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First Matabele War
In 1890 Cecil John Rhodes became premier of South Africa with the support of the Afrikaner Bond. Rhodes' grand imperial vision for a British Africa included…
ArticleNational symbols such as the Coat of Arms and the National Anthem
National Symbols since 1994In South Africa, we have a perse number of people and cultures, but we are all South African. National symbols such as a national…
ArchiveBiography of Amina Desai by Cole Deal
With the rise of apartheid in 1948, millions of Africans were left to suffer in South Africa. Many groups rallied against the Afrikaner government through…
Article1973 Durban Strikes
Introduction On 9 January 1973, workers at the Coronation Brick and Tile factory, outside Durban, came out on strike. Immediately thereafter, workers from…
The turn to armed struggle
For several years, different liberation organisations debated engaging in armed struggle against the Apartheid state. Following the Sharpeville Massacre, the…
Historical ships and shipwrecks along the South African coast
South Africa’s Maritime History The Suez Canal allows for ships from Europe to travel to the East with ease. Before the canal was opened European ships had…
ArticleOFFICIAL LETTER FROM YASSER ARAFAT TO ANC PRESIDENT
H.E. Brother Nelson Mandela President of the ANC REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICAGreetings,It was with great appreciation I received your congratulatory message on the…
The diary of Maria Tholo - February 16 by Carol Hermer
From the book: The Diary of Maria Tholo by Carol Hermer Maria's Diary, Wednesday, February 16 What a welcome change. On Sunday a week ago we heard the happy…
ArticleIsitwalandwe/Seaparankwe Award
Isitwalandwe/Seaparankwe is the highest honour awarded by the people of South Africa, through the African National Congress, to those who have made an…
ArticleMaritime history and heritage: shipwrecks
Why are shipwrecks important? Shipwrecks have always held a specific allure. The promise of hidden treasure, the unexplored and underwater adventure is so…
Schlebusch Commission
In 1973, the Government appointed a select committee of parliament, the Schlebusch Commission, to investigate the objects, organisation, financing and…
Melinda Stuurman
I am 35 years old. Studied photography in '97, but couldn't afford the tuition – I dropped out and decided to work for a couple of years and then continue my…
Chapter 6 - TOWARDS HOME
From: The South African Communist Party In Exile 1963 - 1990 The 7th Congress, organised in Havana in April 1989, and attended by 49 delegates, was the highest…
Interview with Ari Sitas, Of Socialism and Dentures by Jonathan Mandel, 10-11 April 2015
Media and Social Movements Network Rondebosh, the suburb below the University of Cape Town which is below the Cecil John Rhodes Memorial which is below the…
ArticlePeople and Culture of South Africa
South Africa has early human fossils at Sterkfontein and other sites. The first modern inhabitants of the country were the hunter-gatherer San (‘bushman’) and…
ArticleSouth African General Timeline 1976
January 1976, a group of people with Mosima Sexwale are taken by two cars a Fiat and a Soviet-origin vehicle to Dar es Salaam Airport where they flew in a…
ArticleQuotations by Oliver Tambo
"We seek to create a united Democratic and non-racial society. We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals…
Article1949 Anti Indian Pogrom in Durban
On 13 January 1949 an Indian store-keeper in central Durban assaulted an African youth. This incident resulted in a wave of violence, starting at the Indian…
ArticleThe African Union (AU)
Context As the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), founded in 1963, was established as a loose association of African states with limited mechanisms for…
The diary of Maria Tholo - October 18 - November 1 by Carol Hermer
From the book: The Diary of Maria Tholo by Carol Hermer Maria's Diary, Tuesday, October 19 What a beautifully quiet weekend it was. Our lives are no longer…
‘African Gandhi’: The South African War and the Limits of Imperial Identity by Goolam Vahed
Mahatma Gandhi achieved greatness for the struggles that he fought on the political, economic, cultural and moral fronts. His ideas about love, truth, soul…
ArticleThe ANC’s MK Special Ops Unit Material - Yunus Carrim Collection - 6 November 2025
The ANC’s MK Special Ops Unit Material Yunus Carrim Collection 06 November 2025 What is this about? The material in this collection was used to put together…
PlaceKnysna, Garden Route- Western Province
The name Knysna has appeared in various spellings since about the 1770's. It was ‘Nysna’ in one of the earliest letters from James Callander (who built a home…
PlaceLimpopo Province
The Limpopo Province covers the Area that lies Northern most in South Africa, just South of Zimbabwe. It was first called the Northern Province, but this was…
ArticleForced Removals in South Africa
Forced removals refer to the moving of people from their homes against their will. This may not always involve physical threat or force, but sometimes coercion…
ArticleUniversity of Pretoria 2015-2016 Student Protests Timeline
The University of Pretoria (UP) opened in 1908 as a new department of the Transvaal University College (T.U.C). In 1930 the University College was upgraded…
ArchiveSonia Bunting: Continuous Compassion and Adamant Activism by Jack Lucas
Innate resilience in conjunction with unmatched passion forms a characteristic that proves to be unstoppable, yet the rarity of this combination stems from the…
ArchiveChanging focus: The art and activism of Omar by Bongani Kona (Mail and Guardian), 4 June 2015
It’s early winter in Cape Town, cold and gray, when I take the 1044 train from Newlands station on a Saturday afternoon to meet the photographer Omar Badsha at…
A.I. Kajee His Work for the Southern African Indian Community - Chapter 1
From the book: A.I. Kajee His Work for the Southern African Indian Community by C. H. Calpin An early photograph of " A.I."with C.F. Andrews The main road…
ArticleConference: One Hundred Years of the ANC - Debating Liberation Histories and Democracy Today
Openining address by Prof. Phillip Bonner: "Fragmentation and Cohesion In The Anc, The First 70 Years". Delegates at the 3-day conference “100 years of the…