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Activity: The first farmers in Southern Africa
Activity: Learning about the farmers Archaeologists found a lot of information from their research surrounding Suikerbosrand and Hartebeespoort Dam near…
ArticleIndia, Mughal Empire, 16-19th Century
The Mughal India 1526-1858 The Mughal Empire: government and society The Moghuls were a powerful Muslim family who came from lands that are today part of…
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, Cape, Transvaal and…
ArticleKing Kong the Musical 1959 -1961
King Kong: An African Jazz, was the first all-Black South African musical which opened in 2 February 1959. The musical chronicles the rise and fall of…
ArticleReactions to Silverton Siege 1980
Verdict Protests The Silverton and Soekmekaar verdict prompted a wave of protests against the death penalty and particularly the death sentences of Johnson…
ArticlePeter Henry Abrahams timeline 1919 - 1985
1919 Peter Abrahams is born in Vrededorp, Johannesburg in March 1919 to an Ethiopian father and a Coloured mother. His father passed away when he was young…
ArticleWorld War I Timeline 1916
18 February The German colony of Cameroon falls to French and British forces after 17 months of fighting. 21 February–19 December The Battle of Verdun…
Tools and weapons from iron and copper
Division of labour: gender-based activity: men Work within the African societies was divided according to gender. The men were herders, hunters and warriors…
Women’s Enfranchisement Association of the Union (WEAU)
The WEAU and votes for white women Until 1930 there were no women in South Africa who had the right to vote. It was felt that a women's place was in the…
Bantu Women’s League
The Bantu Women's League was the first women's organisation in South Africa. It was started in 1918 by one of our earliest women activists, Dr Charlotte Maxeke…
The French Revolution Activity
Working from sources: Activity 1: The Old Order The three men in the picture stand for the three Estates of the Old Order. Look at the picture, then…
Art lost in a time of struggle by Mary Corrigall
Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective During the past few years the Johannesburg Art Gallery has focused attention on black artists who were…
Women at the start of the 20th century
It is only over the last three or four decades that women's role in the history of South Africa has, belatedly, been given some recognition. Previously the…
ArticleHistory of Women in Prisons during Apartheid
This article was written by Justin Lawler and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project During the times of apartheid,…
ArticleSS Mendi
The sinking of the SS Mendi was caused by the reckless action of the captain of the SS Darro. It remains the greatest wartime maritime disaster ever suffered…
ArticleEvents leading to the Bambatha Rebellion
In 1887 Zululand was annexed by the colony of Natal and the Zulu were gradually stripped of most of their arable land. There was widespread poverty, made worse…
The Arrival of the Khoisan
About 2 000 years ago (100 BC), life began to change significantly in the Western part of Southern Africa. Herders, also known as the Khoikhoi, arrived,…
ArticleThe history of Migrant Labour in South Africa
Introduction The migrant labour system marks a period in which African men were integrated into wage labour. Black men changed from being farmers in their…
ArticleThe History of LGBT legislation
Introduction Discriminatory, separate and oppressive, these are words that were used to explain South Africa’s Apartheid regime, which officially lasted from…
Article1946 Mine Workers Strike timeline 1867-1987
1867 Diamonds discovered in Orange Free State and Kimberley. 1867 Diamond mining begins in Griqualand West. 1872 Introduction of pass laws to control…
ArticleGrade 5 - Term 2: The first farmers in Southern Africa
The first farmers in southern Africa were Bantu-speakers and archaeology shows that they entered southern Africa between 2 000 and 1 700 years ago This topic…
ArticleOrigins of the Battle of Blood River 1838
The Great Trek and the advent of the Mfecane The origins of the battle are a matter of considerable debate. The background to this event can be found in two…
ArticleThe formation of the SANNC/ANC
Bloemfontein is the birth place of the SANNC, which became the ANC in 1923, one of the largest organizations in later years to struggle for freedom and justice…
ArticleKasturba Gandhi timeline 1869 - 1944
1869 April, Kasturba Kapadia is born in Porbandar, in present-day Gujarat. 1876 Kasturba Kapadia and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi are betrothed by their…
The Rise of Women’s Trade Unionism in South Africa by Peter LaNasa
This article was written by Peter LaNasa and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project Abstract: This essay discusses…
ArticleWomen in the Cities and the Resistance Movement
ArticlePlacing the film “Inxeba – The Wound” in Historical Review
Story Synopsis Inxeba is essentially an intersectional story about three Xhosa men that is told in the setting of the mountains of the Eastern Cape during a…
ArticleWorld War I and the South African Native Labour Contingent
The South African Native Labour Contingent (SANLC) was formed in 1916 in response to a request from the British Imperial Government for an African labour force…
ArticleRole of Black people in the South African War
Introduction The South African War of 1899-1902 was essentially a 'White mans' war, fought to determine which white authority had real power in South Africa…
ArticleLand, Labour and Apartheid
Land and labour are two very important elements of the economic development of a society, and the way they are used will influence how the society develops. In…