6 January 1896
Cecil John Rhodes, prime minister of the Cape Colony, was severely censured for his involvement in the infamous Jameson Raid and forced to resign by the British government. The raid failed because of swift reaction by the forces of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR or Transvaal Republic). The operation was further doomed when an intended rise by Uitlanders on the Witwatersrand was called off shortly before Jameson's invasion. *The 2 & 7 January are given by other sources.
References
Kruger, D.W. (ed) (1972). Dictionary of South African Biography, Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council, v. 3, p.712.|South Africa Holiday, 'Cecil John Rhodes', from South Africa Holiday, [online], available at www.southafricaholiday.org.uk [Accessed: 04 January 2010]|Archives Hub (1893-1903), 'Administrative/Biographical History', from Archives Hub, [online], Available at archiveshub.ac.uk [Accessed 23 August, 2011]