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EventPortuguese sailors reach St Helena Bay
Vasco da Gama's Voyage of "Discovery" The reason for putting "discovery" in inverted commas is because the land was not, as so many explorers argue,…
ArticleDemocratic Alliance (DA)
The Democratic Alliance (DA), previously named the Democratic Party (DP), was formed on 8 April 1989, when the former Progressive Federal Party, Independent…
ArticleTimeline — Land Dispossession and Restitution in South Africa - 1995-2013
After the advent of democratic rule in 1994, the newly elected ANC led government was faced with the task of dealing with a legacy of centuries of land…
PlaceRondebosch
In 1657 a group of four free burghers were granted land in an area south of Table Bay at the Cape of Good Hope. Jan van Riebeeck, the Dutch commander at the…
EventState of emergency declared in 27 townships
The government imposed a state of emergency in 27 townships in the Vaal Reef area and banned the carrying of all weapons. The regulations introduced by…
EventPresident Thabo Mbeki leads a government delegation to the funeral of former state president, P.W. Botha
Pieter Willem Botha was the prime minister and then president of South Africa from 1978 to 1989. He is commonly referred to as "Die Groot Krokodil" for his…
PlaceVictoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town
It started off with a small Jetty, built by Jan van Riebeeck in 1654 as part of his task to establish a Refreshment Station at the Foot of Africa for the Dutch…
Address by President Thabo Mbeki at the Opening Ceremony of the President’s Cup 2003 Fancourt 20 November 2003
Honorary Co-Chairman of the President’s Cup, President George Bush, President Nelson Mandela, President FW de Klerk, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished…
ArticleApartheid crumbles, Women in the turmoil of the 1980s
The 1980s saw escalating state repression and mass detentions. In a frenzy of desperate reaction, the government declared a series of back-to-back states of…
The Boerenvereenigingen: precursor to the Afrikaner Bond
In the 1870s a series of farming associations emerged in the Cape, both in the west and in the east. While both English and Afrikaner associations emerged, the…
ArticleStates of Emergency in South Africa: the 1960s and 1980s
One of the key instruments used by the apartheid government to neutralise political dissent was the State of Emergency (SOE). In periods when the government…
The Mass Democratic Movement, February 1988 - January 1990
South Africa, Johannesburg, Poert Mzwakhe Mbuli, UDF concert 1989 The State of Emergency's continued bannings and repression only led to reveal the fact that…
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 South Africa’s first…
PlaceLangeberg Mountain Range, Western Cape
The Langeberg Mountain Range is in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is approximately 170 km long! The Marloth Nature Reserve, the Garcia State…
Artscape: Legacy Exhibition
About Legacy Alexander’s inspiration is spurred by his many years as a pastor to the exiled and destitute in the inner-city of Pretoria. It was during this…
PlaceOld Presidency
This building served as the official residence of the presidents of the former Republic of the Orange Free State, it was declared a National Monument under old…
BiographyWinnie Madikizela-Mandela
Early YearsNomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela was born, the fifth of nine children, in the village of Mbongweni, Bizana, in the Transkei on 26 September 1936…
ArticleAbout South African History Online (SAHO)
AboutMission & ValuesProjectsEducation & InternshipsConferences & PublicationsCommunity & ExhibitionsMafika Gwala LectureTimelinePartners &…
PlaceThe Old Presidency Museum, Bloemfontein
Former Home of past Presidents featuring exhibits on their lives, plus art exhibits & performances. It is now a Military Museum, which can be visited between…
PlaceHaartbeespoort
Hartbeespoort, informally also known as: "Harties", is a small resort town north of Johannesburg in the North West Province of South Africa. Situated on slopes…
ArticleSouth African Constitutional Development Timeline 1902 - 1997
1902 31 May, The Peace Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Anglo-Boer War that began in 1899. The Treaty is signed between Boer and British leaders. 1908 12…
The Democratic Party (DP)
The Democratic Party (DP) was formed on 8 April 1989, when the former Progressive Federal Party, Independent Party and National Democratic Movement merged…
ArticleCongress of South African Students (COSAS)
The Congress of South African Students (COSAS) was established in June 1979 as a national organization to represent the interests of Black school students in…
Lecture by the President of the ANC, President Jacob Zuma, on the occasion of celebrating the life and times of the tenth President of the ANC President Nelson Mandela, 10 July 2012, Limpopo
Mrs Graca Machel and members of the Mandela family; Provincial Chairperson of the ANC, Comrade Cassel Mathale; National Chairperson of the ANC, Comrade…
Re-Emergence of Congress Activity 1980s
By 1980, the Black Consciousness organisations were in a gradual decline and struggling to avert state repression. Congress-inspired traditions were also re…
ArticleConvention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA)
On October 25 1991, ninety-two organisations that were united in their opposition to apartheid gathered in Durban to form the Patriotic Front. The Front…
Peace Treaty of Vereeniging - transcript
THE FOLLOWING NOTICE is hereby published for general information. By order of His Excellency the High Commissioner and Administrator of the Transvaal. WE…
ArchiveFederation
the following notice is hereby published for general information. By order of His Excellency the High Commissioner and Administrator of the Transvaal. WE…
Statement at the 25th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity by O. R. Tambo, Addis Ababa, 24 – 26 July 1989
Mr. Chairman, President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Esteemed Heads of Delegations, Your…
Afrikaans community 1820-1899
The first white inhabitantsBetween 1820 and 1826, Afrikaner trekboer (migratory farmer) J.N. Brits trekked from the Cape Colony, crossed the Orange River and…