Girl, eight, only survivor of bus crash that kills 45 Easter pilgrims on South Africa’s deadly roads
Mmamatlakala, South Africa AP An eight-year-old girl was the lone survivor after a bus full of pilgrims making their way to a popular Easter festival in rural South Africa slammed into a bridge on a mountain pass and plunged more than 150 feet into a ravine before bursting into flames, killing all 45 others onboard. […]
Johannesburg fire: Life inside the ‘hijacked’ building where scores burned alive
TIM COCKS and CARIEN DU PLESSIS, of Reuters, report in the wake of last week’s devastating fire in Johannesburg…
South Africa’s recognition of sign language signals new hope for the deaf
Johannesburg, South Africa Reuters Bongumusa Manana, a 19-year-old deaf student who studies in a township in Johannesburg, sees South Africa’s move to recognise sign as an official language as a huge breakthrough that will help him to get to university and make his “dreams come true”. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed legislation into law last month […]
Ukraine tells African mission no peace talks with Russia before withdrawal
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after meeting African leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. And Zelenskiy said he failed to understand what could be gained from the leaders meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in […]
South African leader visits flood victims as death toll rises to 306
Johannesburg, South AfriicaReuters South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged on Wednesday to help the victims of devastating east coast floods, as the death toll rose to 306 from heavy rains that washed out roads and disrupted shipping in one of Africa’s busiest ports. Ramaphosa visited families who had lost loved ones in KwaZulu-Natal province, including […]
World leaders launch plan to speed COVID-19 drugs, vaccine; US stays away
Geneva/Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters World leaders pledged on Friday to accelerate work on tests, drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 and to share them around the globe, but the United States did not take part in the launch of the World Health Organization initiative. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa […]
Tears and tributes as leaders, supporters bid farewell to Zimbabwe’s Mugabe
Harare, ZimbabweReuters Zimbabwe’s founder Robert Mugabe was honoured as an icon, principled leader and African intellectual giant at a state funeral on Saturday, after a week of disputes over his burial threatened to embarrass President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mugabe led Zimbabwe for 37 years, from independence until he was ousted by the army in November, 2017, […]
Private property rights at stake in South Africa ballot
Johnannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation The South African Government’s promises of returning land to black South Africans taken during apartheid are under the spotlight during national elections this Wednesday, land experts said. President and African National Congress leader Cyril Ramaphosa last year launched a process to change the constitution to make explicit provision for the […]
South African Catholic bishops welcome resignation of former President Jacob Zuma
Catholic bishops in South Africa have welcomed former President Jacob Zuma’s resignation last week, saying it was “long overdue”. In a statement issued last week, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said it had been “generally perceived” that the Zuma presidency has “degraded standards of morality and honour in our public life, and has fostered corruption […]