Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
South African anti-apartheid figure, Andrew Mlangeni, who stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela in the 1963-64 Rivonia Trial, has died at the age of 95. Mlangeni's death was announced on Wednesday, July 22. He was the last surviving Rivonia trialist, spending more than a quarter of a century imprisoned on Cape Town’s notorious Robben Island before his release in 1989.
Mlangeni was admitted to a military hospital in the capital Pretoria on Tuesday, July 21, with an abdominal complaint. Announcing his death, the presidency said in a tweet: "President Cyril Ramaphosa has learnt with deep sadness of the passing away overnight of the last remaining Rivonia Trialist." South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Mlangeni, saying his death signified "the end of a generational history.""With his passing as the last remaining Rivonia Trialist, Bab’Mlangeni has indeed passed the baton to his compatriots to build the South Africa he fought to liberate and to reconstruct during our democratic dispensation," Ramaphosa said.Mlangeni spent 27 years in prison alongside Mandela, Dennis Goldberg, Walter Sisulu and other activists who were sentenced for planning to overthrow the apartheid government. After his release, Mlangeni served as a lawmaker in South Africa’s first democratic parliament from 1994. In his later years, he was chairman of the integrity committee of the ruling African National Congress party, which was responsible for investigating corruption allegations against its leaders.
Mlangeni was admitted to a military hospital in the capital Pretoria on Tuesday, July 21, with an abdominal complaint. Announcing his death, the presidency said in a tweet: "President Cyril Ramaphosa has learnt with deep sadness of the passing away overnight of the last remaining Rivonia Trialist." South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Mlangeni, saying his death signified "the end of a generational history.""With his passing as the last remaining Rivonia Trialist, Bab’Mlangeni has indeed passed the baton to his compatriots to build the South Africa he fought to liberate and to reconstruct during our democratic dispensation," Ramaphosa said.Mlangeni spent 27 years in prison alongside Mandela, Dennis Goldberg, Walter Sisulu and other activists who were sentenced for planning to overthrow the apartheid government. After his release, Mlangeni served as a lawmaker in South Africa’s first democratic parliament from 1994. In his later years, he was chairman of the integrity committee of the ruling African National Congress party, which was responsible for investigating corruption allegations against its leaders.
