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BiographyReverend Beyers Naudé
Beyers Naudé was born in Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal, on 10 May 1915. He was named after Christiaan Frederik Beyers, a Boer general who was close to his…
BiographyCheryl Carolus
Cheryl Carolus was born on 20 April 1959 in the Cape Flats of Cape Town to a working class family. Her father was employed as a printer’s assistant and her…
Article2014 South African platinum strike: longest wage strike in South Africa
In democratic South Africa, the government allows citizens to express dissatisfaction through peaceful demonstrations. Workers are also allowed by legislation…
BiographyChris Hani
Thembisile Chris Hani was born in the rural village of Sabalele, in the Cofimvaba region of the former Transkei. He was the fifth of the six children of…
BiographyShadrack Fuba Zibi
Chief of the Mbuto (Mbuthweni) section of the Hlubi group of tribes, was the son of Fuba III and the grandson of Zibi II. He was educated at Love dale…
BiographyAbraham H. de Vries
The South African writer, Abraham Hermanus de Vries, was born on Tuesday the 9th of February, in 1937, in a small town and agricultural centre of the western…
ArticleUniversity of Witwatersrand Student Protests 2015 Timeline
The student movement Rhodes Must Fall (#RhodesMustFall, #RMF) garnered much media attention in March of 2015, after Chumani Maxwele of the movement defiled a…
BiographyWilliam Sinclair Winship
William Sinclair Winship was born on 18 March 1927, in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he was a few months old, his parents moved to Mpwapwa, Tanzania, before…
BiographyJeremy Vearey
Jeremy Vearey was born in 1963 in Elsies River. He describes the area as a ‘different Elsies River’ than today as it was only around 50% built houses. It was a…
BiographyHelen Newton Thompson
Helen Newton Thompson, an anti-apartheid political activist and founding member of the Black Sash, has for the most part of history, been a fleeting footnote…
BiographyBenson Tsele
Benson Tsele died on 21 March 1968 in combat against the then white supremacist Rhodesian army. The Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) guerrilla was part of the Luthuli…
BiographyBilly Nair
Billy Nair was born in Ansonia Lane (now Lacey Road), Sydenham, Durban on 27 November 1929. He was one of five children born to Parvathy and Ittynian (Kisten)…
BiographyAbdul Samad Minty
Abdul Samad Minty was born on 31 October 1933 in Hartebeesfontein, Northern Transvaal (now known as Limpopo Province). Minty grew up in Johannesburg where he…
Article1949 Anti Indian Pogrom in Durban
On 13 January 1949 an Indian store-keeper in central Durban assaulted an African youth. This incident resulted in a wave of violence, starting at the Indian…
BiographyZuleikha Mayat
Zuleikha Mayat was born in 1926 in Potchefstroom, Transvaal (now North West Province). Her father, Mohamed Bismilla, was a prominent business person who first…
ArticleJohn Langalibalele Dube Timeline 1940-1950
1840s John Dube’s grandmother, Dalitha becomes the first convert of the Lindley Mission Station in Inanda. 1871 22 February, John Langalibalele Dube is…
Prehistory: Pre colonial farmers in Gauteng
Prehistory of Southern AfricaFarming people did not inhabit the Greater Johannesburg region until the Late Iron Age. Then, beginning in the 15th century,…
BiographyNimrod Sekeramane Nathale
Nimrod Sekeramane Sejake was born on 8 August 1920 in Evaton, south of Johannesburg, to Basotho parents. He attended a mission school in Evaton later went to…
EventMalawi switches over to a new decimal currency, the Kwacha
Malawi officially replaced the Malawian pound with the Kwacha on 28 August 1970. The country had circulated the Pound sterling, the Rhodesian Dollar and the…
ArticlePan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is the belief that people of African descent have common interests and should be unified. Historically, Pan-Africanism has often taken the shape…
BiographyWilliam Andrew ‘Willie’ Hofmeyr
William Andrew Hofmeyr, popularly known as Advocate Willie Hofmeyr, was born on 22 November 1954 in Cape Town, South Africa[i] . After matriculating from…
EventThe National Union of Mineworkers start South Africa’s longest wage strike
South Africa's longest and biggest strike was organised by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), led by Cyril Ramaphosa. At the time it was the second…
EventTwo psychiatrists give evidence on the proceedings of David Beresford Pratt’s case
On 13 September 1960, during the trial of David Beresford Pratt, two psychiatrists gave evidence about his mental condition. The case was heard at the Supreme…
ArticleGeneral South African History Timeline: Pre-1500
Modern Humans evolve in Africa, including South Africa and the first African people begin to settle in South Africa. Hundreds of years later the first…
BiographyDr. Mantombazana ‘Manto’ Tshabalala-Msimang
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on 9 October 1940. She attended Inanda Seminary Secondary School, a boarding school for black South…
Speech delivered on the condolence motion in honour of the late Ebrahim "Cas" Saloojee in the national assembly – 5 February 2009
Madam Speaker I am truly humbled to have been selected by the ANC to present a message of condolence and an obituary on the late Ebrahim "Cas" Saloojee. It…
BiographyMattheus Uys Krige
Mattheus Uys Krige and his contribution to the Second World War Mattheus Uys Krige (1910-1987) can certainly be counted among the most dynamic literary…
A growing urban African population
As Johannesburg expanded, so did its need for African labour. After the First World War, a large number of factories were being established and were growing in…
PlaceMogwase, Bojanala Region
Mogwase lies near the Pilanesberg National Park. It falls under the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality juristriction and the seat of Bojanala Platinum, is…
ArticleKingdom of Kongo 1390–1914
The Kingdom of Kongo was a large kingdom in the western part of central Africa. The name comes from the fact that the founders of the kingdom were KiKongo…