South Africa

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Traumatised South African Children Play 'rape Me' Games
Schools are the most common site of crimes against children according to a human rights commission report

Racist Video Sparks Outrage in South Africa
'Barbaric' video shows students forcing black university workers to eat meat saturated in urine

Mines Shut As South Africa Faces Electricity 'emergency'
South Africa's power crisis forces world's three largest gold mining companies to shut operations as government calls rolling blackouts a 'national emergency'

Gold Mines Shut As South Africa Forced to Ration Power Supply
The South African government is to introduce electricity rationing, as the country's deepening power crisis forced the world's largest gold and platinum mining companies to shut down operations yesterday

Power Cuts a Good Sign, Sceptical South Africans Told
South African government tells millions left in the dark by rolling power cuts likely to go on for years to look on the bright side

Youth Held Over South African Settlement Shooting
Police hunting a white South African youth who opened fire into a black squatter camp, killing four people, arrest a 17-year-old

South Africa Police Chief Faces Criminal Charges
Prosecutors to charge Jackie Selebi with accepting bribes from a drug trafficker, passing on intelligence reports and interfering with a murder investigation

South Africa Police Chief Applies to Stop Investigation Against Him
Jackie Selebi asks high court to block looming corruption charges as ruling ANC seeks to gain control over investigations unit targeting senior figures

South Africa in Turmoil As Mbeki Heads for Defeat
Rival Zuma set to take over as head of ANC· Bitter contest with sacked deputy divides country

South African Miners Stage Strike Over Safety Standards
Unions call for negligent bosses to be prosecuted· Accidents underground costing 200 lives a year

Fight Begins for the Soul of South Africa
President Mbeki's African renaissance is collapsing, with his party riven by a power struggle played out to a background of corruption and crime

South African Editor Fears Arrest for Minister Claims
The Johannesburg Sunday Times said yesterday that it expected its editor and a journalist on its staff to be arrested this week after reporting allegations that the country's health minister was a drunk and a thief.

Arrest Warrant Issued for South African Police Chief
An arrest warrant has been issued for South Africa's national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, the state broadcaster reported today.

Shoppers Hail New Monument to South African Liberation
Mandela opens mall in transformed Soweto· Owner aims to keep local income within township

South Africa Blames Uk for Zimbabwe Crisis
· Report attacks Britain as main protagonist· Harare opposition denies view agreement is near

Ninety Years On, South Africa Salutes 600 Men Left to Drown in Channel
Tribute to the forgotten volunteers 'treated like dirt in the war to end all wars'.

ANC Power Struggle Looms As More Join South Africa's Strike
Soldiers man hospitals after nurses are sacked - President Mbeki accused of enriching black elite

South Africa Hit By Strike As Left Challenges Anc Leadership
South African trade unions have launched one of the biggest national strikes of the post-apartheid era in a move widely seen as spearheading the left's challenge to win control of the ruling African National Congress ahead of next year's presidential election.

South Africans Meet Mugabe's Opponents and Warn of 'meltdown'
Intervention welcomed as breakthrough in Zimbabwe - Archbishop issues rallying cry against 'dictator'

Occupied Gaza Like Apartheid South Africa, Says Un Report
A UN human rights investigator has likened Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories to apartheid South Africa and says there should be "serious consideration" over bringing the occupation to the international court of justice.

South Africa's Constitutional Court Symbolises the Fight Against Apartheid
David Beresford finds a moving architectural tribute to the fight against apartheid in South Africa's constitutional court.

South Africa's Police Chief, His Friend the Murder Suspect, and the Crime Syndicate
Investigation Commissioner, who also heads Interpol, is under suspicion of corruption.

South Africa Launches Huge Manhunt for the Slippery 'houdini of C-max'
One of the biggest manhunts South Africa has ever seen was under way this weekend as police searched for Ananias Mathe - 'the devil's child'.

South African Assembly Passes Gay Partnership Law
South Africa's ANC government today took another step in ramming through legislation facilitating same sex "marriages", as opposition politicians warned of "God's wrath".

