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The article delves into South Africa's recent election, highlighting disillusionment with the ruling party, ANC, examining its historical legacy and contemporary challenges, while exploring emerging political alternatives amidst economic woes and social unrest.

The article reports on numerous mourners from around the world who went to a soccer stadium to pay tribute to South African President and philanthropist Nelson Mandela who died on December 4, 2013. Among the several politicians and leaders attended the mourn include Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and U.S. President Barack Obama. Also appeared in the event on December 10, 2013 were former Great Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

The article discusses South African's efforts to pay tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela following his death in December of 2013, highlighting their viewing of Mandela's body in a casket in Pretoria, South Africa. Topics addressed include long lines of mourners waiting to see the body, as well as various ceremonies honoring Mandela's life.

The article examines social and economic inequality in South Africa despite the efforts of former President Nelson Mandela ending apartheid and promoting racial and political equality. Despite increased access to clean water, education, and increased income, the authors note that many black South Africans suffer from a large income gap compared to their white counterparts while socialization between the races is a rare trend.

The article presents a profile of the political successors and family descendants of the former South African president Nelson Mandela in the wake of his December 5, 2013 death. Focus is given to the social disappointment aimed at the recipients of Mandela's legacy. Political successors such as the former president Thabo Mbeki and family members such as Chief of Mvezo Mandla Mandela and celebrity daughter Zindzi Mandela are discussed in turn.

The article discusses the decision of Julian and Ena Hewitt, two middle-class white South Africans, to move their family into a shack in a shantytown in Mamelodi, South Africa for one month in order to experience what life was like for black South Africans struggling with poverty. Topics addressed include public debate in South Africa caused by the Hewitts' decision, race relations in the country since the end of apartheid, and the family's lifestyle while living in the shantytown.

The article reports that the failure of South African's prosecutors to make a case against Jonathan Davids who was accused of raping and killing a 17-year old girl Anene Booysen, has outraged the public and shaken their faith in the justice. Before dying, Booysen told to her medics that Davids and her friends had raped her. The attack which happened in February 2013, became a symbol of epidemic of violence against women in the country.

The article reports on the legal fight over the trust of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa. It notes that Mandela's daughters Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Dlamini seek to distribute their father's money and remove lawyers Bally Chuene and George Bizos as trustees of two companies that support Mandela Trust. It mentions that the legal fight resulted into a long-dispute over who will control the financial legacy of Mandela who wanted his money to last for generations.

The author discusses Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius's shooting and killing of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. Topics addressed include Steenkamp's work as an advocate against domestic abuse of women in South Africa, Pistorius's claim that he fired at Steenkamp because he believed she was an intruder in his home, and Pistorius's history of violent and reckless behavior.

The article reports that South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder following the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013. Topics include why early reports suggesting that Pistorius had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder were unfounded, how South Africans have reacted to the news of the murder, and a discussion of the gun laws and prevalence of violent crime in South Africa.

The article reports on the investigations conducted by police from South Africa following the death of Patrick Karegeya, an exiled former spy chief from Rwanda.

The article reports on the burial of former South African President Nelson Mandela in Eastern Cape, South Africa on December 15, 2013 where songs of liberation has been rendered by the people of his hometown in Qunu.

The article reports on the African National Congress (ANC) which will compete in the election without former South African President Nelson Mandela, who was its important moral figure.

The article offers information on the tributes offered by people in South Africa and across the world to former South African President Nelson Mandela after his death on December 5, 2013 which shows their celebration of his life instead of mourning over his death.

The article reports on the death of Nelson Mandela, the first African American President of South Africa and a democratic icon who advocate against racial discrimination.

The article reports on the statement of Mandla Mandela on June 15, 2013 regarding the recovery of his grandfather Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, after the latter's hospitalization due to serious lung infection.

The article reports that the health of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized for pneumonia is improving.

The article reports on the increase in police brutality in South Africa which has incited public outrage, highlighting the case of taxi driver Mido Macia who was dragged by a police truck that led to his death due to head injuries.

The article reports on the murder case of Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius and discusses the court proceedings of the South African case with Magistrate Desmond Nair.

The article reports that Mamphela Ramphele, a veteran who battled against apartheid, has established the Agang political party to compete with the African National Congress in South Africa.

The article reports on the plan of South African prosecutors who are responsible in the case against Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track star accused of shooting his girlfriend, to charge him with premeditated murder, the most serious murder charge under the criminal law of the country.

The article reports that Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, has been released from the hospital, ending a 19-day hospital stay.

The article reports on the visit of South African President Jacob Zuma to its former President Nelson Mandela, to check his medical condition. Zuma notes that Mandela's health is improving and that the physicians are happy about it. It is noted that Mandela has suffered from recurrent lung infections that lead the government to control information about his condition.

The article reports on the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as deputy president of the African National Congress in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 2012. It says that Ramaphosa achieved more than 75% of the vote, which made him the possible successor of President Jacob Zuma when his term ends. It notes that Zuma's political image is affected by issues of corrupt deals and state-sponsored house renovations in the said year.

