Gerrie Coetzee, former WBA heavyweight champ, dies at 67
January 13, 2023 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Gerrie Coetzee, a former South African boxer and WBA heavyweight champion who defied some of his country's racist laws during the height of apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s and won popularity with Nelson Mandela and both Black and white fans, has died.
South Africa’s ruling ANC party fetes 111th anniversary
January 8, 2023 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party marked its 111th anniversary Sunday with celebratory events in Mangaung, Free State province, where the organization was founded in 1912.
King Charles III welcomes S. African leader for state visit
November 22, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — King Charles III welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to London on Tuesday for the first state visit of his reign, which will include a formal banquet as well as talks with government leaders focused on investment and green energy.
Foundation says de Klerk’s Nobel medal has been stolen
November 9, 2022 GMTJOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Late South African President F.W. de Klerk’s Nobel Peace Prize medal has been stolen from his home in Cape Town, his foundation confirmed Wednesday.
De Klerk, South Africa’s last president under apartheid, jointly received the prize with Nelson Mandela in 1993 for their roles in South Africa’s peaceful transition to democracy.
Global statesmen: UN needs to be more muscular and united
November 5, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations needs to be more muscular and united if it wants to remain a central player in tackling the world’s multiple escalating crises, a group of elder statesmen founded by Nelson Mandela said Friday.
Global statesmen: Only diplomacy can end Ukraine war
November 5, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Only dialogue and diplomacy can end the devastating war in Ukraine, with total victory on the battlefield impossible for either warring party, members of a group of prominent former world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela said Friday.
King Charles III to host South African leader in state visit
October 2, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — King Charles III will welcome South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the U.K. for three days of high-level talks next month, celebrating the first state visit of his reign with the leader of a Commonwealth member with close ties to the royal family.
Today in History: Aug. 5, Nelson Mandela arrested
August 5, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Friday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2022. There are 148 days left in the year.
South Africa’s ruling ANC opens policy meeting amid problems
July 29, 2022 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party begins its key policy conference on Friday beset by internal divisions and the country’s economic woes.
The policy meeting is seen as a preview of the ANC’s December conference where it will elect its leader.
Prince Harry challenges divided world to reclaim democracies
July 18, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry challenged people everywhere Monday to adopt Nelson Mandela’s spirit of hope in today’s divided world to reclaim democracies and leave a better future for children, movingly citing the inspiration of the anti-apartheid leader on his own life and his memories of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Review: Bourland autopsies the princess myth with precision
July 18, 2022 GMT“The Force of Such Beauty” by Barbara Bourland (Dutton)
It’s about time someone took the princess story that’s normalized to girls and autopsy it with absolute precision.
“The Force of Such Beauty” opens on the night of Caroline's second attempt at escaping Lucomo, the small European country in which she became a princess.
Today in History: July 18, Eric Rudolph sentenced to life
July 18, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Monday, July 18, the 199th day of 2022. There are 166 days left in the year.
Britain’s Prince Harry to keynote Mandela day UN celebration
July 16, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry will address the U.N. General Assembly at its annual celebration Monday of Nelson Mandela International Day and is expected to speak about the legacy of the South African anti-apartheid leader who spent 27 years in prison and became his country’s first Black leader.
Boxing champion belt given to Mandela stolen in South Africa
July 13, 2022 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — A World Boxing Council championship belt belonging to former South African President Nelson Mandela has been stolen from a museum in Soweto, according to police.
The belt was given to Mandela by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard during one of his visits to South Africa.
EXPLAINER: The scandal engulfing South Africa’s president
June 17, 2022 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa could face criminal charges and is already facing calls to step down over claims that he tried to cover up the theft of millions of dollars in U.S.
Today in History: May 2, Mandela claims victory
May 2, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Monday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2022. There are 243 days left in the year.
Jamieson leads ISPS Handa Championship in Spain by 2 shots
April 22, 2022 GMTLA PINEDA, Spain (AP) — Scott Jamieson took a two-shot lead of the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain after the second round on Friday.
Jamieson eagled the 18th hole to finish with a 7-under 63 at the Lakes Course in eastern Spain.
Today in History
February 2, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2022. There are 332 days left in the year.
