(SFC, 6/2/01, p.A8)
2001 Jun 26, In Washington
Pres. Bush met with South Africa Pres. Thabo Mbeki and defended
Mbeki’s efforts to combat AIDS.
(SFC, 6/27/01, p.A10)
2001 Jun 28, Queen Modjadji V,
the "rain queen" of the Bolobedu tribe, died at age 64.
(SFC, 7/5/01, p.D3)
2001 Jun, Members of the Pan
African Congress began collecting $3 from poor people in exchange
for small parcels of vacant land in Bredell, 12 miles northeast of
Johannesburg. A week later the government condemned the PAC and
arrested people for trespassing.
(SFC, 7/12/01, p.A14)
2001 Jul 10, The government
ordered the demolition of shacks on the occupied land in Bredell.
1-2 thousand shacks were expected to be destroyed.
(SFC, 7/13/01, p.A15)
2001 Jul 30, In South Africa
Catholic bishops denounced condoms as "immoral and misguided"
weapons against AIDS.
(SFC, 7/31/01, p.A6)
2001 Aug 19, Donald Woods (67),
former Daily Dispatch editor and apartheid opponent, died in Sutton,
England.
(SFC, 8/20/01, p.A15)
2001 Aug 30, Govan Mbeki, the
father of Pres. Thabo Mbeki, died at age 91. He authored the book
"South Africa: The Peasant’s Revolt" while imprisoned on Robben
Island.
(SFC, 8/31/01, p.A24)
2001 Aug 31, The UN World
Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance began in Durban, South Africa.
(SFC, 9/1/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 1, In Durban, South
Africa, a variety of African leaders at the UN World Conference
Against Racism demanded apologies, and in some cases financial
reparations, from Western countries that benefited from slavery and
colonization of African countries for over 3 centuries. Activists at
the conference developed a strategy, later known as “BDS,” that
included boycotts, divestments and sanctions, to push their agenda.
(SSFC, 9/2/01, p.A12)(Econ, 9/15/07, p.74)
2001 Sep 2, Dr. Christiaan
Barnard (78), South African cardiologist, died in Paphos, Cyprus. He
performed the world’s 1st human heart transplant in 1967, authored a
distinguished text on cardiology, a scandalous autobiography and 4
minor novels.
(SFC, 9/3/01, p.A15)(AP, 9/2/02)
2001 Sep 3, The US delegates
pulled out of the UN Conference on Racism due to extremist diatribes
against Israel by Arab nations.
(SFC, 9/4/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 7, In Durban the UN
Conference on Racism went into overtime and agreed on a deal. The
conference acknowledged that slavery and the slave trade were crimes
against humanity, expressed an apology and offered a package
of economic assistance to Africa. A deal on the Middle East was not
yet reached.
(SFC, 9/8/01, p.A8)
2001 Sep 8, In South Africa the
UN World Conference on Racism ended and agreed to condemn the
"barbarism" of the slave trade, proposed an aid package for Africa,
recognized Palestinian rights and Israeli security concerns, opposed
bias against ethnic minorities, refugees, indigenous peoples and
women.
(SSFC, 9/9/01, p.A1)
2001 Oct 3, In South Africa ANC
leader Tony Yengeni was charged with corruption, forgery and perjury
linked to the country’s $6 billion arms deal with Europe.
(SFC, 10/4/01, p.C4)
2001 Oct 15, In South Africa
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of Nelson Mandela, was
indicted for fraudulent loans of more than $100,000.
(SFC, 10/16/01, p.B6)
2001 Nov 26, Joe Modise (72),
former defense minister (1994-1999), died.
(SFC, 11/28/01, p.A22)
2001 Nov 27, The predominantly
white New National Party (NNP) joined into a coalition with the
ruling African National Congress (ANC).
(SFC, 11/28/01, p.A5)
2001 Dec 4, In South Africa
Marike de Klerk (64), former wife of former Pres. F.W. de Klerk, was
found stabbed and strangled in her luxury apartment near Cape Town.
Police arrested Luyanda Mboniswa (21), a security guard, on Dec 5.
The guard confessed Dec 7. In 2003 DNA evidence linked him to the
murder.
(SFC, 12/6/01, p.A6)(SFC, 12/7/01, p.A6)(SFC,
12/8/01, p.A7)(AP, 4/8/03)
2001 Dec 13, It was reported
that 83 vanadium miners at the Vantech Tech. mining operations in
Steelport were let go between 1998 and 2001 after suffering
respiratory problems. Vantech was a subsidiary of the Swiss-based
Xstrata.
(SFC, 12/13/01, p.E2)
2001 Dec 30, In South Africa an
open truck carrying families on a pilgrimage to ancestral graves,
overturned on a steep hill and 48 people were killed.
(SFC, 1/1/02, p.A7)
2001 South Africa decided to
overhaul its mining laws and began laying out specific targets for
its Black Economic Empowerment program.
(WSJ, 11/18/05, p.A8)
2001-2005 Property prices in South Africa rose by
an average of 20% a year.
(Econ, 5/6/06, p.46)
2002 Jan 29, In South Africa
Doctors Without Borders defied patent law and imported a generic
AIDS drug from Brazil.
(WSJ, 1/30/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 5, In Durban, South
Africa, a commuter train collided with a freight train and 18 people
were killed.
(SFC, 2/6/02, p.A9)
2002 Feb 9, In South Africa
Bulelani Vukwana (29), shot and killed his girlfriend and 9 others
before killing himself in Mdantsane suburb of East London.
(SFC, 2/11/02, p.A8)
2002 Mar 24, It was reported
that scientist David Rasnick had agreed to inject himself with HIV
and that computer scientist Philip Machanick agreed to take a
cocktail of anti-HIV drugs for the rest of his life in a test over
the cause of AIDS.
(SSFC, 3/24/02, p.A3)
2002 Mar 25, A Pretoria high
court ruled that the government must provide the anti-AIDS
drug nevirapine to all public hospitals with the capacity to use it.
(SFC, 3/26/02, p.A6)
2002 Apr 11, A white judge
acquitted Dr. Wouter Basson ("Dr. Death"), former head of the
chemical and biological weapons program, of 46 counts murder, fraud
and drug dealing following a 2 ½ year trial.
(SFC, 4/12/02, p.A8)
2002 Apr 25, A Russian rocket
blasted into orbit with Mark Shuttleworth (28) of South Africa, who
paid $20 million for the trip to the Int’l. Space Station.
(SFC, 4/26/02, p.A15)
2002 Apr 27, Steve Tshwete
(64), security minister, died. He had been arrested in 1963 and
sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island, where he spent time with
Nelson Mandela.
(SFC, 4/30/02, p.A24)
2002 May 6, Daan Goosen, South
Africa scientist, passed a vial of genetically engineered bacteria
to a retired US CIA officer and offered an entire collection of
pathogens developed in SA bio-weapons research for $5 million and
immigrations permits for 19 associates and family members. The deal
collapsed.
(SSFC, 4/20/03, p.A16)
2002 Jun 17, In South Africa
Lulu Petersen said she hoped a class-action lawsuit against foreign
companies that dealt with the racist, white regime would finally
bring her family justice.
(AP, 6/17/02)
2002 Jun 25, South Africa's
parliament passed a landmark bill aimed at transforming the
country's mining industry by giving the government control of
mineral rights.
(AP, 6/26/02)
2002 Jul 2, A former South
African policeman killed four people and wounded nine during a
shooting rampage in a small town in the Northern Cape province.
(AP, 7/3/02)
2002 Jul 8, African leaders
gathered in South Africa to form the new African Union and to bid
farewell to the Organization of African Unity, a much-criticized
regional body formed nearly four decades ago to usher the continent
out of colonialism.
(AP, 7/8/02)
2002 Jul 9, African leaders in
Durban, SA, launched the African Union, an ambitious new body
intended to pull the beleaguered continent out of poverty and
conflict.
(AP, 7/9/03)
2002 Jul 10, The first summit
of the African Union ended with lofty promises of a new era of
economic development and good government on a continent plagued by
poverty and oppression.
(AP, 7/10/02)
2002 Jul 14, A passenger bus
overturned and burst into flames after hitting a cow, killing at
least 18 people in South Africa's Eastern Cape province.
(AP, 7/15/02)
2002 Aug 26, The 4th UN World
Summit on Sustainable Development opened in Johannesburg, SA, with a
call from South African President Thabo Mbeki for coordinated
international action to fight poverty and protect the world's
natural resources. Pres. Bush sent Colin Powell as his stand-in. The
3rd gathering was in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
(SSFC, 8/25/02, p.A3)(AP, 8/26/03)
2002 Aug 26, As Zimbabwean and
Ethiopian activists staged protests, South African security
officials promised to clamp down on any protesters demonstrating at
the U.N. development summit without government approval.
(AP, 8/26/02)
2002 Aug 27, In South Africa
delegates to the World Summit on Sustainable Development called for
increased global efforts to bring new agricultural technologies to
poor farmers to help feed the developing world.
(AP, 8/27/02)
2002 Aug 28, Delegates at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development focused on ways to bring
fresh water and sanitation to hundreds of millions of people who
lack access to either. Negotiators hailed their first breakthrough:
a deal to protect the world's oceans and marine life.
(AP, 8/28/02)
2002 Aug 29, The World Summit
on Sustainable Development focused on ways business and governments
could work together to spread prosperity in the developing world
while protecting the environment.
(AP, 8/29/02)
2002 Aug 31, In South Africa
some 10,000 people marched from a township of tin shacks and open
sewers to the glittering venue of a U.N. development summit to
protest that world leaders are not doing enough to fight poverty.
(AP, 8/31/02)
2002 Sep 2, At the UN Earth
Summit in South Africa negotiators agreed on a global plan to reduce
the use of oil and switch to other cleaner and more efficient forms
of energy.
(SFC, 9/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Sep 4, The World Summit on
Sustainable Development closed with just a handful of small
victories and some promising new initiatives. Colin Powell was
heckled and the US was viewed as a key obstacle to setting firm
targets on many issues. The Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (EITI), an anti-corruption scheme to oversee oil
production, was launched by UK PM Tony Blair, at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, SA.
(AP, 9/5/02)(SFC, 9/5/02,
p.A10)(www.osi-az.org/eitiabout.shtml)
2002 Sep 10, In South Africa
the highest court ruled that gay couples have the right to adopt
children and laws that prevent them from doing so violate their
constitutional rights.
(AP, 9/10/02)
2002 Sep 13, In South Africa
the Italian ship, the Jolly Rubino, that ran aground within
the boundaries of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, began leaking
oil and was in danger of breaking up, according to conservation
officials and a salvage company.
(AP, 9/13/02)
2002 Sep 28, In South Africa a
commuter bus veered off a road and flipped several times down a
mountain pass, killing 21 people and injuring 52 in the Eastern
Cape.
(AP, 9/28/02)
2002 Oct 1, In South Africa
tens of thousands of workers blew whistles and sang protest songs as
they marched in a nationwide strike protesting the government's
privatization plans.
(AP, 10/1/02)
2002 Oct 30, A series of bomb
blasts rocked the poor township of Soweto, SA, killing one person,
ripping a hole in a mosque and damaging several railway stations and
rail lines running into the nearby city of Johannesburg. The
Boeremag (Afrikaner Power) was believed responsible.
(AP, 10/30/02)(SFC, 11/2/02, p.A7)
2002 Oct 30, Nine people,
mostly Canadian or British tourists, were killed and at least 10
more injured when their bus crashed in South Africa, police
said.
(Reuters, 10/30/02)
2002 Nov, 52 governments
ratified and adopted the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
setting up an internationally recognized certification system for
rough diamonds and establishing national import/export standards.
This followed meetings that had begun in Kimberley, South Africa, in
2000. The scheme was fully implemented in August 2003.
(www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/diamond/kimberlindex.htm)
2002 An internal South African
position paper on argued that half of all new mining rights
and 30% of existing one should be black-owned within a decade. The
report leaked to the media and caused the Johannesburg stock market
to plunge.
(WSJ, 11/18/05, p.A8)
2002 South African Breweries
bought America’s Miller Brewing for $5.6 billion.
(Econ, 5/15/04, p.64)
2002 Over 21,000 people were
murdered in South Africa this year.
(Econ, 10/11/03, p.52)
2003 Jan 7, In South Africa a
passenger train collided with a freight train, killing 10 people and
injuring 49.
(AP, 1/7/03)
2003 Jan 20, In South Africa an
execution-style attack at a Cape Town house used as a gay massage
parlor killed eight men and badly wounded two.
(AP, 1/20/03)
2003 Mar 21, A South African
commission that investigated the crimes of the era recommended
that the government pay compensation totaling $348 million to more
than 21,000 victims of apartheid-era abuses.
(AP, 3/21/03)
2003 Apr 6, In Capetown, SA,
Roxanne Dickson (5) became the 7th child to die from gang violence
in the last month. Some 280 gangs operated in Western Cape, a
province of about 3 million people, 5 percent of whom are believed
to belong to gangs.
(AP, 4/12/03)
2003 Apr 25, In South Africa
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the fiery anti-apartheid leader and
ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was sentenced to four
years in prison for her conviction on fraud and theft charges.
(AP, 4/25/03)
2003 May 1, In South Africa a
bus believed to be carrying about 90 people plunged into a reservoir
in South Africa. 10 survivors were rescued outside the town of
Bethlehem. 51 people were killed.
(AP, 5/2/03)
2003 May 5, In South Africa
Walter Sisulu (b.1912), anti-apartheid hero, died. He brought Nelson
Mandela into the ANC and together with Oliver Tambo formed the ANC
Youth League in 1944.
(AP, 5/6/03)
2003 Jul 9, Pres. Bush met with
South African President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria for discussions on
AIDS, the war on terror, trade issues and to seek common ground in
their attempts to deal with the political and economic crisis in
neighboring Zimbabwe. Pleading for patience, President Bush,
continuing his Africa tour, said the United States would "have to
remain tough" in Iraq despite attacks on U.S. soldiers. Bush said he
was "absolutely confident" in his actions despite the discovery that
one claim he'd made about Saddam Hussein's weapons pursuits was
based on false information.
(AP, 7/9/03)(SFC, 7/10/03, p.A3)(AP, 7/9/04)(AP,
7/9/08)
2003 Aug 7, F.T. Prince (90),
South African poet, died in Southampton, England. His work included
the WWII poem "Soldiers Bathing."
(SFC, 8/13/03, p.A23)
2003 Aug 19, South African
police and the FBI arrested Craig Michael Pritchert, 41, and Nova
Ester Guthrie, 28, in Capetown. The couple are suspected of armed
robberies in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, and
Oregon between 1993 and 1996.
(AP, 8/21/03)
2003 Sep 2, Two South China
tigers, the first ever to leave the country, arrived in South Africa
as part of a project to save the endangered species.
(AP, 9/3/03)
2003 Oct 2, South Africa's J.M.
Coetzee, whose stories tell of innocents and outcasts oppressed by
the cruel weight of history, won the 2003 Nobel Prize for
literature. His books included "Dusklands" (1974), "In the heart of
the Country" (1977), "Waiting for the Barbarians" (1980), "Life and
Times of Michael K" (1983) and "Disgrace" (1999).
(AP, 10/2/03)(WSJ, 10/14/03, p.D10)
2003 Nov 19, South Africa said
it would provide free AIDS drugs.
(WSJ, 1/2/04, p.R12)
2003 Nov 29, Beyonce Knowles,
Bono, Peter Gabriel and other musicians from around the world took
to the stage for an AIDS benefit concert hosted by former South
African President Nelson Mandela.
(AP, 11/30/03)
2003 In South Africa Ben
Sassman launched Internet dating service for people with HIV/AIDS.
(Econ, 10/14/06,
p.54)(www.thepositiveconnection.co.za)
2004 Jan 1, Pres. Thabo Mbeki
of South Africa joined Pres. Aristide for Haiti’s independence
celebrations.
(WPR, 3/04, p.29)
2004 Jan 1, In South Africa a
minibus full of British and Canadian tourists headed to a scenic
mountain area crashed, killing eight Britons and the pedestrian.
(AP, 1/1/04)
2004 Jan 9, In South Africa
Pres. Mbeki signed the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.
It imposed a host of obligations on companies that wished to do
business with the government.
(www.labour.gov.za/useful_docs/doc_display.jsp?id=9479)(Econ,
4/8/06, Survey p.8)
2004 Jan 29, Widespread drought
was reported across southern Africa. Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa
and Zimbabwe were all affected.
(SFC, 1/29/04, p.A16)
2004 Jan, General Motors
announced the purchase of a 51% share of Delta Motors, South
Africa’s 4th largest car firm.
(Econ, 2/14/04, p.62)
2004 Mar 29, Margaret McCord
Nixon (87), South-African-born author of "The Calling of Katie
Makanya" (1997), died in Venice, Ca.
(SFC, 4/13/04, p.B7)
2004 Apr 10, Some 11% of South
Africans, 5 million people, were reported to be infected with AIDS.
An earlier government report said 100,000 civil servants were HIV
positive.
(Econ, 4/10/04, p.39)
2004 Apr 14, South Africans of
all races voted for a new government for the third time in a decade.
The African National Congress, the party that led them out of
apartheid, won nearly 70% of the vote.
(AP, 4/14/04)(WSJ, 4/15/04, p.A1)(WSJ, 4/16/04,
p.A1)
2004 Apr 23, President Thabo
Mbeki was elected unopposed for a second term. He pledged to fight
poverty and improve opportunities for all South Africans after his
party scored its biggest victory yet in a decade of multiracial
democracy.
(AP, 4/23/04)
2004 Apr-2005 Mar, Statistics
for this period showed that 18,793 people were murdered in South
Africa, an average of 51 a day in a nation of 47 million.
(AP, 8/26/06)
2004 May 9, Brenda Fassie (39),
South Africa's first black pop star, who gave a voice to
disenfranchised blacks at the height of apartheid, died of
complications from an asthma attack.
(AP, 5/10/04)
2004 May 31, Ousted Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his family received a
first-class diplomatic welcome from South Africa, his new home in
exile.
(AP, 5/31/04)
2004 Jul 13, In an Ohio court
De Beers ended a 60-year impasse and agreed to pay a $10 million
fine for the price fixing of industrial diamonds.
(Econ, 7/17/04, p.60)
2004 Aug 9, Officials in South
Africa prepared to kill some 30,000 ostriches following the deaths
of over 1,500 due to avian influenza.
(SFC, 8/10/04, p.A3)
2004 Aug 24, In South Africa
Mark Thatcher, the son of former British PM Margaret Thatcher, was
arrested and charged with helping to finance a foiled coup attempt
in oil rich Equatorial Guinea. Thatcher was later fined three
million rand (approximately $500,000) and received a four-year
suspended jail sentence. In 2008 Equatorial Guinea issued an
international arrest warrant against Mark Thatcher, accusing him of
being an instigator of the abortive coup plot.
(AP,
8/25/04)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Thatcher)(FP, 3/29/08)
2004 Sep 3, In South Africa
Johan Meyer (53), head of a engineering company, was charged with
trafficking in nuclear-related materials that could be used to make
weapons of mass destruction.
(AP, 9/3/04)
2004 Sep 15, South Africa
formally recognized the pro-independence government in the annexed
Moroccan territory of Western Sahara, prompting Rabat to recall its
ambassador from Pretoria in protest.
(AP, 9/16/04)
2004 Nov 7, The NYC Marathon
was won by Hendrik Ramaala of South Africa in 2:09:28; Paula
Radcliffe won the women's title in 2:23:10.
(WSJ, 11/8/04, p.A1)
2004 R.W. Johnson authored
“South Africa: The First Man, The Last Nation,” a history of South
Africa.
