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EventEnforcement of military conscription for all white males in SA
The Union Defence Force was created in 1912 and served as the South African Army. It was renamed as the South African Defence Force (SADF) by the passing of…
EventANC sacks its chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe, after finding him guilty of sexual harassment
Mbulelo Goniwe had been active in the liberation struggle and with the inception of new democracy, held several positions, the most recent of which was the…
EventThe First Draft of the Constitution is published
In January 1995 an advertising campaign was launched to elicit public views on what should be in the Constitution. On 19 September the first consolidated draft…
Mandela and his three wives - Evelyn, Winnie and Graca by Sapa-AFP, 6 December 2013
In sharp contrast to Graca Machel and his feisty second wife Winnie, Mandela's first wife was a demure country girl who kept well away from politics. Like him…
PlaceGrey College Complex, Bloemfontein
The main Grey College Building was designed by Architect WH Stucke, and its cornerstone was laid by President Reitz on 16 May 1894. Hamilton Hall was designed…
Chapter VII - The 1980’s
From the book: Side by Side by Helen Joseph Two of our most loved women leaders, Mary Moodley and Lilian Ngoyi, died at the end of the 1970s. They had both…
EventXhosa Chief Sandile is killed
Xhosa Chief Sandile, born in the Ciskei in 1820, was killed in Denge Forest in a skirmish with the Fingos under Captain J. Lonsdale. Sandile was a son from the…
EventMark Thatcher arrested
Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was arrested at his Cape Town home on 25 August 2004. Thatcher was charged under…
Chapter VI - HEAR US!
From the book: Side by Side by Helen Joseph The Congress of the People was over. We had come down from the mountain, down to our daily lives. The delegates…
Indian Opinion
Indian Opinion, a weekly newspaper, was first established and produced by Mohandas Gandhi ("Mahatma"), M.H. Nazar and Madanjit Viyavaharik in 1903 in the Natal…
PlacePump House, corner Prince and Sir George Grey Streets, Oranjezicht.
From the 17th century onwards, water for Cape Town's domestic use was fetched by slaves from public fountains. The Pump House was named as such because it is…
EventPatrice Lumumba, former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is shot
Patrice Lumumba gained the reputation of being a powerful and charismatic leader during his brief reign as Zaire's first Prime Minister (the former Belgian…
EventSix PAC members are sentenced for the killing of PAC leader David Sibeko
David Maphgumzana Sibeko began his political career as a journalist for the South African magazine Drum. Sibeko joined the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) during…
ArchiveThe Tay Bridge Disaster by Peter Ball (The Heritage Portal), 24 September 2016
Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that then you’ll do things differently”. …
ArchiveGeorge Peake by David Hemson
George Peake was a bricklayer, a resistance leader, a capable trade unionist and a socialist. He had links throughout Southern Africa and an understanding of…
The Story of PR Pather, the grand old man of Indian politics in South Africa: Chapter Three - By Riashnee Pather
From the book: The Story of PR Pather, the grand old man of Indian politics in South Africa - by Riashnee Pather Chapter Three 1945 marked a decisive…
Address to Extraordinary Summit of the World Economic Forum 21 June 2003
It is a great privilege for me to be able to share with this august gathering, the South African success story and our approach to lasting peace and…
PlaceCarmel, George
In 1721 the farm Langverwacht was allocated to Jean le Roux, a Huguenot settler. After a post office was opened on the site during the latter half of 1905, it…
Document 5 - Programme of the Communist Party of South Africa adopted at the seventh annual conference of the Party
Q: Until the early 1960s, the tradition of resistance to apartheid was one of nonviolence. And [then] this idea of the armed struggle was considered by Mandela…
Chapter 6. Conclusion by Frantz Fanon, 1961
Come, then, comrades; it would be as well to decide at once to change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it…
Chapter 11 - Negotiating the final constitution
The adoption of the final Constitution concluded some of the most successful negotiations in recent constitutional and political history. The most striking and…
Chapter V - South Africa belongs to all who live in it
From the book: Side by Side by Helen Joseph The Congress Alliance, functioning with a closely co-ordinated leadership, was working on the preparations for the…
ArchiveThe Arthur Chaskalson I knew by George Bizos, 5 December 2012
George Bizos says late former Chief Justice would never have been a secret member of a political party Speech by George Bizos SC, Constitutional Litigation…
Chapter 1: Introduction
Before embarking on an investigation of vigilantes and political violence in KwaZulu-Natal, it is important to give an account of what the situation in KwaZulu…
EventTrade unionist Clements Kadalie dies in East London
Trade unionist, Lameck Koniwaka Kadali Muwamba, known by his adopted name, Clements Kadalie, was born in April 1896, near the Bandawe mission station in…
PlaceDutch Reformed Church, Bloemfontein
Also known as the Tweetoring Kerk, The Dutch Reformed congregation of Bloemfontein was established on 13 November 1848, and its services were initially held in…
PlaceAndalusia, Cape and Transvaal Border
Former name of Jan Kempdorp. Named after the region in southern Spain, which was the ancient maritime kingdom of Tarshish. Jan Kempdorp was laid out on the…
EventNovelist and historian Bessie Head is born
Novelist, short story writer and social historian Bessie Amelia Head was born in Pietermaritzburg. Being the daughter of a White mother (who was disowned by…
EventEthnic violence in Rwandan capital Kigali is spreads throughout the country
From 7 April until mid July 1994, ethnic violence broke out in Rwanda between the Tutsis and the Hutus. The Hutus who are the majority, set out to kill, rape…
EventPhambili Ka Ntloko, national organiser of AZAPO, is born
Phambili Ka Ntloko was born on 18 April 1960 in Queenstown, Eastern Cape. As a high school student, Ntloko became involved in the South African Students’…