Jack E. Kightlinger — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1980 Liberian President William Tolbert was overthrown and killed in a violent coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, ending over a century of Americo-Liberian rule.
PoliticsOn this day — April 12 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
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Jack E. Kightlinger — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1980 
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2009 Zimbabwe officially abandoned its own currency after years of extreme hyperinflation, adopting foreign currencies for everyday transactions.
Politics
EU Election Observation Mission Malawi 2025 — CC BY, Wikimedia Commons 1950 Joyce Banda, who became the fourth President of Malawi and the country's first female head of state, was born in Malemia.
Birth
Etienne Ansotte, European Union — CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1942 Jacob Zuma, who served as the fourth President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, was born in Nkandla, Natal.
Birth
Public Domain (GFDL), Wikimedia Commons 1988 Alan Paton, South African author and anti-apartheid activist best known for the novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country,' died in Durban.
DeathSimon Kapwepwe, Zambian independence activist who became the country's second Vice President, was born.
Birth