SOUTH AFRICA

Fans celebrating the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa (Camps Bay, Cape Town) Author: Audrey & Patrick Scales

1. China has overtaken the US, Japan, Germany and the UK to become South Africa's biggest trading partner. (afrika.no - South Africa: China now top trading partner - Africa ...)

This could annoy certain people.

2. Siyabonga Cwele is South Africa's intelligence minister.

In January 2010, his wife, Sheryl Cwele, was arrested on drug-dealing charges. (S African minister's wife Sheryl Cwele on drug charges)

Mrs Cwele was charged with procuring a woman, Charmaine Moss, to collect drugs in Turkey.

Moss is the state's main witness. (Sheryl Cwele facing drugs charges - Hawks )

Mrs Cwele was also charged with getting another woman to smuggle cocaine from Brazil.

Mrs Cwele is facing the charges with Frank Nabolis, a Nigerian arrested in South Africa in December 2009.

Sheryl Cwele's arrest followed that of Tessa Beetge, a South African woman arrested in Brazil with cocaine in her luggage.

Beetge was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Mrs Cwele was director for health and community services at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality.

3. Meanwhile, "the newspapers have been full of stories of Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda ant his numerous and lucrative contracts with State entities." (Foul stench of rotting Cabinet )

4. According to a report in South Africa's Sunday Times, banking executive Sonono Khoza is the mother of South African president Jacob Zuma's latest child.

Her father, Irvan Khoza, 61, the chairman of the country's Premier Soccer League, is said to be upset by the the relationship. (http://www.dailymail.coc/)

5. In 1999, George Monbiot wrote about South Africa that "Twenty-two per cent of its pregnant women are HIV-positive.

"Within ten years, the country’s average life expectancy will drop from 59 to 40." (Monbiot.com » A Murderous Conspiracy)

6. Israel had close relations with white South Africa.

South Africa has a large Jewish community.

7. South Africa's minerals minister has "slapped down radicals in the ruling African National Congress who have called for nationalisation of the mines." - South Africa rules out mines nationalisation