In the early hours of 7 May 1945, the Chief-of-Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command, General Alfred Jodl, signed unconditional surrender documents to the Allies at the SHAEF headquarters in Rheims, France.   General Franz Bohme also announced the unconditional surrender of German troops in Norway on 7 May. It included the phrase "All forces under German control to cease active operations at 23:01 hours Central European Time on 8 May 1945." These documents of surrender ended the European conflict of World War II.  This most terrible of all wars was characterized by unspeakable atrocities, germ warfare, enormous civilian casualties, the genocide of 5,5 million European Jews, and the use of a new and terror-laden weapon of war, the atomic bomb. Estimates of the death toll attributable to the war for military and civilian losses have ranged upward to 60 million, with civilian losses at or more than 50 percent of that total. This is a stark contrast with the losses of WWI, in which such losses were no more than five percent. The war had a far greater global reach than its predecessor, and over 50 countries or dependencies were listed as having some degree of involvement. This included South Africa, who fought on the side of the Allies. The South African force suffered approximately 9000 casualties and 14 000 injuries, and many soldiers were simply declared missing. South Africa's contribution to World War II consisted mainly of supplying troops, men and material for the North African and Italian campaigns, with numerous volunteers who worked as pilots for the Royal Air Force. It is important to note that almost all sources differ greatly on the exact number of casualties during the war. 

Tutankhamun was pharaoh during the Egyptian period of the New Kingdom. Descending from the eighteenth dynasty, he became pharaoh at the age of nine and his rule lasted for approximately ten years. Worshipped as a god, he had a devoted following, which is reflected in the temples that were built in his honour in as far away as Kawa and Faras in Nubia. Although an inscription signalled that Tutankhamun was the son of a king, his parentage is unknown. During his reign, Tutankhamun attempted to undo what the previous pharaoh had decreed. He lifted the ban that had been placed on deities and temples and restored privilege to the priesthood. He also tried to restore diplomatic relations with other kingdoms but was less successful in this regard. The cause of Tutankhamun's death at the age of 19, is still unknown and there has been much speculation about his passing. Murder has been the main theory, and the suspects include his wife, his immediate successor, Ay, and his chariot driver. Despite these speculations, no evidence has been found that confirms the cause of his death. Tutankhamun was buried in a tomb that was relatively small given his status, but since his death might have occurred unexpectedly, he may have been buried in a tomb that was intended for someone of lesser importance. Tutankhamun was relatively unknown to historians of ancient history until his tomb was discovered in the twentieth century. On 28 November 1922, a team of archaeologists announced that numerous gold treasures were found in Tutankhamun's tomb, which could all be used to provide greater insight into the history of Egypt during the New Kingdom. Many of these treasures are on display at the Cairo museum in Egypt.  

Emily Chinea became the first woman in the Free State and South Africa to be officially executed after being found guilty of murdering her husband. The Star of 21 June 1921 tells of a woman, Emily Chinea, and her paramour, Lucas Matong, who, in 1903, were charged with the murder of her husband, an elderly White man. They were both found to have taken an active part in the murder and both were executed on 28 November 1904. The murder was a particularly brutal one in which an axe and stones were employed, and the body was thrown into a river. The woman was reported to have been in bed with her husband when he was summarily despatched by her lover. She was the first documented woman of the Orange Free State to be condemned to death and executed, and the first woman officially executed in South Africa. Related topic: The first women to be executed in the Cape and Transvaal The first documented woman of the Cape to be hanged for murder was Maria Rabie. She killed her husband in collaboration with her lover in the 1920s. With her eye on collecting the insurance, Daisy de Melker got rid of her nearest and dearest by popping strychnine, or alternatively, arsenic in their drinks. She went down in history on 31 December 1931 as the first official woman 'poisoner' to be hanged in South Africa. Dina Dorothea van der Merwe, was so convinced she had been swindled out of her inheritance by her farm manager, Louis Tumpowski, that she hired others to kill the swindler. She became the first documented woman to be condemned to death and executed in the Transvaal.

On 12 January 2019,legendary Bafana Bafana  striker Philemon  Masinga died at 49 years old  in a Johannesburg hospital after a long battle with cancer.  Masinga was born on 28 June 1969 in Klerksdorp,  North West Province.  He is well known for scoring the goal in 1997 match against Congo which secured the South Africa’s World Cup appearance in 1998.  The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Thokozile Xasa acknowledged Masinga as one among the first players to play in a major league. He was also labeled as the ambassador for the game and the country. Masinga played  for Jomo Cosmos and Mamelodi Sundowns before  moving overseas in 1994. He also played for international teams:Leeds United in England, St Gallen in Switzerland, Salernitana Bari in Italy and Al Wahda in the United Arab  Emirates. The late Masinga scored 18 goals during his 58 international appearances between 1992 and 2001. Over his entire professional career, Masinga scored 154 goals in 328 appearances. He left behind his wife, Carol, and two children.

