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BiographyLillian Diedericks
Lillian Diedericks was born in 1925 in the oldest part of New Brighton township, Red Location (near the railway line), in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. Her…
PlaceGreyville Racecourse and Convention Centre, Durban
The History of Greyville dates as far back as 1844, when it hosted the Province’s first official Horse Racing Event. The Track has had the honour of welcoming…
EventThe Dutch East India Company decides to send French Huguenot refugees to the Cape
On 3 October 1685 the Dutch East India Company in Amsterdam decided to send French Huguenot refugees to the Cape for settlement. The Huguenots were French…
BiographyProfessor Fatima Meer
Fatima Meer was born in Grey Street, Durban on 12 August 1928, the daughter of Moosa Meer and Rachel Farrel and the second born of their nine children. Her…
ArticleThe Khoisan
In around 2300 BP (Before Present), hunter-gatherers called the San acquired domestic stock in what is now modern day Botswana. Their population grew, and…
ArticleIndenture: A new system of slavery?
Was the system of indentured Indian labour "a new system of slavery"?as Hugh Tinker entitles his book? The answer would depend on how the reader defines the…
The War
The flag of the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State On 9 October 1899 the SAR issued an ultimatum to Britain and two days later, on 11 October the war was…
EventPassbook laws relaxed
In July 1986, South Africa was in a state of martial law, with a nation-wide State of Emergency having been declared in June of the same year. To counter the…
Afrikaans community 1820-1899
The first white inhabitantsBetween 1820 and 1826, Afrikaner trekboer (migratory farmer) J.N. Brits trekked from the Cape Colony, crossed the Orange River and…
ArticleThe Dutch Settlement
The region of the Western Cape which includes the Table Bay area (where the modern city of Cape Town is located) was inhabited by Khoikhoi pastoralists who…
PlaceOur Lady of Montserrat Catholic Church, Betty's Bay
Our Lady Of Montserrat in Betty's Bay, Western Cape is a Christian Congregation serving the Betty's Bay Community and encouraging others through a life…
EventThe first cable connection between SA and Europe is launched
On 31 July 1879, the first cable connection between South Africa and Europe, via Aden, was launched. It was laid by the British electrical engineer Charles…
PlaceSongimvelo Game Reserve, an Early Archaeological Site
The Songimvelo Game Reserve is located South of Barberton in the South-Eastern part of the Mpumalanga Province on the South African-Swaziland Border. The…
ArticleRustenburg Timeline 1850-2001
1850 The Nederduitsch Hervormde Church (Nederduitsch Reformed Church) establishes a congregation in Rustenburg. 16 November, A Hervormde congregation is…
BiographyAhmed Mohamed "Kathy" Kathrada
Ahmed Mohamed "Kathy" Kathrada was born on 21 August 1929, to Indian immigrant parents in Schweizer Reneke, a small town in Western Transvaal [now North West…
BiographyPregaluxmi (Pregs) Govender
Pregaluxmi (Pregs) Govender was born on 15 February 1960 in Durban, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal). Her father – a writer and, mother, a teacher – valued critical…
BiographySimon Nkoli
“If you are Black and gay in South Africa, then it really is all the same closet…inside is darkness and oppression. Outside is freedom.”— Simon Tseko…
ArticleNamibian Timeline
Introduction Since independence, English has been Namibia’s only official language. This was a controversial policy and remains contested. This timeline…
PlaceHluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves
Formerly known as: The Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve, now the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The park is the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa. 960 square…
EventKitchener succeeds Roberts as Commander-in-Chief
On Lord Roberts' return to England in November 1900 Lord Kitchener succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the second Anglo Boer War …
Robben Island
Unesco declared Robben Island in the Western Cape a World Heritage Site in 1999. Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6km west of Bloubergstrand, and…
Article2016 in Review
In 2016 South Africa History Online celebrates 15 years of being a public open source heritage site. What a journey it has been. At the end of the first week…
ArticleNelson Mandela Timeline 1970-1979
1970 16 February, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and 21 others, who were detained under the Suppression of Communism Act, in May 1969, are acquitted. Three are…
BiographyLouis Botha
Louis Botha was born near Greytown in Natal in 1862. He was the son of Voortrekker parents and was brought up on a farm in the Free State, and was educated at…
PlaceThulamela, an Archaeological Site
At sites such as Thulamela, in the North of the Kruger National Park. Here traces of ancient traders are still being found which proves Man to have been here…
Sierra Leone’s Pre-colonial and Colonial era military and security forces
The study of armed forces in Africa tend focus on the contemporary peculiarities with little understanding of or regarding for the history of the nations,…
Rustenburg the Segregated city
Rustenburg the Segregated city Towards Union The Afrikaner character of the town persisted after Union in 1910, and there was little to attract other…
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 …
PlaceLesotho
Two-thirds of the Country of Lesotho consists of Mountains. The highest Peak, Mount Ntlenyana, is 3,482 Metres above sea level. The Drakensberg range forms the…
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…