African National Congress

By Haru Mutasa in Africa on September 12th, 2011
What was once a call to overthrow apartheid is being seen as a rally to target South Africa's whites. [Reuters]

South African judge Collin Lamont has ordered African National Congress youth league leader Julius Malema and his ruling ANC party not to sing the freedom struggle song 'Dubul ibhunu'.

Lamont called the song hate speech and ordered that the words not be used publicly or privately.

The Afrikaans interest group Afriforum seems pleased with the decision. They say the struggle song, loosely translated, means "shoot the Boer".

Another line in the song is also loosely translated as, "They are scared, the cowards. You shoot the Boer.

By Mike Hanna in Africa on February 10th, 2010
AFP photo

A few months before Nelson Mandela's release, we undertook a fascinating news exercise.

We commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of what he might look like based on images that were current before his imprisonment, and also using eyewitness descriptions from the very few who had seen him in prison (notably his then wife Winnie and an opposition member in the whites only parliament, Helen Suzman).

We then took the image into Soweto and asked passers-by whether they recognised this man. Nobody did.

Twenty years after Nelson Mandela's release, it seems unthinkable that at one stage few knew what he looked like.

Draconian regime

This fact is a very strong illustration of how powerful and draconian the apartheid regime really was.

The African National Congress and a number of other organisations were banned in 1960.

By Mike Hanna in Africa on February 7th, 2010
Reuters photo

The image that stuck with me that bright February morning was never filmed or photographed.

A pair of white police officers were watching a video feed from parliament just over the cobble-stoned street from where they were standing:  FW De Klerk's face filled the screen and I heard the words "unconditionally free Nelson Mandela" - the more senior officer shook his head miserably and said to the man next to him - "dit is die einde van ons volk": it is the end of our people.

The De Klerk government had retained a tradition established by that of PW Botha, De Klerk’s predecessor.

Advance draft

At the opening of parliament in February each year, the international media representatives in South Africa would be herded into a large conference room over the road from parliament and given an advance draft of the president's speech.

By Haru Mutasa in Africa on February 2nd, 2010
EPA photo

A Chinese company is considering making dolls of the controversial South African president Jacob Zuma, a media report says.

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