Man sentenced for murder of S Africa historian

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 5 (Reuters) A South African convicted of the murder of Anglo-Zulu war expert David Rattray was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, the SAPA news agency said.

Rattray, 48, a friend of Britain's Prince Charles and famous for his lively oral accounts of fighting between British troops and Zulu warriors in the 19th century, was shot dead on January 26 in his lodge in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.

SAPA identified the man as Fethe Nkwanyana and said he will not be eligible for parole before completing 18 years of his sentence. He will also be imprisoned for attempted armed robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Rattray's killing has added to concern about high levels of violent crime in South Africa and stoked fears over basic security when the country hosts the 2010 soccer World Cup.

South Africa is battling one of the highest crime rates in the world and opposition groups and the media have accused the government of failing to curb violence, including rampant murder and rape and car hijackings.

A second man who will face charges in connection with the killing is due to appear before a magistrate on February 9. The two were arrested in a small town about 300 km (190 miles) southeast of Johannesburg after a police manhunt.

Admirers praised Rattray for raising interest in KwaZulu-Natal's history, including a famous 1879 battle at Isandlwana, where more than 20,000 Zulu warriors routed British troops in one of Britain's worst military defeats.

Rattray was about to finish a new history of the Anglo-Zulu conflict and was regarded as a world authority on the Zulu martial tradition.

Zulus are South Africa's largest single ethnic group and have proud ties to tribal traditions that made them some of the country's most feared warriors.

Rattray is the latest well-known figure to fall victim to South Africa's crime.

South African theatre icon Taliep Pietersen was shot dead during a robbery in his home outside Cape Town in December.

Last year Nobel prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer was robbed and assaulted in her home in a quiet Johannesburg suburb.

REUTERS DKA RN1834