South Africa’s ruling party must regain support, says leader
January 8, 2022 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ruling party, the African National Congress, must work to regain popular support after being embroiled in corruption scandals and divided by bitter factional rivalries.
‘Moral compass’: Requiem for South Africa’s Archbishop Tutu
January 1, 2022 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been remembered at a state funeral Saturday for his Nobel Peace Prize-earning role in ending South Africa's apartheid regime of racial oppression and for championing the rights of LGBTQ people.
South African minister objects to sale of Mandela’s cell key
December 24, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African Cabinet minister on Friday urged the cancellation of an upcoming U.S. auction of a key to the Robben Island prison cell where Nelson Mandela, the country's first Black president, was long jailed for his opposition to apartheid.
South Africa’s ANC loses mayors in Johannesburg and Pretoria
November 24, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, has lost control of the city councils of Johannesburg and other major cities, following recent local government elections.
De Klerk’s death sparks debate over his role in apartheid
November 19, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Liberator of Nelson Mandela? Or a leader responsible for racist murders? South Africa is engrossed in debate over the legacy of apartheid's last president, F.W. de Klerk, who died last week at 85 and is to be buried Sunday.
South Africa’s last apartheid president, F.W. de Klerk, dies
November 11, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — F.W. de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela and as South Africa’s last apartheid president oversaw the end of the country’s white minority rule, has died aged 85.
A landmark as South Africa’s ANC dips below 50% support
November 5, 2021 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has received less than 50% of votes in nationwide elections for the first time, emphatically confirming the declining popularity of the once-revered organization that was led by Nelson Mandela and freed the country from apartheid.
South Africa’s ANC party sees big decline in local elections
November 4, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's voters have delivered a significant rebuke to the governing African National Congress, the party of late anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, which got less than 50% of ballots cast in local government elections.
Decades later, a new look at Black Panthers and their legacy
October 31, 2021 GMTOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — It once would have been unthinkable for a city to erect a monument to Huey P. Newton.
The Black Panther Party co-founder was feared and hated by many Americans, and party members were dismissed as racist, gun-toting militants — Black avengers who believed violence was as American as cherry pie.
The Latest: Elders leader tells UN council to protect rights
September 8, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS — Former Irish president Mary Robinson, who heads the group of prominent former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, called on China and Russia especially to tell the Taliban that participation of women in Afghan society and the education of girls are “non-negotiable and must be respected.”
South Africa beats Argentina but Rugby Championship in limbo
August 21, 2021 GMTGQEBERHA, South Africa (AP) — Amid confusion over the future, South Africa beat Argentina 29-10 in the Rugby Championship on Saturday while the remainder of the southern hemisphere tournament was in limbo after New Zealand's decision to cancel games in its country because of a new COVID-19 outbreak.
Today in History
August 5, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Thursday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2021. There are 148 days left in the year.
Today in History
July 18, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Sunday, July 18, the 199th day of 2021. There are 166 days left in the year.
S. Africa: Top official in ruling ANC takes party to court
May 14, 2021 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — A top official in South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has taken the party to court to challenge his suspension pending charges of fraud and corruption against him, heightening tensions within the fractured organization once led by Nelson Mandela.
Today in History
May 9, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Sunday, May 9, the 129th day of 2021. There are 236 days left in the year. This is Mother’s Day.
Today in History
May 2, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Sunday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2021. There are 243 days left in the year...
Today in History
January 25, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2021. There are 332 days left in the year...
Mandela’s lawyer, anti-apartheid activist George Bizos dies
September 9, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Anti-apartheid campaigner and Nelson Mandela's personal lawyer George Bizos has died at 92, his family said Wednesday...
South African party rejects alleged Trump comment on Mandela
September 8, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — The report that U.S. President Donald Trump made crude, disparaging remarks about Nelson Mandela, South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize-winning former leader, has drawn an angry response from South Africa's ruling party and others...
UN chief: World ‘at the breaking point’ due to inequalities
July 18, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Saying “we are at the breaking point,” the U.N. secretary-general made a sweeping call Saturday to end the global inequalities that sparked this year’s massive anti-racism protests and have been further exposed by the coronavirus pandemic...
Mandela biggest influence for Africa’s youth, survey says
July 17, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Nelson Mandela's fight for freedom and human rights makes him the most influential person among Africa's youth, according to a survey conducted across the continent...
