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EventZulu army returns to Nongoma
The Zulu army ordered to arm by Col. Bottomley to assist the British during the Anglo-Boer War, marched back to Nongoma. Two Zulus were killed in confrontation…
EventEfforts to End the Anglo Boer War fail
Lord Kitchener meets with General Louis Botha in an effort to end the Anglo-Boer War, but Botha finds the British conditions unacceptable. The battle of…
EventThe Anglo Boer War
Britain sends 30 000 additional troops to South Africa in the Anglo-Boer War (now called the South African War). Initially, the British government thought that…
EventSan involvement in the Battle of Chrissiesmeer
The Battle of Chrissiesmeer (Lake Chrissie) during Anglo-Boer War 2 started with an attack by General Louis Botha on the British forces under General Smith…
EventEmily Hobhouse reports on her findings regarding concentration camps during the Second Anglo Boer War
Emily Hobhouse, an English philanthropist and social worker who visited the Transvaal and Orange Free State Republics during the Second Anglo Boer War,…
EventAnglo-Boer War 2 - Kitchener proposes establishment of concentration camps
The arrival of Lord Kitchener and Lord Roberts, with the latter taking up the role of Supreme Commander of British forces in 1900 helped turn the tide in the…
EventEmily Hobhouse travels to South Africa
English social worker and reformer Emily Hobhouse, renowned for her exposure of conditions in concentration camps for Boer women and children during the Second…
EventKitchener succeeds Roberts as Commander-in-Chief
On Lord Roberts' return to England in November 1900 Lord Kitchener succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the second Anglo Boer War …
EventBritish establish first ‘refugee’ camps during the South African War
The first 2 'refugee' camps were established in Pretoria and Bloemfontein during South African War (Second Anglo-Boer War) by a military notice. The initial…
EventThe cornerstone of Cape Town City Hall is laid
Cape Towns City Hall's original foundations were laid at the turn of the 20th Century. The mayor of Cape Town, Thomas Ball, laid the corner stone of the City…
EventAnglo-Boer War 2: The Battle of Silkaatsnek begins
There is a pass in the Magaliesberg known as Silkaatsnek It was here that the two 12-pounder guns of 'O' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), were placed and…
EventAnglo-Boer War 2: The British evacuate Rustenburg to occupy Commando Nek and Silkaatsnek
After the fall of Pretoria on 5 June 1900, the British maintained a favourable command of several strategic points in the Transvaal area. Western Transvaal…
EventAnnexation of the Orange Free State is announced
At the begging of May 1900, the British Army, under Field Marshal Lord Roberts, launched an attack on the Orange Free State. President M T Steyn and General C…
EventC James reports that South Africa is a poor market for produce
In 1900, C James, an official of the British colonial administration, went on a voyage to South Africa to evaluate the market for produce. He undertook this…
EventThe South African War: The lifting of the siege of Mafeking
The Siege of Mafeking (now known as Mafikeng) was an important battle in the South African War (Second Anglo-Boer War). The war began in late 1899; President…
EventEsther Franks, physician and first woman ophthalmic surgeon to practise in SA, is born in Zurich
Esther Franks, physician and first woman ophthalmic surgeon to practise in SA, was born in Zurich, Switzerland. Her parents emigrated from Russia via England…
EventLord Kitchener And Louis Botha engage in doomed peace talks during the Second Anglo-Boer War
On February 28 British commander Lord Kitchener met Boer commander Louis Botha at Middelburg. The talks ultimately came to nothing, resulting in Kitchener…
EventBritish reinforcements arrive at Ladysmith
British reinforcements arrive to relieve troops stationed at Ladysmith after a siege of 4 months, during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). Ladysmith was…
EventBoers occupying Magagabe Hill shell Rhodesian positions at Basuto Kop
The action that culminated with the Boers shelling Rhodesian positions at Basuto Kop on 16 February 1900 can be traced in part by Rhodesian fears that the…
EventSiege of Kimberley is raised
During the Second Anglo-Boer War between the two Boer republics and Britain, Gen. French relieved Kimberley after a siege of 123 days. Despite numerous…
EventBritish Withdraw from Colesburg Area during the South African War
14 February 1900 British Withdraw from Colesburg Area during the South African War The British withdraw from their positions around Colesberg and…
EventLabram, manufacturer of ‘Long Cecil’ is killed by shell from ‘Long Tom’
George Frederick Labram, manufacturer of a cannon popularly known as 'Long Cecil' in the De Beers' workshop in Kimberley, was killed by a shell from a Boer …
EventBattle of Vaalkrans begins
Among the reasons for the South African War (Anglo- Boer War), 1899 - 1902, was that the Afrikaners attempted to assert their independence as a nation in the…
EventThe 104mm field-gun known as ‘Long Cecil’ is test fired for the first time
The 104mm field-gun designed by American George Labram and manufactured in the De Beers workshop in Kimberley, known as 'Long Cecil' after Cecil John Rhodes,…
EventKruger repudiates execution of cattle–herds
During the Siege of Mafeking (presently known as Mafikeng) in the Second Anglo-Boer War, two Black cattle-herds were captured and summarily executed near…
EventLord. Roberts arrives at the Cape
Lord Frederick S. Roberts arrives at the Cape, replacing Sir Redvers Buller as commander-in-chief of the British forces in South Africa during the Second Anglo…
EventField Marshal Lord Roberts is appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
The appointment of Lord Roberts as Supreme Commander of the British forces in South Africa came after a series of failed campaigns against Boer Commandos in…
EventThe British attack in the battle of Colenso
During Anglo-Boer War 2, the British troops under General Redvers Buller launched a frontal attack in the Battle of Colenso with the intention to relieve the…
Methuen is defeated in the Battle of Magersfontein
EventWinston Churchill, is captured by Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War
Winston Churchill joined the British army in 1893 and developed a keen interest in war correspondence. Some of his early literary works were reports on various…