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BiographyPeter Hlaole Molotsi
Peter Hlaole Molotsi was born in Steinsrust, a municipal location, in the district of Kroonstad, (then Orange Free State) on July 18, 1929. His father was a…
BiographyRonald “Ron” Press
Ron Press was born in 1929. His father a cinematograph operator became the secretary of the Cinematograph Workers Union, a post he held for over 20 years. He…
Women’s Enfranchisement Association of the Union (WEAU)
The WEAU and votes for white women Until 1930 there were no women in South Africa who had the right to vote. It was felt that a women's place was 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…
Art lost in a time of struggle by Mary Corrigall
Thami Mnyele and Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective During the past few years the Johannesburg Art Gallery has focused attention on black artists who were…
The French Revolution Activity
Working from sources: Activity 1: The Old Order The three men in the picture stand for the three Estates of the Old Order. Look at the picture, then…
Women at the start of the 20th century
It is only over the last three or four decades that women's role in the history of South Africa has, belatedly, been given some recognition. Previously the…
PlaceSea Point
Early HistoryFor years prior to European settlement, Sea Point formed part of the Gorachoqua and Goringhaiqua grazing paths, which stretched out to Hout Bay…
ArticleHistory of Women in Prisons during Apartheid
This article was written by Justin Lawler and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project During the times of apartheid,…
BiographyAdrian Leftwich
Adrian Leftwich grew up in Cape Town, Western Province (now Western Cape), in 1940 in a liberal Jewish family. His father was a doctor, and his mother gave…
ArticleSS Mendi
The sinking of the SS Mendi was caused by the reckless action of the captain of the SS Darro. It remains the greatest wartime maritime disaster ever suffered…
ArticleEvents leading to the Bambatha Rebellion
In 1887 Zululand was annexed by the colony of Natal and the Zulu were gradually stripped of most of their arable land. There was widespread poverty, made worse…
PlaceUniversity of Pretoria
The foundational Years of the University of Pretoria were welcomed with great turmoil. In 1889, the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) proposed that a…
The Arrival of the Khoisan
About 2 000 years ago (100 BC), life began to change significantly in the Western part of Southern Africa. Herders, also known as the Khoikhoi, arrived,…
BiographyPatric Tariq Mellet
Patric Tariq Mellet was born and grew up in the working class districts of old Cape Town – Salt River, Woodstock and District Six. His family were poor working…
ArticleThe history of Migrant Labour in South Africa
Introduction The migrant labour system marks a period in which African men were integrated into wage labour. Black men changed from being farmers in their…
ArticleThe History of LGBT legislation
Introduction Discriminatory, separate and oppressive, these are words that were used to explain South Africa’s Apartheid regime, which officially lasted from…
ArticleGrade 5 - Term 2: The first farmers in Southern Africa
The first farmers in southern Africa were Bantu-speakers and archaeology shows that they entered southern Africa between 2 000 and 1 700 years ago This topic…
Article1946 Mine Workers Strike timeline 1867-1987
1867 Diamonds discovered in Orange Free State and Kimberley. 1867 Diamond mining begins in Griqualand West. 1872 Introduction of pass laws to control…
BiographyDr Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo
Dr Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo played an outstanding role in the South African liberation movement for over half a century - in persuading the Indian community to link…
ArticleOrigins of the Battle of Blood River 1838
The Great Trek and the advent of the Mfecane The origins of the battle are a matter of considerable debate. The background to this event can be found in two…
ArticleThe formation of the SANNC/ANC
Bloemfontein is the birth place of the SANNC, which became the ANC in 1923, one of the largest organizations in later years to struggle for freedom and justice…
ArticleKasturba Gandhi timeline 1869 - 1944
1869 April, Kasturba Kapadia is born in Porbandar, in present-day Gujarat. 1876 Kasturba Kapadia and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi are betrothed by their…
BiographyJomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta was born Kamau to parents Moigoi and Wamboi ”” his father was the chief of a small agricultural village in Gatundu Division, Kiambu District ””…
BiographyNjinga Ana de Sousa
The history of Queen Njinga (or Nzinga) of Ndongo/Matamba is contested. Portuguese colonial historians and missionaries would emphasise her conversion to…
BiographyDimitri Tsafendas
Dimitri Tsafendas was the parliamentary messenger who assassinated Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd on 06 September 1966 by stabbing him four times with a…
The Rise of Women’s Trade Unionism in South Africa by Peter LaNasa
This article was written by Peter LaNasa and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project Abstract: This essay discusses…
ArticleWomen in the Cities and the Resistance Movement
ArticlePlacing the film “Inxeba – The Wound” in Historical Review
Story Synopsis Inxeba is essentially an intersectional story about three Xhosa men that is told in the setting of the mountains of the Eastern Cape during a…
ArticleWorld War I and the South African Native Labour Contingent
The South African Native Labour Contingent (SANLC) was formed in 1916 in response to a request from the British Imperial Government for an African labour force…