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EventConclusive Battle of Ndondakusuka takes place
The Battle of Tugela, which was also known as the Battle of Ndondakusuka, was fought between Zulu factions of Cetewayo, eldest son of the Zulu chief Mpande,…
Chief Sekonyela of the Batlokwa dies
David Livingstone reaches the Victoria Falls
EventSouth African author and feminist Olive Schreiner is born
South African author Olive Emilie Albertina Schreiner is born to Gottlob and Rebecca (Rebekah) Schreiner. During her youth she lived in Cradock in the Eastern…
EventMakapane’s Cave is under siege
The nearly month-long siege of Makapane's Cave took place after warriors of the Ndebele chief Makapan (Makapane) massacred 23 Voortrekkers, men, women, and…
Orange Free State promulgates its constitution
EventThe Bloemfontein Convention is signed
The Republic of the Orange Free State was established by the signing of the Bloemfontein Convention (also called the Orange River Convention) between Sir…
EventPieter Jacobs Marais reports discovery of gold
Pieter Jacobs Marais reports his discovery of alluvial gold in the Jukskei River on B.J. Liebenberg's farm, Bultfontein, in 1853. The site was just north of…
EventFirst postage stamp in Africa is issued in the Cape Colony
On 1 September 1853, the first adhesive postage stamp in Africa was issued in the Cape of Good Hope, a British colony at the time. The triangular shaped stamp…
EventVoortrekker leader Andries Pretorius dies
Former Commander-General of the Boers in Natal and later Republican statesman, Andries Wilhemus Jacobus Pretorius, died on his farm in the Magaliesberg area…
EventThe Birkenhead runs aground with 638 passengers
An English troop carrier, the Birkenhead, under Captain Robert Salmond, stranded on a reef opposite Danger Point, the southern point of Walker Bay, at present…
The Sand River Convention, under which Britain renounces all claims to authority beyond the Vaal River, is signed.
Frederick Courteney Selous, traveller, hunter, writer and naturalist is born
Dr John Philip, controversial missionary of the London Missionary Society, dies
EventBattle of Viervoet (Basotho-British war)
In 1851, the British controlled the area between the Orange and Vaal Rivers (the Orange River Sovereignty). Due to border disputes with the Basotho the British…
EventThe Childe Herold is shipwrecked
The Childe Herold is shipwrecked The Childe Herold is shipwrecked off Dassen Island. A 463-ton British wooden ship, the Childe Herold, en route from Bombay to…
EventThe Neptune, with 288* convicts on board, enters Simon’s Bay, with strong resistance from Cape inhabitants
On 19 September 1849, The Neptune entered and anchored in Simon's Bay (now Simonstown) in the Cape, after being met with a furious city population in Table Bay…
EventThe Cape Agulhas lighthouse begins operating
Contrary to popular belief, Cape Agulhas and not Cape Point is the southernmost tip of Africa. The seas around Cape Agulhas - about two hours drive from Cape…
Sir John Barrow (84), explorer of the interior of SA, dies in London
EventVoortrekkers are defeated during the Battle of Boomplaats
The Voortrekkers under Commandant Andries W. Pretorius were defeated during the Battle of Boomplaats (near Bloemfontein) by the British under Cape Governor…
Britain annexes territory between the Orange and Vaal Rivers
A great gathering of Xhosa chiefs occurs in King Williams Town, where Cape Governor Sir Harry Smith explains his Eastern Frontier policy
De La Rey is born
EventLiberia is established
On 26 July 1847 the Liberian Declaration of Independence was signed and Liberia became a sovereign nation. The story of Liberia is different from other African…
Winnie Mandela sues Sydney Mufamadi and George Fivaz
EventDe Klerk calls for stringent safety measures
President F.W. de Klerk announces the calling up of military reservists to curb political violence will top the agenda of the forthcoming multiparty political…
EventInkatha Freedom Party boycotts parliament
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) announced the suspension of its active participation in both chambers of parliament and in the constitution-making process. IFP…
EventOfficial inauguration of the Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court, with Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson as president, was formally opened by President Nelson Mandela on the morning of 14 February 1995…
EventMadikizela Mandela is accused of misuse of funds
South Africa's deputy minister of arts, culture, science and technology and the ANC Women's League president, Nomzamo Nobandla Winnifred Madikizela-Mandela …
EventKing Moshoeshoe II is reinstated as King of Lesotho
On 25 January 1995, King Moshoeshoe II was formally reinstated as King of Lesotho. Moshoeshoe had a turbulent reign over Lesotho as he was twice dethroned,…