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EventSA artist Helen Martins is born
Helen Elizabeth Martins, artist known for her queer sculptures at the Owl House in the Karoo village of Nieu Bethesda, was born in Nieu Bethesda in the Eastern…
EventProf. James Smith, who identified the first coelacanth found in South Africa, is born
On 26 September 1897, Prof. James Leonard Brierly Smith was born in Graaff-Reinet in the Cape Province (now Eastern Cape). He studied chemistry at the…
EventSouth African Committee investigates the Jameson Raid report
The Jameson Raid of 1895 did tremendous harm to the relationship between the Boer Republics and the British Empire, as they viewed it as confirmation that…
EventSir Alfred Milner arrives as Governor of the Cape
The British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain, appointed Sir Alfred Milner as Governor of the Cape Colony in 1897. Milner arrived in Cape…
EventAlfred Milner becomes High Commissioner and Governor of the Cape Province
Sir Alfred Milner became High Commissioner for South Africa and Governor of the Cape Province in 1897. His efforts to gain political rights for the "Uitlanders…
EventRobert Koch announces the discovery of a rinderpest vaccine
On 10 February 1897, Robert Koch, a German bacteriologist, discovered a vaccine successful in the prevention of the animal disease, rinderpest. Robert Koch…
EventOrigin of Johannesburg’s name is explained
In reaction to an inquiry, officials in Pretoria replied that Johannesburg was named after Johann Friedrich Bernhard Rissik and Christiaan Johannes Joubert -…
EventThe first plots are sold in Mayfair on the West Rand
The Johannesburg suburb of Mayfair was laid out the farm Langlaagte No.258, the farm on which gold was discovered in the late 1800s. The mineral rights of…
EventM.T. Steyn is sworn in as president of the Orange Free State
The Republic of the Orange Free State went to elections after the resignation of President F.W. Reitz in 1895 for reasons of health. Marthinus Theunis Steyn,…
EventDynamite explosion in Braamfontein
One of the worst explosions in the history of South Africa occurred at Braamfontein station, Johannesburg, when an explosives train, carrying between 56 and 60…
EventCecil John Rhodes is forced to resign
Cecil John Rhodes, prime minister of the Cape Colony, was severely censured for his involvement in the infamous Jameson Raid and forced to resign by the…
EventJameson Raid starts
Leander Starr Jameson led a group of about six hundred men of the Mashonaland Mounted Police from Bechuanaland (now Botswana) over the border of the Zuid…
EventKing George VI is born
Albert Frederick Arthur George who later became King George IV was born at York Cottage in Norfolk on 14 December 1895. George ascended the English throne…
EventFriedrich Engels, German philosopher, dies in London
German author, political theorist and philosopher, Friedrich Engels died in London on 05 August 1895 after a long battle with a throat cancer. The son of a…
EventCharles Robberts (Blackie) Swart, first state president of South Africa, is born
Charles Robberts Swart was born on a farm in the Winburg district of the Orange Free State (OFS) on 5 December 1894. Part of his childhood was spent in a…
EventBuilding of Delagoa Bay railway line is completed
The building of the Delagoa Bay railway line to Pretoria was completed on this date. It was scheduled to be opened for traffic on 2 November 1894, however, the…
EventPolitical activist and trade unionist James La Guma is born
Political activist and trade unionist James Arnold (Jimmy) La Guma, member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and president of the South African…
EventNatal Indian Congress is formed
The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) is formed by Mahatma Gandhi in order to fight discrimination against Indian traders in Natal. The party became the first…
EventTransvaal Republic tries Chief Malebogo
A council of war, tried Chief Malebogo for refusing to allow his people to pay hut taxes and waging war against the Transvaal Boers in defence of his autonomy…
EventChief Malaboch is taken prisoner
In April 1894, Chief Malaboch (Mmaleboho, Mmaleboxo) of the Bahananwa (Xananwa) people refused to leave his traditional mountain kingdom of Blouberg as ordered…
EventAllison Wessels George (Mhlongo) Champion is born
Trade union leader, politician and businessman, Allison Wessels George (Mhlongo) Champion, was born at Sans Souci Mission Station at Nonyeke, near Groutville,…
EventThe BSAC flag is hoisted in Bulawayo
The flag of the British South Africa Company (BSAC) or Chartered Company was hoisted in Bulawayo, the Matabele capital, after the Company's forces, led by…
EventThe decisive Battle of Bembesi (Bembasi) is fought in the First Matabele War (Ndebele), Zimbabwe
The most decisive battle of the Matabele War of 1893 was fought between the Matabele Warriors (Ndebele), under the leadership of Lobengula, and the British…
EventSir John Robinson forms Natal’s first ministry as Prime Minister
On 10 October 1893, Natal's first ministry was formed, with Sir John Robinson as Prime Minister, Minister of Education, and Colonial Secretary. Robinson, who…
EventGeorge Christopher Cato (79), Natal pioneer and first mayor of Durban, dies
George Christopher Cato, Natal pioneer and first mayor of Durban, dies in the city on 9 July 1893. Cato was born in London, England in 1814. He came to South…
Borehole confirms estimates of huge gold deposits
EventM.K. Gandhi is forcibly removed from a whites-only train carriage
On 7 June 1893, M.K Gandhi, later known as "The Mahatma" or "Great Soul" was forcibly removed from a whites-only carriage on a train in Pietermaritzburg, for…
EventHunter and politician Johannes Viljoen dies
Big-game hunter, commandant, politician and scout Johannes Willem Viljoen (Jan) died in the Marico district, Western Transvaal. Together with three other…
EventRaymond Arthur Dart is born
Anthropologist, Professor Raymond Arthur Dart, is born in Brisbane, Australia. Raymond Dart discovered the Taung Child skull fossil near Taung in North West,…
EventIndian Rights Campaigner Bhawani Sannyassi Dayal is born
Bhawani Sannyassi Dayal, a journalist and campaigner for Indian rights, was born in Johannesburg as son of Jariam Singh, a former president of the Transvaal…