SAHO global search
63,723 records
EventThe Transvaal National Union is established
The Transvaal National Union, a political organisation, was set up with J. Tudhope as president. The principal reason behind its formation was to further the…
EventHaile Selassi I, Emperor of Ethiopia, is born
Haile Selassi was born as Lij Tafari Makonnen in the village of Ejersa Gor, in the Harar province of Ethiopia. Heir to a 13th century dynasty, he ascended to…
EventJames Sebe Moroka is born
Dr James Sebe Moroka, medical doctor, landowner and politician who was elected president-general of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1949 to 1952, was…
EventJRR Tolkien born in Bloemfontein
J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State. His parents, Mabel and Arthur Tolkien, were British but worked in a bank in South Africa. He was a…
EventAndries Pretorius, Pretoria founder reburied
Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius after whom Pretoria was named, died in 1853 at his Magaliesburg home. His body was later exhumed and reburied at Heroes'…
EventKimberly linked by rail to Barkley West
The railway line from Kimberley reaches Fourteen Streams, Barkley West. The railway line had initially been commissioned by the Cape Government and eventually…
EventSA composer Benjamin Tyamzashe is born
South African composer, choir conductor, organist and teacher, Benjamin Tyamzashe, affectionately known as 'B-ka-T', was born in Kimberley in 1890. B-ka-T…
EventSA Journalist James Gray is born
South African journalist, newspaper proprietor and former editor of the Pretoria News, James Andrew Gray was born in Scotland. He served on the staff of the…
EventPresident Paul Kruger in an appeasement move
In an effort to solve the 'Uitlander' grievances regarding voting rights, President Paul Kruger of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) (South African…
EventBhambatha becomes chief
Chief Magadu Bhambatha, who was held responsible for the Impi Yamakhanda (poll tax) uprising that was popularly known as the Bambatha rebellion became chief of…
EventActress and teacher Wilhelmina Freund is born
Wilhelmina Louisa Ida (Minna) Freund, actress and teacher of elocution, was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, when her parents, who were South African…
EventSA architect Gerard Moerdijk is born
Gerard Leendert Pieter Moerdijk, of Dutch descent, was born in the Waterberg district, Transvaal (now Limpopo Province). He was one of the first Afrikaans…
EventQueen Victoria of Britain approves Charter for Rhodes
On this date the British Colonial Secretary addressed a dispatch that Queen Victoria has approved a Royal Charter creating the British South Africa Company …
EventQueen Victoria issues charter for the formation of the British South Africa Company
South Africa effectively became a British colony in 1795. This led to great number of changes, such as the expansion into the interior of South Africa and the…
EventCelebrated nurse, Constance Nothard, is born
Constance Annie Nothard, nursing sister and recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest award of the International Red Cross Society, was born in…
EventCommunity leader James Sofasonke Mpanza is born
James Sofasonke Mpanza (Sofasonke meaning We shall all die), community leader, founder of the Sofasonke Party and a champion for better housing for…
EventPresident Paul Kruger lays the foundation stone of the Raadsaal on Pretoria’s Church Square
Church Square, which was initially called Market Square, was home to the first church built in Pretoria, which burnt down in 1882. The square's current layout…
EventInternational celebration of ‘May Day’
On 1 May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day (effectively a May Day holiday). Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party…
EventRhodes asks Charter for British South Africa Company
Cecil John Rhodes applies for a Charter from United Kingdom to establish the British South Africa Company. The Royal Charter was granted in October 1889, with…
EventHarold Cressy is born in Rorke’s Drift
Harold Cressy, co-founder of the Teachers League of South Africa (TLSA), educationist and teacher, is born in Rorke's Drift, Kwazulu-Natal. He was the only…
EventThe Rosebud, en route from Calcutta to London, is stranded at Diaz Beach, Mossel Bay
The Rosebud was a British three-masted wooden schooner, weighing 341 tons. It was built in 1876 by Carnegie Peterhead, and was commanded by Captain J. Collie…
EventEarly Xhosa author William Gqoba dies
Author, editor, teacher, catechist, interpreter and wagon-maker William Wellington Gqoba (Mbaba, Goba) died in Lovedale, Eastern Cape. He was born in Gaga,…
EventDe Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. is founded to exercise control over diamond production in South Africa
On 13 March 1888, De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. was founded to exercise control over virtually all diamond production in South Africa. The company was…
EventSA painter Frederick Timpson I’Ons (85) dies
Frederick Timpson l'Ons (85), SA painter of the early life in the Eastern Cape, died in Grahamstown. He was born in Islington, Middlesex, England on 15…
EventThe Johannesburg Stock Exchange is established
The Johannesburg's Stock Exchange (JSE) is established in Johannesburg to facilitate the explosion of trade sparked by the discovery of gold in the…
PlaceSoweto, Johannesburg
Soweto is an urban settlement or 'Township' in South Africa, South West of Johannesburg, with a population of approximately 1.3 Million (2008, Joburg archive)…
PlaceSophiatown
Sophiatown was originally a Farm outside Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng). It was bought by Hermann Tobiansky, who named it after his wife; 'Sophia'…
PlaceSprings
The Town of Springs, East of Johannesburg, is on the East Rand, or what is now known as the Metropolitan area of Ekurhuleni, in the Gauteng Province. It was…
PlaceDelmas
Delmas became famous in the latter part of 2010 for its proximity to the missing tiger known as Panjo. The tiger, only 17-months old, disappeared somewhere…
PlaceAlexandra, Township in Johannesburg
A Township 13 kilometeres from North-East Johannesburg. The development of Alexandra Township dates back to 1912. Sometimes thought to be named in honour of…