Information regarding the leadership conference of the African National Congress (A.N.C.) held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 2012 is presented. The conference discussed topics including the crisis confronting the divisions in the A.N.C., corruption, and the need for unity and grow the economy, as well as job creation. The event featured political leaders and related individuals including President Jacob Zuma, deputy Kgalema Motlante, and Cyril Ramaphosa.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa's ailing former president, was responding to treatment for a lung infection, government officials said Wednesday as he prepared to spend a fifth night in a Pretoria hospital. ''Doctors attending to former President Mandela have reported that he has made progress during the past 24 hours, and they are satisfied with the way he is responding to treatment,'' President Jacob Zuma said in a statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on former South African President Nelson Mandela who has been hospitalized since December 8, 2012. It states that Mandela has had a lung infection recurrence and is responding to treatment, says President Jacob Zuma. It adds that Mandela has first taken to a hospital for a test since he was flown to Pretoria, South Africa and second on February for stomach ache. Moreover, the latest stay of Mandela as of December 12 is the longest which made fears among the constituents.

The article reports on the battle for the ward council post, the lowest-level elected position in South Africa. It mentions that local party chairman Dumisani Malunga and party official Bheko Chiliza were killed after the small-town political meeting of the African National Congress (ANC). It notes that political killings threatens to tarnish the image of the nation, and are on the rise amid the waning economic opportunities and rising corruption.

The article offers information on the police shooting occurred on August 16, 2012 which causes the death of 34 striking miners in Johannesburg, South Africa. It states that photograph and video evidences show that the police officers have performed actions in an attempt to make it appear that they have no choice but to fire on the working miners. Anti-apartheid lawyer George Bizos says that the police tried to defeat the ends of justice.

The article presents a controversy on the $27 million of government money spent on upgrades to the private home of South African President Jacob Zuma in 2012. According to President Zuma, his family, and not the government, had constructed his homestead with no idea what type of security upgrades were made. The Department of Public Works mentions that the work was strictly associated to the security of President Zuma as head of state and the government had taken care to apportion expenses.

The article reports on the investigation on President Jacob Zuma due to the $27 million of government money he spent on upgrades to his private home in South Africa. It states that the controversy over Zuma's improvements was heightened due to the country's serious crisis due to the wildcat strikes roiling the gold and platinum mining industries. It notes that Zuma has been charged with corruption, however, it was dropped amidst allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

The article reports on the plan of South African President Jacob Zuma to spend about $100 billion to help create jobs in the country. The author mentions that the decision came amid criticisms from Zuma's opposition on his failure to address the labor problem in the country, as well as the issue of poverty. She states that Zuma is also urging his opposition to stop telling the media about the country's ailing economy and suggests to reflect on the efforts made to address social problems.

JOHANNESBURG -- Facing sluggish economic growth and a yawning gap between the nation's richest and poorest citizens, South Africa is struggling to provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers, the World Bank said in a report released Tuesday. The report came a day after South Africa's finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, announced that the country was unlikely to meet its 2.7 percent growth projection amid the global slowdown. The World Bank said South Africa was likely to grow 2.5 percent this year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- During apartheid, in the coastal municipality of Overstrand, just east of Cape Town, whites lived in plush, seaside enclaves whereas blacks and mixed race people lived in ugly townships and shacks. Whites owned almost all the businesses, and had access to the best jobs, health care and schools. Eighteen years after the end of apartheid, not much has changed, said Maurencia Gillion, a local politician who grew up and still lives in Overstrand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CANDU, South Africa -- The court's verdict was swift and sure: Nomvulo Ludonga was guilty as charged. To atone for her offense, Ms. Ludonga, a widowed schoolteacher, had to give the court a live sheep, 50 liters of maize beer, two cases of regular beer, two bottles of brandy and two bottles of juice. Her crime? She had broken customary law by calling the police to investigate a burglary at her house without informing the village headman, a traditional leader of the Mbashe royal family of the Xhosa nation, and had insulted his dignity by refusing to appear before his court. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

JOHANNESBURG -- To the artist and a gallery director, it was a scathing piece of satire -- a riff on Soviet-style propaganda aimed at a powerful president with a controversial sexual history who presides over a liberation movement-turned-political party that many here feel has lost its revolutionary appeal. But to that party, the African National Congress; many black South Africans; and, most of all, the man it depicted, President Jacob Zuma, the painting -- which portrayed Mr. Zuma in a Leninesque pose with his genitals exposed -- was a reminder of the pain and humiliation frequently visited on black bodies by white hands under apartheid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress, went to court on Tuesday to try to force an art gallery in Johannesburg to remove a painting that appears to depict South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, with his genitals exposed. The tussle over the painting is the latest battle over free speech in a country where the government has taken increasingly firm steps to squelch critics despite one of the world's most expansive sets of individual rights, enshrined in its 15-year-old Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- Lines etched in sand are playthings of the wind. So it is no wonder that the nomadic Tuareg people of West Africa, who have for centuries plied caravan routes that crisscross the Sahara with little regard for national borders, have long believed in their right to their own state. And on Friday, by their lights, they got one: rebel fighters in the ancient crossroads of Timbuktu, Mali, announced the birth of a nation called Azawad. In a declaration on its Web site, the rebellious National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad said it proclaimed ''irrevocably the independent state of Azawad, starting from this day, Friday April 6, 2012.'' The declaration said the rebels recognized the inviolability of their borders with neighboring countries and promised to draw up a democratic constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

CORRECTION APPENDED JOHANNESBURG -- Julius Malema, the polarizing leader of the African National Congress Youth League, was abruptly suspended from the party on Wednesday, effectively silencing him within South Africa's main political body as he fights for his political life. The announcement came after a speech on Friday in which Mr. Malema accused President Jacob Zuma of becoming a dictator, and after a highly unusual news conference on Tuesday by the party's top leadership to denounce divisive squabbles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

JOHANNESBURG -- The military officers who overthrew the president of Mali suffered dual setbacks on Monday, as West Africa's regional trade bloc imposed tough sanctions against them and rebels secured the ancient desert crossroads of Timbuktu, virtually sealing their control over the northern half of the troubled nation. The fall of Timbuktu, a backwater at the southern edge of the Sahara, was the latest in a series of steady advances by the rebels and another blow for a nation struggling to come to grips with a coup that deposed its elected president last month and replaced him with a junta of junior military officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAPE TOWN -- For countless foreign visitors, Cape Town is an indelible symbol of the beauty and promise of post-apartheid South Africa. Beyond its gorgeous scenery and great wines, its very logo -- an outline of majestic Table Mountain superimposed over a rainbow -- emphasizes its historic mix of races and cultures, and its most famous resident, Desmond Tutu, is revered as a symbol of tolerance, inclusiveness and forgiveness. But for many black South Africans, this city represents something very different: the last bastion of white rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- A court in Zimbabwe decided not to imprison six activists who had been arrested while watching news videos of the Arab Spring uprisings, sentencing them instead on Wednesday to 420 hours of community service and fining them $500 each. The activists became something of a cause celebre in Zimbabwe, where repression is nothing new but the spectacle of a university teacher being arrested for watching news coverage and holding what was, he said, a seminar on political activism and democracy, shocked many Zimbabweans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- Six political activists in Zimbabwe who gathered last year to watch and discuss television news broadcasts of the Arab Spring protests were convicted on Monday of conspiring to commit violence in an effort to overthrow the government. The penalty could be 10 years in prison. They are to be sentenced on Tuesday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- Tens of thousands of South Africans marched in the streets of the nation's major cities on Wednesday in a national strike called by Cosatu, the powerful group of trade unions, a crucial ally of the governing African National Congress that is growing increasingly critical of its policies. The stated reason for the strike was to protest new highway tolls and the practice of contracting out jobs through temporary-employment firms, at lower pay and with fewer benefits than permanent workers get, a practice known here as labor broking. But the strike tapped a deep undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the A.N.C., which has governed South Africa since white minority rule ended in 1994. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Julius Malema, the former leader of the Youth League of the African National Congress, fired back at the party that expelled him Wednesday, telling government radio that he was ''not a soldier who is prepared to fall in the battle, I will die with my boots on.'' Despite a rowdy show of support from close allies in his home province of Limpopo, response to his expulsion was relatively muted. Mr. Malema's controversial proposals, like nationalizing the country's mines, won some support among the impoverished youth, but his criticism of President Jacob Zuma landed him in front of a party disciplinary tribunal. Mr. Malema was initially suspended from the party for five years, but an appeals committee increased the penalty to expulsion, arguing that he showed no remorse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAPE TOWN -- Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of the Youth League of the governing African National Congress, was expelled from the party in a decision announced late Wednesday night, bringing an abrupt halt to the meteoric rise of one of the most polarizing figures to emerge on the political scene of post-apartheid South Africa. Mr. Malema, who has repeatedly clashed with South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, and other party leaders, had earlier been suspended from the party for five years for ''sowing divisions within the organization and bringing the organization into disrepute,'' according to the party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOHANNESBURG -- A high-profile and bitterly fought race for the top post in the African Union ended inconclusively on Monday, with neither the incumbent, Jean Ping of Gabon, nor his main challenger, South Africa's home minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, securing enough votes to win. The vote, which took place in the new glass-and-steel headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, underscored deep divisions in an organization created a decade ago to help Africa overcome its old colonial divisions and increase the continent's power on the global stage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

JOHANNESBURG -- They lined up well before dawn, some driving from the deep countryside with bags of fluffy blankets and neatly packed sandwiches, to wait for the gates to a new life to open. They hoped for a shot at a coveted spot at one of South Africa's public universities, and with it a chance to escape the indignity of joblessness that afflicts more than a third of the nation. By morning, the line was more than a mile long. As the gates were about to open at 7:45 Tuesday morning, thousands of students, many accompanied by their anxious parents, surged forward, desperate to win one of several hundred last-chance places still open at the University of Johannesburg. Amid shoving and screams, one woman, the mother of a prospective student, was trampled to death and several others were badly injured in a frantic scrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]