The Durban Supreme Court cancelled the South African government's announcement of 18 June 1982 concerning the repossession of the Ingwavuma region, KwaZulu. The cancelation was done on the grounds that the government did not meet its legal obligation to consult fully with the KwaZulu authorities before making its announcement. The State President, P.W. Botha responded by issuing a new Proclamation, under a different law, once again placing Ingwavuma under government control. The announcement on 18 June came 4 days after the Minister of Development and Cooperation, Dr. Piet Koornhof made his speech to the KwaZulu Legislative Assembly.

Under orders from Commandant-General Louis Botha, Field-Cornet Jan Potgieter's commando burned Chief Sikhobobo's kraal at Qulusini, looted cattle and grain, and drove the inhabitants towards Vryheid. This attack on the Qulusi was avenged within five days. Sikhobobo informed the magistrate at Vryheid, A. J. Shepstone, that he was taking a party of men outside the town to try to recover some of his stolen cattle. That night a Qulusi impi of 300 men attacked a commando of seventy Boers under Field-Cornet Jan Potgieter laagered at Holkrans (Ntatshana), some twenty kilometres north of Vryheid. The impi surrounded the Boer laager intending to surprise them but a premature shot gave the Boers some warning. Nevertheless the Zulus used the darkness to creep in close, practically wiping out the commando. In this attack 56 Boers, most of them local farmers, were killed and 3 taken prisoner while all the cattle at the camp were driven off. The Zulu impi suffered the loss of 52 killed and 48 wounded.

Following a series of tense negotiations and years of liberation struggle, the first democratic election was held in South Africa on the 27th April, 1994. This election changed the history of South Africa. It paved the way towards a new democratic dispensation and a new constitution for the country. For the first time all races in the country were going to the polls to vote for a government of their choice. Nineteen political parties participated and twenty-two million people voted. The election took place in a festive atmosphere, contrary to fears of political violence. The African National Congress (ANC) won the election with 62.65 % of the vote. The National Party (NP) received 20.39 %, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) 10.54 %, Freedom Front (FF) 2.2 %, Democratic Party (DP) 1.7 %, Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) 1.2 % and the African Christian Democratic Party 0.5 %. Although the ANC gained a majority vote, they formed the Government of National Unity, headed by the ANC's Nelson Mandela who became the first black President of the country.

The Minister of Cooperation and Development, Dr. Piet Koornhof, announced that the '72-hour curfew' will be lifted on a trial basis in Pretoria and Bloemfontein, as part of a plan to remove all restrictions. The '72-hour curfew' imposed on visiting blacks was one of the most hated apartheid laws. This curfew formed an integral part of influx-control regulations that restricted black people's movement. In his statement he said that the curfew requiring blacks to have a permit to stay more than 72 hours in an urban area would be dropped in Pretoria and Bloemfontein as an experiment.

On 19 August 2002, an Islamic high court in the Katsina state of Nigeria, upheld a sentence of death by stoning for Amina Lawal. The 31 year old woman had been convicted of adultery by a village court for having a child more than nine months after her divorce. She was not represented by a lawyer at the hearing and the man who allegedly fathered her daughter denied the offence and was acquitted. Following the intervention of lawyers appointed by Amnesty International, who defended her free of charge, Lawal was granted 30 days to appeal against the decision. Amina's lawyer filed another appeal to the Upper Sharia court of appeal in Katsina. Her sentence drew worldwide condemnation. Human rights campaigners branded the sentence inhumane and discriminative towards women. According to some interpretations of Sharia law, for a man to be convicted of adultery, he either has to confess to the crime or four men have to have witnessed the act. The law favours men. A man is allowed to beat his wife if she is disobedient, provided he does it within the guidelines prescribed by Islamic scholars. According to these guidelines, he must not break any bones or hit her in the face. In February 2004 the Sharia Court of Appeal ruled that Amina Lawal's conviction was invalid because she had been pregnant already when the harsh Islamic Shariah law was implemented in her home province.

In August 1844 French forces under General Thomas Bugeaud defeated the Moroccan army in the battle of Isly. The battle was a result of the French government's pursuit of Algerian resistance leader, Abd al-Qadir who had taken refuge in the country. Following the defeat Sultan Abd ar-Rahman of Morocco was forced to accept French presence in Morocco. He also had to agree to remain neutral and not assist any enemy of France in any way. A peace treaty was signed in Tangier on 10 September 1844 and came to be known as the Treaty of Tangier.

Gertrude Shope was born in Johannesburg, but grew up in Zimbabwe. She was trained as a teacher and went on to teach in Natal and Soweto. When she was 29 years old she decided to join the African National Congress (ANC) and soon afterwards left teaching as part of a campaign to boycott Bantu Education. In 1966 the ANC convinced her to leave South Africa and join her husband, Mark Shope, in exile. While in exile, Gertrude and her husband travelled frequently to lobby as representatives of the ANC. In 1991 Shope was elected president of the ANC's Women's League, a position she held until 1993. She worked together with Albertina Sisulu in convening the ANC's Internal Leadership Corps Task Force from 1990-1991. In 1994 Shope became a member of parliament in the Government of National Unity.

In one of the largest demonstrations staged in this country's history, 20 000 women of all races marched to Pretoria's Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, to present a petition against the carrying of passes by women to the prime minister, JG Strijdom. The march against the pass laws was organised by the Federation of South African Women (FSAW or FEDSAW). The Federation famously challenged the idea that 'a woman's place is in the kitchen', declaring it instead to be 'everywhere'. Although Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom was not at the Union Buildings to accept the petition, the women of South Africa sent a public message that they would not be intimidated and silenced by unjust laws. After the petition was handed over to the secretary of the prime minister, the women sang a freedom song: Wathint` abafazi, Strijdom! Since then, the phrase'wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo' (You Strike a Woman, You Strike a Rock) has come to represent the courage and strength of South African women. The first National Women's Day was celebrated in 1995. South Africa had just become a democratic country at the time, and the day was declared a national holiday. Since then annual celebrations take place throughout the country. It has become one of the national holidays where activities are organised with women in prominent positions making appearances and giving speeches at different venues across the country. August has since been declared National Women's Month.

General Muhamed Lamari, the head of Algeria's army, resigned for non-specific health reasons. Lamari had played a key role in the fight against Islamic fighters. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stated that Lamari would be succeeded by General Salah Ahmed Gaid, commander of ground forces and an ally of his, as chief military staff. Lamari had been an influential figure in the Algerian army, and led the army in a fight against Islamist rebels since 1992, when the army had seized power as a radical Muslim party was on the verge of an electoral victory.