(Econ, 10/23/04, p.84)
2004 South Africa launched the
Mzansi bank account, a basic account designed to bring citizens into
the nation’s financial system. In May, 2005, it won its millionth
customer.
(Econ, 5/28/05, p.77)
2004 The government of South
Africa launched Project Consolidate, an effort to help troubled
municipalities by sending them managers from comparatively well-run
cities.
(Econ, 3/4/06, p.44)
2004 In South Africa the
Incwala mining firm was born out of Lonwin Platinum (Lonplats), the
world’s 3rd largest platinum producer. It was a product of South
Africa’s black economic empowerment policy.
(Econ, 2/10/07, p.72)
2004 South Africa reported some
19,000 murders for the year, about 9 times the rate in the US and 27
times the rate in Britain.
(Econ, 10/1/05, p.44)
2004 Mark Shuttleworth of South
Africa began funding the Ubuntu project, which made a user-friendly
version of Linux, an open source operating system.
(Econ, 6/9/07, TQ p.33)
2005 Jan 1, South Africa was
forecast for 3.3% annual GDP growth with a population at 47.1
million and GDP per head at $4,110.
(Econ, 1/8/05, p.94)
2005 Jan 6, In South Africa
former Pres. Nelson Mandela announced that his son, Makgatho
Mandela, had died of illness related to AIDS.
(SFC, 1/7/05, p.A10)
2005 Feb 11, In South Africa
Thabo Mbeki gave his state of the nation speech. He called for
faster economic growth and a quicker transfer of wealth from white
to black pockets.
(Econ, 2/19/05,
p.45)(www.info.gov.za/speeches/son/)
2005 Feb 18, The government of
south Africa said the number of deaths increased by 57 percent in
the five years ending in 2003, with AIDS and related illnesses among
the leading causes in adults. The rate is far lower than that
reported by world health groups.
(AP, 2/19/05)
2005 Feb, Some 40 current and
former South African lawmakers were arrested on fraud charges for
falsifying travel expenses.
(Econ, 1/29/05, p.46)
2005 Mar 7, Officials in South
Africa's capital voted to rename the city Tshwane, retaining the
name Pretoria for the city center only.
(AP, 3/7/05)
2005 Mar 9, In South Africa
investigators began digging up the first of hundreds of unmarked
graves in a bid to close a chapter in South Africa's horrific
history.
(AP, 3/9/05)
2005 Mar 9, An earthquake shook
parts of northern South Africa, trapping 16 miners underground.
(AP, 3/9/05)
2005 Mar 11, South Africa’s
Pres. Mbeki nominated Pius Langa to become chief justice when
incumbent Arthur Chaskalson retires in May. Langa would be the 1st
black to hold the office.
(Econ, 3/19/05, p.54)
2005 Mar 13, In Musina, South
Africa, thousands of protesters held an 18-hour vigil on the border
with Zimbabwe to demonstrate against mounting repression in the
neighboring country two weeks before a key parliamentary election
there.
(AP, 3/13/05)
2005 Mar 23, In South Africa
some 21,000 Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. mineworkers went on strike
after mediation efforts with the union over pay and working
conditions failed.
(AP, 3/24/05)
2005 Apr 9, In South Africa the
federal council of the New National Party, the successor to the
National Party that led apartheid, overwhelmingly approved the
party's dissolution at a meeting in Johannesburg. The National
Party, which came to power in 1948, presided over 48 years of
systematic and often brutal oppression of the country's black
majority, who were denied the right to vote or to mix with whites.
(AP, 4/9/05)
2005 May 21, In South Africa
several hundred people, most of them white, demonstrated to protest
a proposal to change the capital's name from Pretoria, the name
given to it by white settlers, to Tshwane, as the site was once
known to its original African inhabitants.
(AP, 5/22/05)
2005 May 22, In South Africa 7
teenage girls drowned in a rip tide off the east coast and a boy was
missing after a beach outing turned tragic when the swimmers
ventured out before lifeguards were on duty.
(AP, 5/23/05)
2005 May 26, The South Africa
state agency responsible for names of towns and cities approved
plans to rename the capital of Pretoria as Tshwane.
(AP, 5/26/05)
2005 May, South Africa’s ruling
ANC issued a paper suggesting that the nations massive unemployment,
estimated at over 40%, could be reduced if the labor market was more
flexible.
(Econ, 5/28/05, p.49)
2005 Jun 2, Schabir Shaik, the
financier of the African National Congress during its struggle to
end apartheid, was convicted of corruption by a South African court.
He was found to have given Jacob Zuma over $100,000 in bribes from a
French arms company. Shaik served 2 years and 4 months of his 15
year sentence before he was freed in 2009, supposedly on medical
grounds.
(AP, 6/2/05)(Econ, 3/14/09, p.51)
2005 Jun 10, In South Africa
Pius Langa (66), a former shirt factory worker was handed the chief
justice's robes at a ceremony marking the appointment of the first
black South African to head a court system assailed by allegations
of racism.
(AP, 6/10/05)
2005 Jun 12, In South Africa
Makobo Modjadji (27), the famed rain queen of the Bolobedu people,
died of unspecified causes.
(AP, 6/13/05)
2005 Jun 14, President Thabo
Mbeki dismissed his deputy Jacob Zuma, after he was implicated in a
corruption scandal, throwing wide open the question of who will
become the next leader of South Africa. Mbeki soon picked Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka, his minister for minerals and energy, to replace
Zuma.
(AP, 6/14/05)(Econ, 6/25/05, p.46)
2005 Jun 27, South African
trade unions staged a one-day nationwide strike to protest high
unemployment and job losses, with employers reporting a mixed
response at job sites and tens of thousands of protesters marching
in major cities.
(AP, 6/27/05)
2005 Jun 28, Swedish truck and
bus maker Volvo AB said it will close an assembly plant in Botswana
and open a new factory in Durban, South Africa.
(AP, 6/28/05)
2005 Jul 11, A SA government
report said more than 6.5 million of South Africa's 47 million
people could be infected with HIV.
(AP, 7/12/05)
2005 Jul 15, In South Africa a
passenger bus plunged down a ravine near the southcentral coast,
killing at least 24 people.
(AP, 7/15/05)
2005 Aug 7, Thousands of miners
stopped work for the first strike in South Africa's key gold sector
since 1987 after wage negotiations collapsed last week.
(AP, 8/7/05)
2005 Aug 9, South Africa’s
Johannesburg Women’s Jail reopened its doors as a museum.
(Econ, 8/13/05, p.74)
2005 Aug 11, The two unions
representing 90,000 striking South African gold miners agreed to
accept management's latest offer and return to work, ending the
worst strike in 18 years in the world's largest gold-producing
nation.
(AP, 8/11/05)
2005 Aug 30, South Africa's
foreign ministry called a halt to its role as peace mediator in
strife-torn Ivory Coast, saying it was in "no mood" to consider new
demands from rebels threatening to boycott October elections.
(AP, 8/30/05)
2005 Aug 31, A South African
inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom that hooks onto an
attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual
assault in the world.
(Reuters, 8/31/05)
2005 Aug 31, Conservationists
in South Africa unveiled a $30 million plan to save the great apes
of Africa, which are under threat of extinction from man and
disease. The plan designated 12 sites in five countries for
emergency programs: Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Central African
Republic, and Equatorial Guinea.
(AP, 8/31/05)
2005 Sep 22, South Africa's
government moved for the first time to seize land from a white
farmer, saying that negotiations to buy the property to hand over to
black claimants were taking too long.
(AP, 9/22/05)
2005 Sep 27, In South Africa
Brett Kebble (41), a mining entrepreneur, African National Congress
supporter and cultural philanthropist, was found shot to death in
Johannesburg. His business dealings had come under scrutiny. Drug
trafficker Glen Agliotti was implicated in the murder. Jackie
Selebi, South Africa’s chief of police, later admitted to being a
friend to Agliotti. In 2010 a judge dropped murder charges against
Agliotti.
(AP, 9/28/05)(Econ, 1/19/08, p.50)(Reuters,
11/25/10)
2005 Sep 30, In South Africa
Mark Scott-Crossley, a white farmer convicted in the murder of one
of his former black workers, was sentenced to life in prison.
Co-defendant Simon Mathebula was sentenced to 15 years. In Jan 31,
2004, Nelson Chisale (41), who had been fired two months earlier for
apparently running a personal errand during work hours, was beaten
with machetes, tied up, driven to a nearby lion reserve, and thrown
over the fence.
(AP, 9/30/05)
2005 Oct 17, South Africa's
government vowed to press ahead with legislative attempts to take
greater control of the nation's diamonds and weaken the grip of
diamond-producer De Beers, dismissing arguments that this could
disrupt global markets and lead to job losses.
(AP, 10/17/05)
2005 Oct 25, A panel of experts
highlighted the darker side of South Africa's booming wildlife
industry and recommended a total ban on "canned hunting" — the
release of captive-bred animals to be killed for sport with no
chance of escaping their human predators.
(AP, 10/25/05)
2005 Oct 27, South Africa said
the G8, the world's richest nations, should allow duty- and
quota-free access to all products from poor countries without
demanding anything back as part of a deal on global trade.
(Reuters, 10/27/05)
2005 Oct 28, In South Africa
former President Nelson Mandela launched the first edition of a
series of comic books about his life aimed at encouraging young
South Africans to read.
(AP, 10/28/05)
2005 Oct, Oando, a Nigerian
energy group, became the first company from another African country
to be listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange (JSE).
(Econ, 6/10/06, p.72)
2005 Nov 4, South Africa's
former deputy president was indicted on a corruption charge in a
scandal involving his financial adviser and two French arms
companies. Jacob Zuma, who had been seen as President Thabo Mbeki's
successor, was fired in June after being implicated in the scandal
involving his financial adviser and friend, Schabir Shaik.
(AP, 11/5/05)
2005 Nov 10, In South Africa
the southern hemisphere's largest single optical telescope with the
power to study the most distant galaxies was inaugurated. The giant
eye in the sky, that took five years to build, cost $20 million.
(AP, 11/10/05)
2005 Nov 12, Africa Union
leaders from Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and
Senegal met in Abuja for a 2-day summit titled: "Africa and the
challenges of the global order: Desirability of union government,"
with the leaders discussing the broad principles of integration.
(AFP, 11/12/05)
2005 Nov 14, Iraqi and US
troops, trying to stem the flow of insurgent fighters from Syria,
launched a dawn assault on a border town killing 37 militants.
Police in Baghdad said a car bomb detonated near one of their
patrols outside a gate leading into the fortified Green Zone,
killing two South Africans.
(AP, 11/14/05)
2005 Nov 29, In South Africa
the mother of Deon van der Walt (47), acclaimed opera singer, found
her son in his bedroom with two gunshot wounds to his chest. She
also found her husband with a gunshot wound to the temple and a gun
by his side. The family lived on a wine estate in the town of Paarl,
just outside Cape Town.
(AP, 11/30/05)
2005 Dec 1, South Africa's
highest court ruled it is unconstitutional to prevent gay people
from marrying, paving the way for the country to become the first to
legalize same-sex unions on a continent where homosexuality remains
largely taboo.
(AP, 12/01/05)
2005 Dec 6, South Africa
charged ex-Deputy Pres. Jacob Zuma with rape.
(WSJ, 12/7/05, p.A1)(Econ, 12/10/05, p.56)
2005 Dec 7, The governing
African National Congress accepted the withdrawal of Jacob Zuma, its
popular deputy president from leadership duties for the duration of
his rape trial.
(AP, 12/07/05)
2005 Dec 14, In South Africa
several hundred Sesotho-speaking Soweto orphans on a beach holiday
clashed with police in Durban after officers failed to arrest
several Zulu-speaking youths who accosted 4 girls and threatened
rape.
(SFC, 12/17/05, p.A9)
2005 In South Africa a survey
estimated that between 1994 and 2004, 942,303 people were evicted
from their homes on farms, which are often part of their employment
package, compared to 737,114 the previous decade. Some 2.9 million
people worked on farms and 950,000 lived on them, it estimated. The
Confederation of South African Trade Unions blamed many of the
evictions on the trend toward turning farms into luxurious golf
estates, safari lodges and tourist accommodation in preparation for
the 2010 World Cup.
(AP, 2/10/07)
2006 Jan 18, Gervan Lubbe, a
South African inventor, was reported to have developed an
anti-malaria wristwatch to help combat one of Africa's biggest
killers by monitoring the blood of those who wear it and sounding an
alarm when the parasite is detected.
(AP, 1/18/06)
2006 Feb 12, In South Africa
British PM Tony Blair, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
and 5 other leaders pledged to push for a new global trade deal that
will help poor countries. The 2-day summit in Hammanskraal was the
7th meeting of center-left leaders since the Progressive Governance
Network was created in 1999 by Blair and former US president Bill
Clinton. Also attending were South Africa President Thabo Mbeki,
South Korean PM Lee Hae-Chan, Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi, Swedish PM
Goeran Persson and New Zealand PM Helen Clark.
(AFP, 2/12/06)
2006 Feb 4, In South Africa
Zoliswa Nkonyana (19), a lesbian, was stoned, kicked and stabbed to
death just meters (yards) from her Cape Town home. In 2011 four men
were convicted of her murder. On Feb 1, 2012, the 4 men were
sentenced to 18 years in prison.
(www.tac.org.za/userfiles/Zoliswa%20Nkonyana%20Joint%20Statement.pdf)(AFP,
2/1/12)
2006 Mar 2, In South Africa
early results put the ruling African National Congress well ahead in
local elections, despite voter unhappiness with the rate of progress
in improving the lives of poor blacks.
(AP, 3/2/06)
2006 Mar 2, South Africa joined
a growing list of countries inviting Hamas leaders for talks,
raising Israeli concerns that the international front against the
Islamic militants is crumbling.
(AP, 3/2/06)
2006 Mar 4, Final results
showed that South Africa's governing African National Congress won
two-thirds of council seats in local elections. President Thabo
Mbeki vowed to repay the confidence shown by voters in the ruling
African National Congress and speed up delivery of services to
millions of poor blacks.
(AP, 3/4/06)(AP, 3/5/06)
2006 Mar 29, In South Africa a
fire swept through a downtown Johannesburg building, killing 12
people and injuring 33 others trapped inside by locked security
gates and belongings piled in passageways.
(AP, 3/29/06)
2006 Mar, In South Africa a
program was launched to train 375 traditional healers to test
patients for AIDS, keep records, and refer patients to clinics for
antiretroviral drugs.
(WSJ, 5/5/06, p.A1)
2006 Mar, In Soweto, South
Africa, construction began on the black-owned $96 million Maponya
Mall, the first of its kind in the township.
(AFP, 5/20/06)
2006 Apr 3, A senior South
African policeman went on a shooting rampage in Johannesburg,
killing eight people, including a 2-year-old baby, before being shot
dead by colleagues. A pedestrian was killed during a police chase of
the suspect.
(AP, 4/4/06)
2006 Apr 7, It was reported
that some AIDS patients in South Africa were choosing cash
disability grants over advanced AIDS drugs in order to sustain their
families.
(WSJ, 4/7/06, p.A1)
2006 Apr, In South Africa the
government unveiled a project to build a luxury, four-star hotel at
Freedom Square in Soweto.
(AFP, 5/20/06)
2006 May 3, The Alexandros T, a
bulk carrier, sank off the South African coast with 33 crewmen. The
sip sank in heavy seas on its way from Brazil to China. Five managed
to reach life rafts in time and one was rescued with a life vest.
(AP, 5/4/06)
2006 May 5, In South Africa
Anthony Wakaba Mutheki, a Kenyan-born artist who once hawked his
works for as little as $1 apiece, was reported to have become one of
Africa's hottest young talents, fetching up to $12,000 for his
paintings.
(Reuters, 5/5/06)
2006 May 8, A judge acquitted
former Deputy President Jacob Zuma of rape in a politically charged
trial that left in tatters his aspirations to lead South Africa.
(AP, 5/8/06)
2006 May 18, In South Africa a
one-day national strike organized by the main trade union movement
to protest poverty and unemployment hit production in the mining and
car-manufacturing industries and had a patchy response in other
sectors.
(AP, 5/18/06)
2006 May 19, In South Africa
Noziphu Bhengu (32), a victim of AIDS and quackery, died.
(Econ, 6/10/06, p.89)
2006 May 27, In South Africa 13
were killed on a highway after a pickup truck slammed into the back
of a minibus taxi which exploded into flames.
(Reuters, 5/28/06)
2006 Jun 5, In South Africa the
Johannesburg stock exchange (JSE) became a listed company on its own
exchange. The JSE was the 17th largest in the world and the largest
in Africa. It listed only 25 foreign companies.
(Econ, 6/10/06, p.72)
2006 Jun 6, Qatar Petroleum and
South Africa’s Sasol unveiled a new plant in Qatar to transform
natural gas into a synthetic fuel similar to diesel by a process
knows as gas-to-liquids (GTL). Sasol was also building a GTL plant
in Nigeria with Chevron Texaco.
(Econ, 6/3/06, p.58)
2006 Jun 21, Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao flew into South Africa on the fifth leg of an African
tour where he is due to sign a nuclear cooperation pact and hold
talks on the thorny question of textile imports from Beijing.
(AP, 6/21/06)
2006 Jul 10, South African
writer Mary Watson was named the 7th winner of the Caine Prize for
African writing her 2004 book “Moss,” a collection interlinked
stories. The prize was created in honor of the late Sir Michael
Caine, a British businessman with a deep interest in Africa who for
almost 25 years chaired the management committee of what is today
known the Man Booker Prize.
(AP, 7/12/06)(Econ, 7/15/06, p.83)
2006 Jul, Willie Hofmeyr, head
of South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit, said 400,000 civil
servants had been identified getting welfare payments to which they
were not entitled.
(http://tinyurl.com/yflgrxl)(Econ, 2/6/10, p.52)
2006 Aug 2, South Africans
faced one of their harshest winters in years, with at least four
deaths blamed on flooding from heavy rain that has caused travel
delays in the south and west of the country.
(AP, 8/2/06)
2006 Aug 16, The presidents of
South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe gathered for the official
opening the new Giriyondo border post linking South Africa and
Mozambique. This was another step in the creation of the 14,000
square mile Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which would span the
3 countries.
(SFC, 8/17/06, p.A2)
2006 Aug 24, South Africa's
cabinet gave the green light for a bill allowing gay marriage, which
would make it the first country in Africa to accord homosexual
couples the same rights as their straight counterparts.
(Reuters, 8/24/06)
2006 Aug 28, In South Africa
Adriaan Vlok, whose ministry helped suppress anti-apartheid
protests, last weekend visited the offices of the Rev. Frank
Chikane, a top presidential aide, to apologize. Vlok brought his
Bible and washed Chikane's feet in an attempt to atone for the sins
of the white racist regime that ruled the country until 1994.
(AP, 8/29/06)
2006 Sep 5, Russian President
Vladimir Putin met South African leader Thabo Mbeki at the start of
a visit intended to forge closer ties between the mineral and
diamond superpowers.
(Reuters, 9/5/06)
2006 Sep 6, More than 80
international scientists and academics released a letter that
condemned South Africa's AIDS policies as ineffective and immoral
and called for the firing of the health minister in a letter to
President Thabo Mbeki.
(AP, 9/6/06)
2006 Sep 7, Medical experts
said a killer strain of drug-resistant tuberculosis has been found
in at least 28 hospitals across South Africa and that it jeopardized
efforts to deal with AIDS.
