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EventFirst air flight from London to South Africa
By the 1920s, the development of heavier than air flight had progressed considerably, partly due to the outbreak of World War One. Britain, having emerged…
EventThe South African Air Force is established
On 1 February 1920, the South African Air Force was established. This made it the first air force of the Commonwealth, with Lt-Col. Pierre van Ryneveld…
EventThe League of Nations is established
The League of Nations, an international organisation founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919-1920, convened and met for the first time in…
EventDr Joosub Ebrahim is born
Dr Joosub Hajee Suliman Ebrahim, recipient of the Order for Meritorious Service Class 1: Gold from the state president in 1992, for his contribution as…
EventSouth Africa observes Armistice Day
Armistice Day is observed annually in South Africa to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans and civilians in World War I. The day is observed world-wide,…
EventThe Dutch Reformed Church decides that Afrikaans may be used alongside Dutch during services
The Afrikaans language has its origins in Dutch. It developed amongst Dutch-speaking settlers and slaves in South Africa in the 17th century, and has many…
EventSouth African Aerial Transports services are inaugurated
Air services were inaugurated in South Africa with the amalgamation of a London-based company, the South African Aerial Navigation Company and the SA-based…
EventGerman South West Africa is put under South African administration
After the completion of World War One's Treaty of Versailles, German South West Africa was declared a mandate of the new international peace-keeping body, the…
EventSmuts becomes Prime Minister
General Jan Christian Smuts started his first term as prime minister of the Union of South Africa after the death of General Louis Botha on 27 August 1919…
EventGeneral Louis Botha dies
General Louis Botha, soldier, statesman and first prime minister of the Union of South Africa, died in Pretoria after a heart attack. The heart failure was…
EventLeague of Nations is formed
The League of Nations was established after World War I, during the Treaty of Versailles. The intention of this organization was to reduce armament and to…
EventSA Artist, Father Frans Claerhout, is born
Father Frans Claerhout, acclaimed artist, priest and humanitarian was born on this day in Pittem, western Belgium. After completing his studies, he immigrated…
EventBantu Women’s League protests against pass laws
The Bantu Women's League (BWL) under its first president Charlotte Maxeke, undertook a passive resistance on 7 January 1919 against the application of pass…
EventIndustrial and Commercial Workers Union is founded under Clements Kadalie
The Industrial and Commercial Union later renamed the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) was founded by Clements Kadalie, a young Nyassalander who…
EventPrime Minister of Transkei George Matanzima is born
George Mzimvube Matanzima, younger brother of Kaiser Matanzima and prime minister of the Transkei in 1979 and 1987, was born in Qamata, Transkei. The…
EventSpanish Flu strikes South Africa
The first cases of an unusually severe and deadly strain of influenza, popularly called Spanish Flu or 'Great Flu', were diagnosed on this date in Durban. This…
EventThe Afrikaner Broederbond is formed
On 5 June 1918 disaffected Afrikaners were brought together in a new organisation called Jong Suid-Afrika (Young South Africa). In 1919 the organisation…
EventAfrikaans linguist H J Terblanche is born
Dr Hendrik Josephus Terblanche, compiler of several dictionaries and grammar books, is born in Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape. Dr Terblanche was a pioneer of…
EventHelen Suzman is born
Politician and Anti-Apartheid activist, Helen Suzman, was born in Germiston, South Africa. During her 36 years in Parliament she defended the right to freedom…
EventMargaret Mary Smith, SA artist and ichthyologist, is born
On 26 September 1916 artist and ichthyologist, Margaret Mary Smith, was born in Indwe in the Eastern Cape. Ichthyology is the branch of zoology that deals with…
EventBattle of Delville Wood starts
South Africa entered WWI on 8 September 1914, on the side of the Allied Forces. On 15 July 1916, the S.A. Infantry Brigade under Major-General H.T. Lukin was…
EventLinguist and educationist Sedumedi Moloto is born
Ernest Sedumedi Moloto, linguist, educationist and teacher who served as chairman of both the Tswana Language Committee of South Africa and the Botswana…
EventWilliam Brown becomes the first South African officer killed during World War I
The 1st South African Infantry Brigade was recruited at Potchefstroom in August and September 1915 for service overseas. It was comprised of four battalions …
EventBritish secretary of war, Lord Kitchener drowns near Orkney Islands
Lord Kitchener, British secretary of war, was drowned in the spring of 1916 near the Orkney Islands. Kitchener had been sent to Russia by Prime Minister…
EventPolitical activist and lawyer A. P. Mda is born
Political activist, teacher and lawyer, co-founder of the African National Youth League (ANCYL) and its president in 1947, Ashby Peter (A.P.) Solomzi Mda, was…
EventSA troops invade East Africa in their confrontation with German forces in World War I
Britain had fought the Boer settlers in South Africa in the Anglo-Boer wars (1880-1, 1899-1902), so in 1914 many Afrikaaners sympathised with Germany. While…
EventP.W. Botha is born
Former South Africa state president, Pieter Willem Botha, (also known as Die Groot Krokodile - The Big Crocodile) was born on the farm Telegraaf in Paul Roux…
EventMiners strike at the Van Rhyn Deep mines
2,800 South African miners embark on a strike at the Van Rhyn Deep mines in a bid to redress some of their grievances. Located at Vanrhynsdorp, the mines were…
EventFormer South African Prime Minister and State President John Vorster is born
Former South African Prime Minister and State President, Balthazar John Vorster was born in in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape on 13 December 1915. Vorster began…
EventThe Second General Election is held in the Union of SA
The second general election was held in the Union of South Africa with the National Party (NP) participating for the first time. The main point at issue was…