On this day — August 31 in African history

Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.

1984

Charl Schwartzel, the South African golfer who won the 2011 Masters Tournament, was born in Johannesburg.

Sources: PGA Tour ; ESPN ; BBC Sport

Birth
1997

Dodi Fayed, the Egyptian film producer, died alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash in Paris.

Sources: The Independent ; ABC News

Death
1978

John Wrathall, the second and last president of Rhodesia before its transition to Zimbabwe, died in office.

Sources: TIME ; The Times (London)

Death
2025

A landslide triggered by heavy rains buried the village of Tarasin in Sudan's Darfur region. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controlled the area, said more than 1,000 people had been killed.

Sources: BBC News ; Al Jazeera

History