(SFC, 9/8/06, p.A3)
2006 Sep 8, In South Africa
Hilda Bernstein (b.1915), a London-born anti-apartheid activist and
author, died. Her husband was tried for treason alongside Nelson
Mandela in 1964. Rusty Bernstein (d.2002) was the only defendant
acquitted and freed. Police harassment made life afterward so
difficult for the Bernsteins that the couple was forced into exile,
leaving their children behind. They crossed the border to Botswana
on foot, a journey described in Hilda Bernstein's book "The World
That Was Ours."
(AP, 9/11/06)
2006 Sep 13, The presidents of
Brazil and South Africa, at a trilateral trade meeting in Brasilia,
said they supported changes in international rules to allow India to
buy nuclear fuel and reactors from the United States and other
countries. The trio created the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue
Forum (IBSA) in 2003 to promote the interests of their emerging
markets.
(Reuters, 9/13/06)(AFP, 9/14/06)
2006 Sep 20, In South Africa a
judge dismissed corruption charges against Jacob Zuma after the
prosecution said it was not ready to proceed against a powerful,
populist politician who could be South Africa's next president.
(AP, 9/20/06)
2006 Sep 30, In South Africa
the 4th annual Homeless World Cup tournament ended. It brought
together 500 players from 48 countries in a project aimed at helping
homeless people turn their lives around. The first was held in
Austria in 2003 with just five countries competing.
(AP, 9/29/06)
2006 Sep 30, India’s PM
Manmohan Singh arrived in South Africa to expand trade links and
commemorate the passive resistance movement initiated by Mahatma
Gandhi in the African nation 100 years ago.
(AP, 9/30/06)
2006 Oct 2, Indian PM Manmohan
Singh and South African President Thabo Mbeki signed a sweeping pact
to buttress ties between the regional powerhouses. The Pretoria
agreement was followed by the signing of a pact on cooperation in
education and another between Indian Railways which runs one of the
world's biggest networks and South African railway company Spoornet.
(AP, 10/2/06)
2006 Oct 30, South African
miner Gold Fields announced it was listing on the Dubai
International Financial Exchange (DIFX), becoming the first African
company to list shares on the fledgling Gulf market.
(AP, 10/30/06)
2006 Oct 31, In South Africa
P.W. Botha (b.1916), the apartheid-era leader (1978-1989) known as
the “great crocodile,” died. In the 1980s he had resisted pressure
to release Nelson Mandela from prison.
(AP, 11/1/06)(Econ, 11/4/06, p.56)
2006 Nov 6, South Africa's top
appeals court dented ex-Deputy President Jacob Zuma's chances of
becoming the next president when it confirmed corruption convictions
against a former financial adviser.
(Reuters, 11/6/06)
2006 Nov 13, In South Africa up
to 20 people were killed near Cape Town when a train smashed into a
truck carrying farm workers.
(AFP, 11/13/06)
2006 Nov 14, The South African
parliament approved new legislation recognizing gay marriages, a
first for a continent where homosexuality is largely taboo.
(AP, 11/14/06)
2006 Nov 20, In South Africa
police said Ananias Mathe, a Mozambican national awaiting trial on
rape, murder and other charges, escaped from Pretoria's C-Max
prison by greasing himself up with petroleum jelly and
squeezing out of a tiny window. This was the first reported escape
at the top security prison in its 36-year history. On Dec 4 Mathe
was shot and captured.
(AP, 11/20/06)(AFP, 12/4/06)
2006 Nov 30, South Africa
became the first country in Africa, and only the fifth in the world,
to legalize same sex marriages.
(AP, 11/30/06)
2006 Dec 1, South Africa
unveiled plans to halve the number of people being infected with the
AIDS virus within five years by persuading youngsters to delay the
start of their sex lives. Some 5.5 million South Africans suffered
from HIV and about 950 were dying from AIDS every day.
(AFP, 12/1/06)(Econ, 12/9/06, p.53)
2006 Dec 5, In South Africa the
findings of a new report said nearly 300 million dollars worth of
gold is stolen every year by underground pirates from mines. The
report found that 41% of gold thieves were mine employees and 56%
were unemployed.
(AFP, 12/5/06)
2006 Dec 7, The South African
central bank raised its key lending rate by half a percentage point
to 9.0%. In the wake of the repo rate increase, the country's four
main commercial banks announced increases of their prime lending
rates by half a point to 12.5%.
(AFP, 12/7/06)
2006 Dec 8, President George W.
Bush and visiting South African President Thabo Mbeki pressed for
urgent deployment of international peacekeepers in violence-torn
Darfur.
(AFP, 12/8/06)
2006 Dec 9, UN Special Envoy
Stephen Lewis said South Africa had made "a breakthrough" on AIDS
after sidelining its controversial health minister and unveiling a
new program for helping people with HIV. Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang contended that eating a mixture of garlic and
vegetables can fight HIV.
(AFP, 12/9/06)
2006 Dec 12, Czech president
Vaclav Klaus pledged to forge closer ties with Prague's biggest
African trade partner as he became the first leader from the eastern
European nation to visit South Africa.
(AP, 12/12/06)
2006 Dec 14, South Africa’s
cabinet released details of its newly approved codes of good
practice for black economic development (BEE). They were mandatory
only for government and state-owned companies, but pretty much
required for anyone wanting to do business with the state.
(Econ, 12/23/06, p.99)(www.dispute.co.za/)
2006 In South Africa an
investigation was commissioned by the government into the UN
oil-for-food program in Iraq. The probe was ordered by president
Thabo Mbeki, into what has become known in the country as "Oilgate,"
to look at allegations of kickbacks sourced by senior members of the
ruling party from the State Oil Marketing Organization of Iraq
(SOMO).
(AFP, 12/7/11)
2006 In South Africa over
18,000 people were murdered this year. The number of South Africans
with AIDS reached 5.5 million.
(Econ, 3/3/07, p.13)
2006 In South Africa blacks
made up 80% of the population of some 48 million people.
(Econ, 12/2/06, p.52)
2007 Jan 2, In South Africa
Oprah Winfrey opened a school for disadvantaged girls south of
Johannesburg, fulfilling a promise she made to former President
Nelson Mandela six years ago and giving more than 150 students a
chance for a better future. The school later became embroiled in
allegations of abuse; Winfrey apologized and promised an overhaul.
(AP, 1/2/07)(AP, 1/2/08)
2007 Jan 4, Marais Viljoen
(91), former president of South Africa (1979-1984), died. The post
of president in the then apartheid state was largely ceremonial
during his term.
(AP, 1/5/07)
2007 Jan 26, In South Africa
historian David Rattray (48) was found shot dead at his home in the
eastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province. On Feb 5 a court handed Sethe
Nkwanyana (23) a 25-year prison term for armed robbery and the
murder of Rattray. Nkwanyana said in court that Banozi Ndlovu shot
Rattray.
(AFP, 2/5/07)(Econ, 2/10/07, p.91)
2007 Jan 30, Researchers said
South Africa's AIDS epidemic, often regarded by health workers as a
disease of the poor, is in fact spreading quickly among the
country's richest and best educated people.
(AP, 1/30/07)
2007 Feb 1, In South Africa 20
people, including four children, were killed in a car accident in
Mpumalanga province.
(AFP, 2/1/07)
2007 Feb 6, China’s President
Hu Jintao vowed to forge a partnership of equals with South Africa
as he held talks with his counterpart Thabo Mbeki.
(AP, 2/6/07)
2007 Feb 7, In South Africa
Chin’s President Hu Jintao promised to increase imports from Africa,
responding to fears about the trade deficit that increased as China
pumped unprecedented aid, investment and loans into the poor but
resource-rich continent.
(AP, 2/7/07)
2007 Feb 8, South Africa,
burdened with one of the world's major HIV/AIDS epidemics, unveiled
plans for its biggest AIDS vaccine trial.
(Reuters, 2/8/07)
2007 Feb 12, South Africa said
it will build a second nuclear power plant generating more than
1,000 megawatts of electricity.
(AFP, 2/12/07)
2007 Feb 20, South Africa's
environment minister announced long-awaited restrictions on hunting,
declaring he was sickened by wealthy tourists shooting tame lions
from the back of a truck and felling rhinos with a bow and arrow.
(AP, 2/20/07)
2007 Feb 21, South Africa's
finance minister painted an upbeat picture of the economy,
forecasting five-percent annual growth to the end of the decade as
he posted the first budget surplus in recent memory. Two people were
arrested over the theft of jewelry worth more than 500,000 dollars
from the home of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of South
Africa's anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
(AP, 2/21/07)
2007 Feb, In South Africa 6 US
nationals employed by the embassy in Pretoria were forced at
gunpoint to lie on the floor during a raid on their home during
which a gang stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
(AFP, 2/14/07)
2007 Feb, Close to 12 million
of South Africa’s 47 million people received some type of government
assistance.
(Econ, 2/24/07, p.89)
2007 Mar 8, South Africa
launched a new national plan to combat one of the world's highest
rates of domestic violence on International Woman's Day.
(AFP, 3/8/07)
2007 Mar 10, The South African
government took possession of the first farm to be expropriated, in
a move designed to silence criticism it is dragging its feet over
land reform. Local people had been forced off Pniel Farm near
Kimberley and into a shantytown in 1967.
(AFP, 3/10/07)
2007 Mar 19, In South Africa
waves reaching up to eight meters (26 feet) high pounded Durban,
smashing windows and flooding businesses.
(AFP, 3/20/07)
2007 Mar 23, Australia called
on South Africa to pressure Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to
quit, saying the 83-year-old leader was a disaster for his country.
South Africa defended its policy on Zimbabwe as the only way to
approach Mugabe's authoritarian government and said African nations
might convene a summit to deal with the crisis.
(AFP, 3/23/07)(Reuters, 3/23/07)
2007 Apr 8, The body of a
murdered South African national, Kenneth Scott Andrew (26), was
found in a plastic bag on the outskirts of the northwestern
Pakistani city of Peshawar.
(AFP, 4/9/07)
2007 Apr 10, South African
President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Khartoum to join the international
push for UN peacekeepers in Darfur, amid fears of a regional
spillover after clashes between Sudan and Chad. Officials said the
UN, the African Union and the Sudanese government have reached
agreement to beef up the African force in Sudan's violence-wracked
Darfur region with UN troops, police and equipment.
(AP, 4/10/07)
2007 Apr 13, African health
ministers meeting in South Africa adopted a health strategy to deal
with the host of diseases on the continent, a dearth of health
workers and failing health systems.
(AFP, 4/13/07)
2007 Apr 30, The South African
government and AIDS campaigners launched a joint national body to
oversee a program aimed at halving the country's rate of new
infections.
(AP, 4/30/07)
2007 May 1, Thousands of South
Africans marched in Durban to protest the renaming of streets after
heroes of the ruling African National Congress, sparking warnings of
violence in the Zulu heartland.
(AP, 5/1/07)
2007 May 6, In South Africa
Helen Zille, mayor of Cape Town, was elected as leader of the
Democratic Alliance (DA).
(Econ, 5/12/07, p.51)
2007 May 7, In South Africa
Dina Rodrigues was found guilty of murder for orchestrating the June
2005 killing of 6-month-old Jordan-Leigh Norton, her lover's baby
daughter from a previous marriage. This was South Africa's first
known contract killing of an infant.
(AP, 5/7/07)
2007 May 10, South Africa's
common law was rewritten to classify forced anal sex with a woman or
girl, previously considered indecent assault, as rape.
(AP, 5/11/07)
2007 May 14, In South Africa
deputies and experts attending the Pan African Parliament called for
Western countries to help reverse the environmental damage to the
continent that they had helped create.
(AP, 5/14/07)
2007 May 22, South African
lawmakers passed amended legislation to broaden the definition of
rape in a country with sky-high rates of sex crimes and HIV/AIDS.
The heaviest snowfalls in 20 years blocked major highways, as a
severe cold snap tightened its grip on South Africa. At least 17
deaths, mostly in Eastern Cape province, were blamed on the cold
weather.
(AP, 5/22/07)(AFP, 5/22/07)(SFC, 5/26/07, p.B6)
2007 May 24, In South Africa's
Eastern Cape province 9 children were among 14 people killed in a
multiple-vehicle crash.
(AP, 5/25/07)
2007 May 25, In South Africa
tens of thousands of nurses, teachers and other public service
workers took to the streets to press their demands for a 12 percent
pay increase.
(AP, 5/25/07)
2007 May 31, In South Africa
Britain's PM Blair also said that Africa's leaders must get tough on
authoritarian governments, such as those in Sudan and Zimbabwe.
(Reuters, 5/31/07)
2007 Jun 1, In South Africa
hundreds of thousands of public servants embarked on an indefinite
strike.
(AP, 6/1/07)
2007 Jun 1, CNBC Africa was
launched from new headquarters in South Africa. Dubai investors put
in some $22.5 million for the 24-hour African business channel
broadcasting to 14 African countries.
(Econ, 6/9/07, p.75)
2007 Jun 2, The UN Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) decided to
permit a one-off sale of 60 tons of ivory from Botswana, Namibia and
South Africa to Japan, saying it would monitor closely the impact on
poaching and population levels.
(Reuters, 6/3/07)
2007 Jun 4, The Institute for
Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) said a study of mortality patterns
in South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania and Senegal
indicated Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis was reaching deep into elected
governments.
(Reuters, 6/4/07)
2007 Jun 4, South African
police fired stun grenades and made a dozen arrests as they cracked
down on union hardliners who were preventing nurses from turning up
for work at a hospital in Durban.
(AP, 6/4/07)
2007 Jun 7, South Africa
launched a new scheme by which citizens in crime-ridden areas will
be able to use text messages to anonymously tip-off the police.
South African police used stun grenades and a water cannon to
disperse striking hospital workers in the port city of Durban as a
crippling public sector strike entered its 7th day.
(AP, 6/7/07)
2007 Jun 12, The Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development said South Africa is to
become the first African country to join an OECD convention
requiring adherents to crack down on bribery of foreign public
officials.
(AP, 6/12/07)
2007 Jun 13, In South Africa
tens of thousands of public sector workers marched to government
offices across the country, escalating a 12-day-old strike and
bringing the largest cities to a standstill.
(AP, 6/13/07)
2007 Jun 13, In South Africa
tens of thousands of public sector workers marched to government
offices across the country, escalating a 12-day-old strike and
bringing the largest cities to a standstill.
(AP, 6/13/07)
2007 Jun 14, In South Africa
former UN chief Kofi Annan said he would head a new green group
bankrolled by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates to help reverse Africa's
declining food production and double output.
(AP, 6/14/07)
2007 Jun 14, In the Netherlands
four African states (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe),
after an 18-year ban, were allowed to put their ivory stocks on the
market in a one-time sale as part of a hard-fought compromise
reached with other Africans who tried to block the sale. The
171-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species,
or CITES, approved the deal by consensus.
(AP, 6/14/07)
2007 Jun 22, South African
unions turned down a revised offer of a 7.5% pay rise, ensuring that
the country's biggest strike since the end of apartheid will go into
a fourth week.
(AFP, 6/22/07)
2007 Jun 27, South Africa's
main international airport faced major disruption after a deadly
cold snap which saw the heaviest snowfalls in Johannesburg for more
than two decades.
(AP, 6/27/07)
2007 Jun 28, In South Africa
public sector unions representing one million members called off a
nearly monthlong strike, bringing an end to a labor action that shut
down schools and crippled hospitals across the country.
(AP, 6/28/07)
2007 Jul 12, South Africa
banned the import of poultry products from Germany after an outbreak
of the potentially fatal H5N1 strain of bird flu.
(AFP, 7/12/07)
2007 Jul 16, Public schools
reopened in South Africa after seven weeks following a month-long
strike by teachers and winter holidays.
(AP, 7/16/07)
2007 Jul 20, President Thabo
Mbeki hailed the launch of a rolling news network in South Africa as
an opportunity to break free of Western news agendas and give a more
rounded picture of the continent.
(AP, 7/20/07)
2007 Jul 20, Angola, Namibia
and South Africa launched a joint commission designed to lay the
groundwork for a sustainable and environmental approach of their
shared fishing grounds in the Atlantic Ocean.
(AFP, 7/20/07)
2007 Jul 23, Abel Mutsakani,
the editor of an independent Zimbabwean news service based in South
Africa, was shot and seriously wounded in Johannesburg.
(AP, 7/26/07)
2007 Jul 30, Officials said at
least 19 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed by
a series of forest fires which have swept through parts of
northeastern South Africa.
(AP, 7/30/07)
2007 Aug 6, South Africa stated
its readiness to assist Guinea Bissau in tackling drug trafficking
as the tiny west African nation has been used as a transit hub for
European-bound cocaine.
(AP, 8/6/07)
2007 Aug 8, In South Africa
Pres. Mbeki dismissed deputy health minister Nozizwe
Madlala-Routledge following reports that she had gone to Spain to
attend an AIDS conference without his permission. AIDS activists
have been highly critical of her boss, Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang, who promoted garlic and lemons as a remedy for
AIDS and mistrusted antiretroviral medicines.
(AP, 8/10/07)
2007 Aug 9, Officials said a
total of 28 people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed by a
series of forest fires which swept through parts of South Africa and
Swaziland since the end of last month.
(AP, 8/9/07)
2007 Aug 15, Maputo's interior
ministry said South Africa has intensified the repatriation of
Mozambican illegal immigrants, going from 400 to a weekly average of
more than 600.
(AFP, 8/15/07)
2007 Aug 17, In the first trial
of a minister from South Africa’s white racist government, former
law and order Minister Adriaan Vlok and his police chief Johannes
Van der Merwe were both sentenced to 10 years. However, they will
not have to spend any time in prison if they commit no crimes for
five years. Three other former top security officials were given
five-year suspended sentences for their role in the 1989 plot to
assassinate Frank Chikane.
(AP, 8/17/07)
2007 Aug 20, South African
President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Kinshasa for a working visit aimed
at boosting relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
(AFP, 8/20/07)
2007 Aug 21, The leader of
India's ruling party, Sonia Gandhi, arrived in South Africa for a
three-day visit in a bid to strengthen ties between the two nations.
(AP, 8/21/07)
2007 Aug 27, In South Africa
Hewlett-Packard became the first multinational to be exempted from
selling 30 percent of its business in South Africa to black
investors. Under an agreement reached with the government, the
company will instead invest millions of dollars in a new business
institute to provide training for 1,800 students over the next six
years.
(AFP, 8/27/07)
2007 Aug 29, Britain unveiled a
statue of Nelson Mandela outside the houses of Parliament, honoring
the South African anti-apartheid campaigner as one of the great
leaders of his era.
(AP, 8/29/07)
2007 Sep 25, In South Africa a
two-week strike by some 50,000 workers that had halted output at
Volkswagen AG , DaimlerChrysler (DAIGn.DE) and other car makers
ended.
(Reuters, 9/26/07)
2007 Oct 3, A pressurized air
pipe snapped at the mine near Johannesburg and tumbled down a shaft,
causing extensive damage to an elevator and stranding 3,200 miners
more than a mile underground. More than 2,000 trapped gold miners
were rescued in a dramatic all-night operation, and efforts gathered
speed to bring hundreds more to the surface. By the next night all
the miners had emerged safely.
(AP, 10/4/07)
2007 Oct 4, The head of South
Africa's main union body stood down from his office pending the
outcome of an investigation into the disappearance of a large cash
donation.
(AFP, 10/5/07)
2007 Oct 4, Prominent world
figures led by former President Carter and Desmond Tutu of South
Africa said they were shocked by the suffering in Darfur and
criticized Sudan's government in exceptionally harsh terms.
