Legendary South African Trumpeter Hugh Masekela Dies

Hugh Masekela, the trumpeter, composer and anti-apartheid activist known as the "father of South African jazz" has died at the age of 78 in Johannesburg.

A statement by released by his family Tuesday said Masekela, affectionately called "Bra Hugh," passed away "after a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer." He announced last October that he was being treated for the disease, which was first diagnosed in 2008.

Masekela's five-decade career began in earnest in the 1950s, when he helped create the Johannesburg jazz scene as a member of the bebop sextet Jazz Epistles, but fled South Africa in the 1960s to spend the next three decades in exile.

He befriended American singer and activist Harry Belafonte, and he increasingly used his music to protest the indignities and repression of white-minority rule in his homeland. Among his better known protest tunes were "Soweto Blues," and "Bring Him Back Home," an anthem demanding the release of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela from prison.

Masekela scored an international number-one hit in 1968 with the breezy tune "Grazing in the Grass." He later collaborated with American pop star Paul Simon in the 1980s. He was briefly married in the 1960s to Miriam Makeba, the legendary South African singer and activist.

South African President Jacob Zuma praised Masekela in a statement Tuesday, saying he "kept the torch of freedom alive" through his music, and that "his contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten."

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa wrote on Twitter that "Bra Hugh was one of the great architects of Afro-Jazz and he uplifted the soul of our nation through his timeless music."

Photo of Hugh Masekela in 2007 by scorpius73.

Thousands Cheer as Mandela Goes Home for Last Time

by Scott Bobb

The body of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela has been returned to his ancestral home Saturday where it is to be buried Sunday at his family compound in Qunu. Thousands of people cheered the funeral procession as it traveled Saturday from Mthatha to Qunu. 

Throngs of people sang and danced along the roads as they waited many hours for the funeral procession.

As the convoy passed with its coffin draped with the South African flag, police struggled to keep the crowd from surging onto the highway.

It was the beloved leader’s last public appearance.

Sizwe -- he goes by only one name -- was eight years old when Mandela was freed from prison 20 years ago. He says his generation will never forget South Africa’s first black president. 

“Especially us, the youth, because we are looking up to him, a lot of things that he has done for us. Even here in this area there is a lot of changes through him," said Sizwe. "If he didn’t fight for this country like he did I don’t think we’d be standing where we are today.

Luyanda Liberty Gcaza agrees. He is graduating with a university degree in biology. 

“In the olden days it was rare to find a man like me in South Africa, completing his degree," said Gcaza. "I think this is special because education was the first [most] important thing for him because he said that in order for South Africa to be free we need to be educated.”

Nano Binase, a mother of two, also waited for hours to pay her last respects. She says she wants her children to learn Mandela’s humility and his ability to forgive despite many injustices.

“He has lived an exemplary life. We can [should] follow his example," said Gcaza.

Mandela, before his body was returned to his home region, was eulogized by leaders of his ANC party at a memorial service near Johannesburg.

His grandson and designated family heir, Mandla Mandela, said his 95-year-old grandfather worked tirelessly even after his retirement to improve people’s lives. He focused on social issues such as HIV/AIDS and improving the well-being of South Africa’s children.

Authorities say more than 100,000 people paid their respects over three days while Mandela lay in state in Pretoria.

He was eulogized Tuesday at a memorial in Johannesburg that was attended by more than 60,000 people and more than 80 heads of state and government.

The anti-apartheid icon is to be buried in Qunu Sunday following ceremonies to be attended by several thousand people - family members, close friends and a handful of leaders, mostly from Africa.

Apartheid-Era Defense Minister Malan Dies in South Africa

Monday, 18 July 2011

A South African defense minister who led military efforts against the anti-apartheid movement has died.

A statement released by the family of General Magnus Malan says he “died peacefully” early Monday at his home in Cape Town. He was 81.

Malan served as South Africa's defense minister from 1980 to 1991 and before that as army chief.

As defense minister, Malan organized the government's response to what he saw as a “total onslaught” against South Africa and its white-minority rule.

He deployed troops to control unrest in South African townships, and also sanctioned raids against anti-apartheid fighters in neighboring countries.

Later, Malan went on trial for the 1987 murders of 13 people in KwaZulu-Natal province. Malan and 19 others who were tried with him were eventually acquitted of those charges.

Malan is survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.

South African Anti-Apartheid Veteran Albertina Sisulu Dies at 92

The University of Johannesburg confers an honorory doctoral degree (Doctor Litterarum et Philosophiae (honoris causa)) to Albertina Sisulu in acknowledgment of her revolutionary role in pre-1994 South Africa. (Photo: Dawidl)

South African Anti-Apartheid Veteran Albertina Sisulu Dies at 92
Thursday, 2 June 2011

A veteran of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, Albertina Sisulu, had died in her Johannesburg home. She was 92.

Sisulu was an important figure in the ANC Women's League at the height of apartheid and was the widow of Walter Sisulu, one of Nelson Mandela's mentors. Walter Sisulu died in 2003.

The ruling African National Congress said Thursday that Albertina Sisulu dedicated all her life to the ANC and to the defeat of apartheid in South Africa.

Sisulu reared five children while her husband spent 25 years in prison on Robben Island alongside Mr. Mandela. Albertina Sisulu also spent months in prison and often had her movements restricted by the apartheid government.

Albertina Sisulu held leadership posts in the ANC and served in parliament, taking a seat after the first all-race elections in 1994.

She lived to see her children take prominent positions in post-apartheid South Africa. Her daughter, Lindiwe Sisulu, is defense minister and her son, Max Sisulu, is a member of parliament.

Anti-Apartheid Activist Who Shielded Mandela Dies

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

An old friend of Nelson Mandela who once helped hide the anti-apartheid leader from the South African white minority government has died.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation says Arthur Goldreich died in Israel on Tuesday. He was 82.

In the early 1960s, Mr. Mandela posed as a worker for Goldreich at the white activist's farm near Johannesburg.

The Liliesleaf Farm served as a base for the anti-apartheid movement. While there, Mr. Mandela took the name David Motsamayi and pretended to be a black servant who often wore simple blue overalls.

In 1963, police raided the farm and arrested Goldreich and other anti-apartheid leaders. Goldreich later escaped from police and eventually moved to Israel.

Goldreich returned to South Africa for a reunion at Liliesleaf Farm after Mr. Mandela became South Africa's first democratically-elected president in 1994.

Besides being an activist, Goldreich was also an artist. He designed the set for “King Kong,” a popular musical in South Africa about the life of a real-life black boxer.