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ArticleThe turbulent 1950s - Women as defiant activists
In the 1950s the government's increasingly repressive policies began to pose a direct threat to all people of colour, and there was a surge of mass political…
ArticleUnion, Segregation, apartheid and Democracy: From Union to non racial democracy
The 1910 election: The Union of SA The first election that created the modern South African state, held in accordance with the provisions of the Union of…
ArticleWomen and the struggle against Apartheid
Introduction Full feature on the History of Women’s struggle in South Africa will give a broader view of the role played by women in the struggle for freedom…
Indian South Africans timeline 1950-1959
Indian South Africans Timeline: 1950-1959 1950 A.K.M. Docrat, a popular activist, was named under the Suppression of Communism Act. He was jailed for thirty…
PlaceKimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a prospecting City famous for its quality diamonds, the largest man-made excavation in the World and various other impressive tourists attractions…
EventNuclear Reactor At Pelindaba Goes Critical
On this date the nuclear reactor Safari, located in Pelindaba, near Pretoria, went critical and South Africa entered the nuclear age. The US firm Allis…
EventSol Kerzner admits to the Harms Commission, that he has paid R2m for the personal benefit of Chief George Matanzima
South African billionaire Hotelier Solomon Kerznerfound himself under investigation for corruption in a case that began in 1987. Kerzner, who owns Sun…
PlaceAgterwitsenbergkom a Mountain Region in the Route 62, Cape Winelands
Witzenberg is nestled in the Cape Winelands District on Route 62, consisting of : Ceres; Tulbagh; Wolseley; Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfreds Hamlet. The name…
EventBritain invades the island of Madagascar, attempting to stop Vichy aid to the Axis Powers in the Indian Ocean.
Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896. During World War II France and her colonies were ruled by the Vichy, the Fascist…
State policies and social protest, 1924-1939
One of the most important developments in South Africa in this period was the formation of the Pact Government in which the push for independence from Britain…
ArticleThe 1913 Mineworkers’ Strike
Introduction: Background to the Strike The formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 was a development that had vastly different consequences for the…
ArticleuMkhonto weSizwe (MK)
On 16 December, 1961, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) was launched as an armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The formation of the MK Umkhonto…
South African Prime Ministers from the National Party
South African Prime Ministers from the NP (equivalent to the position of President today): Following constitutional reforms in 1984, the office of State…
ArticleStaffrider magazine (1978-1993)
Introduction Staffrider was a South African literary and arts magazine published by Ravan Press in Johannesburg from 1978 to 1993. It took its name and…
ArticleThe Anti-Pass Campaigns 1960
1959-1960: Formation, Sharpeville and Banning For many years there was tension inside the African National Congress (ANC) between those with more moderate…
Biography of Arthur Nortje by Kangkang Yang
Abstract: For most of his life, Arthur Nortje’s poetry remained relatively unknown, especially since he died very young at 28. Activist Dennis Brutus called…
Address given by Ronald First, brother of Ruth First and brother in law of Joe Slovo, on the occasion of the tribute paid to Ruth and Joe by the African National Congress, in the holding of a Torchlight ceremony on the 21st of October 2012, at the Johanne
This ceremony is of particular importance as it takes place in the 100th year since the ANC was founded AMANDLA AMANDLA The First and Slovo families greatly…
Abdullah Ibrahim and the Politics of Jazz in South Africa
Jazz has had an especial role in the social and cultural politics of South Africa. This paper will trace its function in the political struggle waged by Black…
Archive“A Black Rather Well-Known South African Recently Arrived in London”: Critical Responses to Todd Matshikiza’s Chocolates for My Wife
In Todd Matshikiza’s autobiography, Chocolates for My Wife (1961), which describes the exiled South African writer and musician’s first two years in London, he…
ArticleHistory of Women’s Struggle in South Africa
Women at the start of the 20th centuryIt is only over the last three or four decades that women's role in the history of South Africa has, belatedly, been…
ArticleSouth African Communist Party (SACP)
On 30 July 2011, the South African Communist Party (SACP) celebrated its 90th anniversary. Initially known as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), the…
Afrikaner Newspapers and the newspaper industry from 1830
Afrikaner newspapers were essential supports for Afrikaner nationalism, and from the 1870s onwards they were used to mobilise Afrikaners, and after 1914 to…
Voters may act if ANC fails to uproot patronage by Steven Friedman (BDlive), 10 August 2016
EITHER city voters will get the ANC leadership they want by 2019, or the party may well no longer govern the country on its own. The ANC’s huge setback does…
KwaMsiza - A Ndebele village: References/Bibliography
BATTISS, JUNOD, FRANZ and GROSSERT. 1958. The Art of Africa. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter and Shooter. BEINART, Julian. Undated. The Popular Art of Africa…
Eyewitness accounts of the Sharpeville massacre 1960
The day of the Massacre, mourning the dead and getting over the shock of the event © Baileys African History Archive (BAHA) Tom Petrus, author of 'My Life…
ArticlePoqo
Poqo was formed as an armed wing to the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) during the 1960's and was known for its aggressively violent sabotage campaign. Unlike…
ArticleThe South African War 1899-1902
On 9 October 1899 the SAR issued an ultimatum to Britain and two days later, on 11 October the war was officially declared between Britain and the Boers. The…
ArticleTutu and his role in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission
Background - "The Road to Reconciliation." South Africa experienced numerous human rights challenges during the apartheid era. The White-dominated government…
Township Uprising, 1984-1985
On 3 September the Tricameral Parliament opened in Cape Town while protest demonstrations began in the Transvaal, marking the start of the longest and most…
Khoisan Identity
In his State of the Nation address on 9th February 2012, President Zuma uttered a promise that provisions would be made ‘for the recognition of the Khoi-San…