(AP, 10/4/07)
2007 Oct 5, South African
prosecutors said they had obtained an arrest warrant for national
police chief and Interpol president Jackie Selebi, as one of his
friends appeared in court on murder charges.
(AFP, 10/5/07)
2007 Oct 9, The impoverished
Nama tribe won back diamond-rich land confiscated by a government
mining company more than 80 years ago, ending South Africa's longest
running court case. The Nama had lodged their claim to the coastal
plain in 1997.
(AP, 10/10/07)
2007 Oct 10, Two suspects were
remanded in custody by a South African court in connection with the
murders of ten women whose bodies were found dumped in sugarcane
fields.
(AP, 10/10/07)
2007 Oct 11, South Africa's
central bank chief Tito Mboweni announced the key lending rate is to
increase by half a percentage point to 10.5% to ward off a threat of
higher inflation.
(AP, 10/11/07)
2007 Oct 12, In central South
Africa the Oerlikon GDF-005, a German-made computer-controlled
anti-aircraft gun, went haywire during a training exercise killing 9
South African soldiers and wounding 14 others.
(AP,
10/12/07)(http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/10/robot-cannon-ki.html)
2007 Oct 17,
In South Africa the leaders of Brazil, India and South Africa
vowed to push the interests of poor nations in stalled international
trade talks and said any agreement would have to benefit the
developing world.
(AP, 10/17/07)
2007 Oct 18, South African
reggae star Lucky Dube (43) was shot in an apparent carjacking
attempt in Johannesburg's southern Rosettenville suburb. He died as
he tried to drive away and crashed into a car and a tree. On Oct 21
police arrested five men in the killing. His albums included “Rastas
never Die” (1984) and “Slave” (1987). In 2009 three men were
sentenced to life in prison for the botched carjacking and murder.
(AP, 10/19/07)(AP, 10/21/07)(Econ, 10/27/07,
p.102)(AP, 4/2/09)
2007 Oct 21, Springboks, the
South African rugby team, beat England (15-6) in the Rugby World Cup
Final at the Stade France in Paris.
(AFP, 10/23/07)(Econ, 10/27/07, p.57)
2007 Oct 25, The Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China announced that it was buying 20% of
Standard Bank in South Africa for $5.6 billion.
(Econ, 11/3/07, p.80)
2007 Oct 27, An official of the
Vietnamese embassy to South Africa was shot and seriously injured in
a robbery at his Pretoria residence.
(AFP, 10/28/07)
2007 Nov 6, Sudanese President
Omar al-Beshir met with South African President Thabo Mbeki in Cape
Town for talks on the situation in war-torn Darfur and political
upheaval in Khartoum.
(AP, 11/6/07)
2007 Nov 6, In northern South
Africa a blaze swept through a nursing home, killing 12 people and
injuring five.
(AP, 11/7/07)
2007 Nov 17, In South Africa
finance ministers from the world's largest 20 economies began talks
focusing on reforming the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
(AP, 11/17/07)
2007 Nov 21, A South African
police officer died when a helicopter carrying 14 police officers
and five air force officials crashed near the border with Lesotho.
(AFP, 11/21/07)
2007 Nov 22, In South Africa De
Beers announced that it was selling the Cullinan diamond mine, which
it has owned since 1930, to a consortium led by Petra Diamonds.
(Econ, 12/1/07, p.82)
2007 Dec 1, In South Africa
Nelson Mandela drew a crowd of about 15,000 to his fifth
international awareness concert, held this year to coincide with
World AIDS Day.
(AP, 12/2/07)
2007 Dec 4, Tens of thousands
of mineworkers downed tools in South Africa in a one-day strike over
safety standards, accusing their bosses of putting lives at risk for
the sake of profits.
(AFP, 12/4/07)
2007 Dec 12-2007 Dec 14, In
South Africa 49 patients, all with multidrug resistant (MDR) and
extremely drug resistant (XDR) TB, escaped through holes they had
cut through the perimeter fences of Jose Pearson Hospital in Port
Elizabeth.
(www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317354,00.html)
2007 Dec 18, In South Africa
delegates of the governing African National Congress cast their
votes for party leader. Zuma defeated President Thabo Mbeki by 2,329
votes to 1,505 at the party convention and moved into position to
become president in 2009.
(AP, 12/18/07)(AP, 12/19/07)
2007 Dec 20, South Africa's top
prosecutor said he had enough evidence to bring corruption charges
against Jacob Zuma, the man standing in line to be the country's
next president.
(AP, 12/20/07)
2007 Dec 28, Jacob Zuma (65),
the newly elected leader of South Africa's ruling party, was ordered
to stand trial on corruption and other charges next year, raising
doubts about whether the party would back his candidacy for the 2009
presidential election.
(AP, 12/29/07)
2007 Dec 28, Tanzania's
ambassador to South Africa and his wife were attacked by armed
robbers at a farewell dinner hosted for them in the capital
Pretoria.
(AFP, 12/29/07)
2007 Mark Gevisser, a South
African journalist, authored a biography of South Africa’s Pres.
Thabo Mbeki “Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred.”
(Econ, 12/1/07, p.97)
2007 Padraig O’Malley authored
“Shades of Difference: Mac Maharaj and the Struggle for South
Africa.”
(SSFC, 4/15/07, p.M1)
2007 South Africa's Parliament
passed the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, which declares the
Northern Cape an "astronomy advantage area", giving the Minister of
Science and Technology powers to protect the area from future radio
interference.
(http://www.southafrica.info/about/science/ska.htm)
2007 Industrial and Commercial
Bank of China (ICBC) spent $5.5 billion to acquire a 20% stake in
South Africa-based Standard Bank. This was China’s largest corporate
foreign investment to date.
(Econ, 5/15/10, SR p.18)
2007-2008 South Africa’s MTN mobile phone company
invested over $1.5 billion in Iran to provide coverage for over 40%
of Iranians.
(Econ, 2/6/10, p.49)
2008 Jan 5, Jacob Zuma, the new
African National Congress leader and would-be national president,
took another wife, in a Zulu tradition of polygamy that coexists
uneasily with calls for gender equality in modern South Africa.
(AP, 1/5/08)
2008 Jan 12, South African
national police chief Jackie Selebi was placed on extended leave, a
day after prosecutors announced plans to charge him with corruption
over his links to a murder suspect. Selebi resigned as president of
Interpol and planned to fight corruption allegations.
(AP, 1/12/08)(WSJ, 1/14/08, p.A1)
2008 Jan 13, Irish PM Bertie
Ahern arrived in Cape Town as part of a five-day visit to South
Africa and Tanzania.
(AP, 1/13/08)
2008 Jan 14, In South Africa
Johan Nel (18), wearing camouflage and carrying a rifle, began
firing on a group of children as he took a path through the
settlement just outside the village of Swartruggens. His shooting
rampage in the black settlement left four people dead, including a
mother and her infant. His father handed him over to police. In
November Nel pleaded guilty as his trial started.
(AP, 1/24/08)(AP, 11/17/08)
2008 Jan 19, Nationwide power
outages shut down basic services across Zambia and Zimbabwe as anger
mounted in South Africa over power cuts that have wreaked havoc in
the continent's economic hub.
(AP, 1/20/08)
2008 Jan 23, Canada bowed out
of the 2009 UN conference on racism in Durban, South Africa, saying
it would likely "degenerate into ... expressions of intolerance and
anti-Semitism."
(AFP, 1/24/08)
2008 Jan 25, In South Africa
gold production ground to a halt as the industry became the latest
victim of a spiraling electricity crisis which the government
labeled a national emergency.
(AP, 1/25/08)
2008 Jan 25, Gold and platinum
prices reached new highs after mine stoppages in South Africa, a
leading producer of the precious metals, led to buying on supply
concerns. An ounce of gold for February delivery spiked to $924.30,
a fresh record, on the New York Mercantile Exchange before easing
back to settle at $910.70, up $4.90. April platinum peaked at a new
high of $1,694.90 an ounce. Prices later settled at $1,670, up $57.
(AP, 1/26/08)
2008 Jan 30, South African
police raided a downtown Johannesburg church late at night where
hundreds of Zimbabweans had taken refuge, hauling people in pajamas
to a police station in scenes reminiscent of apartheid-era raids.
(AP, 1/31/08)
2008 Jan 30, Auto giant Ford
announced a multi-million dollar investment in South Africa,
brushing aside fears about an electricity crisis which has alarmed
other international investors.
(AP, 1/30/08)
2008 Feb 5, A South African
court sentenced Daniel Geiges (69), a Swiss engineer, for his part
in an international nuclear smuggling ring. Geiges was given a
13-year suspended sentence on charges relating to a network run by
disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. Geiges' former boss
and co-accused, German engineer Gerhard Wisser was given an 18-year
suspended sentenced last year in a plea agreement for his role in
the network.
(AP, 2/5/08)
2008 Feb 5, In South Africa 12
patients, including two children, were killed when their minibus
overturned en route to a hospital in South Africa's Northern Cape
province.
(AP, 2/5/08)
2008 Feb 11, In London the
price of platinum struck an historic high nearing $1,900 on supply
disruptions caused by power shortages in South Africa, the white
metal's biggest producer.
(AP, 2/11/08)
2008 Feb 12, South Africa’s
security minister announced that the government is dissolving an
elite graft-busting unit set up by prosecutors, in the latest twist
in a struggle between South Africa's crime-fighting agencies.
(AP, 2/12/08)
2008 Feb 18, Platinum hit a
record high for the 13th successive day on lingering power supply
shortages which have disrupted mining in main producer South Africa.
(AP, 2/18/08)
2008 Feb 22, South Africa and
India agreed to allow businessmen traveling between the two
countries multiple entry visas, as part of several agreements signed
in Pretoria.
(AFP, 2/22/08)
2008 Feb 25, South Africa
announced that it was reversing a 1995 ban on killing elephants to
help control their booming population, drawing instant outrage from
animal-rights activists.
(AP, 2/25/08)
2008 Feb 28, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, following talks with South African President Thabo
Mbeki in South Africa, announced a "renegotiation" of all French
military accords with African nations, arguing that France no longer
had a "policing" role to play on the continent. French power giant
Alstom announced a 1.36 billion euro (two-billion-dollar) contract
for the construction of a coal-fuelled power plant in South Africa
which is suffering from a severe electricity shortage.
(AFP, 2/28/08)
2008 Feb 29, France and
energy-hungry South Africa signed three economic accords, including
one for the construction of a 1.36-billion euro coal-fuelled power
plant by French energy giant Alstom.
(AP, 2/29/08)
2008 Mar 1, BHP Billiton,
Melbourne-based mining giant, said it plans to invest $975 million
to upgrade and expand its thermal coal mines in South Africa to
sustain coal exports amid soaring coal prices.
(Reuters, 3/3/08)
2008 Mar 17, Indonesia and
South Africa agreed to reduce obstacles to trade and business and
jointly explore new avenues for electricity generation.
(AFP, 3/17/08)
2008 Mar 28, South Africa
launched a four million dollar program to track down tuberculosis
patients who have defaulted treatment, leading to resistant strains
of the illness.
(AP, 3/28/08)
2008 Mar, In South Africa tens
of thousands of swallows fell dead in Limpopo province as wet
weather prevented them from eating properly less than a week before
their migration for Europe.
(SFC, 4/12/08, p.B6)
2008 Apr 13, In South Africa 2
Americans and a Norwegian tourist on a shark cage diving adventure
drowned when their boat was hit by a freak wave.
(AP, 4/13/08)
2008 Apr 17,
A government spokesman said South Africa has waived Cuban debt
totaling more than 100 million dollars.
(AFP, 4/17/08)
2008 Apr 18,
South Africa's main transport union thwarted the delivery of a
controversial shipment of Chinese arms destined for Zimbabwe, saying
its workers would not offload the cargo. The Chinese ship left the
South African harbor and headed for neighboring Mozambique. Angola
and Mozambique said the ship is not welcome. China defended the
cargo against international criticism.
(AFP, 4/18/08)(AP, 4/19/08)(AFP, 4/22/08)(SFC,
4/23/08, p.A2)
2008 Apr 24, China said a
shipment of arms bound for Zimbabwe will be recalled after South
African workers refused to unload the vessel and other neighboring
countries barred it from their ports.
(Reuters, 4/24/08)
2008 May 1, South Africa lifted
a 13-year ban on killing elephants. The country had some 18,000
elephants.
(WSJ, 5/2/08, p.A8)
2008 May 9, South African
President Thabo Mbeki held intensive talks with veteran counterpart
Robert Mugabe over Zimbabwe's post-election crisis as doctors
reported a dramatic rise in violence.
(AP, 5/9/08)
2008 May 12, The US Supreme
Court affirmed a lower court ruling that multinational companies can
be sued in a US court for allegedly aiding and abetting the former
apartheid government in South Africa. Financial holdings prevented 4
justices from taking the case.
(www.csmonitor.com/2008/0513/p02s01-usju.htm)(SFC, 5/13/08, p.A5)
2008 May 18, In South Africa
mobs killed at least six people and injured 50 in anti-foreigner
violence that has spread through poor suburbs of Johannesburg.
Zimbabweans were mainly targeted. The trouble started last week in
the sprawling township of Alexandra, where angry residents accused
foreigners of taking scarce jobs and housing.
(AP, 5/18/08)
2008 May 19, In South Africa
police fired rubber bullets and made arrests to try to quell
outbursts of anti-foreigner violence in and around Johannesburg, as
the death toll reached 22.
(AP, 5/19/08)
2008 May 20, The International
Organization for Migration (IOM) said a wave of violence against
foreigners in South Africa has forced 13,000 people to flee their
homes and seek shelter in churches and other social centers.
Violence against foreigners had killed at least 24 people and
unnerved investors.
(AFP, 5/20/08)(Reuters, 5/20/08)
2008 May 21, In South Africa
xenophobic violence, that has killed at least 24 people, spilled
over to the volatile Zulu heartland and security officials discussed
whether to use troops to quell unrest.
(Reuters, 5/21/08)
2008 May 22, The South African
army mobilized in support of embattled police trying to quell a wave
of violence against immigrants that has claimed 42 lives and
displaced 16,000. More than 10,000 Mozambicans have fled home from
South Africa to escape the xenophobic attacks.
(AP, 5/22/08)
2008 May 23, South Africa's
security chief accused right wingers, linked to the former apartheid
government, of fanning xenophobic violence that has spread to Cape
Town, the second largest city and tourist center.
(Reuters, 5/23/08)
2008 May 24, In South Africa
thousands of people marched through Johannesburg, calling for an end
to xenophobic violence that has killed over 40 African migrants and
displaced tens of thousands.
(Reuters, 5/24/08)
2008 May 25, South African
President Thabo Mbeki made a rare national address in which he
condemned anti-immigrant violence as "an absolute disgrace." The
death toll from two weeks of anti-immigrant violence rose to 50.
Concerns mounted for some 35,000 people who have been displaced by
the backlash.
(AFP, 5/25/08)(AP, 5/25/08)
2008 May 25, It was reported
that an estimated 5.4 million of South Africa's 48 million people
have the AIDS virus, the highest total of any country. The epidemic
was killing nearly 1,000 South Africans a day and infecting even
more.
(AP, 5/25/08)
2008 May 27, South African
President Thabo Mbeki came under fire for traveling to Japan as
anti-immigrant violence spread to a new province and aid groups
struggled with thousands of displaced victims.
(AP, 5/27/08)
2008 May 31, South African
police said on a wave of attacks on foreigners has killed 62 people
since the violence broke out three weeks ago.
(AP, 5/31/08)
2008 Jun 2, Nigeria's President
Umaru Yar-Adua arrived in South Africa for a four-day state visit to
forge closer ties between Africa's most populous country and its
biggest economy.
(AFP, 6/2/08)
2008 Jun 9, South Africa's
ruling African National Congress party chief Jacob Zuma kicked off a
visit to India with talks with PM Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
(AP, 6/9/08)
2008 Jun 11, Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe's party said it would deploy more war
veterans to campaign in some opposition areas ahead of a
presidential election run-off marred by violence. South African
President Thabo Mbeki said levels of violence in the approach to
Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election on June 27 are a cause for
"serious concern."
(Reuters, 6/11/08)(AFP, 6/11/08)
2008 Jun 25, In South Africa
striking local police opened fire on officers from South Africa's
national force when they tried to stop them from blocking roads in
Johannesburg. Patients with drug-resistant forms of the disease went
on a rampage to protest prison-like conditions at the Jose Pearson
hospital, near the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, which treats
about 300 patients.
(AFP, 6/26/08)(AP, 6/27/08)
2008 Jun 26, A South African
court ordered Jackie Selebi, the nation's top cop, to stand trial on
corruption charges next year, widening a leadership vacuum in law
enforcement agencies struggling to control one of the world's
highest crime rates.
(AP, 6/26/08)
2008 Jul 2, Zimbabwe opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai rejected an African Union decision to keep
South Africa's president alone in charge of efforts to resolve
Zimbabwe's political crisis. The European Commission insisted that
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai should be named at the
head of any new government. South African President Thabo Mbeki
rejected the EU position.
(AP, 7/2/08)(AFP, 7/2/08)
2008 Jul 7, The South African
Reserve Bank said 5 million coins featuring a smiling Nelson Mandela
will go into circulation on July 18, the former president's 90th
birthday.
(AP, 7/7/08)
2008 Jul 11, Zimbabwe’s
opposition Movement for Democratic Change said a total of 113 MDC
supporters have now been killed in politically-related violence.
Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition held a second day of talks in
South Africa. A UN Security Council bid to pass sanctions against
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe was vetoed by Russia and China.
(AP, 7/11/08)(AFP, 7/11/08)(AFP, 7/12/08)
2008 Jul 16, Gold production
was severely disrupted in parts of South Africa as thousands of
mineworkers downed tools to protest rising living costs.
(AFP, 7/16/08)
2008 Jul 16, The United States
signed a pair of agreements to boost trade and investment ties with
countries in southern and eastern Africa. These included the Trade,
Investment and Development Cooperation Agreement with the Southern
Africa Customs Union (SACU), which includes Botswana, Lesotho,
Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland; and the Trade Investment and
Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the East African Community, which
includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
(Reuters, 7/17/08)
2008 Jul 18, South Africa’s
Pres. Thabo Mbeki announced plans to work with the UN and African
Union as he attempts to mediate a settlement in Zimbabwe.
(SFC, 7/19/08, p.A8)
2008 Jul 21, In Zimbabwe
mediator South African Pres. Thabo Mbeki oversaw a ceremony in
Harare at which Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai signed an agreement for negotiations to bring the country
out of political chaos in their first meeting in a decade.
(AFP, 7/21/08)
2008 Jul 24, In South Africa
talks began in earnest on resolving Zimbabwe's political crisis
after President Robert Mugabe gave his senior lieutenants the final
go-ahead to negotiate power-sharing with the opposition.
(AP, 7/24/08)
2008 Jul 25, The EU and South
Africa began their first-ever summit in the French city of Bordeaux.
Brussels solidly backed Pretoria's mediating role in Zimbabwe as the
only way of ending ruinous political chaos.
(AFP, 7/25/08)
2008 Jul 28, Navanethem Pillay,
a judge from South Africa, was confirmed as the new UN chief of
human rights.
(SFC, 7/29/08, p.A3)
2008 Jul 29, Talks in South
Africa on Zimbabwe's political crisis broke up with no power-sharing
deal between President Robert Mugabe and his bitter rival Morgan
Tsvangirai in sight.
(AFP, 7/29/08)
2008 Aug 6, Thousands protested
in South Africa as workers disrupted gold mining and other major
industries in a national strike over price hikes rattling the
continent's economic powerhouse.
