This sculpture in London commemorates Nelson Mandela, who set up the African National Congress’ armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), in 1961 when he lost hope that passive and non-violent resistance to the apartheid government would bear fruit.
(Creative Commons)
Seeking justice, not peace, in our world changes the conversation about conflict. Conflict has proven integral to achieving a more equitable and secure society.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrated his 86th birthday and the unveiling of an arch in his honour outside St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
Two South African “romance” struggle auto/biographies have focalised the anti-apartheid struggle through the lives of heroic women who were bound by love.
Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
Raising the status of the African languages to that of official languages in South Africa post-1994 led to an explosion of translation and interpreting work in local and foreign languages.
Andile Gumbi beats down his opponent Given Mkhize in the King Kong musical.
John Hogg
Some have suggested that the publisher and author of ‘Mandela’s Last Years’ were simply attempting to cash in on the Mandela legacy. This is not a basis for the withdrawal of a book.
The contentious book documenting Nelson Mandela’s last days that was pulled of the shelves left many unanswered questions. Judgement must be suspended until it’s content is made public.
The remains of the University of Mosul destroyed during a battle with Islamic State militants, in April 2017. South Africa offers lessons in rebuilding.
Reuters/Marko Djurica
Namibian hero and former Robben Island prisoner Toivo ya Toivo was part of a generation who contributed to the struggles against apartheid and colonialism in the region.
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has lit a grass fire in South Africa’s financial circles.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
South Africa’s Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane has touched on two highly contentious issues: the unresolved bailout for a local bank three decades ago. And the role of the country’s Reserve Bank.
Master Mansions today. From Fourthwall Books’ ‘Master Mansions’ (2017) by Mark Lewis and Tanya Zack.
Mark Lewis/ Fourthwall Books
Apartheid was to officially end in 1994. So was the fashion of wearing hats as the formalities of business, church and leisure gave way to the informality of urban equality.
A protest in support of Raymond Suttner released from detention in 1988 by apartheid authorities.
Robert Botha/Times Media Group
In the new introduction to his prison memoir South African anti-apartheid stalwart Raymond Suttner uses the word ‘betrayal’ to explain his break from the ANC.
ANC leaders greet party supporters at a recent rally.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
The internal processes of South Africa’s ruling ANC for electing the president is distorted by money, patronage, factionalism and vote-rigging. It negates the democratic legitimacy the party claims.
Rebel UNITA troops walk through a field twenty miles from the front line at Munhango, Angola April 29, 1986.
Reuters/Wendy Schwegmann
For a military battle whose outcome is still hotly contested 30 years later, the impact was so remarkably clear – independence for Namibia, peace for Angola and the death knell for apartheid.
The best sort of life would include both happiness and meaningfulness. Although one sometimes has to choose between these two values, one ought to strive for a life in which there’s plenty of both.
A protester waves the South African flag during a mass protest demanding President Jacob Zuma step down.
EPA/Kim Ludbrook
The promise of Easter, which Christians around the world celebrate, can be likened to the new struggle in South Africa for a new leadership and government that cares about the people.
Members of the South African Communist Party (SACP) sing and dance with a poster of Chris Hani.
Reuters
Professor of Public Theology in the Department of Beliefs and Practices, Faculty of Theology, at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam