Free Republic

Johannesburg and the large township of Soweto nearby have been forced to endure several days without water as electricity problems have knocked out pumping stations and a late summer heat wave has strained reservoirs. Residents have been forced to rely on bottled water as local utilities have turned down water pressure, or turned off water completely. And outside Johannesburg’s wealthier, leafy suburbs, spare water has been in short supply. South Africa’s Daily Maverick reported: On Sunday, 17 March, Johannesburg Water said the system remained under “severe strain”, and the bulk supplier, Rand Water, warned that its system faced imminent collapse....

South African authorities have re-established order—for now—in Soweto and other Johannesburg townships, after a week of looting of foreign-owned shops and violence in which four people were killed. The 19-year-old mother of an infant who died after being trampled by a mob during the looting said she was accidentally caught in the street chaos. Some witnesses, however, said the mother was herself pillaging when she was knocked down with her baby strapped to her chest. …

This is a reprint from the Peoria Chronicle’s web site. It was posted by CJ, the sites owner and written by Paul Wilkinson. Paul is the President of the Altamont Park Neighborhood Association. I know Paul and he is the most straight forward person I’ve met. He has no need to embellish or to lie. That means this is true and it’s an outrage. I hope Mr. Jackson of the local NAACP reads this and responds. That will be interesting. This is nothing more than hate and race war against whites. Here is the posted letter: Tonight, around 11 p.m.,...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- It is Friday evening, and dozen Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs are parked across the street from The Rock nightclub. The crowd sports designer clothes and haircuts. Buckets of champagne top the tables, and patrons, three-deep at sleek, silver-topped bar, wave cash to buy another round. The ritzy nightspot isn't in Los Angeles or London. It is in Soweto, a sprawling community on the outskirts of Johannesburg and a place once synonymous with extreme poverty and brutality of white rule. Home to roughly a million people, Soweto now is sprouting nightclubs, shopping malls and modern bank branches. Roads,...