SA tenor Johan Botha is born

Internationally known singer Johan Botha was born in Rustenburg, Transvaal (now North West Province). He attended his first singing lessons at the age of ten. After completing his education and military training, Botha studied in Pretoria first as bass-baritone and later as tenor. He first appeared on stage in 1989 as Max in Der Freischutz in Roodepoort. He travels extensively in Europe and the United States and is a popular performer at the world's major opera houses, but still finds time to visit South Africa occasionally.