Nadine Gordimer Sees the Men Who Attacked Her in Her Home As Symbolic of the Challenges Facing South Africa.
Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer sees the men who attacked her in her home as symbolic of the challenges facing South Africa.

South African Government Ends Aids Denial
· Pledge to increase availability of vital drugs · Activists say policy could save thousands of lives

ANC Name Changes in South Africa Are Dividing Communities
Is the African National Congress' insistence on renaming streets and buildings, driving a new wedge between white Afrikaners and black South Africans, asks David Beresford.

Whites Protest at African Name Changes
· March highlights lingering divide in South Africa · Bitter row over future of capital and airport

South African Broadcaster Bans Critics
South Africa's public broadcaster has banned high-profile government critics from its programmes, fuelling claims of bias towards the ruling African National Congress.

South Africans Told to Stop 'whingeing' About Crime
Crime victims staged an angry protest in South Africa yesterday after a government minister suggested those who 'whinged' about levels of murder and rape should emigrate.

South Africans Protest Over Crime
Crime victims staged an angry protest in South Africa on Tuesday after the government suggested those who "whinged" about levels of murder and rape should emigrate.

South Africa's 'native Club' Stirs Unease
Under white rule in South Africa the word was an insult, a way to describe and demean black people: native. As a legal term it was used to distinguish European settlers from indigenous inhabitants, a different category of people deemed inferior and uncivilised.

South African Club Tries to Reclaim Word 'native'
Under white rule in South Africa the word "native" was an insult, a way to describe and demean black people. Now a group of black intellectuals has stirred controversy by trying to reclaim the word as a badge of honour.

Inequality Still Burdens South Africa 30 Years After Landmark Revolt
Inequality still burdens South Africa 30 years after landmark revolt.

South Africa Braced for Zuma Rape Verdict
· Judge says ruling will take six hours to deliver · Accuser to be forced into exile after violent threats

South Africa: Jacob Zuma
Leader: The current rape trial of South Africa's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, has exposed a troubling side to a country hailed for its democracy and successful economy.

Ten Dead After Killing Spree By South African Police Detective
A South African detective went on the rampage this week, killing eight people including four colleagues and an infant before being shot dead by police yesterday.

South Africa Shocked By Child Murder
Three men appeared in a packed South African court yesterday charged with murdering a four-year-old girl and gang-raping her nanny in a case that has caused outrage across the country.

Carjacking: the Everyday Ordeal Testing South Africa
Nomination for best foreign film depicts the brutal realities of street crime.

Platinum Deal Sees South Africa's Richest Tribe Get Richer
South Africa's wealthiest tribe, the Bafokeng, became even richer yesterday with a deal in which they will take control of 9% of Impala Platinum, the world's second largest platinum producer.

Inside the South African A&es Where British Surgeons Train for the Battlefield
Military medics learn craft by helping casualties of crime and traffic crashes.

South Africa Plunges Into Political Crisis As Mbeki's Ex-deputy Charged With Rape
South Africa was thrown into political turmoil yesterday when the former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, was charged with rape, a development which has all but eclipsed his chances of leading the country.

South Africa's Leading Opera Singer Shot Dead on Family's Wine Estate
· Father and son die in domestic tragedy · Country mourns loss of first 'grand slam' tenor

South Africa Worst for Road Rage
South African drivers are the most prone to road rage, according to an international survey of aggressive behaviour in motorists.

South Africans Strike Nationwide
Thousands of workers were today taking part in a national strike called by South Africa's biggest trade union in protest at what it called the "catastrophic" unemployment level of 40%.

Court Gag on South Africa 'oilgate' Report
South Africa's leading investigative newspaper has been banned by the courts from publishing a report detailing how a state oil company secretly paid public funds to the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC).

Discredited Doctor's 'cure' for Aids Ignites Life-and-death Struggle in South Africa
Uncertainty and confusion about the safety of Aids drugs has started to take hold in South Africa as people well placed to get treatment instead turn to lemon and garlic for cure.

