South Africa

Hugh Masekela performs during the International Jazz Day 2015 Global Concert in Paris.

What Hugh Masekela Meant To South Africa's Freedom Fighters

5:46pm January 24, 2018

by Courtney Columbus

The jazz trumpeter, who died this week, was an outspoken opponent of apartheid and a longtime social activist. His music was the "soundtrack of the revolution," says author Sisonke Msimang.

South African musician Hugh Masekela, performs in New Delhi in 2004.

Music & Culture

Hugh Masekela, South African Jazz Master And International Chart-Topper, Dies At 78

4:14pm January 23, 2018

by Scott Neuman

He recorded more than 40 solo albums and performed with musicians ranging from Harry Belafonte to Paul Simon. Masekela died after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.

People collect drinking water from pipes fed by an underground spring last week in Cape Town. Next month, the city will slash its individual daily water consumption limit to 13.2 gallons, the mayor said, as the city battles its worst drought in a century.

Drought-Stricken Cape Town Braces For Water To Run Out In April

10:08am January 23, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

Officials in the South African city of 3.7 million are restricting water usage amid fears it will run out of water by April 21. Experts say the crisis has been exacerbated by rapid population growth.

President Trump listens as Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg speaks at a joint news conference Wednesday. At an Oval Office meeting on immigration policy, Trump said the U.S. should want more people from countries like Norway, disparaging Haiti and wh

'Racist' And 'Shameful': How Other Countries Are Responding To Trump's Slur

8:51pm January 12, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The African Union was "frankly alarmed" by President Trump's comments. Haiti said they were "misguided," while the U.N. called them "racist." And around the world, officials are asking for clarity.

Queue Listen Now

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (left) greets South African President Nelson Mandela in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1998. The two men have shaped their countries in dramatically different ways.

World News

Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe And The Countries They Shaped

10:13am November 15, 2017

by Greg Myre

Before coming to power, Mandela and Mugabe led remarkably similar lives. Then their paths diverged: In South Africa, Mandela became a global icon and Mugabe presided over Zimbabwe's sharp decline.

Former anti-apartheid activist Mohamed Timol, brother of the late Ahmed Timol, holds up a copy of the book "Timol: A Quest for Justice" at the judgment proceedings in Pretoria on Thursday.

World News

Four Decades Later, South African Court Rules That Activist Was Murdered

8:12pm October 12, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Ahmed Timol died under suspicious circumstances in police custody in 1971. An inquest had said he committed suicide. But a Pretoria judge now says that the police holding Timol were responsible.

South Africa granted diplomatic immunity to Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe after she was accused of assaulting a young woman at a Johannesburg hotel. Above, Mugabe addresses a youth rally in June.

World News

South Africa Grants Grace Mugabe Diplomatic Immunity, To Critics' Dismay

2:28pm August 21, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

An opposition party called the government's decision "a complete disgrace." Zimbabwe's first lady is accused of assaulting a 20-year-old model with an extension cord at a Johannesburg hotel.

South African model Gabriella Engels, who says she was assaulted by Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe, attends a press conference at the civil rights organization AfriForum on Thursday.

World News

South Africa Puts A 'Red Alert' At Its Borders For Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe

1:13pm August 18, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

A 20-year old South African model accusing Zimbabwe's first lady of beating her with an extension cord has rejected a proposed cash settlement, according to her legal team.

Supporters of the opposition Democratic Alliance march against President Jacob Zuma ahead of the motion of a no confidence vote against him in Cape Town, South Africa.

World News

Zuma Survives (Another) No-Confidence Vote In South Africa's Parliament

12:50pm August 08, 2017

by Bill Chappell

It's the sixth time South African President Jacob Zuma has faced a possible vote of no confidence — and for the first time, the vote was held by secret ballot.

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Linda Fortune's family was forced out of District Six when she was 22. Growing up, the family often ate crayfish her father caught as a hobby. "If you had an overabundance of fish, you would share it with the neighbors," she recalls.

South Africa's District Six Cookbook Helps Preserve A Lost Community

2:33pm June 19, 2017

by Alan Greenblatt

By the 1980s, 60,000 people had been forcibly removed from this mixed-race section of Cape Town. But the area's food traditions reflect the spirit of helpmekaar, an Afrikaans term for mutual support.