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EventMoses Josiah Madiba is born
Moses Josiah Madiba, the author, educationist and first African chancellor of the University of the North, was born at Uitvlucht, Pietersburg (now Polokwane)…
EventJack Penn, sculptor and one of the world’s best plastic surgeon is born
Jack Penn, a well known plastic and reconstructive surgeon, was born on 14 August 1909 in Cape Town. Penn later moved with his family to Johannesburg, where he…
EventThe Draft South Africa Act is signed
Following the National Convention held by four British colonies, namely, Transvaal, Orange, Natal and Cape, the draft South Africa Act was signed in…
EventSA colonies meet to consider and adopt the South Africa Act, which leads to the Union of South Africa
In the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), Britain annexed the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, two hitherto independent Afrikaner…
EventCullinan diamond is cut into two
The Cullinan diamond was cut into two big stones, The Star of Africa and the Cullinan 2, as well as seven fairly big stones and ninety-six small stones. The…
EventHarry Frederick Oppenheimer is born in Kimberley
Harry Frederick Oppenheimer was born in Kimberley on 28 October 1908 to Ernest Oppenheimer and Mary Lina Pollock. Oppenheimer completed his primary education…
EventBelgium annexes the Congo Free State
The central African region in which the Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) lies has been pervaded by conflict and instability. This can be traced…
EventEli Weinberg, trade unionist and photographer, is born
On 28 August 1908 Eli Weinberg was born in Libau, Latvia. Weinberg was a trade unionist and communist party member. He co-founded the African Garment Workers'…
EventCongo Free State becomes the Belgian Congo
King Leopold II of Belgium handed over the Congo to the Belgian state on this date. Previously he held it as a private project undertaken to extract rubber and…
EventEducationist Godfrey Nakene is born
Educationist and school principal, Godfrey Nakene, in whose honour Orlando High School was renamed Nakene High School, is born in Ga-Ramokgopa, Pietersburg…
EventMahatma Gandhi is arrested for refusing to carry Apartheid pass
On 10 January 1908 Mahatma Gandhi was arrested for the first time in South Africa for refusing to carry an obligatory identity document card commonly known as…
EventKing Leopold II of Belgium hands over the administration of the Congo to the Belgian parliament
From the beginning of colonialism in the 1880s following the 'scramble for Africa', the Congo had been regarded as Leopold II's personal fiefdom. Leopold's…
EventThe railway line between Cape Town and George is opened.
On 25 September 1907, the railway line connecting George to Cape Town was opened. This railway connection was a significant infrastructural development, as it…
EventHester Elizabeth Cornelius is born
Hester Elizabeth Cornelius, national organiser and branch secretary of the Garment Workers' Union (GWU), was born in Lichtenburg, Transvaal. Hester played an…
EventAsiatic Law Amendment Act is passed in Transvaal parliament leading to increased Indian protest under MK Gandhi
In 1906, the Transvaal government promulgated a new Act which enforced registration of the colony's Indian population. At a mass protest meeting held in…
EventThe Bondelswarts surrender to the German forces
Germany's occupation of Namibia was accomplished through military conquest of the numerous groups in the region, with the Khoikhoi being among the last to be…
EventAnna Neethling Pohl, South African actress and author, is born
Anna Neethling Pohl the South African actress and author was born in Graaf Reinet in the Eastern Cape on 24 December 1906. At the age of five she joined…
EventSelf government is granted to the Transvaal
The Transvaal Colony, former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) or Transvaal Republic, was granted self-government status by Britain, according to the terms of…
EventArchibald Campbell Mzoliza Jordan is born
The Xhosa writer and linguist, Archibald Campbell Mzoliza Jordan, was born at Mbokothwana Mission, Tsolo district, Transkei. After several years as teacher and…
EventGandhi leads Satyagraha Passive Resistance Campaign
Born in 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat, India, the internationally prominent Indian campaigner, Mohandas Gandhi, led the 1906 Satyagraha Passive Resistance…
EventN.P. van Wyk Louw is born
Renowned South African author, Nicolaas Petrus (N.P.) van Wyk Louw, Afrikaans poet, dramatist and essayist, was born in Sutherland, Karoo. He was second in…
EventChief of the Zondi, Bambata is killed
In the Mpanza valley in the Umvoti district, a minor chief of the Zondi, Bambatha ka Mancinza Zondi (also spelt Bambada, Bhambada), flatly refused to collect…
EventBambatha Rebellion
The Bambatha Rebellion took place near Greytown in KwaZulu-Natal. The first signs of discontent started at the end of 1905, when government introduced a new £1…
EventBambata Rebellion: The Natal government offers a reward of £500 for the capture of Bambata
One of the roots of the Bambata/Bambatha Rebellion can be traced to the sustained pressure by colonial authorities on traditional societies in order to force…
EventElectrically powered units replaced Johannesburg's horse-drawn trams
The rapid expansion of Johannesburg after the end of the Second Anglo Boer War increased to over twice it's the area to what existed before the war. This…
EventTwo policemen are killed in poll tax resistance
Two policemen were killed by a group of Zulus near Richmond, Natal, following local resistance to the collection of poll tax, which became payable on 1 January…
EventMembers of Bambathas homestead are pursued by policemen for refusing to pay the ‘hut tax’
Natal in the early years of the 20th century became the site of conflict between Colonial Administrators and autonomous African chiefdoms. The death of…
EventFirst edition of Sunday Times is published
The first edition of the first Sunday newspaper in South Africa, the Sunday Times, appeared with New Zealander George Herbert Kingswell as editor.
EventWalter Battiss is born in Somerset East
Walter Battiss is born in Somerset East to an English Methodist family in 1906. He became one of South Africa's first and most important abstract painters. He…
EventDr Benedict Wallet Vilakazi born
Dr Benedict Vilakazi, poet and writer, is born in Groutville, KwaZulu Natal, home to Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli. He was the first Black…