South Africa News

Ex-wife of Mandela creates firestorm by publicly criticizing icon

By theGrio

1:30 PM on 03/11/2010

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Nelson Mandela's ex-wife has bitterly criticized the 92-year-old anti-apartheid icon as having "let us down," prompting outrage in South Africa...

NBC's Brian Williams: My meeting with Mandela

By Brian Williams

4:59 PM on 02/11/2010

OPINION - The morning after his election as president of South Africa - I was his first appointment of the day...

Mandela's freedom has been a dream, South Africa remains a nightmare

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

9:00 AM on 02/11/2010

OPINION - One could argue that Nelson Mandela's release from prison 20 years ago was similar to the Obama effect...

Mandela celebrates 20 years of freedom

By theGrio

9:13 AM on 02/05/2010

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Nelson Mandela, fellow veterans of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle and family celebrate the 20th anniversary of his release from prison...

South African president's sex life causes uproar

By theGrio

12:13 PM on 02/01/2010

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's governing party says a report that the president fathered a child out of wedlock is making "a mountain out of nothing."

Semenya will compete despite ongoing gender investigation

By theGrio

10:29 AM on 01/13/2010

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Semenya, who comes from a poor village in rural South Africa, first drew attention when she won the 800 title at the African junior championships last year...

Morgan Freeman talks about making 'Invictus' and playing Mandela

By Gil Robertson

7:30 AM on 12/12/2009

Without question, Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest actors of our time - of any race, from any genre. With his newest film, Invictus, opening in theaters this weekend...

Invictus: South African story has relevance for America

By Gil Griffin

9:18 AM on 12/11/2009

REVIEW - The new Clinton Eastwood movie, 'Invictus,' set in South Africa, tempts Americans to make the inevitable comparison of how much - or little - progress we've made in race relations...

Hollywood depicts shining South African moment with 'Invictus'

By theGrio

9:00 AM on 12/09/2009

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africans say a new Hollywood film about sport, race and Nelson Mandela will tell the world about the country's history of struggle and triumph ...

South African lesbians live in fear of 'corrective rape'

By theGrio

10:58 AM on 12/08/2009

LESBIANS in South Africa are being dragged off the street and raped to "correct" them, it has been claimed. Sky News has found evidence of widespread abuse against the lesbian community, resulting in a new trend of so-called "corrective rape." In the the township of Khayelitsha on the outskirts of...

South Africa to treat all HIV-positive babies

By theGrio

2:16 PM on 12/01/2009

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- South Africa will treat all HIV-positive babies and expand testing, the president announced Tuesday, a dramatic and eagerly awaited shift in a country that has more people living with HIV than any other...

South African track star Caster Semenya will keep her gold medal

By theGrio

9:05 AM on 11/19/2009

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- South African runner Caster Semenya will keep her 800-meter gold medal from the world championships...

Track star's father outraged at hermaphrodite reports

By theGrio via AP

2:55 PM on 09/11/2009

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- Gender tests on running sensation Caster Semenya determined she has internal male sexual organs, Australian newspapers reported Friday, triggering new outrage from South Africa and her father...

Race was never a factor in track star's gender query

By Dr. Boyce Watkins

6:20 PM on 09/10/2009

OPINION - Recent reports by the Daily Mail of London and the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia state that the test has revealed that Semenya "is a hermaphrodite with no womb or ovaries." Some have argued that Semenya was the target of the investigation because she is black...

South African track star is a hermaphrodite, report says

By theGrio via AP

5:10 PM on 09/10/2009

SYDNEY (AP) -- World 800-meter champion Caster Semenya of South Africa has male and female sexual organs, the Sydney Morning Herald said on Friday, posing an ethical and political quandary for athletics' ruling body...

South African track star gets a makeover

By theGrio

6:54 PM on 09/08/2009

The BBC is reporting that Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose looks and performance have ignited a gender query by athletic officials, has gotten a make-over...

Results from track star's gender test expected to return soon

By theGrio via AP

11:28 AM on 09/08/2009

LONDON (AP) -- The results of Caster Semenya's gender tests are expected to arrive at the IAAF headquarters any day, and its unlikely the world 800-meter champion will...

White South African granted refugee status in Canada

By theGrio via AP

12:06 PM on 09/02/2009

A white man from South Africa has been given refugee status in Canada after claiming persecution, his lawyer said, angering many in his home country where race remains a highly sensitive issue.

Arenas: 'I deserve to be punished' for gun prank

WASHINGTON (AP) - Arenas pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge in January and will be sentenced next week. He has been suspended until the end of the season by the NBA...