Politics & Society
126 records
ArticlePassive Resistance in South Africa
The passive resistance movement in South Africa is seen as, largely, led by M K Gandhi and the Indian Congresses campaigns. However, this…
ArticleFederation of South African Women (FEDSAW)
The Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW or FSAW) was launched on 17 April 1954 in Johannesburg as the first attempt to establish a…
ArticleBlack Sash
The Women's Defence of the Constitution LeagueIn 1955 a small group of white middle-class women who were predominantly English-speaking…
ArticleAfrican Nationalism
Introduction Nationalism refers to an ideology, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. It emphasises the…
ArticleAfrapix
Afrapix – Comrades with Cameras A history of a South African anti apartheid Documentary Photography Collective Afrapix, a…
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…
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…
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…
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…
ArticleA Short History of ESKOM, Part 2 (2001-2022)
Following on from Part 1, this article seeks to analyse some of the historical and present dynamics bedevilling ESKOM. Over the past twenty…
ArticleA Short History of ESKOM, Part 1 (1923-2001)
This short history of Electrical Supply Commission (ESKOM) aims to provide an overview of the history of the power utility over its first…
The Sweet Workers’ Union
The Sweet Workers’ Union (SWU) originated as an offshoot of the short-lived Women Workers’ Union, founded by Fanny Klenerman in the mid…
Women’s Food Committees in Cape Town during the 1940s
The political importance of women’s food committees in Cape Town during the 1940s has been emphasised by both Cheryl Walker and Tom Lodge…
ArticleWomen and The Food and Canning Workers’ Union
The fruit-canning industry in South Africa can be traced to the late nineteenth century, when the first jam factories opened in Paarl and…
ArticlePoor Whites and their Political Weapon: Constructing the Kakamas Dam
The term “poor whites” was coined during the 19th century, as the mineral revolution and development of mines forced smaller farmers off…
ArticleThe Roots of Apartheid in the Construction of Buchuberg Dam
At the start of the 20th century South Africa faced a poor white epidemic. The state justified Apartheid as an "anti-poverty program for…
ArticleNontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu’s “Mother of the Nation” Legacy
Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu, affectionately known as Ma Sisulu, has been described countless times as a caring and service-oriented…
ArticleThe Azania Liberation Support Committee and its publications
The Azania Liberation Support Committee (ALSC) was formed in London around 1983 by Roseinnes Phahle and other individuals of various…
ArticleThe Nelson Mandela Presidency - 1994 to 1999
In 1991, Nelson Mandela was elected the president of the African National Congress (ANC), and his friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, was…
ArticleSPEAK Magazine (1982 - 1994)
This article was written by Carly Spagnola and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project Since the…
ArticleWomen’s Revolts in Natal: 1959
Most people credit the abolition of apartheid to many organisations and leaders, such as the African National Congress and Nelson Mandela…
ArticleRace and ethnicity in South Africa
Race and ethnicity have been and still is at the heart of South African history, politics, society and economy since the European…
ArticleThe role of traditional leaders during Apartheid
Introduction The institution of traditional leadership represents an early form of societal organisation. It embodies the protection of…
Article1994 Cabinet
Cabinet Members Ministry / Portfolio Minister / Incumbent Deputy Minister(s) …
ArticleTimeline 20 years of Democracy 1994 to 2014
1994 27 April,South Africa's interim constitution which was adopted in November 1993 came into effect on 27th April 1994 to administer…
Article1973 Durban Strikes
Introduction On 9 January 1973, workers at the Coronation Brick and Tile factory, outside Durban, came out on strike. Immediately…
ArticleTeachers League of South Africa (TLSA) conference in 1925
Background The establishment of the Teachers’ League of South Africa (TLSA) emerged out of increasing racial segregation in the Cape…
ArticleA History of Official Government HIV/AIDS Policy in South Africa
The HIV/AIDS Crisis Emerges: Reponses of the Apartheid GovernmentIn 1982, the first case of AIDS in South Africa was reported in a…
ArticleBattle of Cuito Cuanavale 1988
Introduction The battle of Cuito Cuanavale and the Cuban intervention in Angola is one of the turning points in Southern African History…
ArticleHistory of elections in South Africa
Introduction The South Africa Act passed by the British Parliament in 1909 combined the self-governing British colonies of the Natal,…