PRETORIA, South Africa — Gen. Siphiwe Nyanda became the first black to head South Africa's military Friday, receiving a ceremonial sword and a salute from his white predecessor, Georg Meiring.
In his speech at a military base outside the capital, Pretoria, Nyanda struck a tone of conciliation as he took the helm of a military that had sought to kill him when he commanded African National Congress guerrillas just a few years ago.
