Monday, October 28, 2013

Former South African politician Sexwale arrested in New York: SABC


Former South African politician Sexwale arrested in New York: SABC


Monday, October 28th 2013

 
 
Businessman Tokyo Sexwale addresses journalists in Cape Town
Businessman Tokyo Sexwale addresses journalists in Cape Town October 25, 2007. REUTERS/Mike Hutching …

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Prominent South African businessman and anti-apartheid stalwart Tokyo Sexwale was arrested in New York after his name was on a list of people banned from entering the United States, national broadcaster SABC said on Sunday, citing his lawyer.
Sexwale, a rival of President Jacob Zuma who was ousted as housing minister in a cabinet reshuffle in July, was arrested at John F Kennedy International Airport while on a business trip, SABC said, citing Lesley Mkhabela
Some anti-apartheid activists were banned from visiting the United States during apartheid, which ended in 1994. The ban has been lifted but not all the names have been removed from the list, Mkhabela told the SABC.
"He has instructed us to take the matter up with the authorities of the U.S. so we will address the letter to the U.S. Embassy in South Africa," Mkhabela was quoted as saying on the broadcaster's website.
No one was immediately available for comment at Mkhabela's law firm. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
Alongside former President Nelson Mandela, Sexwale spent years in South Africa's Robben Island prison for his opposition to white-minority rule.
A charismatic politician, Sexwale later became a leading member of the ruling African National Congress and an influential businessman, founding the investment firm Mvelaphanda Group.
(Reporting by David Dolan and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Alison Williams)
 
 
COMMENTS:
 
John 3 hours ago
The new U.S. policy: If you are a foreign political leader we'll tap your phone and arrest you when you visit the U.S. If you're a mexican drug-dealer you can walk across the border unimpeded, take up residence in a "sanctuary city" and when arrested the cops won't be allowed to even ask if you are here legally.
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john 3 hours ago
The Israel Lobby, with is intimate connection to the apartheid government in old South Africa, has always hated anti-apartheid figures. I don't know how they feel about this man, but the Israel Lobby especially hates Bishop Desmond Tutu, because he has said that "Justice for the Palestinians is the greatest moral issue of our time." Perhaps Mkhabela has made similar comments.
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Cool 4 hours ago
Maybe the US should look at updating their data more often? He has business interests in their country but is banned from entering?
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jan 2 hours ago

Like every politician today he is screwing his own people. Most of them still living in poverty while the politicians steals and enriching themselfes. Please keep him in the USA.
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Kei 4 hours ago
It has been suggested that Boers brought to Africa a measure of stability that benefited native Africans as well as the Boers. Note that: 1) Civilizations and kingdoms thrived across Mother Africa's savannas, forests and sand dunes for centuries before the Europeans invaded. The natives of Africa did NOT request the Europeans' 'stability'. Keep it. 2) What do avaZulu fail to learn from Caucasians on the disposition of invaders at the end of their reign of invasion? Why does neo-colonialism/ neo-apartheid still flourish in the African countries long after "independence" was attained? Consider this: It may be said that the civilized Roman invaders brought 'stability' to the British Isles - which benefited primitive native druids as well as the Romans. For centuries! Nevertheless, when the time came for the native to reclaim the lands of the British Isles, the past good deeds of the Romans and their civilization didn't matter: They were ejected, purged, slaughtered - brutally. The lands were cleansed. A brutal lesson was learnt and internalized on both sides - forever.
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Objective Observer 4 hours ago
So are we supposed to presume from this report that the United states was all for apartheid in South Africa... is it possible the USA would ever have considered banning and arresting Nelson Mandela too? I don't think so; something is seriously wrong if the USA is arresting the champions of anti-apartheid
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james v 4 hours ago
maybe the US thought that it was better to ban them since in their struggle they did get very violent, maybe the US just thought to not let that happen on their soil... who knows why... or the gold and diamonds could've been a very strong motivator to side with SA government those days....
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Daniel 10 hours ago
He should have told them he was Mexican.
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Roger 9 hours ago
Why was he banned? I have no idea.
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Kei 10 hours ago

Is Syria's FSA a terrorist organization? Are the our violent, murderous rebels in Syria actual terrorists? How about the terror-spewing cutthroats we used to oust Gadaffi in Libya? How about the rebels we used to violently instal Oattarra in power in Ivory Coast - and in the process slaughtering thousands of terrified civilian natives then and now?
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