Aids Groups Condemn South Africa's 'dr Garlic'
Campaigners condemn remarks by South Africa's health minister, who made clear her preference for the health-giving properties of garlic and lemon over the drugs that the World Health Organisation wants provided to save lives in the population worst-hit by Aids in the world.

White Farmer Found Guilty of Throwing Black Worker to Lions in South Africa
A white South African farmer and one of his black labourers were found guilty yesterday of murdering a black former employee and throwing him to a pride of lions.

Tourist Deaths in Natal an Accident
Eight British tourists who died in a crash after a mentally ill man ran out in front of their minibus in a South African national park were killed accidentally, an inquest has found.

Harmony Chief in Offshore Mystery
South Africa mining merger takes new twist as Swanepoel asks for accounts investigation.

South Africa Told to Admit Size of Aids Crisis
The South African government is still in denial over the scale of the Aids crisis, it is alleged today following revelations that the true death toll is three times the official figures.

40 Accused in South African Mps' Fraud Case
Forty South African members of parliament, past and present, are to be charged with fraud today in the biggest corruption scandal in the country's post-apartheid history.

Zimbabwe Breaks Up South Africa Spy Ring
A South African spymaster has been arrested in Zimbabwe in a sting operation and is accused of running an espionage ring inside the country involving a number of prominent officials.

South Africa Hopes to Reverse 'chicken Run'
Big campaign to persuade expats to join homecoming revolution. Ten years after the so-called "chicken run", South Africa is welcoming back whites who fled during the turbulent transition to democracy.

Gun Curbs Enrage South Africans
New licensing law sparks anger as violent crime levels soar.

UN Veto Right for South Africa, not Nigeria or Egypt!
In this article, we will focus on Africa, and will advocate the selection of South Africa to represent the Black Continent at the level of UN Security Council permanent membership.

South Africa to End Racial Profiling of Blood Donors
South Africa is to stop racially profiling blood donors after an outcry over the alleged rejection of blood from black donors because of the risk of HIV.

South Africa Accused of Asylum Bar on Zimbabweans
The South African government is denying thousands of Zimbabwean refugees their right to political asylum, says a report published today by Refugees International. "Genuine refugees are prevented from getting asylum," said Andrea Lari, a researcher for the organisation. "In many cases,...

City Life: Johannesburg
Zulu-style house warmings are becoming more common as affluent black people move into Johannesburg's formerly all-white suburbs.

White South Africans Fail to Win Asylum in Us
A white South African couple have failed to win asylum in the US after judges rejected their plea of persecution on the grounds that post-apartheid South Africa had left them jobless and fearful of crime. Michael and Edith Gormley argued that if deported from the US they risked being...

Alternatives to the Anc in the South African Elections
Democracy cannot function if there is no alternation in power. One answer to the question of why black South Africans voted in such large numbers for the African National Congress in this week's elections is that there was nothing else for which they could vote.

Voters Queue for Miles As South Africans Celebrate Democracy
ANC heads for victory in third general election, despite growing impatience among many for better life.

ANC Heading for Landslide in South African Poll
South Africa's ruling African National Congress is poised for a landslide victory in elections today which could extend the party's control over all nine of the country's provinces. Opinion polls suggest the ANC will entrench its dominance by sweeping more than two thirds of parliamentary...

Aristide to Settle in South Africa
Haiti's ousted leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide is to set up permanent home in South Africa, Jamaican officials said yesterday . He would not go there until after the general election next month, because President Thabo Mbeki's government believed it would be "politically unsettling", they...

Aids Death of Dj Highlights Anguish of South Africa
Safe-sex advocate who broke his own rules went to traditional healers, shunning new drugs.

South African Judge Charged With Rape
A senior South African judge attending an anti-globalisation conference in India was yesterday charged with raping another delegate following debates about human rights and gender equality. Seeraj Desai, 53, a human rights specialist and leading member of the Cape high court, was remanded...

