Theron win greeted with celebrations in South Africa

South Africans celebrated Charlize Theron’s Oscar win today, hailing the homegrown star as an inspiration and proof of the country’s achievements since apartheid’s end.

President Thabo Mbeki was among the first to congratulate Theron, whose award he said was equal to the “Nobel prizes for peace and literature that the free South Africa has previously taken from the honours shelves of the world”.