(AP, 8/6/08)
2008 Aug 10, South African
President Thabo Mbeki spent more than eight hours in talks with
Zimbabwe's president and opposition leaders to try to resolve a
deadly political dispute.
(AP, 8/10/08)
2008 Aug 13, South African
President Thabo Mbeki left Zimbabwe after failing to secure a
power-sharing deal between its main rivals during marathon talks,
adding to doubts over chances of an agreement.
(Reuters, 8/13/08)
2008 Aug 15, South African
authorities closed camps that have housed thousands of foreigners
displaced by xenophobic violence, in a move that has drawn concern
they could face more attacks when they return home.
(AFP, 8/15/08)
2008 Aug 16, In South Africa a
regional summit of southern African leaders opened with Zimbabwe's
crisis high on the agenda, and with the country's main political
rivals in attendance.
(AP, 8/16/08)
2008 Aug 17, Southern African
countries launched a regional trade zone at a Johannesburg summit
that aims to eliminate import tariffs, with plans for a common
currency by 2018. Eleven of the 14 countries that are part of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) will participate in
the free trade area, including Zimbabwe. Angola, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Malawi planned to join at a later date due to
weak economies.
(AFP, 8/17/08)
2008 Aug 23, Environmental
experts said Nigeria and South Africa are the main emitters of
greenhouse gases in Africa, accounting for almost 90 percent of the
emissions in the continent.
(AFP, 8/23/08)
2008 Aug 31, In South Africa
strong winds fanned runaway fires across the country killing at
least 16 people, including two children.
(AFP, 9/1/08)
2008 Sep 2, South Africa signed
an energy agreement with oil-rich Venezuela as President Hugo Chavez
arrived on his first state visit. Political, trade and economic
relations were on the agenda with President Thabo Mbeki.
(AFP, 9/2/08)(AFP, 9/3/08)
2008 Sep 10, Officials said at
least 89 people have died in wildfires sweeping through Mozambique,
South Africa and Swaziland.
(AP, 9/10/08)
2008 Sep 10, Officials said at
least 89 people have died in wildfires sweeping through Mozambique,
South Africa and Swaziland.
(AP, 9/10/08)
2008 Sep 12, A South African
judge ruled that prosecutors were wrong to charge ANC President
Jacob Zuma with corruption, effectively clearing way for the
66-year-old former freedom fighter to become the country's next
president.
(AP, 9/12/08)
2008 Sep 20, South African
President Thabo Mbeki agreed to resign after the ruling party
ordered him to step down, a move that could heighten turmoil in
Africa's economic powerhouse. A Sep 19 ruling threw out corruption
charges against Zuma it appeared Mbeki and his justice minister had
colluded with prosecutors against Zuma as part of the "titanic power
struggle" within the ANC. Mbeki indignantly denied this.
(AP, 9/20/08)
2008 Sep 22, In South Africa
ANC members of parliament said the ruling African National Congress
will name party deputy head Kgalema Motlanthe as South Africa's
caretaker leader after the ousting of President Thabo Mbeki. His
resignation will take effect Sep 25.
(Reuters, 9/22/08)
2008 Sep 23, South Africa's
finance minister resigned along with most leading Cabinet members
but tried to reassure a shaken business community and stock market
by saying he was willing to serve the country's new administration.
(AP, 9/23/08)
2008 Sep 25, South Africa's
parliament elected Kgalema Motlanthe, former trade unionist, freedom
fighter deputy leader of the ruling ANC, as interim president of a
country gripped by the worst political crisis since the end of
apartheid. He was expected to step aside after elections next year,
when Jacob Zuma was expected to become president. Motlanthe, within
hours of taking office , won instant praise by announcing that Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang would be removed as health minister and given a
lesser post in his office. She had promoted nutritional supplements
instead of conventional medicine for people with HIV.
(AP, 9/25/08)(AP, 9/26/08)
2008 Sep 27, The AIDS virus was
reported to afflict some 5.5 million of South Africa’s 49 million
population.
(Econ, 9/27/08, p.19)
2008 Oct 7, Zambia's ambassador
said Zambia and the World Health Organization (WHO) have joined the
hunt for a mystery illness that has killed four people in South
Africa. A South Africa, health official said the mystery disease may
be Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
(AFP, 10/7/08)(Reuters, 10/7/08)
2008 Oct 13, Barbara Hogan,
South Africa’s new health minister, broke from a decade of
discredited government policies declaring that AIDS is caused by HIV
and must be treated by conventional medicine.
(SFC, 10/14/08, p.A3)
2008 Oct 23, South Africa’s
National Assembly approved new legislation to disband the Scorpions
investigating unit and incorporate it into the police force.
(AP, 10/24/08)
2008 Nov 1, In South Africa
thousands of dissidents in the African National Congress met to pave
the way for a new South African party, the Congress of the People
(COPE) in a bitter split from the movement that led the
anti-apartheid struggle.
(AFP, 11/1/08)(Econ, 12/13/08, p.58)
2008 Nov 9, Southern African
leaders opened a regional summit on Zimbabwe, hoping to break a
deadlock over the allocation of cabinet posts which has prevented
formation of a power-sharing government.
(AP, 11/9/08)
2008 Nov 10, Miriam Makeba
(b.1932), the South African folk singer and anti-apartheid activist
fondly known as "Mama Africa," died in southern Italy after
performing at a concert against organized crime.
(AP, 11/10/08)(SFC, 11/11/08, p.B5)
2008 Nov 12, In South African a
truck carrying workers collided with another truck, killing 23
people and injuring nine.
(AP, 11/12/08)
2008 Nov 20, South Africa said
it will withhold aid for Zimbabwe until a representative government
is in place, in what appeared to be the first punitive measure by a
regional country to enforce a power-sharing agreement.
(AP, 11/20/08)
2008 Nov 26, South Africa's
health minister said Zimbabwe faced a humanitarian crisis after a
major outbreak of cholera, vowing not to turn away anyone who
crosses the border for treatment. Botswana's foreign minister said
Zimbabwe's neighbors should close their borders in an attempt to
bring down Pres. Robert Mugabe, in the strongest call yet for action
from Africa.
(AFP, 11/26/08)
2008 Nov, In South Africa a
verdict by the tribunal of the regional Southern African Development
Community (SADC) found that Zimbabwe had wrongly taken land from
nearly 80 farmers, saying they had been targeted because of their
race. In 2010 white farmers whose land was seized under Zimbabwe
President Robert Mugabe's land reforms claimed a house owned by his
government in South Africa based on the SADC verdict.
(AFP, 3/30/10)
2008 Dec 1, South Africa used
World AIDS Day to urge its menfolk to get themselves tested for the
HIV virus that leads to the illness.
(AP, 12/1/08)
2008 Dec 9, A South African man
accused of attempting to smuggle hundreds of rare chameleons,
snakes, lizards and frogs out of Madagascar inside his jacket and
luggage was convicted and sentenced to a year in jail.
(AP, 12/9/08)
2008 Dec 11, The South African
Reserve Bank cut a key interest rate by a half percentage point to
11.5 percent in a bid to stimulate the flagging economy.
(AP, 12/11/08)
2008 Dec 13, In South Africa
scores of international beauties took to the stage as the Miss World
pageant started. Russian blonde Kseniya Sukhinova was crowned the
58th Miss World after a two-hour spectacle that combined elements of
travelogue and reality show, and the kind of flag-waving usually
seen at sports events.
(AP, 12/13/08)
2008 Dec 17, South African
President Kgalema Motlanthe said Zimbabwe's neighbors will launch an
urgent humanitarian campaign in the hope of saving the country from
economic collapse and a cholera epidemic. Motlanthe also said South
Africa would not join international calls for Zimbabwe's President
Robert Mugabe to step down, saying it was "not for us" to do so.
(AP, 12/17/08)(AFP, 12/17/08)
2008 Tony Leon, former head of
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance, authored “On the Contrary:
Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa.”
(Econ, 8/16/08, p.81)
2008 South Africa this year had
over 100 policemen killed while on duty. They in turn shot dead some
600 suspects and innocent bystanders.
(Econ, 10/3/09, p.58)
2009 Jan 1, Helen Suzman (91),
South African anti-apartheid activist, died. She won international
acclaim as one of the few white lawmakers to fight against the
injustices of racist rule. Suzman, who was twice nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize, fought a long and lonely battle in the South
African parliament against government repression of the country's
black majority and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.
(AP, 1/1/09)
2009 Jan 4, Jimmy Mohlala, a
South African official who blew the whistle on alleged corruption in
the building of a stadium for the 2010 World Cup, was shot dead by
unknown gunmen. The 46,000-capacity Mbombela stadium, scheduled for
completion this year, is one of 10 venues for the 2010 World Cup.
(AFP, 1/6/09)
2009 Jan 4-2009 Jan 5, In South
Africa a lethal storm on the eastern coast killed 18 people over the
weekend, including four family members struck dead by lightning.
(AFP, 1/6/09)
2009 Jan 14, South Africa’s
health ministry said the death toll from a cholera outbreak has
risen to 15, with more than 2,100 cases registered in a spillover
from Zimbabwe's epidemic. The UN said the death toll from Zimbabwe's
cholera outbreak has risen to 2,106.
(AP, 1/14/09)
2009 Jan 16, South African
police and game park rangers said they have arrested 11 suspects in
an international rhinoceros poaching ring. Some of the rhinos had
their horns hacked from them while they were still alive.
(AP, 1/16/09)
2009 Jan 26, Southern African
leaders opened fresh talks in Pretoria to end Zimbabwe's political
crisis amid a new threat by President Robert Mugabe to form a
government excluding his arch rival from power.
(AFP, 1/26/09)
2009 Jan 27, In South Africa
the 15-nation SADC grouping said after a meeting, its fifth attempt
to secure a deal on forming a unity government, it had agreed that
opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai should be sworn in as prime
minister by February 11. An analyst said chances for a deal appeared
slim. The recently introduced 10 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note
cannot buy a loaf of bread, which costs Z$30 trillion. Two weeks
ago, a loaf of bread cost Z$30 billion.
(Reuters, 1/27/09)
2009 Jan 30, South African
President Kgalema Motlanthe signed legislation that disbands the
country's elite anti-crime investigating unit, known as the
Scorpions. The unit will now be part of the standard police forces.
(AP, 1/30/09)
2009 Feb 5, The South Africa
Reserve Bank slashed its benchmark interest rate by a full point to
10.5 percent, following a half-point cut in December, saying
inflation is headed downward.
(AFP, 2/5/09)
2009 Feb 24, British mining
group Lonmin announced up to 5,500 job cuts in South Africa, dealing
a new blow to the continent's biggest economy as it contracted for
the first time in a decade.
(AP, 2/24/09)
2009 Mar 22, In South Africa
the Sunday Independent said the Chinese embassy in South Africa had
confirmed its government had appealed to South Africa not to allow
the Dalai Lama into the country for a peace conference on March 27.
Archbishop Tutu threatened to pull out of the meeting and to demand
an explanation from the authorities. On March 24 organizers
postponed the South African peace conference of Nobel laureates
after the government denied a visa to Tibet's spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama.
(AP, 3/22/09)(AP, 3/24/09)
2009 Apr 6, In South Africa
prosecutors dropped corruption charges against Jacob Zuma, saying
the case had been manipulated for political reasons and clearing the
way for him to become the next president without the looming threat
of a trial.
(Reuters, 4/6/09)
2009 Apr 6, In Zambia western
nations and lending agencies meeting in Lusaka agreed a financing
package of more than $1 billion to improve infrastructure in
southern and central Africa at an investment conference meant to
expand transport links and trade. Britain said it would separately
provide 100 million pounds ($149.2 million) to transform the
region's infrastructure to increase trade and mitigate the effects
of the global financial crisis. New projects will link businesses in
8 African countries: Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.
(AP, 4/6/09)
2009 Apr 9, In South Africa an
armed mob invaded a major land reform project in the eastern
Mpumalanga province. The invaders were unhappy with the progress of
the project, despite warnings that it would take up to three years
before a return from what had been badly neglected farms.
(Reuters, 4/15/09)
2009 Apr 22, South Africans
voted in general elections set to launch the ruling ANC party's
controversial leader Jacob Zuma (67) into the presidency. The
African National Congress took 65.9 percent of the nearly 18 million
votes cast, failing to get its coveted two-thirds of the seats in
the 400-member parliament. The Democratic Alliance (DA), under Helen
Zille, won nearly 17% and 17 seats, while the new COPE Party got
barely 7% of the vote. The Inkatha Freedom Party got 5% of the vote
winning 18 seats.
(AFP, 4/22/09)(AP, 4/25/09)(Econ, 4/25/09,
p.53)(Econ, 5/2/09, p.13)(Econ, 5/2/09, p.50)
2009 Apr 23, In South Africa
with early returns giving the ANC a 66% lead, the party said it
would block off downtown Johannesburg streets around its offices for
Zuma to address his supporters in the evening to celebrate victory.
(AFP, 4/23/09)
2009 May 6, South Africa's
parliament has elected Jacob Zuma as the country's president. Zuma
won 277 votes in the 400 member National Assembly. Zuma's African
National Congress won elections last month with 65.9% of the vote.
He is due to be inaugurated on May 9.
(AP, 5/6/09)
2009 May 9, In South Africa
Jacob Zuma became president, vowing to work to fulfill the dreams of
all South Africans after he overcame corruption and sex scandals to
reach the nation's highest office.
(AP, 5/9/09)
2009 May 28, It was reported
that scientists have identified a lethal new virus in Africa that
causes bleeding like the dreaded Ebola virus. The so-called "Lujo"
virus infected five people in Zambia and South Africa last fall.
Four of them died, but a fifth survived, perhaps helped by a
medicine recommended by the scientists.
(AP, 5/28/09)
2009 May 30, In South Africa 55
pilot whales beached near Cape Point, prompting a massive rescue
operation. The rescue efforts failed and 44 of the whales were shot
to end their suffering. The rest died of stress and organ failure.
(AP, 5/30/09)(AP, 5/31/09)
2009 Jun 2, In South Africa 61
prospectors died from a fire in an abandoned gold mine belonging to
Harmony Gold mining company, which had ceased working its Eland
shaft. Illegal miners, often called "gold pirates," are hired
through organized crime rackets that produce about $250 million in
gold a year.
(AP, 6/2/09)(AP, 6/4/09)(AP, 7/21/09)
2009 Jun 6, It was reported
that in South Africa HIV-AIDS continued to claim some 3,000 lives a
week.
(Econ, 6/6/09, p.48)
2009 Jun 9, South African
health activist Thembi Ngubane (24) died of tuberculosis leaving
behind a daughter (4). Her radio diaries of her struggle against the
AIDS virus won her audiences and admiration around the world.
Ngubane was 19 when she was given a tape recorder to make an audio
diary about living with HIV in a country where nearly one third of
young women are infected with the virus.
(AP, 6/12/09)
2009 Jun 13, In Australia it
was reported Barry Tannenbaum (43), an expatriate South African
businessman, has denied any wrongdoing in an alleged investment
scandal. Tannenbaum has been accused of fleecing rich South Africans
in what has been billed as one of the country's biggest Ponzi-style
investment scandals, according to local and South African media. The
massive pyramid scheme reportedly cost wealthy investors up to $1.2
billion.
(AFP, 6/13/09)
2009 Jun 19, A leading South
African research group said one in four male South Africans it
surveyed admitted to committing rape, a finding that cast a harsh
light on a culture of sexual violence that victims groups say is
deeply embedded in society.
(AP, 6/19/09)
2009 Jul 2, South Africa urged
its public service doctors to halt wildcat strikes and accept a
revised wage offer after low salaries and abysmal working conditions
led them to abandon patients.
(AFP, 7/2/09)
2009 Jul 9, In South Africa
World Cup organizers said a strike by construction workers entered
its second day as negotiators meet to try and resolve the standoff.
(AP, 7/9/09)
2009 Jul 20, In South Africa 9
workers died when the roof of the mine shaft they were working in
collapsed and trapped them about half a mile (1 km) underground in
Rustenburg.
(AP, 7/21/09)
2009 Jul 22, South Africa
reported that wave of protests have erupted in townships across the
country over shoddy housing and public services, adding to pressure
on President Jacob Zuma to deliver on promises to fight poverty.
(AFP, 7/22/09)
2009 Jul 23, South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma's new government warned protesters they must
respect the law as violent demonstrations against shoddy public
services spread across townships.
(AP, 7/23/09)
2009 Jul 27, Thousands of South
African council workers went on strike to press for wage hikes,
crippling public services in Africa's biggest economy and piling
political pressure on new President Jacob Zuma.
(AP, 7/27/09)
2009 Jul 29, In South Africa a
ceremony was held for “Fire Walker,” a new four-story sculpture in
Johannesburg. A plaque was unveiled with the names of the South
African artists who created it: William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx.
The three-dimensional steel conception by Marx was of a Kentridge
watercolor.
(AP, 7/29/09)
2009 Jul 30, South African
President Jacob Zuma accepted "very substantial damages" from
Britain's Guardian newspaper over an article that wrongly suggested
he was a rapist.
(AP, 7/30/09)
2009 Aug 8, In South Africa US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and South African President Jacob
Zuma pledged to cement closer ties between their new
administrations.
(AFP, 8/8/09)
2009 Aug 11, In South Africa a
report to the Parliament said first year students at 4 universities
were found to be unable to read or write properly. The country’s
education system was described as dysfunctional.
(SSFC, 8/16/09, p.A4)
2009 Aug 20, Angola and South
Africa signed a number of trade agreements including cooperation in
the oil sector, following major bilateral talks aimed at
strengthening economic relations.
(AFP, 8/20/09)
2009 Aug 24, In Rustenberg,
South Africa some 13,000 platinum miners at Impala Platinum, the
world's second-largest producer, downed tools over a pay dispute.
(AFP, 8/26/09)
2009 Aug 26, In South Africa
soldiers, demanding higher wages, tried to scale the fence at the
Union Buildings where President Jacob Zuma has his office. Police
used teargas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the
soldiers, who marched despite a court order barring their protest.
(AP, 9/1/09)
2009 Aug, In South Africa
construction began on the Northern Cape of the MeerKAT Precursor
Array (also known as KAT-7). The 7-dish array was a precursor for
MeerKAT which will consist of 64 dishes of 13.5 meters in diameter,
the most powerful in the southern hemisphere.
(Econ, 11/5/11,
p.96)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeerKAT)
2009 Sep 1, South Africa’s
defense ministry said it has issued around 2,000 letters of
dismissal to soldiers who staged an illegal march on Aug 26 and
tried to storm the seat of government.
(AFP, 9/1/09)
2009 Sep 11, In South Africa
reports on gender testing on running sensation Caster Semenya has
determined she has male and female sexual organs. This triggered
outrage and dealt a blow to her family, who may have been unaware of
the reported condition. There was worry about how the 18-year-old
will handle all this. Testing determined that Semenya has internal
testes, meaning the runner herself, who was raised in a poor
village, may have been unaware of such a condition. The condition is
generally referred to as intersexuality. The older term for someone
who has both male and female organs is hermaphrodite.
(AP, 9/11/09)
2009 Sep 11, South Africa and
the European Union started a summit expected to be dominated by
calls from African nations for sanctions against Zimbabwe to be
lifted.
(AP, 9/11/09)
2009 Sep 27, In Venezuela Pres.
Hugo Chavez proposed that South American and African nations unite
to create a cross-continental mining corporation to keep control of
their resources. Chavez made diplomatic inroads in Africa at a
summit of South American and African leaders where he offered
Venezuela's help in oil projects, mining and financial assistance.
