Politics & Society
258 records
ArticleCradle of Humankind
The Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and EnvironsThe Sterkfontein Valley landscape is in both western Gauteng…
ArticleuMkhonto weSizwe (MK)
On 16 December, 1961, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) was launched as an armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The formation of the…
ArticleAfrican National Congress (ANC)
The African National Congress (ANC) is South Africa's governing party and has been in power since the transition to democracy in April 1994…
ArticleSouth African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU)
In the 1930s various trade unions from different backgrounds ranging from conservative craft unions, white racist industrial unions, white…
ArticleSouth African Communist Party Timeline 1870-1996
Explore some of the key moments and events that have helped shape the course of South African Communist Party. Follow the links for more…
ArticleAfrican nationalism and working-class & popular protests, 1910-1924
General Louis Botha headed the first government of the new Union of South Africa, with General Jan Smuts as his deputy. Their South African…
ArticleJune 16 Soweto Youth Uprising timeline: 1976-1986
1976 According to the government-appointed Cillie Commission of Enquiry 575 people died. Police action resulted in 451 deaths. 3 907…
ArticleWomen and Children in White Concentration Camps during the Anglo-Boer War, 1900-1902
Due to the fact that Black People were detained in separate camps, the issue of Black Concentration Camps is dealt with in another…
ArticleConvict Stations & Labour in the Cape Colony
Written by: FRANCO FRESCURA The exploitation of convict labour at the Cape during the Colonial era is closely connected with the work of…
ArticleThe Jameson Raid
By 1895 Britain was getting more confident about taking action in South Africa. Joseph Chamberlain was appointed Colonial Secretary. He…
ArticleSecond Anglo-Boer War - 1899 - 1902
'South African War ( a.k.a. the Anglo-Boer War) remains the most terrible and destructive modern armed conflict in South Africa’s history…
State policies and social protest, 1924-1939
One of the most important developments in South Africa in this period was the formation of the Pact Government in which the push for…
Article1946 African Mineworkers Strike
"Two hundred thousand subterranean heroes who, by day and by night, for a mere pittance lay down their lives to the familiar 'fall of rock'…
ArticleDefiance Campaign 1952
The post-1948 period saw the African National Congress (ANC) abandoning its traditional reliance on tactics of moderation such as petitions…
ArticleIndian South Africans
From bondage to freedom - The 160th anniversary of the arrival of Indian workers in South Africa The feature on Indian South Africans…
ArticleA history of Indians in South Africa Timeline: 1654-2008
This is a collection of timelines of Indians in South Africa from 1654 until 2008.
ArticleThe Khoisan
In around 2300 BP (Before Present), hunter-gatherers called the San acquired domestic stock in what is now modern day Botswana. Their…
ArticleAfrapix
Afrapix – Comrades with Cameras A history of a South African anti apartheid Documentary Photography Collective Afrapix, a…
ArticleEuropean missionaries in southern Africa: the role of the missionaries
"Without doubt it is a far more costly thing to kill the (indigenous population) than to Christianise them." (Warneck 1888) European…
ArticleEarly African Civilisations: Ancient Egypt, Nubia and Swahili
Ancient Egypt The ancient Egyptian civilisation grew for thousands of years intact because the Nile River Valley and Mediterranean and…
ArticleKingdoms of Southern Africa: Mapungubwe
Landing page contentThis topic provides a brief introductory overview of the settlements in the Limpopo Valley before Mapungubwe, and a…
ArticleKingdoms of southern Africa: Great Zimbabwe
Where is Great Zimbabwe? The Great Zimbabwe ruins date from the Iron Age and lie between the Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers in the Limpopo…
ArticleThe San
The San, the first people in South Africa The earliest hunter-gatherers in southern Africa were the San people. The San were also known as…
Afrikaner
From European to "Africaander” The modern Afrikaner is descended mainly from Western Europeans who settled on the southern tip of Africa…
ArticlePrehistory of the Pretoria area
The Pretoria region was initially occupied by the southern Ndebele people, led by Chief Musi. They inhabited this area about 300 to 400…
ArticleColonial history of Bloemfontein
The area between the Orange and Vaal rivers, originally known as Transoranje, with its abundance of permanent water sources, was the…
ArticleUnited Democratic Front (UDF)
The United Democratic Front (UDF) was an anti-apartheid body that incorporated many anti-apartheid organisations. It was launched in 1983,…
ArticleSouth African Communist Party (SACP)
On 30 July 2011, the South African Communist Party (SACP) celebrated its 90th anniversary. Initially known as the Communist Party of South…
ArticleNational Union of South African Students (NUSAS)
In 1924 the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) was founded aimed at representing and promoting the interests of university…
ArticleSouth African Indian Congress (SAIC)
The period 1860-1923 is characterised firstly by the introduction of indentured Indian labourers into Natal and of the "passenger" Indians…