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EventThe corner stone of the Union Buildings in Pretoria is laid.
The Union Buildings is the seat of the South African government and is situated in the capital city, Pretoria, now known as Tshwane. It was designed by Sir…
T.F. Burgers, state president of the Transvaal (1872), is reburied in Pretoria, nearly fourteen years after his death in Richmo
The Cape Supreme Court rules that the Cape Dutch Reformed Church may only consist of congregations in the Cape Province.
The Belvedere arrives in the Durban harbour with 318 Indian labourers, the second group to arrive to work on the sugar plantati
Sir Frederick Napier Broome (54), former colonial secretary in Natal, dies in London.
Richard Philip (Dick) King, pioneer settler of Natal who travelled nearly 1 000 km on horseback in ten days to deliver dispatch
Sol Kerzner and the president - a poem by Norman HC Smith
EventTrade union federation, COSATU, celebrates its 26th anniversary
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), a federation of various labour unions, was established on 2 December 1985 in Durban. It is among the…
EventDr JT van der Kemp, controversial missionary and physician, dies
Dutch missionary Johannes Theodorus van der Kemp was the first missionary to work among the Xhosa. He became involved with the Khoi Khoi of the Cape Colony and…
EventAlexis Preller, SA visual artist, dies
Alexis Preller was born on 6 September 1911 in Pretoria. Before pursuing a career in art, he had worked as a clerk. He left for England in 1934 where he…
EventKenya is granted independence
Kenya gained its independence from Britain with Jomo Kenyatta as the country’s first Prime Minister. The Union Jack was replaced by the black, red and green…
EventNaguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate, is born
Naguib Mahfouz was born in Cairo, Egypt. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a writer. He began writing at the age of eleven and at 17 he…
EventThomas William Bowler, prolific painter at the Cape, is born
English born Thomas William Bowler was a self taught painter and printmaker who spent most of his life at the Cape of Good Hope. He arrived at the Cape with…
EventPortuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias anchors at Walvis Bay
On 8 December 1487, Portuguese explorer and navigator Bartholomew Dias anchored in what is now known as Walvis Bay. Dias was on an expedition to discover a sea…
EventFormer City Press Editor Mathata Tsedu’s son is found burnt beyond recognition in the boot of his car
The remains of Avhatakali Netshusaulu, accountant and son of the former City Press editor Mathata Tsedu, were found in the boot of his car after he had been…
EventBophuthatswana is granted independence by the South African government
Thirty-four years ago, on 6 December 1977, Bophuthatswana was granted ‘independence' by the South African government. The region became the second Bantustan to…
EventThomas Pringle, journalist and editor of Cape newspaper Commercial Advertiser, dies in London
Thomas Pringle was born in Scotland on 5 January 1789. Pringle sustained an injury to his hip as a result of being accidentally dropped by his nanny when he…