Zindzi Mandela, daughter of Nelson and Winnie, dies at 59
July 13, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of South African anti-apartheid leaders Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has died aged 59...
Former world leaders warn against Israel annexation plan
July 3, 2020 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — A group of former world leaders urged European leaders on Friday to keep pressuring Israel against annexation of parts of the West Bank, warning against complacency after Israel made no move to take over the territory on July 1...
In fight against virus, South Africa expects a long wait
May 24, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — With her winning smile and outgoing nature, Fino Dlamini was a natural to succeed in South Africa’s booming tourism industry...
In Soweto, a South African who celebrated history is mourned
Mandela’s release 30 years ago birthed a new South Africa
February 11, 2020 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Thirty years ago, Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years of imprisonment by South Africa's apartheid regime and instantly galvanized the country, and the world, to dismantle the brutal system of racial oppression...
AP Was There: Nelson Mandela released from jail 30 years ago
February 10, 2020 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — EDITOR'S NOTE: To mark the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison, a key event in ending South Africa's brutal apartheid system of racial oppression, AP is republishing its coverage of Feb...
Mugabe’s anti-colonial rage fueled long reign over Zimbabwe
September 8, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Robert Mugabe had just made a furious speech against Zimbabwe's LGBT community, calling them "worse than pigs and dogs...
Johnny Clegg, anti-apartheid musician in South Africa, dies
July 17, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Johnny Clegg, a South African musician who performed in defiance of racial barriers imposed under the country's apartheid system decades ago and celebrated its new democracy under Nelson Mandela, died Tuesday...
Trump’s ‘poor leadership’ criticized by ex-leaders’ group
June 11, 2019 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Former Irish president Mary Robinson, who heads the group of prominent former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, criticized President Donald Trump for "poor leadership" Tuesday, saying it is aggravating the world's difficulty in uniting to tackle climate change and the threat of nuclear war...
South Africa votes with corruption, jobs as big issues
May 8, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africans voted Wednesday in presidential and parliamentary elections, with signs of a relatively low turnout and voters saying they were disillusioned by widespread corruption and unemployment...
South Africa to vote amid graft scandals, high unemployment
May 7, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — A quarter-century after the end of apartheid, South Africans go to the polls Wednesday for the sixth national elections since the demise of the harsh system of racial discrimination, although the country remains JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Perhaps nowhere in today's South Africa is the country's inequality on more dramatic display than in the neighboring Johannesburg suburbs of Sandton and Alexandra...Post-apartheid South Africa is world’s most unequal country
May 7, 2019 GMT
Young voters eager for change in South Africa’s election
May 4, 2019 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — At 24, Abetse Mashigo was born a year after South Africa's brutal apartheid system was dismantled...
Today in History
February 11, 2019 GMTToday in History
Today is Monday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2019. There are 323 days left in the year.
Spokesman: Cosby’s wife, children haven’t seen him in prison
February 7, 2019 GMTCOLLEGEVILLE, Pa. (AP) — 3:10 p.m.:
A spokesman for Bill Cosby says his wife and children haven't visited him in a Pennsylvania prison because the actor doesn't want them "in that environment...
Remove or keep a statue? South Africa debates painful legacy
December 16, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — A hulking statue of a late 19th century white leader, with a cane and top hat, has been a flashpoint for cultural conflict in South Africa for years...
Mandela’s widow urges world: put egos aside and end violence
September 25, 2018 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nelson Mandela's widow challenged world leaders celebrating his life on Monday to put their egos and partisan politics aside and honor his legacy by ending the "senseless violence" plaguing too much of the world.
Mandela: A life of soaring symbolism, now harnessed by UN
September 24, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela's South African journey from anti-apartheid leader to prisoner to president to global statesman — the "Long Walk to Freedom" of his autobiography title — is one of the 20th century's great stories of struggle, sacrifice and reconciliation...
In South Africa, Minnesota Orchestra makes grim visit to Mandela’s former prison cell
August 9, 2018 GMTCAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA The Minnesota Orchestra flew here this week for the opening concert of its history-making tour of South Africa.
But first, some of its players boarded a boat.
After a 45-minute trek Wednesday across the turquoise waters of Table Bay, about 30 musicians and staffers landed on Robben Island.
