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Taiwan-South Africa Episodes

S5-E5 - South Africa and Taiwan (And the Sad Story of SAA Flight 295)
5
March 12, 2025

S5-E5 - South Africa and Taiwan (And the Sad Story of SAA Flight 295)

November 28, 1987: South African Airways Flight 295 departs from Taipei bound for Johannesburg. Somewhere near Mauritius, a mysterious fire breaks out. The crew fights hard to extinguish it, but sadly, the plane and all 159 people on board are doomed to a watery grave in the Indian Ocean.  The crash of SAA Flight 295 raises questions: What was in the cargo hold? Did the fire have anything to do with banned items or weapons?  Plus, we'll tell you why the ROC (Taiwan) and white-ruled South Africa were once very good friends – to the point that Taiwanese were deemed “honorary whites.”