Peter Scott was born on 27 November 1990 in Cape Town.[i] Peter is a South African alpine skier.[ii] His family immigrated to France when Peter was nine years old, where he began skiing.[iii] He formed part of the 2010 South African Winter Olympics team, representing the country in the men’s giant slalom competition.[iv] Peter trains at the Peyregudes Ski Club in France.[v] He is coached by Alexander Heath.[vi] Peter Scott failed to finish the men’s giant slalom at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada.[vii] End Notes [i] Peter Scott, http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/peter-scott-3.html (13 March 2017). ↵ [ii] Peter Scott, http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/peter-scott-3.html (13 March 2017). ↵ [iii] Peter Scott, http://www.ranker.com/review/peter-scott/62088855 (13 March 2017). ↵ [iv] Peter Scott, http://www.ranker.com/review/peter-scott/62088855 (13 March 2017). ↵ [v] Peter Scott, http://www.ranker.com/review/peter-scott/62088855 (13 March 2017). ↵ [vi] Peter Scott, http://www.ranker.com/review/peter-scott/62088855 (13 March 2017). ↵ [vii] Speelman fails to meet selection criteria – SASCOC, http://citizen.co.za/sport/sport-other-sport/115642/speelman-fails-meet-selection-criteria-sascoc/ (23 January 2014). ↵

Prominent South African academic, Dr Olive Shisana was born in the town of Pietersburg, South Africa, on the 27th of November 1950. [1] She holds a BA degree which she obtained from the University of the North, South Africa. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology which she obtained from the Loyola College, in the United States of America. She went on to study at Johns Hopkins University where she obtained a Doctor of Science degree. [2] Her expertise encompasses epidemiology and risk factors associated with HIV, with a veritable publication record in management and policy development. Due to her academic record and specialist knowledge she was appointed as the first Director General of the Department of Health, under the Mandela Administration. [3] Dr Shisana became the first female CEO of the Human Sciences Research Council and served in that capacity for 10 years. She is currently CEO of Evidence Based Solutions, a private research firm. [4] Endnotes [1] Olive Shisana, Available Online: http://prabook.com/web/person-view.html?profileId=340099 (18 May 2017). ↵ [2] Olive Shisana Biography, Available Online: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/uploads/pageDownloads/26/Olive%20Shisana%20Biography.pdf (18 May 2017). ↵ [3] Olive Shisana and Peter Piot appointed to Africa Health Research Institute Board, Available Online: http://www.k-rith.org/olive-shisana-peter-piot-appointed-africa-health-research-institute-board/ (18 May 2017). ↵ [4] Olive Shisana, Available Online: https://za.linkedin.com/in/oliveshisana (18 May 2017). ↵

The South African actor, playwright and singer was born on this day in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape. It was his character of Boet in a series of television advertisements for Castor motor oil which brought him national fame and local icon status. He has starred in several television series, mini-series and made-for-tv-movies for which he has won numerous award.[1] End Notes [1] Ian Roberts, http://whoswho.co.za/ian-roberts-5557 (7 March 2017). ↵

Brenda Nokuzola Fassie was born in 1964 in Langa, a township near Cape Town. She was named after the American country singer Brenda Lee. The daughter of a pianist, Brenda began singing to her mother's accompaniment at a very young age. At the age of five, she already had tourists paying to hear her sing. Producer Koloi Lebona heard about Brenda and brought her to Soweto to live with his family. She soon joined the group Joy and later formed her own band Brenda and the Big Dudes. Fassie began a solo career in the 1980’s working with producer Sello Chicco Thwala. Her career skyrocketed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Things seemed to all go downhill in the mid 1990’s when rumours of drug abuse began to surface. After a few a stints in rehab Fassie made a comeback in 1998 with the release of her very successful album Memeza, which was also a reunion with her long time producer Thwala. She died on 9  May 2004 after spending two weeks in a coma. Her death was reported to have been caused by a cocaine overdose.

The Prime Minister Balthazar Johannes Vorster indicated that the 'homelands' will be perfectly free to form a federation among themselves, once they have achieved full independence. However he was not prepared to share the sovereignty of the white people with any other national group. This came two years after the Prime Minister completed a tour of African homelands in the Northern Transvaal during which he held talks with leaders of the North Sotho, Tswana and Venda homelands. The importance of working together was emphasised and regular consultation was promised.  

The constitution of the South African Students' Organisation (SASO) is adopted at its inaugural conference and Steve Biko is elected president. Other leading party members include: Barney Pityana, Harry Nengwekhulu, Hendrick Musi, Petrus Machaka, Manana Kgware, Aubrey Mokoape, J Goolam and Strini Moodley. Though the new organisation is committed to a philosophy of Black Consciousness, it does not reject the liberalism of National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) right away.