Venezuela signed agreements to work together on oil projects with
South Africa, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan and Cape Verde.
(Reuters, 9/27/09)(AP, 9/28/09)
2009 Oct 9, Japanese officials
said they have obtained rights to develop platinum mines in South
Africa and Botswana in a bid to ensure a stable supply of the metal.
The government-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp.
(JOGMEC) said it has signed a contract with Discovery Metals in
Australia to jointly develop nickel and platinum mines in northeast
Botswana. It has also inked another deal with Canadian firm Platinum
Group Metals to explore for platinum in South Africa.
(AFP, 10/9/09)
2009 Oct 13, In South Africa
police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, wounding several
protesters demanding better sanitation, electricity and housing in
impoverished black townships. Tires burned and rubbish littered the
streets of Standerton, 150 km (90 miles) south-east of Johannesburg,
and shops were closed after thousands of people marched on the
municipal offices in the town from nearby Sakhile township.
(Reuters, 10/13/09)
2009 Oct 15, South African
police fired rubber bullets at residents in Diepsloot, a poor
settlement north of Johannesburg, injuring 19 people protesting poor
living standards. The protests have spread from Standerton, about 90
miles (150km) southeast of Johannesburg, to at least four other
towns in eastern South Africa this week.
(AP, 10/15/09)
2009 Oct 21, South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma said Zimbabwe must not return to instability,
after holding talks with PM Morgan Tsvangirai who has cut ties
within his unity government. Tsvangirai flew to South Africa after
meeting Mozambican President Armando Guebuza a day earlier and then
headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola to brief
leaders on Zimbabwe's worst impasse in eight months.
(AFP, 10/22/09)
2009 Oct 26, In South Africa
Harmony Gold Mining Co. said four workers were trapped underground
at its Target mine in the country's Free State province after ground
fell on them in a section of the mine.
(Reuters, 10/26/09)
2009 Nov 11, Scientists in
South Africa said that a newly discovered dinosaur species that
roamed the Earth about 200 million years ago may help explain how
the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land. The Aardonyx
celestae was a 23-foot- (7-meter-) long small-headed herbivore with
a huge barrel of a chest. The species walked on its hind legs but
could drop to all fours.
(AP, 11/11/09)
2009 Nov 13, South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma said police do not have a "license to kill," a
day after his deputy police minister urged officers to "shoot the
bastards" in fighting criminals.
(AFP, 11/13/09)
2009 Nov 14, In South Africa a
civilian pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed shortly
before he was to participate in an air show near Bredasdorp, about
200 km west of Cape Town.
(Reuters, 11/14/09)
2009 Nov 14, In South Africa
Kavisha Seevnarain (26) was carjacked and then forced at gunpoint to
go to ATMs to take out money. She was then thrown off a 200-foot
tall bridge south of Durban and survived with seven broken ribs and
a fractured pelvis.
(AP, 11/16/09)
2009 Nov 18, South African
police fired rubber bullets to disperse a mob who attacked shacks
belonging to hundreds of migrants following several days of tension.
Up to 2,700 Zimbabwean asylum seekers have set up a temporary
"safety camp" in a rural South African town following attacks on
their shacks in a dispute over jobs.
(Reuters, 11/18/09)
2009 Nov 27, Zimbabwe and South
Africa signed a bilateral investment agreement which would protect
investments made by nationals of both countries in each other's
territory.
(AFP, 11/27/09)
2009 Nov 28, South Africa
seized a shipment of spare parts for North Korean tanks destined for
the Republic of Congo. South Africa’s government confirmed the
seizure on Feb 26, 2010.
(AP, 2/26/10)
2009 Dec 1, In South Africa
Pres. Zuma said on World AIDS Day that all HIV-positive babies will
be treated and testing expanded, a dramatic and eagerly awaited
shift in a country that has more people living with HIV than any
other.
(AP, 12/1/09)
2009 Dec 7, South Africa
offered to slash the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions by 42
percent by 2025, but in exchange wants rich nations to expand aid
for poor countries to cope with climate change.
(AP, 12/7/09)
2009 Dec 10, South Africa said
it has suspended dozens of immigration officials being investigated
for giving South African citizenship to foreigners, mainly from
Pakistan.
(AP, 12/10/09)
2009 Dec 10, In South Africa
the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) said it
has approved a 10-million-dollar grant to fund the expansion of
Zimbabwe's Freda Rebecca gold mine.
(AFP, 12/10/09)
2009 Dec 12, In South Africa
drums and traditional dancers kicked off the Miss World pageant in
Johannesburg. The glitzy night began in the shadow of reports that
one contestant was linked to a religious cult. Kaiane Aldorino from
Gibraltar was named the new Miss World.
(AFP, 12/12/09)(AP, 12/13/09)
(AP, 12/16/09)
2009 Dec 16, South Africa's
former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (69) died. She
gained notoriety for her dogged promotion of lemons, garlic and
olive oil to treat AIDS.
(AP, 12/16/09)
2009 Dec 16, In South Korea at
least 14 elderly people were killed and 17 injured when their bus
plunged off a mountain road.
(AFP, 12/16/09)
2009 Dec 30, In Burundi the
last South African soldiers from the African Union Special Task
Force still operating in Burundi completed their mission and left
the country for good to return to South Africa.
(AFP, 12/31/09)
2009 Andre Brink, South Africa
novelist, authored his memoir “A Fork in the Road.”
(Econ, 2/14/09, p.95)
2009 Mark Gevisser, a South
African journalist, authored A Legacy of Liberation,” a condensed
version of his 2007 biography “Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred.”
(WSJ, 4/17/09, p.W6)
2009 R.W. Johnson authored
“South Africa’s Brave New World: The Beloved Country Since the End
of Apartheid.”
(Econ, 4/18/09, p.88)
2009 Alec Russell authored
“Bring Me My Machine Gun: The Battle for the Soul of South Africa
from Mandela to Zuma.”
(WSJ, 4/17/09, p.W6)
2009 South Africa’s population
stood at about 50 million. The white population was about 4.5
million It was one of the world’s most violent countries with some
50 murders, 100 rapes, 700 burglaries and 500-plus violent assaults
per day. Only one in ten rapes was believed to be recorded.
(Econ, 10/3/09, p.58)(Econ, 4/10/10, p.52)
2010 Jan 4, In South Africa
Pres. Jacob Zuma formalized his marriage to a third wife in a
traditional ceremony in rural KwaZulu-Natal province.
(AP, 1/4/10)
2010 Jan 14, Key southern
African leaders gathered in the Mozambican capital Maputo for a
special summit on the political crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
Leaders called for a return to dialogue in the ongoing political
crisis in Madagascar. A medical aid group said Zimbabweans crossing
illegally into neighboring South Africa after holidays at home are
being raped and robbed by gangs on both sides of the border.
(AFP, 1/14/10)(AP, 1/14/10)
2010 Jan 22, In South Africa
the national parks authority said poachers have killed 14 rhinos
this year. The parks authority announced military patrols in Kruger
National Park, where 7 of the rhinos were killed. The other 7 were
killed in the North West province.
(AFP, 1/23/10)
2010 Jan 24, In India
environment ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China
said that talks in New Delhi had further cemented their alliance
following the Copenhagen climate change summit. The group, known by
the acronym BASIC, pledged to strengthen its unified stance but
would seek consensus with developed countries.
(AP, 1/24/10)
2010 Jan 30, Ashes of Indian
independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, kept for decades by a family
friend after his assassination, were scattered off South Africa's
coast.
(AFP, 1/30/10)
2010 Feb 3, South Africa's
polygamist Pres. Jacob Zuma confirmed that he recently fathered a
child with a woman who is not one of his three wives or fiancee, and
criticized those who said his actions undermined the country's
campaign against HIV/AIDS. The nation of about 50 million has an
estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than any other
country.
(AP, 2/3/10)
2010 Feb 9, In South Africa a
fire raged through the Hope in Christ Home orphanage at Newcastle in
the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. The blaze killed Sarah
Holland, the director and founder of the Hope of Christ Home in
KwaZulu-Natal province, along with two adults and eight children
between the ages of 4 and 15. Holland died a hero, rescuing nine
children as their rural home burned.
(AFP, 2/9/10)(AP, 2/10/10)
2010 Feb 23, South African’s
National Energy Regulator said approved electricity rate increases
of about 25% would become effective April 1, and that the increases
would continue for each of the next three years.
(AP, 2/24/10)
2010 Mar 8, In South Africa
hip-hop artist Molemo Maarohanye, known as "Jub Jub," (Marshmallow)
was involved in a drag race that left 4 children dead. He and
another defendant, Themba Tshabalala, tested positive for cocaine
and morphine. On March 19 Maarohanye was freed on $ 1,300 bail, as
protesters chanted for their execution.
(AP, 3/19/10)
2010 Mar 17, In Zimbabwe South
African President Jacob Zuma began talks with Zimbabwe's political
leaders on his first trip as chief regional mediator to patch up
differences in the troubled coalition government.
(AP, 3/17/10)
2010 Mar 18, Zimbabwe's rival
leaders faced fresh pressure to mend their differences and push
toward new elections, as South African President Jacob Zuma led
talks on the fragile unity government.
(AP, 3/18/10)
2010 Apr 3, In South Africa
Eugene Terreblanche (69), the leader of a white supremacist group,
was attacked and killed by a 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy
who worked for him on his farm outside Ventersdorp, about 110 km (68
miles) northwest of Johannesburg, following a dispute over pay. The
alleged attackers were arrested and charged with murder.
(AP, 4/4/10)
2010 Apr 7, South Africa's
governing party said it has asked all its wings to stop singing
controversial songs including one with lyrics that encourage people
to shoot white farmers which some blame for the slaying of a white
supremacist leader.
(AP, 4/7/10)
2010 Apr 8, The World Bank
approved a $3.75 billion loan to help South Africa build a
coal-fired power plant over opposition from the United States and
environmental groups. The USD 3.75 billion loan to Eskom Holdings
Limited, which has proved highly controversial, will help Eskom
bring online new power generation capabilities designed to help
South Africa meet growing power demand and avoid power blackouts
similar to those that occurred in 2008.
(AP, 4/9/10)(http://tinyurl.com/2ceah45)(Econ,
4/17/10, p.53)
2010 Apr 14, The US and South
Africa signed a deal in Washington, DC, to boost diplomatic
exchanges, a new sign of the importance the US administration
accords Pretoria's role in the region.
(AFP, 4/15/10)
2010 Apr 16, In South Africa 7
suspects waived their right to bail in a case in which they are
accused of recruiting women and at least one 16-year-old from across
South Africa and bringing them to Ermelo, where they were treated
like slaves and forced into prostitution.
(AP, 4/16/10)
2010 Apr 20, South Africa’s
biggest agricultural union, Agri SA, said 2 farmers are attacked
every day in South Africa and two killed per week.
(AFP, 4/20/10)
2010 Apr 21, A South African
luxury train carrying foreign tourists, most of them Americans, sped
out of control downhill and derailed near Pretoria, killing two
Rovos Rail crew members as coaches flipped and crumpled against one
another. A 3rd crew member soon died from injuries in a
hospital.
(AP, 4/21/10)(AP, 4/22/10)
2010 May 3, In South Africa
police officers found Emmanuel "Lolly" Jackson's body, a flamboyant
strip club owner, shot several times in a house near Johannesburg
after receiving a call from a man who said he wanted to surrender.
The caller, known as George Smith or George Louca, fled to his
native Cyprus. In Sep, 2011, the charred body of Jackson's lawyer
was found in the burned remains of his car near Johannesburg. Days
later, Jackson's former business partner, Mark Andrews, was found
dead on an isolated stretch of highway near Johannesburg. Local
media have linked other deaths since 2009 to Jackson.
(AP, 5/4/10)(AP, 10/2/11)
2010 May 5, In South Africa 23
people died and 15 were badly injured when a bus overturned. The
privately-registered bus accident was on the road despite being
suspended for poor roadworthiness. The owner of the bus was soon
charged with murder.
(AFP, 5/5/10)(AFP, 5/7/10)
2010 May 7, It was reported
that JetBlue has formed a partnership with South African Airways
that will allow travelers to fly on both airlines with a single
ticket. Starting May 12 JetBlue customers will be able to travel to
40 international cities served by South African Airways.
(AP, 5/7/10)
2010 May 13, South African and
Chinese companies announced plans to build a $217 million cement
plant in South Africa, in one of China's biggest investments in the
country.
(AFP, 5/13/10)
2010 May 14, In South Africa
Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert (70), anti-apartheid activist, died. The
former South African legislator helped chart a way out of apartheid
by leading fellow whites into talks with exiled black leaders.
(AP, 5/14/10)
2010 May 17, In South Africa a
strike by rail workers left two million commuters stranded just 24
days from the kick-off of the World Cup.
(AP, 5/17/10)
2010 May 27, South Africa's
state-owned logistics group Transnet said it had signed a wage deal
with a transport union, ending a three-week rail and ports strike.
(Reuters, 5/27/10)
2010 May 28, In South Africa an
expert with the country's national parks said poachers killed a
record number of rhinos in South Africa last year and are already on
track to surpass that number again in 2010.
(AP, 5/28/10)
2010 May 31, South Africa’s
African National Congress decided to discipline trade union boss
Zwelinzima Vavi, who last week said the Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU), which he heads, was concerned that senior ANC
members were exploiting political connections to accumulate personal
wealth.
(Reuters, 6/1/10)
2010 Jun 5, In South Africa
AIDS awareness groups said they are protesting a ban by the world
soccer body FIFA on distributing health related information and
condoms at World Cup stadiums and fan events in South Africa.
(AP, 6/5/10)
2010 Jun 8, South Africa opened
the continent's first high-speed rail link, just in time to whisk a
mass influx of World Cup fans Cup from the country's main airport
into uptown Johannesburg.
(AFP, 6/8/10)
2010 Jun 9, In South Africa an
armed gang stole electronic equipment from a team of Portuguese
journalists during a robbery at their lodge near Johannesburg. The
next day China’s state media reported that an armed gang had stolen
money and a camera from four Chinese journalists covering the World
Cup.
(AFP, 6/10/10)
2010 Jun 10, In South Africa a
third British national was confirmed dead after an overland truck
carrying British students crashed.
(AFP, 6/11/10)
2010 Jun 11, The World Cup
kicked off with unfancied hosts South Africa taking on Mexico in
front of 85,000 spectators in a packed Soccer City stadium in
Johannesburg. Host nation South Africa got their continent's first
World Cup off to a thrilling start by scoring the tournament's
opening goal in a spirited 1-1 draw with Mexico.
(AFP, 6/11/10)(AFP, 6/12/10)
2010 Jun 11, In South Africa
Sackey Namugongo, the former Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Deputy director, was sentenced to 8 years in prison on 19 corruption
charges stemming from payments of large sums for casino licenses.
(www.ngonewsafrica.org/2010/06/namibia-namugongo-jailed-for-8-years.html)
2010 Jun 18, North Korea
cancelled a scheduled World Cup press conference, just hours after
being confronted by rumors that four of their players had defected
while in South Africa.
(AFP, 6/19/10)
2010 Jun 19, In South Africa
exiled Rwandan Lt.-General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was shot and
wounded in what his wife called a Rwandan-backed assassination
attempt, a charge the Kigali government dismissed as "preposterous."
In 2011 six accused men, three Rwandans and three Tanzanians, stood
trial for the shooting.
(Reuters, 6/19/10)(AFP, 7/1/11)
2010 Jun 22, South Africa went
out with heads high, despite being the only hosts ever to exit the
World Cup's first round, but France headed home in shame and Latin
American giants Argentina cruised into the second round. Troubled
France crashed out of the World Cup losing 2-1 to South Africa.
(AP, 6/22/10)(AFP, 6/23/10)
2010 Jun 26, In South Africa
the 3-day FORTUNE/TIME/CNN Global Forum got under way with the theme
"The New Global Opportunity."
(www.fortuneconferences.com/global/)
2010 Jun 26, In South Africa
Ghana became only the third African team ever to make the World Cup
quarter-finals, as its team beat the US 2-1.
(AP, 6/27/10)
2010 Jun 28, South African
media said Mozambicans and Thais children (9-16) were discovered a
week earlier by South African border police during an inspection at
the Komatipoort crossing between South Africa and Mozambique.
(AFP, 6/29/10)
2010 Jun 30, A South African
health official said botched circumcisions performed during
traditional initiation rites have killed 40 boys and put more than
100 in hospital this month.
(AFP, 6/30/10)
2010 Jul 2, In South Africa
Jackie Selebi, former state police commissioner, was found guilty of
corruption.
(SFC, 7/2/10, p.A2)
2010 Jul 6, In South Africa
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that pupils will
have the option of learning in their mother language in their first
three years of schooling. Children were currently taught either in
English or Afrikaans, both languages inherited from the eras of
colonialism and apartheid.
(AP, 7/6/10)
2010 Jul 6, Britain's Queen
Elizabeth (84) addressed the UN for the first time since1957. The
queen's 10-minute speech to a special session of the General
Assembly was finished before Netherlands and Uruguay returned to
their soccer match in Cape Town. Netherlands moved to the finals
after beating Uruguay 3-2.
(Reuters, 7/6/10)
2010 Jul 11, In South Africa
President Jacob Zuma convened leaders from Burkina Faso, Kenya,
Togo, Mozambique, the Netherlands and neighboring Zimbabwe at an
education summit, before inviting them to join him at the World Cup
final. The summit was the culmination of 1GOAL, a campaign supported
by football's governing body FIFA to use the attention the World Cup
commands to publicize the need to get more children into school.
(AP, 7/11/10)
2010 Jul 11, In South Africa
Spain beat Holland for soccer’s World Cup.
(AP, 7/12/10)
2010 Jul 23, In South Africa a
police helicopter crashed, killing seven officers on board, as it
flew to the scene of a suspected hostage-taking northeast of
Johannesburg.
(AFP, 7/23/10)
2010 Jul 27, In South Africa 4
white former students pleaded guilty to charges surrounding a 2007
video they made humiliating black university employees at the
University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. The video emerged in
2008 and the case prompted bitter protests that racism remains
entrenched in South Africa more than a decade after the end of
racist white rule. A court on July 30 ordered the 4 students to pay
fines of nearly $3,000 each for making the video.
(AP, 7/27/10)(AP, 7/30/10)
2010 Jul 28, South African
wildlife authorities said poachers killed 152 endangered rhinoceros
in the country so far this year, about 20 more than the number
killed in the whole of 2009.
(AP, 7/28/10)
2010 Jul 29, President Jacob
Zuma announced that South Africa would stop recognizing half the
nation's traditional kings and queens, dismissing them as artificial
creations of the apartheid regime. Leaders of the six kingships
affected by the move have said they will challenge their demotion in
court.
(AFP, 7/29/10)
2010 Aug 1, In South Africa 22
elderly people died when a fire swept through their old age and
frail care center outside of Johannesburg.
(AP, 8/2/10)(AP, 8/3/10)
2010 Aug 3, In South Africa a
judge sentenced former national police chief Jackie Selebi
(60) to 15 years in prison on corruption charges, saying he
was an embarrassment to the crime-plagued country and the police
officers who had served under him.
(AP, 8/3/10)
2010 Aug 4, In South Africa
vigilantes used whistles and vuvuzelas, the deafening horns used by
fans during the World Cup, to arouse a mob to assault and kill 3
suspected thieves in their neighborhood. The victims, suspected of
stealing power cables in the Lenasia district of southern
Johannesburg, were burned alive. 2 others were beaten to death for
wearing stolen clothes.
