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☆ South Africa's 'Vogue Opera' honours life of gay anti-apartheid activist Nkoli
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Vogue Opera" - a mix of classical music, hip-hop, protest songs and dance - tells the story of Nkoli, whose activism helped to enshrine gay rights in South Africa's constitution - the first country on the continent to do so. Nkoli faced prejudice even from fellow anti-apartheid activists while serving a four-year prison sentence on treason charges when he revealed his sexuality. The opera reveals not only Nkoli's struggles but also the happiness he brought to others. "If there isn't social buy-in, we're not done," the show's co-writer and rapper S'bo Gyre said. Reporting by Catherine Schenck, Thando Hlophe and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Simon Nkoli, Africa's, Nkoli, Philip Miller, William Kentridge's, London's, Miller, Abiah, Lishivha, Gay, we're, S'bo Gyre, Catherine Schenck, Thando, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Market, London's Tate, Theatre, International Lesbian, Thomson Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa's, New, Harlem

☆ Johannesburg fire: what are 'hijacked buildings' and why are they dangerous?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A firefighter works at the scene of a deadly fire which occurred in the early hours of the morning in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Shiraaz Mohamed Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 31 (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed overnight when fire raged through a five-storey Johannesburg apartment block that may have been rented out illegally, known as a "hijacked building":WHAT ARE HIJACKED BUILDINGS AND WHEN DID THE ISSUE BEGIN? In some instances, the syndicates occupied buildings with fraudulent title deeds, said Angela Rivers, general manager at Johannesburg Property Owners and Managers Association. Rivers said she was aware of 57 known hijacked buildings in the Central Business District alone, mostly owned by the city or the provincial government. Lebogang Isaac Maile, the head of the Human Settlements department for Gauteng province, said 23 hijacked buildings had been identified in Johannesburg as in need of development.

Persons: Shiraaz Mohamed, Angela Rivers, Rivers, Kabelo Gwamanda, Edward Molopi, Lebogang Isaac Maile, Bhargav Acharya, Catherine Schenck, Tim Cocks, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Association, Central Business District, Economic Rights Institute, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa's, Gauteng

☆ Zamrock legends make comeback with first album in 40 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Chris Mfula | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight Acquire Licensing RightsLUSAKA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - After nearly four decades in oblivion, the Zambian psychedelic rock band WITCH that mesmerised audiences in the 1970s are back with a new album. Interest for Zamrock rose in the 2010s in the West, thanks to the internet and crate-digging producers as Los Angeles-based Now-Again Records re-released several albums of WITCH and other Zamrock artists. Following their comeback, WITCH - which stands for We Intend To Cause Havoc - are now introducing their new album "Zango" with concerts in the United States and Europe. "It's a fusion of traditional music, African music, funk, blues, jazz - it's a fusion of many genres," Chanda said. "Can this thing grow to a level where when someone comes to Zambia, says where can I listen to Zamrock?

Persons: Matt Mills McKnight, Emmanuel " Jagari, Chanda, Zamrock, Patrick Mwondela, Michael Linyama, Chris Mfula, Catherine Schenck, Matt McKnight, Bhargav Acharya, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Seattle , Washington , U.S, Rights LUSAKA, Zambian, Los Angeles, America, Europe, Lusaka, United States, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Johannesburg, Seattle

☆ Five killed in South Africa's Cape Town amid taxi strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Five people have been killed in the South African city of Cape Town as a strike by mini-bus taxi drivers that began last week turned violent, authorities said on Tuesday. The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) announced a one-week provincial shutdown last Thursday after failing to resolve various issues with the local government in Cape Town. "In Cape Town, violence will never be tolerated as a negotiating tactic. We reiterate our call on SANTACO to return peacefully to the negotiation table," said Cape Town city mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Reporting by Esa Alexander in Cape Town and Catherine Schenck in Johannesburg; Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bheki Cele, Hill, Lewis, SANTACO, Esa Alexander, Catherine Schenck, Wendell Roelf, Bhargav Acharya, Mark Potter Organizations: South, National Taxi Council, Thomson Locations: CAPE, African, Cape Town, City of Cape Town, Johannesburg

☆ In upcycling drive, South African designers give new life to Western fashion waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Catherine Schenck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] South African aspiring designer Khumo Morojele inspects a second hand clothing imported from the West and sold in bales in markets known as Dunusa, at his studio, in Johannesburg South Africa, July 3, 2023.REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File PhotoJOHANNESBURG, July 14 (Reuters) - Two South African aspiring designers, Khumo Morojele and Klein Muis, spend hours at a second-hand street market in Johannesburg looking for fashion items. The duo then upcycles what they find into clothing or accessories they say express uniquely African style. The duo's current project, "Dunusa: Life of a Garment", sees them sourcing second-hand clothing often sent to Africa from European countries, which are then deconstructed and reworked into avant-garde and abstract fashion. They are working with a Ghanaian shoemaker on a project to turn old soccer boots into sandals that reflect both African and European love for the sport. Reporting by Catherine Schenck, Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khumo Morojele, Siphiwe, Klein Muis, Catherine Schenck, Tannur Anders, Olivia Kumwenda, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, Africa, Berlin

☆ Johannesburg residents stunned by once-in-a-decade snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Children play in the snow at Laerskool Orion, a school located in Brackenhurst, a suburb south of Johannesburg in South Africa, July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Reuters) - Residents of South Africa's biggest city Johannesburg were stunned by the first snowfall in over a decade on Monday, with some children seeing snow for the first time. While parts of South Africa regularly receive snowfall over the southern hemisphere winter months around June to August, Johannesburg last saw snow in August 2012. South of the city in Brackenhurst, a Reuters photographer saw children making snowballs and snow angels in a school's grounds. But for others, like delivery driver Chenjerai Murape whose motorbike would not start, the snow made life difficult.