Family's Murder Fuels Fears of South African Poll Violence
Fears that South Africa's general election could renew violence between rival political groups deepened yesterday when a family of seven was reportedly slaughtered in KwaZulu-Natal province. According to radio reports, five children died when armed men surrounded a shack near the town of...

Tourists Find Cape Town Price Rises Hard to Swallow
It was recently ranked one of the top places to see before you die, but Cape Town now risks acquiring a new label as the capital of rip-off. Restaurants were accused yesterday of inflating prices by more than 1,000% in a frenzy of greed damaging South Africa's tourism industry...

South Africa Approves Free Aids Drugs
The South African government announced yesterday that it would distribute free Aids medicines through the health system but it did not specify when the drugs would be made available. The health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, said the government still needed to put out a tender for...

South African Cannabis Now Dominates Illegal Trade
A new generation of young British drug barons are becoming overnight millionaires by importing high-quality cannabis direct from South Africa. The gangs are taking advantage of the rock-bottom price of the South African product - known locally as dagga -

Township Poor of South Africa Risk Life and Limb
Abseiling on mountains with chainsaws claims lives. A scheme which pays unemployed people to abseil down cliffs and hack plants with chainsaws is claimed to be a model for how the world should tackle invasive alien species.

Liz Mcgregor: Email From South Africa
Liz McGregor in Makgabeng. It's quite a trek to get there - a six-hour drive north from Johannesburg; the last hour or so along roads that are barely more than donkey tracks - and then a dusty climb through thickets of thorn trees.

Is Anglo Coal's Approach the Way to Save South Africa?
Anglo Coal is providing Aids treatment for its workers, but is this the way to save South Africa?

South African Farm Attacks 'not Racial'
Inquiry says thefts prompt killing of landowners.

Happy ending? Police close file on South African 'kidnap' boy
The legend of Happy Sindane, the South African teenager allegedly abducted as a toddler and forced to work as a white slave in a black township, appeared to crumble yesterday.

Happy Reopens South Africa's Racial Scars
Apartheid, it seems, works. Nearly 10 years on, identity in South Africa is still rooted in race. Or so it would appear from the case of Happy Sindane.

South Africa Pins Hopes on Hip Safe Sex Campaign
Our Aids series ends with a look at how racy ads are starting to change sexual practices.

Dozens Killed in South African Bus Crash
Sixty-three people were killed today when a bus carrying trade union activists plunged into a reservoir in central South Africa. About 17 more people are missing and presumed dead, officers said. The bus was carrying about 90 passengers, 10 of whom were pulled from the reservoir...

Up to 80 Killed in South African Bus Crash
Up to 80 people were feared dead after a bus carrying members of South Africa's largest trade union today plunged into a reservoir in the centre of the country. The union members were on their way to May Day celebrations in the town of Qwa Qwa in the Free State province when their bus...

South Africa Heeds Calls for Free Anti-aids Drugs
Mbeki backs off bitter debate over HIV link as pharmaceutical giant agrees to slash its prices.

South African minister hails Mugabe land grab
The South Africa labour minister, Membathisi Mdladlana, said in Zimbabwe yesterday that his country had a lot to learn from President Robert Mugabe's programme of land reform.

South African Stadium Atrocity Thwarted
A terror campaign by white extremists has been seriously damaged after South African police arrested suspected ringleaders and foiled an attempt to detonate a car bomb, it was reported yesterday. A pick-up truck packed with 384kg of explosives and two bags of nuts and bolts was allegedly...

British Tourist Gang Raped in South Africa
A British tourist in South Africa was raped by a gang of men who shot dead a motorist who tried to help her, it emerged yesterday. The woman, 29, had stopped at a remote beauty spot in the Kruger national park with a 26-year-old South African man - thought to be her boyfriend - when four...

The Shame of the New South Africa
35,000 children are born every year with HIV because Thabo Mbeki will not allow them to receive a single injection costing a few pence, writes Chris McGreal.