Obama’s Message Ignores the Obvious
July 25, 2018 GMTA day after President Trump's controversial sit-down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, former President Barack Obama delivered a not-so-subtle condemnation of what he called the growing menace of "strongman politics'' throughout the world.
AP PHOTOS: A selection of pictures from the past week
July 21, 2018 GMTHere's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see...
South Africa, Obama mark Mandela centennial with charity
July 18, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africans along with former U.S. President Barack Obama were marking the centennial of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's birth on Wednesday with acts of charity in a country still struggling with deep economic inequality 24 years after the end of white minority rule...
The Latest: Obama notes politicians’ ‘utter loss of shame’
July 17, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — The Latest on former U.S. President Barack Obama's speech in South Africa (all times local):...
Obama to make rare high-profile speech on Mandela’s legacy
July 16, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — In a speech marking the 100th birthday of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Barack Obama will urge youth around the world to work for human rights and fair societies, highlighting the late South African leader's example of persevering in the struggle for democracy and equal rights for all.
‘Winnie!’ South Africa bids farewell to Madikizela-Mandela
April 14, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Tens of thousands of people sang, cheered and cried as the flag-draped casket of anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was escorted from her official funeral on Saturday, after supporters defended her complex legacy with poetry and anger...
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: A life of struggle
April 2, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Even the name given to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at birth — Nomzamo, "one who undergoes trials" — foretold a life of struggle...
S Africa to give state burial to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
April 2, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist in her own right whose reputation was sullied by scandal, has died...
South Africa’s ruling party finally turns against Zuma
February 14, 2018 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's ruling party on Tuesday disowned President Jacob Zuma after sticking with him through years of scandals, ordering him to resign in an attempt to resolve a leadership crisis that has disrupted government business in one of Africa's biggest economies...
New leader of South Africa’s ANC party has daunting task
December 18, 2017 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Cyril Ramaphosa, elected leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress in a tight race on Monday, now faces the daunting task of uniting a starkly divided party and reviving the tarnished reputation of Nelson Mandela's liberation movement...
South Africa’s ruling party counts votes for new leader
December 18, 2017 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Counting of votes for the next president of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has begun, after the polling took place through the night and Monday morning, with the new leader of Nelson Mandela's storied liberation movement expected to be announced later in the day...
South Africa’s Johnny Clegg begins last international tour
September 14, 2017 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African musician Johnny Clegg defied the country's apartheid-era racial barriers, celebrated its new democracy under Nelson Mandela and took his Zulu-infused music around the world.
Obama’s post-Charlottesville message most-liked tweet ever
August 16, 2017 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter says former President Barack Obama's tweet in response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend has taken the crown as the platform's most-liked post ever...
NBA’s 2nd Africa Game comes to Johannesburg
August 4, 2017 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra got on the telephone and apologized for having a raspy voice. He's had a lot to say in Africa...
South African anti-apartheid leader Ahmed Kathrada dies, 87
March 28, 2017 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Anti-apartheid leader Ahmed Kathrada, who spent 26 years in prison for opposing South Africa's white minority government — much of that time alongside the country's first black president, Nelson Mandela — died Tuesday at age 87...
#18. “Invictus” (2009)
March 27, 2017 GMTSmart Rating: 85.68Genre: drama, biographyStarring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony KgorogeFollowing the fall of apartheid, newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) faces a South Africa that is racially and economically divided.
Some blacks applaud Castro legacy of racial equality
November 29, 2016 GMTDETROIT (AP) — The Fidel Castro that Sam Riddle and many other African-Americans admired was not the revolutionary dictator who plunged Cuba into economic ruin and held the island nation in an iron grip.
Artist mows giant Trump portrait in Italian cornfield
October 26, 2016 GMTMILAN (AP) — An Italian land artist has used his tractor to transform a field near the Italian city of Verona into a giant portrait of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Artist Dario Gambarin created a similar portrait of Democrat Hillary Clinton in September.
Who’s being honored?
July 1, 2016 GMTAmong the hundreds honored were victims of extremist attacks, fallen soldiers, long-serving politicians and such celebrities as baseball legend Yogi Berra.
Those honored last year alone with a half-staff U.S.
South Africa issues Nelson Mandela stamp
February 11, 2014 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — When Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, South Africa's post office issued a stamp with his image. It released another when Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in the following year.