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The Herald, July 15, 1996 

POP star Michael Jackson will visit South Africa this week ahead of a new world concert tour, local newspapers reported yesterday. 

Wacko Jacko’s “History” concert tour starts in Prague on September 7 and the first leg includes performances in Europe and North Africa, but officials declined to say if Jackson will announce a South African concert date. 

Jackson who arrives on Thursday, has been invited to South Africa by hotel group Sun International and will address a news conference on Friday at the group’s Lost City resort, venue for the Miss World beauty pageant for several years. 

The “History” collection of new songs and previous hits sold disappointingly for Jackson after its release last year. 

His previous “Dangerous” tour was cut short when he became addicted to painkillers in the wake of allegations of child molestation. 

The allegations continue to plague him, but no charges were ever laid. 

The new concert line-up is underwritten by billionaire Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, who signed a deal with Jackson in March to co-operate on concert tours, theme parks and hotels. 

Local newspapers have speculated the US-based star might be considering buying property in South Africa. 

LESSONS FOR TODAY 

Jackson, the world’s most talented singer, songwriter, and dancer/performer died at the age of 51 (June 2009). 

He was born in a musical family, and his sister Janet Jackson remains a major performing artiste. 

Popularly known as the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson’s cultural influence was global, and his legacy as the United States of America’s cultural ambassador lives on. He was among the best-selling artistes of our modern time. 

He was also called Wacko Jacko due to his weird lifestyle. 

Jackson was among the artistes that pioneered the professional staging of musical shows and the making of specialised videos in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Despite the glitz and glamour that surrounded his life, controversy also stalked him from childhood, including the child molestation allegations, substance abuse, skin bleaching and plastic surgeries. 

The plastic surgeries were viewed by many as signs of Jacko’s denial of his African-American identity. 

Michael Jackson visited Zimbabwe in November 1998 and he met the late President Robert Mugabe.