Persons: Jennifer Banda, Chenjerai, Snow, Tannur Anders, Thando Hlophe, Catherine Schenck, Shafiek, Alexander Winning Organizations: REUTERS, Nelson, Reuters, African Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Brackenhurst, Johannesburg, South Africa, Siphiwe, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa's, Gauteng, Pretoria, Mpumalanga province

☆ Last known speaker fights to preserve South African indigenous language
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UPINGTON, South Africa, May 11 (Reuters) - When she was a girl in South Africa's Northern Cape, Katrina Esau stopped speaking her mother tongue, N|uu, after being mocked by other people and told it was an "ugly language". Now at age 90, she is the last known speaker of N|uu, one of a group of indigenous languages in South Africa that have been all but stamped out by the impacts of colonialism and apartheid. "We became ashamed when we were young girls, and we stopped speaking the language," Esau told Reuters. Instead she spoke Afrikaans, the language promoted by South Africa's white minority rulers. [1/5] Ouma Katrina Esau, the last known fluent mother-tongue speaker of the indigenous N|uu language is seen during the ceremony where she was honoured with an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by the University of Cape Town, in Cape Town, South Africa, March 29, 2023.

☆ South Africans call for UK to return diamonds set in crown jewels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The diamond, which weighs 530 carats, was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and presented to the British monarchy by the colonial government in the country, which was then under British rule. "The diamond needs to come to South Africa. Officially known as Cullinan I, the diamond in the sceptre was cut from the Cullinan diamond, a 3,100 carat stone that was mined near Pretoria. A smaller diamond cut from the same stone, known as Cullinan II, is set in the Imperial State Crown which is worn by British monarchs on ceremonial occasions. A replica of the whole Cullinan diamond, which is about the size of a man's fist, is displayed at the Cape Town Diamond Museum.

PRETORIA/CAPE TOWN, March 31 (Reuters) - South Africans took to the streets of Pretoria and Cape Town on Friday to protest against a Ugandan law passed last week that makes it a criminal offence to be openly LGBTQ. Singing and waving flags, demonstrators called on Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, not to sign it. "Queer people don't owe anyone anything, but we also deserve to live just like everyone else. You can't strip all our rights. Reporting by Catherine Schenck and Esa Alexander, Writing by Rachel Savage Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] View of boats stuck in a sea with invasive green water hyacinth weed at the Hartbeespoort dam, informally known as "Harties", a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Shafiek TassiemHARTBEESPOORT, South Africa, March 1 (Reuters) - The Hartbeespoort dam in South Africa used to be brimming with people enjoying scenic landscapes and recreational water sports. Now, the visitors are greeted to the sight of boats stuck in a sea of invasive green water hyacinth weed. Scientists and community members have, however, found a unique way to deal with the invasion by introducing a water hyacinth eating bug called Megamelus scutellaris. The insect army has previously reduced the expanse of water hyacinths to a mere 5% on the dam, Coetzee said.

☆ Army of pest-munching ducks keep South African vineyard blooming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Flocks of white, black and brown ducks hunt for snails and bugs as they patrol the grapevines at a vineyard in South Africa's winemaking town of Stellenbosch, helping the owners steer clear of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers. Around 500 Indian runner ducks work as a natural pest control at the Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate, but also entertain wine-quaffing tourists. "We call them the soldiers of the vineyards," the managing director of the estate, Corius Visser, told Reuters. Ducks are at the heart of the winery's regenerative agriculture practices, and specifically Indian runner ducks, which have long legs and an upright posture, meaning they are able to reach for snails between the leaves. Nutrient-rich manure from the ducks and other animals ensure the vineyard runs as sustainably as possible.

☆ Pumpkin and rooibos ice cream on menu as Cape Town cafe champions African flavours
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Esa Alexander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Tapi Tapi ice cream shop owner, Zimbabwean Tapiwa Guzha, mixes the ice cream ingredients at his shop in Observatory, in Cape Town, South Africa, December 20, 2022. "At some point it became an aspirational thing to say I don't eat African food ... so I started addressing ... that problem," he said at his Tapi Tapi shop. Located in the bohemian suburb of Observatory in Cape Town, he hopes to share the different flavours in tubs and cones, and celebrate African food culture, rituals and folklore. People often bring him ingredients from other parts of the continent, he says, who get a free tub of ice cream in return. Growing up, customer Clive Sibanda knew ice cream could be vanilla, something that is not native to South Africa.

☆ A sex expo aims to break taboos in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MMA fighter Aben Khoza gets his body painted at the Sex Expo, an adult-themed expo held in Pretoria, South Africa, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusPRETORIA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - More than 16,000 people attended a sex expo in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, this weekend, where visitors were invited to browse a wide array of sex toys, watch adult entertainment shows and attend talks by sex experts and therapists. South Africa is generally considered to be a sexually conservative country due to religious beliefs, cultural views and sexual education. Some visitors to the sex expo, an annual event, said they came because they were curious to learn more. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Catherine Schenck; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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