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ArticleBlack Women’s Federation
In 1973, Natal women formed a federation of Black women after Fatima Meer returned from the USA, where Black American women were moved by the problems faced by…
ArticleSouth African National Students Congress (SANSCO)
Background to the formation of the South African National Students Congress (SANSCO) The emergence of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and the adoption…
ArticleIndustrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU)
During the 1920s, the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) - which changed its name to the African National Congress (ANC) in 1923 - did not…
Speech delivered on the condolence motion in honour of the late Ebrahim "Cas" Saloojee in the national assembly – 5 February 2009
Madam Speaker I am truly humbled to have been selected by the ANC to present a message of condolence and an obituary on the late Ebrahim "Cas" Saloojee. It…
The Freedom struggle: Political mobilisation in Port Elizabeth
The Eastern Cape is regarded by many as the cradle of Black resistance against White oppression. After the defeat of the Xhosa by the British in the frontier…
The French Revolution
On 14 July 1789 hundreds of French city workers stormed the Bastille fortress in Paris. This marked the beginning of the French Revolution, which would last…
Slavery and Emancipation of Slaves
Read more on Slavery at the Cape After the establishment of a refreshment station at the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck was to ensure a constant supply of fresh…
PlaceMaynardville Open Air Theatre
The Maynardville Open Air Theatre is a popular and central part of Cape Town’s art scene – chiefly known for its Shakespeare performances and its ballet nights…
ArticleDistrict Six is Declared a ‘White Area’
“District Six is a blot which the government has cleaned up and will continue to clear up.”[i] - P.W Botha The memory of District Six, also known as…
The coup that set Ghana and Africa 50 years back by Charles Quist-Adade (Pambazuka News), 02 March 2016
Nkrumah wanted to industrialize Ghana within a generation, and everything was on course until the Americans and their British cousins used some disgruntled and…
Historical Background of the Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution - the interim constitution of 1993. The Court, the key…
PlaceSt Paul’s Anglican Church, Main Road, Rondebosch
The land upon which this church was erected was granted by Governor Sir Lowrie Cole on 30 August 1832. The original neo-Gothic structure was opened on 16…
ArticleEOAN Group
The EOAN Group was founded by Helen Southern-Holt in 1933. EOAN Group was a social and educational centre and cultural association that offered music…
ArticleAccount of events: Rand Rebellion 1922
David Ivon Jones was the secretary of the ISL, who had been instrumental in forming the first black trade union - the Industrial Workers of Africa (IWA) - and…
ArticleConstitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, was drawn up by the Parliament elected in 1994 in the first non-racial elections and approved by the…
ArticleAfrican Resistance Movement (ARM)
Origins One of the defining moments in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa was the Sharpeville Massacre and its aftermath. The heavy-handed…
PlaceDutch and British Coastal Fortifications at the Cape of Good Hope (1665 to 1829)
The Cape Peninsula is surrounded by oceans on three sides and has three natural harbours: Table Bay and Hout Bay on the Atlantic coast and False Bay on the…
ArticleNatal Indian Association (NIA)
The Natal Indian Association (NIA) was formed when the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and the Colonial Born and Settlers Indian Association (CBSIA) amalgamated.[1…
ArticleMandela and the South African Communist Party
Mandela and MK The late 1950s saw the first hints of an armed struggle occurring in certain parts of South Africa. Various types of armed resistance spread…
The people armed, 1984-1990
Introduction 1985, Desmond Tutu, armed only with the bible under his arm, confronts the SA forces during their attempts to break up a demonstration…
Article1960 - 1994: Armed Struggle and Popular Resistance
1984-1990:- The people armedIntroductionNumerous factors characterised the intensification of the freedom struggle against the National Party government in the…
Bantu Women’s League
The Bantu Women's League was the first women's organisation in South Africa. It was started in 1918 by one of our earliest women activists, Dr Charlotte Maxeke…
ArticleUnited Women’s Organisation (UWO)
The United Women’s Organisation (UWO) was launched in April 1981 with 400 delegates from the Western Cape attending. Some of the women who pioneered the…
ArticleAnti-Pass Campaign
In the latter part of 1959, PAC membership was still below expectations, and it became clear to the leadership that the movement would have to produce some…
ArticleLearning about history through people: oral history
People as historical sourcesPeople can be great sources of information. By speaking to people we can learn about the past. Learners are also sources of…
ArticleA History of the Springbok Legion
The Springbok Legion (SL) was a leading organisation formed in 1941 to fight for the rights of soldiers during World War II and in the post-war period. Over…
Article‘Liberated’ Slaves? by Joline Young
While the abolition of the slave trade by Britain in 1808 was haled as a victory by abolitionists like Granville Scott and William Wilberforce,[i] for the…
ArticleCulture and Resistance Conference, Botswana, 1982
Several hundred artists and activists from South Africa living in exile and within the country, as well as foreign nationals, were hosted by the Botswana…
ArticleThe Black Sash: A History of Transformation
This article was written by Ashley Schumacher and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project During the year of 1955 in…
Chapter 27. The Police State in Action
The triumphs of the anti-communist crusaders have been made possible only by the tacit support, cowardice and confusion of large sections of people who, at…