(AP, 8/4/10)
2010 Aug 8, South African
journalists launched a campaign to fight what they say is an attempt
to curtail media freedoms in a nation known for one of Africa's
freest and most open constitutions.
(AP, 8/8/10)
2010 Aug 9, In South Africa 4
miners were shot dead by mine guards in an abandoned gold mine near
Johannesburg. Their bodies were found on Aug 12. The mine is owned
by Zuma's nephew Khulubuse Zuma and Mandela's grandson Zondwa
Mandela. Their company is embroiled in a pay dispute with
mineworkers they inherited from several mines they bought from an
insolvent company.
(AP, 8/13/10)
2010 Aug 17, In South Africa
media watchdogs slammed proposed media regulations as a "draconian"
ploy to muzzle the press and protect corrupt officials.
(AP, 8/17/10)
2010 Aug 18, In South Africa
teachers left their classrooms and trials were postponed after court
workers walked out when hundreds of thousands of civil servants went
on strike for higher wages across the country.
(AP, 8/18/10)
2010 Aug 19, In South Africa
police fired rubber bullets on protesting teachers throwing bricks
and stones and nurses tore down a gate at a hospital as a the 2nd
day of a nationwide civil servants' strike for higher wages took
hold.
(AP, 8/19/10)
2010 Aug 20, South African
unions representing more than 1 million striking civil servants
began talks with the government to end a stoppage that could damage
Africa's largest economy if it drags on into next month.
(AP, 8/20/10)
2010 Aug 23, South African
President Jacob Zuma flew to China on a three-day trip aimed at
strengthening business ties. Zuma was accompanied by a delegation of
over 370 business representatives - the biggest ever for a South
African leader's visit abroad.
(www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11067072)
2010 Aug 23, South Africa
deployed soldiers to 37 hospitals to help keep basic health services
running, as a nationwide strike by more than one million public
workers entered its sixth day.
(AFP, 8/23/10)
2010 Aug 25, In South Africa a
driver taking children to school went around a closed railroad
crossing gate and was hit by an oncoming train that killed 10 pupils
and injured 5 others. Driver Jacob Humphreys was convicted of murder
in 2011 and in 2012 was sentenced to an effective 20 years in
prison.
(AP, 8/25/10)(AFP, 2/28/12)
2010 Aug 26, In South Africa
thousands of civil servants took to the streets across the country
in a peaceful demonstration for higher wages. Police management
tried to bar officers from joining the nationwide strike entering
its second week.
(AP, 8/26/10)
2010 Aug 31, South Africa’s
public service ministry said it was increasing its salary hike offer
from 7 to 7.5 percent and housing allowance from 700 rand ($96) to
800 rand ($110). Workers were demanding an 8.6 percent raise and
1,000 rand ($137) for housing.
(AP, 8/31/10)
2010 Sep 2, South Africa's
government said it is withdrawing the April, 2009, special status
granted to illegal Zimbabwean immigrants who fled their country's
economic meltdown and political violence. A government said South
Africa will begin deportations after Dec 31.
(AP, 9/2/10)
2010 Sep 2, Striking South
African state workers staged a protest march after rejecting a
revised wage offer aimed at ending their three-week strike that has
the government and the labor movement at loggerheads.
(Reuters, 9/2/10)
2010 Sep 6, A South African
labor leader said civil servants are suspending a 20-day nationwide
strike for higher wages to give union members time to consider the
government's offer.
(AP, 9/6/10)
2010 Sep 6, Oxford press said
it has published a new Zulu-English dictionary, four decades after
the last such reference book was released for one of South Africa's
most widely spoken languages.
(AFP, 9/6/10)
2010 Sep 6, In Swaziland armed
police arrested 50 members the Swaziland Democracy Campaign as they
prepared for a protest march in Mbabane. The umbrella group had been
set up jointly with Cosatu, South Africa’s main union. South African
participants were deported and Swazis were harshly interrogated.
More people were arrested and beaten during the march the next day.
(Econ, 9/18/10, p.63)
2010 Sep 9, South Africa
released new statistics indicating that its murder rate, one of the
highest in the world, has dropped by 8.6 percent to its lowest level
in nearly two decades.
(AP, 9/9/10)
2010 Sep 13, South African
police fatally shot Nontsikelelo Anna Nokela (17) who was part of a
group protesting that a teachers strike gave them insufficient time
to prepare for exams. Investigators the next day arrested a police
officer after determining "the shooting was premeditated."
Investigators said the officer had earlier threatened to hurt the
students if they protested.
(AP, 9/14/10)(AP, 9/15/10)
2010 Sep 14, The South
Africa-based retailer Massmart confirmed that it was in negotiations
to be acquired by Wal-Mart for $4.1 billion.
(Econ, 10/2/10, p.68)
2010 Sep 21, South African
police said 11 suspected members of an alleged rhino poaching
syndicate have been arrested, as part of an ongoing investigation.
The suspects included 2 veterinarians and a game farmer.
(AFP, 9/21/10)(SFC, 9/23/10, p.A2)
2010 Sep 23, In South Africa 8
prisoners, charged with murder and robbery, escaped from a court in
Johannesburg. Police re-arrested seven but were still searching for
one. 13 officers were arrested on charges of aiding the escape.
(AP, 9/24/10)
2010 Oct 2, South African
authorities arrested Henry Okah, an ex-leader of a militant group
that claimed responsibility for the Oct 1 dual car bombing that
killed 12 people in Nigeria. A day before the bombings, security
agencies in South Africa had raided Okah's home and seized a laptop,
though they did not arrest him.
(AP, 10/3/10)
2010 Oct 5, South Africa
launched a special wildlife crime unit to tackle a dramatic surge in
rhino poaching driven by demand for the animal's horn in Asia for
use in traditional medicines.
(AFP, 10/5/10)
2010 Oct 12, At the United
Nations Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa were
elected to join the big guns on the UN Security Council for two
years, starting in January.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20101012/ts_csm/331624)(Reuters,
10/13/10)
2010 Oct 19, Egyptian and South
African leaders met in Cairo for talks aimed at strengthening
economic ties between the two African powerhouses and working
towards a free trade deal for the continent.
(AFP, 10/19/10)
2010 Oct 19, South African
journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika, arrested after writing about alleged
police corruption, said a proposed media bill could transform a
country known for being among Africa's most free and transparent to
one more like autocratic Zimbabwe. He spoke at a protest of more
than 300 people marching against the government's media proposals.
(AP, 10/19/10)
2010 Oct 20, Swiss mining giant
Xstrata said that it would spend 4.9 billion rands (710 million
dollars, 510 million euros) on expanding a ferrochrome smelter in
South Africa.
(AFP, 10/20/10)
2010 Oct 25, South African
soldiers strayed into neighboring Mozambique and exchanged fire with
civilians, leaving 2 people dead and one injured.
(AP, 10/26/10)(AP, 10/27/10)
2010 Nov 13, In South Africa
Anni Dewani (28), a British tourist, was found dead after being
abducted by armed men in Cape Town just days after she and her new
British husband, Shrien Dewani, arrived for a holiday. By Nov 18 two
suspects, both 26, were arrested. A 3rd suspect (31) was arrested on
Nov 20. On Dec 7 a court heard allegations that her husband had
connived with a taxi driver to stage a robbery and have his wife
shot dead.
(AFP, 11/14/10)(AP, 11/18/10)(AP, 11/21/10)(AFP,
12/7/10)
2010 Nov 16, Chinese Vice
President Xi Jinping began a trip to mineral-rich South Africa aimed
at securing resources for the Asian economic power, looking to
extend its influence in the African continent.
(Reuters, 11/16/10)
2010 Nov 19, South African
officials said wildlife officials found the decomposing bodies of 18
rhinos, dehorned victims of poaching, on a private game preserve
near Kruger National Park.
(SFC, 11/20/10, p.A2)
2010 Nov 22, A South African
court said a Zimbabwean government property in Cape Town can be
auctioned to compensate three evicted white farmers in Zimbabwe for
legal fees.
(AP, 11/22/10)
2010 Nov 25, South Africa said
it has launched an anti-corruption unit to investigate government
officials misusing funds and receiving bribes.
(AP, 11/25/10)
2010 Nov 26, South African
President Jacob Zuma arrived in Harare to try to smooth over
disputes threatening Zimbabwe's troubled power-sharing government.
Zuma said he had persuaded President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai to
start talking again to address the rifts in their power-sharing
government.
(AFP, 11/26/10)(Reuters, 11/26/10)
2010 Nov 26, In South Africa a
study led by the government-funded Medical Research Foundation says
that in Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg, more than 37% of men
said they had raped a woman. A quarter of the women interviewed said
they'd been raped, but the study said only one in 25 rapes are
reported to police.
(AP, 11/26/10)
2010 Nov 26, In South Africa
lightning and a storm killed seven people and injured 67 at a
Christmas party at a nursery school in KwaZulu Natal.
(AFP, 11/27/10)
2010 Nov 29, Wal-Mart said it
will pay $2.3 billion for a 51% stake in Massmart, giving the
world's largest retailer a substantial presence in South Africa and
paving the way for further expansion across the continent.
(AP, 11/29/10)
2010 Dec 1, South African white
farmer Attie Potgieter (40), his wife Wilna (36) and their
3-year-old daughter were murdered on their farm in Lindley. 6 men
were later charged with the murders. Attie was slashed over 150
times.
(Econ, 9/17/11, p.48)(http://tinyurl.com/3ru3qom)
2010 Dec 1, On World AIDS Day
South Africa counted the world’s largest HIV-positive population
with an estimated 5.7 million people infected, over 11% of its 50
million people.
(SFC, 12/2/10, p.A9)
2010 Dec 4, It was reported
that South African gangsters were stealing supplies of the
antiretroviral drug Stocrin. They were mixing it with cannabis, rat
poison and some other ingredients to make a lethal new drug called
whoonga (wunga), used to produce a cheap high.
(Econ, 12/4/10, p.60)
2010 Dec 6, A South African
newspaper, The New Age, debuted with denials it is an agent of the
governing African National Congress. The owners, members of the
Gupta family, which has mining, computer and other businesses in
South Africa and India, was seen as close to President Jacob Zuma.
(AP, 12/6/10)
2010 Dec 8, South African
President Jacob Zuma announced a 210 million rand ($30 million)
credit package for Cuba and forgave Cuba's debt to South Africa
during a state visit to the island nation, a decision his opponents
criticized.
(AP, 12/8/10)
2010 Dec 9, South Africa
unveiled its national space agency, aiming to become a leader in
earth observation technology across the continent in 10 years.
(AFP, 12/9/10)
2010 Dec 14, Angolan President
Jose Eduardo dos Santos started a historic first state visit to
South Africa, a trip aimed at ending decades-long enmity between two
of the region's major economies.
(AFP, 12/14/10)
2010 Dec 23, In South Africa
serial killer Thozamile Taki (36) was convicted of murdering 13
women and dumping their bodies in sugarcane plantations around the
country. The bodies of the women had decomposed in the fields when
they were found in 2007. On Jan 19 Taki received the maximum 13 life
sentences. He was also sentenced to 208 years for robbery charges.
(AP, 12/23/10)(AP, 1/19/11)
2010 Dec 24, South Africa's
minister of international relations and cooperation said South
Africa has been invited by China to join the four-member "BRIC"
grouping of fast-growing emerging markets. South Africa is the
world's 31st-largest economy, according to World Bank data for 2009
and is less than a quarter the size of the smallest BRIC economy,
Russia.
(Reuters, 12/24/10)
2010 Dec 31, In South Africa
thousands of Zimbabwean immigrants crowded outside immigration
offices as a deadline approached for them to obtain permits or face
deportation.
(AP, 12/31/10)
2010 Sasha Polakow-Suransky
authored “The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Alliance with
apartheid South Africa.
(Econ, 5/22/10, p.88)
2010 In South Africa 566 people
were reported killed this year as a result of police action.
(Econ, 8/27/11, p.41)
2010 South Africa lost 333
rhinos to poaching in 2010, the highest number ever recorded and
almost triple the previous year's losses.
(AP, 1/12/11)
2011 Jan 1, In South Africa 10
people were killed in a stampede during the early hours of New
Year's Day at a tavern in the Ipelegeng township in the largely
rural North West province.
(AP, 12/31/10)
2011 Jan 2, In South Africa 7
people from neighboring families have been killed in a lightning
strike in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal province. In neighboring Eastern
Cape province, four others were killed and 20 injured in a New
Year's Day lightning strike.
(AP, 1/3/11)
2011 Jan 7, South African
authorities said at least 39 people have died in flooding and
thunderstorms in the eastern part of the country since mid-December.
(AP, 1/7/11)
2011 Jan 15, In central South
Africa 20 people died when a burst tire sent a passenger bus out of
control and caused it to veer into a muddy stream.
(AP, 1/15/11)
2011 Jan 17, South Africa's
Cooperative Governance Ministry said at least 40 people have been
killed or gone missing following heavy rains from late December
through most of January and that thousands of homes in neighboring
Mozambique have been destroyed.
(Reuters, 1/17/11)
2011 Jan 20, South African
police found two dead bodies in the rural west. They were identified
as Philippe Meniere and Agnes Jardel, a French couple wanted for
allegedly shooting at a police officer last week.
(AP, 1/21/11)
2011 Jan 23, South African
police raided apartments linked to a Nigerian man facing terrorism
charges in South Africa, killing one tenant and wounding another
person.
(AP, 1/24/11)
2011 Jan 24, South Africa’s
government declared 33 municipalities as disaster areas following
flooding that killed more than 100 people over the last month and
saturated the farms of the major food producer for the continent.
(Reuters, 1/22/11)
2011 Feb 6, In South Africa
game park rangers shot and killed 3 suspected rhinoceros poachers in
confrontations in Kruger National Park. A 4th poacher was killed a
day earlier in a KwaZulu-Natal park.
(AP, 2/7/11)
2011 Feb 8, In South Africa a
private plane carrying nine people, including the chief executive of
tile company Italtile Ltd., crashed in a nature reserve 320 miles
east of Cape Town. There were no survivors. The Johannesburg-based
retailer of ceramic tiles and bathroom accessories has been publicly
traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since 1988.
(AP, 2/9/11)
2011 Feb 10, South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma announced a raft of economic incentives to
create jobs, including tax breaks for the manufacturing sector, in
his second State of the Nation address.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110211/wl_csm/362777)
2011 Feb 15, In South Africa
one person was killed in demonstrations in the eastern town of
Ermelo that turned violent with live fire exchanged between police
and protesters. Demonstrators angered by what they see as poor
government service had fired on police and attacked journalists.
(AP, 2/15/11)
2011 Mar 3, South Africa's
highest court ordered a top Johannesburg-based mining company to
compensate the family of a dead mineworker, overturning a law which
prohibited mineworkers with lung diseases from claiming
compensation.
(AP, 3/3/11)
2011 Mar 17, American actor
Danny Glover arrived in South Africa to escort former Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide home.
(AP, 3/17/11)
2011 Mar 23, South Africa’s
University of Johannesburg voted to sever ties with Israel's
Ben-Gurion University, acting on calls from hundreds of South
African academics and intellectuals for an academic boycott in a
growing campaign to isolate Israel for its attacks on Palestinians
in Gaza. It will end a 25-year relationship on April 1, but
professors can continue to work individually with Ben-Gurion.
(AP, 3/24/11)
2011 Mar 27, South Africa's
newly appointed government spokesman Jimmy Manyi said the government
is launching a newspaper to rectify media censorship of government
information. Its bimonthly magazine will launch next month as a
20-page, free, monthly newspaper called Vuk'uzenzele, which means
"Wake up and do it for yourself" in Zulu.
(AP, 3/27/11)
2011 Mar 29, South African
counterterrorism police arrested Andre Visagie, a white supremacist,
and seized weapons including five homemade rifles, a pistol, and
more than 690 rounds of ammunition.
(AP, 3/30/11)
2011 Apr 2, South African judge
Richard Goldstone said he had been wrong to say Israel had targeted
civilians in his 2009 report on Israel’s 2008-2998 offensive in
Gaza. He had faced down enormous criticism in Israel at the time
over the report which accused both Israel and the Hamas rulers of
Gaza of potential war crimes during the 22-day conflict. He said his
assessment had also been changed by the fact that whereas Israel had
thoroughly investigated the concerns raised by his panel, Hamas had
not.
(AFP, 4/3/11)
2011 Apr 13, In South Africa
Andries Tatane, a demonstrator in a central town protesting lack of
basic services, was beaten to death by police. Eight police officers
soon faced murder and other charges after state television showed
images of the beating.
(AP, 4/28/11)
2011 Apr 18, Italian chocolate
tycoon Pietro Ferrero (47) fell off his bike while riding in South
Africa and died. A heart attack was suspected.
(AFP, 4/19/11)
2011 Apr 19, Investors
announced that West Africa Cable System (WACS), a new $650 million
undersea telecommunications cable, has landed in South Africa,
saying the link would double the broadband capacity of the
continent's largest economy.
(AFP, 4/19/11)
2011 Apr 24, In South Africa
the body of Noxolo Nogwaza (24) was found in a drainage ditch choked
with trash and high reeds. The lesbian activist had been repeatedly
stabbed with broken glass, and beaten so severely with chunks of
concrete that her teeth had been knocked out.
(AP,
5/10/11)(http://wherethegirlsgo.com/tag/noxolo-nogwaza/)
2011 May 5, In South Africa
Sheryl Cwele, the wife of the South African Cabinet minister in
charge of intelligence, was convicted of dealing in illegal drugs.
Cwele and her co-defendant faced a minimum of 15 years in prison for
recruiting women to smuggle drugs from Turkey and South America.
(AP, 5/5/11)
2011 May 18, South Africa held
municipal elections with growing anger over corruption scandals and
poor basic services expected to dent support for the powerful ruling
African National Congress. The ANC was expected to win in the
overwhelming majority of the country's 278 municipalities. Voters
handed the ANC a 63.6% majority, with most of the votes counted. The
Democratic Alliance saw its support jump to 22.1%.
(AFP, 5/18/11)(Reuters, 5/20/11)
2011 May 19, In South Africa
more than 700 people were injured, 70 of them seriously, when two
commuter trains collided in the Soweto township outside
Johannesburg.
(Reuters, 5/20/11)
2011 May 22, In South Africa 2
officers were shot dead and their guns stolen in a Cape Town
squatter camp. On May 19 two officers were killed after raiding a
building in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. The national police
chief called the violence against police a crises.
(AP, 5/22/11)
2011 May 27, It was reported
that South African scientists have found a new species of cockroach,
the world’s only jumping cockroach, at Cape Town’s Table Mountain
National Park.
(SFC, 5/27/11, p.A2)
2011 May 30, South Africa
President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli for talks on ending the
Libyan conflict as NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moamer
Kadhafi's "reign of terror" was near its end. 5 generals, 2 colonels
and a major announced they had defected from Kadhafi's forces, and
said the regime's army was now at 20-percent capacity.
(AFP, 5/30/11)(AFP, 5/31/11)
2011 May 31, The South African
Human Rights Commission said South Africa's ambassador to Uganda, a
country criticized for threatening the rights of gays, has been
found guilty of hate speech for an anti-gay column he wrote before
his appointment. Jon Qwelane was ordered to apologize and pay
a fine of 100,000 rand (about $14,000) that the human rights
commission will donate to a gay rights organization.
(AP, 5/31/11)
2011 May 31, South African
regulators approved Wal-Mart's 17 billion rand (about $2.4 billion)
bid to buy a 51% controlling share of South Africa’s Massmart chain
in a ruling that culminated a fierce debate over protectionism in
the country with the continent's most promising economy.
