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Articles on Pretoria

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The April 1994 international mediation team in South Africa, with Washington Okumu sitting between the US’s Henry Kissinger and the UK’s Peter Carrington. Washington Okumu, reused by Nancy J. Jacobs with permission

South Africa’s first election was saved by a Kenyan: the fascinating story of Washington Okumu, the accidental mediator

In a matter of days, one Kenyan’s intervention helped give South Africa a peaceful transition to its first post-apartheid government.
The skylight of the Weskoppies Chapel in Pretoria. Alain Proust/Hidden Pretoria

Between care and neglect: Pretoria’s grand architectural legacy

Pretoria’s institutional buildings are majestic, but crumbling. Weskoppies, the first psychiatric hospital in the region, is a good example of the state of the city’s heritage architecture.
Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius arrives at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, for his sentencing. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

Oscar Pistorius sentence: you might not like it, but it is the law

Under South African law, murder carries a minimum sentence of 15 years for first-time offenders. But courts may deviate from this if they find ‘substantial and compelling circumstances’ to do so.
Rioters threw stones and looted shops during a recent protest at the Phomolong informal settlement outside Pretoria. Reuters/Striger

The link between public violence and xenophobia in South Africa

The past decade has shown a strong connection between political protests and the looting of foreign-owned shops in South Africa. Research shows that local leaders use protests to maintain their power.
Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa unsuccessfully pleads for calm with angry ANC supporters. EPA/Ihsaan Haffejee

Violence in South Africa’s capital leaves ANC vulnerable at the polls

Some of the factors behind the riots by ANC supporters in Tshwane are not new. They include gripes within the governing party about its process for choosing mayors and divisions over Jacob Zuma.
Supporters angered by the ANC’s choice of a mayoral candidate went on the rampage in Tshwane, South Africa, . Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

Political violence in South Africa points to rising tensions in the ANC

The increase in rioting ahead of municipal elections in South Africa, such as that in Pretoria, suggests that the country’s general election in 2019 could be more violent than previous elections.

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