Stories from the 11-12 Feb ’06 Weekend: What You Missed

SA Blog brings you South Africa news from the weekend which you may not have seen. (Note: over time, some links may expire, as stories are archived.)

• South African scientists at the University of Johannesburg have developed an ultra-efficient solar energy panel, which converts enough sun-power – even on overcast days – to run a large household. A German company will begin manufacturing the panels later this year. IOL | Google News
• Former residents of District Six comemmorated the 40th anniversary of the area’s evictions. A mixed-race neighborhood close to Cape Town’s city centre, District Six was declared for “whites only” forty years ago, then razed to the ground by the apartheid government. It became a world symbol of racist oppression. IOL | District Six Muesum
• Triomf, a suburb of Johannesburg, was restored to its former name, Sophiatown, in its time often referred to as the “Harlem of Africa”. Sophiatown shared a similar fate with District Six – race-based evictions followed by razing – but unlike District Six, it was also resettled, by working-class, mainly Afrikaans-speaking whites, and rechristened, becoming an ugly symbol of Afrikaner nationalist triumphalism. Joburg.org.za | News 24 | M&G | Guardian
• Hosts Egypt won the African Cup of Nations, despite having suspended their best player, Mido, for dissent during an earlier match. Ivory Coast were the runners-up. Egypt2006 | IOL | IHT | ESPN | World Cup Blog