(AP, 5/31/11)
2011 Jun 2, In South Africa
Albertina Sisulu (92), apartheid fighter and former leader of the
United Democratic Front, died.
(SSFC, 6/19/11, p.A4)
2011 Jun 16, Swedish
arms-maker Saab said that it had unwittingly paid over $3 million to
a South African ANC defense consultant. Saab said payments had been
made in 2003 through the British arms producer, BAE Systems.
(Econ, 7/23/11,
p.43)(www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13813281)
2011 Jun 26, In South Africa a
head-on collision between two mini-bus taxis on a rural road in the
northern province of Limpopo killed 15 people and seriously injured
10.
(AFP, 6/27/11)
2011 Jul 4, In South Africa
more than 110,000 engineers and metalworkers launched a strike to
demand a 13 percent wage increase.
(AFP, 7/5/11)
2011 Jul 4, The WWF said South
Africa lost 193 rhinos in the first six months of the year, with 126
of them killed in Kruger National Park.
(AFP, 7/4/11)
2011 Jul 11, In South Africa
some 70,000 workers at oil refineries and related industries joined
a week-old strike, raising fears of potential fuel shortages.
(AFP, 7/11/11)
2011 Jul 18, Former South
African defense minister Magnus Malan (b.1930) died. He had
militarized the country to battle a perceived "total onslaught" on
the apartheid regime.
(AFP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 18, British PM David
Cameron sought to bridge the gap with South African President Jacob
Zuma over the Libya conflict on a visit overshadowed by the
phone-hacking scandal back home. The focus of Cameron's trip was on
boosting trade with a continent.
(AP, 7/19/11)
2011 Jul 24, South Africa’s
Johannesburg City Press reported that the African National Congress'
Youth League firebrand Julius Malema has an alleged "secret fund"
into which local businessmen are reported to have paid large sums of
money in return for help winning government contracts.
(AP, 7/24/11)
2011 Aug 1, South African coal
miners ended their weeklong strike after signing a pay rise
agreement ranging from 7.5 to 10.5 percent.
(AFP, 8/2/11)
2011 Aug 2, In South Africa the
main link on Africa's fastest railway opened to thousands of
commuters who shuttled at 160 km (100 miles) per hour between
Johannesburg and Pretoria.
(AFP, 8/2/11)
2011 Aug 2, South Africa agreed
to a $368-million loan to neighboring Swaziland, just one quarter of
the amount sought by King Mswati III to avoid his government's
financial collapse.
(AP, 8/3/11)
2011 Aug 4, US investigators
confronted Jesse Osmun in Connecticut and obtained a written
confession that as a Peace Corps volunteer, he had sexually molested
at least 5 girls at a South African shelter for AIDS orphans and
other children. None of the girls were older than 6.
(AP, 8/11/11)
2011 Aug 8, In South Africa
drivers operating feeder buses to high-speed train service went on a
one-day strike, only six days after a new link between Johannesburg
and the capital Pretoria opened. Drivers were demanding a wage
increase from 4,600 rand ($660, 467 euros) to 5,000 rand a month.
Train drivers earned about 21,000 rand per month.
(AFP, 8/8/11)
2011 Aug 11, South Africa
announced it has approved a national health insurance proposal aimed
at overhauling weak public facilities that serve more than 80
percent of the population. The National Health Insurance (NHI)
scheme will be piloted in 10 areas next year and rolled out
nationally over 14 years.
(AFP, 8/11/11)
2011 Aug 11, Burundi and South
Africa signed several cooperation deals including in defense,
education and agriculture during Pres. Zuma's visit to the central
African country.
(AFP, 8/11/11)
2011 Aug 14, In eastern South
Africa two planes carrying 13 people went missing. The wreckage was
spotted from a helicopter on Aug 16 and there were no survivors.
(AP, 8/16/11)
2011 Aug 20, In South Africa
some 2,000 women draped sexy lingerie over their street clothes and
marched through Cape Town, bringing the international "SlutWalks"
campaign against the notion that a woman's appearance can excuse
attacks to a country where rape is seen as a national crisis.
(AP, 8/20/11)
2011 Aug 23, In South Africa a
new study on the country’s renowned wine and fruit farms said
workers face unfit housing and exposure to pesticides and are
blocked from forming labor unions. Industry groups criticized HRW's
research methods, accusing the organization of bias.
(AFP, 8/23/11)
2011 Aug 29, South African
municipal workers called off a 16-day nationwide strike without
reaching an agreement with employers.
(AFP, 8/29/11)
2011 Aug 30, South African
police detonated stun grenades and fired a water cannon at hundreds
of stone-throwing members of the ruling party's youth league, who
burned party flags and called for the president's ouster as their
leaders were brought before a party disciplinary committee.
(AP, 8/30/11)
2011 Aug 30, In South Africa a
bus overturned on a road in Eastern Cape province, killing 11 people
including one child.
(AFP, 8/31/11)
2011 Sep 9, A South African
court jailed Robert McBride, a former city police chief and
anti-apartheid militant, for five years over a drunken car crash
that he tried to cover up.
(AFP, 9/9/11)
2011 Sep 12, A South African
judge said Julius Malema (30), the black man who leads the youth
wing of the governing party, has no right to sing "Shoot the Boer,"
a song some whites find offensive. The next day the ANC said it
would appeal the decision.
(AP, 9/12/11)(AFP, 9/14/11)
2011 Sep 17, South African
politicians joined hundreds of people who marched outside parliament
to protest against the controversial secrecy bill which will be
tabled in parliament next week.
(AFP, 9/18/11)
2011 Sep 19, South Africa's
ruling African National Congress shelved a controversial secrecy
bill after a widespread outcry that it would muzzle investigations
into government wrongdoing.
(AFP, 9/19/11)
2011 Sep 28, Officials said
South Africa and Vietnam have launched talks toward an agreement to
curb rhino poaching, which has soared in recent years driven by
booming demand in Asia.
(AFP, 9/28/11)
2011 Oct 2, In South Africa a
tornado in Nigel in Gauteng province left an eight-year-old boy dead
and injured 166 people. Over 150 houses were lost. Lightning killed
two more people in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.
(AFP, 10/3/11)
2011 Oct 6, Desmond Tutu's
last-ditch appeal to South Africa to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama
on the eve of his 80th birthday was rejected, marring the start of
the celebrations. The Dalai Lama cancelled a planned trip to South
Africa because of delays with his visa, provoking a furious response
from Tutu who blasted President Jacob Zuma's government as worse
than apartheid and accused him of kowtowing to China.
(AFP, 10/6/11)
2011 Oct 7, In South Africa 4
men were convicted of murdering a lesbian in Cape Town, in a case
that dragged on for five years and heightened concerns about
"corrective rape" targeting gay women. In 2006 The men stoned,
kicked and stabbed to death Zoliswa Nkonyana (19) just meters
(yards) from her home.
(AFP, 10/7/11)
2011 Oct 10, South Africa
launched its census count, with officials pleading for residents in
the crime-plagued nation to open their often formidably barricaded
doors to teams of yellow-shirted enumerators.
(AFP, 10/10/11)
2011 Oct 20, South Africa's
President Jacob Zuma was at the centre of a row over the millions
spent on the renovation of South Africa's government and
presidential buildings. A day later backtracked on a slammed lavish
upgrade of President Jacob Zuma's official residence, saying the
wrong details were supplied to parliament.
(AFP, 10/20/11)(AFP, 10/21/11)
2011 Oct 21, South Africa's
ruling party's young wing saluted Libya's slain former leader Moamer
Kadhafi calling him an "anti-imperialist martyr" and a fighter
against the recolonization of the African continent.
(AFP, 10/21/11)
2011 Oct 22, In South Africa an
allegedly drunk driver killed five runners who were training for a
marathon. A sixth runner preparing for next month's Soweto Marathon
was badly injured in the accident in Johannesburg. South Africa's
leading road cyclist, Carla Swart, died after being hit by a truck
earlier this year while she was training.
(AP, 10/23/11)
2011 Oct 23, In South Africa
Kirsty Theologo (18) was doused in petrol and burned alive by her
friends in a Johannesburg park, in what police suspect was a satanic
ritual. Two men aged 19 and 21 who took part in the incident turned
themselves in. Theologo suffered burns over three quarters of her
body, damaging her lungs and throat, and remained in a coma.
Theologo died on Oct 28. A 2nd girl (16) survived her burns.
(AFP, 10/24/11)(AP, 10/28/11)
2011 Oct 24, South Africa's
President Jacob Zuma said the national police chief has been
suspended and a Cabinet minister fired after the two were caught up
in a police headquarters leasing scandal.
(AP, 10/24/11)
2011 Oct 25, South Africa threw
its weight behind Palestine's bid to become a full member of the
United Nations and called on the international body to settle the
bid quickly.
(AFP, 10/25/11)
2011 Oct 25, South Africa’s
Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, said South Africa will launch a
$3.2 billion package to boost the economy, as he revised the 2011
growth forecast for the country down to 3.1 percent.
(AFP, 10/25/11)
2011 Oct 27, Young South
Africans, led by Julius Malema, brought their frustration over
poverty and joblessness to the streets, responding to a call by the
tough-talking youth leader of the governing ANC who has clashed with
older party leaders over economic policy.
(AP, 10/27/11)
2011 Nov 3, Wildlife group WWF
said rhino poaching in South Africa has hit a new record high, with
341 of the animals lost to poachers so far this year as black-market
demand for rhino horn soars.
(AFP, 11/3/11)
2011 Nov 4, The Anglo-American
mining firm agreed to pay the Oppenheimer family $5.1 billion for
their 40% stake in De Beers, the world’s leading diamond miner.
(Econ, 11/12/11, p.73)
2011 Nov 7, In South Africa
Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a gate and climbed a
crane at the Kusile coal-fired power station to protest dependence
on coal, weeks before the country hosts a global conference on
climate change. 9 people were arrested.
(AP, 11/7/11)(SFC, 11/8/11, p.A2)
2011 Nov 10, South Africa's
governing party fired Julius Malema (30), its controversial youth
leader, and suspended him from the African National Congress for
five years for sowing intolerance and disunity. Malema said he would
appeal.
(AP, 11/10/11)
2011 Nov 11, South Africa's
former finance minister Trevor Manuel unveiled a plan to end poverty
by creating 11 million jobs by 2030.
(AFP, 11/11/11)
2011 Nov 12, In South Africa
renowned cricket writer Peter Roebuck (55) was about to be detained
over the alleged sexual assault of a Zimbabwean man when he plunged
to his death.
(AFP, 11/14/11)
2011 Nov 15, South African
teacher Guilford Shapo (53) was hacked to death with a machete in
front of a shocked classroom of primary school students in the
northern town of Polokwane. His 40-year-old brother was charged in
the case.
(AFP, 11/17/11)
2011 Nov 15, Hong Kong customs
officers intercepted a record haul of 33 rhino horns, 758 ivory
chopsticks and 127 bracelets hidden inside a container shipped from
South Africa.
(AFP, 11/16/11)
2011 Nov 22, South Africa’s
governing African National Congress pushed a bill through parliament
(229-107) to protect state secrets, despite strong objections from
the opposition. Pres. Zuma was expected to approve the secrecy bill.
Pretoria’s Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said the city will be renamed
Tshwane by the end of 2012, with main roads also given names of
anti-apartheid leaders.
(AP, 11/22/11)(AFP, 11/22/11)(Econ, 11/19/11,
p.62)
2011 Nov 22, A survey of some
6,000 people over the last 12 months in Democratic Republic of
Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe
said police are the most corrupt institution in the six countries.
(AFP, 11/22/11)
2011 Nov 25, A study by
Canadian scientists found that South Africa and Zimbabwe suffer the
worst economic losses due to doctors emigrating, while Australia,
Canada, Britain and the United States benefit the most from
recruiting doctors trained abroad.
(Reuters, 11/25/11)
2011 Nov 28, UN climate
negotiations opened in Durban, South Africa, with pressure building
to salvage the only treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
(AP, 11/28/11)
2011 Nov 30, In South Africa
Rajendra Pachauri, the UN's top climate scientist, cautioned climate
negotiators that global warming is leading to human dangers and
soaring financial costs, but containing carbon emissions will have a
host of benefits.
(AP, 11/30/11)
2011 Dec 1, South Africa’s
President Jacob Zuma unveiled a 5-year plan to halve the number of
HIV infections, cementing South Africa's turnaround from years of
deadly denial.
(AFP, 12/1/11)
2011 Dec 1, In eastern South
Africa a crash involving a van and a truck killed all 18 people
aboard the two vehicles, including a baby.
(AP, 12/1/11)
2011 Dec 5, Johannesburg police
fired rubber bullets to break up a group of demonstrators gathered
in front of the ruling ANC party headquarters to protest South
Africa's alleged involvement in fraud in the November 28 election in
the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(AFP, 12/5/11)
2011 Dec 5, In South Africa
Global Witness said it has left the Kimberley Process, accusing the
international diamond regulatory group of refusing to address links
between diamonds, violence and tyranny. The rights watchdog cited
what it called failures in Ivory Coast, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
(AP, 12/5/11)
2011 Dec 6, The South African
National Parks authority said rhino poaching has climbed to a record
for a 2nd year. As many as 405 rhinos have been killed so far this
year, 22% more than in 2010.
(SFC, 12/7/11, p.A2)
2011 Dec 7, In South Africa an
investigation commissioned by the government into the UN
oil-for-food program in Iraq cleared Deputy President Kgalema
Motlanthe of corruption. The probe was ordered in 2006 by then
president Thabo Mbeki, into what has become known in the country as
"Oilgate," to look at allegations of kickbacks sourced by senior
members of the ruling party from the State Oil Marketing
Organization of Iraq (SOMO). The UN oil-for-food program ran from
1996 until 2003.
(AFP, 12/7/11)
2011 Dec 10, In South Africa a
day after their scheduled close, UN climate talks fought against
despondency as 194 countries grappled for a deal to tame greenhouse
gases. Research presented at Durban said the world is on track for a
3.5 C (6.3 F) rise, a likely recipe for droughts, floods, storms and
rising sea levels that will threaten tens of millions.
(AFP, 12/10/11)
2011 Dec 10, In central South
Africa the driver of an overloaded van lost control, veered into the
oncoming lane and collided with a truck, leaving 30 people dead.
(AP, 12/10/11)
2011 Dec 10, South Africa's
ruling African National Congress offered to help President Robert
Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF win the next elections in neighboring
Zimbabwe.
(AFP, 12/11/11)
2011 Dec 11, In South Africa a
UN climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement on a
far-reaching program meant to set a new course for the global fight
against climate change. The 194-party conference agreed to start
negotiations on a new accord that would ensure that countries will
be legally bound to carry out any pledges they make. It would take
effect by 2020 at the latest. The conference also agreed on a Green
Climate Fund, which would funnel some of the $110 billion, promised
by rich countries to poor ones, to help them cut emissions and adopt
to climate change.
(AP, 12/11/11)(Econ, 12/17/11, p.140)
2011 Dec 12, China executed
Janice Linden (35), a South African woman, by lethal injection for
drug smuggling after rejecting last-minute pleas for clemency from
her government. She was convicted of trying to sneak three kg (6.6
pounds) of methamphetamine into the country in her luggage through
the southern city of Guangzhou in 2008. Amnesty International says
China executes more people every year than the rest of the world
combined.
(AFP, 12/12/11)
2011 Dec 16, Zimbabwe state
media said the national airline has suspended flights to South
Africa over a debt of $500,000, fearing creditors might impound more
of its planes.
(AFP, 12/16/11)
2011 Dec 20, In South Africa
Julius Malema (30), the suspended youth leader of the ruling African
National Congress, was elected to a senior party post by members in
his home province of Limpopo.
(AFP, 12/20/11)
2011 Dec 21, In South Africa
the Limpopo branch of the African National Congress adopted
controversial plans for the expropriation of land and the
nationalization of mines. It said compensation must be paid not on
the land itself but only on improvements.
(AFP, 12/21/11)
2011 Dec 26, In South Africa 19
people were killed when an overtaking car smashed head-on into a
minibus taxi in central Free State.
(AP, 12/27/11)
2011 The World Health
Organization estimated that 62% of South Africa’s men and 73% of its
women were overweight.
(Econ, 3/26/11, p.77)
2011 The group Stop Rhino
Poaching estimated that 446 rhinos were killed in South Africa this
year, a sharp jump from the 13 lost in 2007, 83 in 2008, 122 in 2009
and 333 in 2010.
(AFP, 1/3/12)
2012 Jan 6, South Africa’s
Media24 said its famous Boekehuis bookshop in Johannesburg will
close at the end of January, a victim of the country's poor reading
culture.
(AFP, 1/6/12)
2012 Jan 10, In South Africa a
stampede broke out as thousands tried to enroll at the Univ. of
Johannesburg, killing one woman and injuring at least 22 people.
South Africa's national university system has room for some 150,000
first-year students this year. Another 180,000 high school graduates
are expected to be turned away.
(AFP, 1/10/12)
2012 Jan 10, South African
rangers found eight dead rhinos that had been stripped of their
horns, an unprecedented one-day toll, in Kruger National Park.
(AP, 1/11/12)
2012 Jan 11, In South Africa 2
suspected rhino poachers were shot dead by rangers in Kruger
National Park, a day after eight dehorned carcasses were found
there.
(AFP, 1/11/12)
2012 Jan 13, Ratings agency
Fitch revised South Africa's outlook from stable to negative, citing
the country's failure to create enough jobs and to speed up economic
growth.
(AFP, 1/13/12)
2012 Jan 31, South African
Airways launched non-stop flights to Beijing. China became South
Africa's top trade partner in 2009.
(AFP, 1/31/12)
2012 Feb 1, South Africa’s
national parks agency said 3 young Mozambican poachers will spend 25
years behind bars after they were found with two fresh rhino horns
in Kruger Park.
(AFP, 2/2/12)
2012 Feb 2, In South Africa
Impala Platinum, the world's number two producer, fired 13,000
miners who went on an illegal strike. Over the past month, the
Johannesburg-based company has sacked a total of about 17,200
workers at its mine in the northwestern town of Rustenburg, more
than half of the 30,000 people employed in the town.
(AFP, 2/2/12)
2012 Feb 4, South Africa's
ruling ANC threw out an appeal by its fiery youth league leader,
Julius Malema (30), to overturn his suspension, but said he could
argue for a lighter sentence.
(AFP, 2/4/12)
2012 Feb 9, South Africa’s
Pres. Zuma said the government will invest 300 billion rand ($39.6
billion, €29.7 billion) in rail and port projects over the next
seven years in a bid to create jobs.
(AFP, 2/9/12)
2012 Feb 11, South Africa
launched a new line of bank notes bearing the image of its first
democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela (93), on the 22nd
anniversary of his release from prison.
(AFP, 2/11/12)
2012 Feb 12, In South Africa
the Impala Platinum worker’s union said the world's number two
producer has agreed to take back 17,200 workers who were fired for
going on strike.
(AFP, 2/12/12)
2012 Feb 19, South African
police said at least 350 people have been arrested after deadly
violence during an illegal strike at the world's largest platinum
mine run by Impala Platinum. At least 2 miners were killed since
violence began on Feb 16. A 3rd death was reported on Feb 24.
(AFP, 2/19/12)(AFP, 2/20/12)(AFP, 2/24/12)
2012 Mar 1, In South Africa
fiery youth leader Julius Malema vowed to keep fighting after the
ruling ANC expelled him in a dramatic move seen as clearing an
obstacle to President Jacob Zuma's reelection.
(AFP, 3/1/12)
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End of file