South African Bus Crash Fatalities Include Britons
Nine people were today feared dead after a bus carrying a group of 19 largely British and Canadian tourists crashed in South Africa. The accident took place near Piet Retief in the Assegai valley, Mpumalanga province, a hilly area popular with tourists. The bus driver appeared to have...

Black Icon Kicks South African Sporting Myths Into Touch
Chester Williams, South Africa's best black rugby player has prompted uproar by denouncing the national sport as a bastion of white supremacy.

Police foil white plot to recapture South Africa
To those communities feeling abandoned and threatened by a country they no longer recognise, to whom the coup to overthrow South Africa's government cannot come soon enough, the news is not good. The alleged plot has been betrayed, the weapons found, the suspects arrested.

Talk of the towns
Johannesburg is the venue for next week's summit on sustainable development. Judy Van der Walt checks out township tourism in the host nation. Tiger's Tavern in Cape Town's Langa township was cooking, the walls buckling to the beat of drums and marimbas. We cuddled cold bottles of Black Label beer and hot dogs on paper plates until the boys on the drums burst into action with a rendition of Amajoba.

South African Mining Giant to Give Staff Free Aids Drugs
Anglo American, the London-based mining giant, has become the first multinational corporation to provide its South African staff with free anti-Aids drugs in a bid to tackle the growing pandemic. Nearly a quarter of Anglo's 90,000 gold and diamond mining workers are believed to be...

22 die as snowstorms hit South Africa
Parts of South Africa were declared a disaster area yesterday after the worst snow in decades left 22 people dead, destroyed thousands of homes and killed large numbers of livestock.

Six die in South African initiations
Toll from single 'school' shows up dangers of tradition. The death toll at an "initiation school" outside Johannesburg has now risen to six, after a young man who returned there died, apparently after being assaulted.

South Africa's pop idol show ends in accusations of racism
South Africa's version of the talent competition Pop Idol came to an ignominious end last night, accused of racism, vote rigging and bet fixing.

Urgent Talks to Stem Famine Crisis in Southern Africa
Nearly 13 million people in southern Africa face famine in the coming months because drought, floods and political upheaval have nearly halved grain production in the region this year, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) warned yesterday. UN agencies, donors and agricultural...

Black composer rejects Mandela's call to apologise for racist lyrics
An internationally renowned South African composer has rejected a call by Nelson Mandela to apologise for the lyrics of a new song which portrays the country's Indian population as abusing black people and being more racist than whites.

It's Miller Time for South African Breweries
South African Breweries (SAB) today bought the world's biggest round of Miller beer, agreeing to pay out $5.6bn (£4bn) for a controlling stake in America's Miller Brewing Company. If approved by shareholders and regulators, the deal would make SABMiller the second largest brewer world...

Southern Africa Faces Famine
Some 10 million people in four African countries are at risk of starvation in the worst food shortages in a decade, say the UN's World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The two bodies say that at least 4m tonnes of food will need to be imported over the next year...

Funds Needed Urgently to Stave Off Southern Africa Disaster
The World Food Programme appealed for funds today to stave off "an all-out disaster" in southern Africa, warning that up to 5m people faced starvation if donor nations did not come forward with $69m (£50m) in the next couple of months. The agency said 2.6 million people were already...

Rugby players guilty of South African killing
Two white rugby players were convicted yesterday of killing a black man and dumping his body in a crocodile-infested dam, ending one of the most racially charged trials of recent years in South Africa.

G2: Verdict Expected on Man Charged With Murdering Black South Africans
He is a man charged with murdering 46 black people by using them as guinea pigs for South Africa's secret chemical and biological warfare project. The court is due to deliver its verdict today but he will probably go free. Chris McGreal reports.

South Africa supports 'legitimate' poll
Zimbabwe's elections were declared "legitimate" by the South African observer mission despite campaign violence and voting irregularities recorded by the group.