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EventPatrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the Congo Republic, is assassinated
The first and only elected Prime Minister of the Congo Republic, Patrice Lumumba, was assassinated a few months after Congo gained formal independence from…
EventSt James Church massacre
Azanian Peoples' Liberation Army (APLA - the armed wing of the Pan-Africanist Congress) operatives attack St. James Church in the Cape Town suburb of…
EventThe UN orders Libya to hand over two suspects linked to the Lockerbie bombing
On 21 December 1988, the Pan Am Flight 103 was flying its transatlantic route from New York to London, when it was destroyed by a bomb. All passengers and crew…
EventVlakplaas Commander testifies before Harms Commission about secret police killings in 1981
In 1981, Dirk Coetzee, Jan Viktor and Jac Buchner began Vlakplaas, a parliamentary hit squad, with 16 police officers. The existence of the unit was first…
EventInauguration ceremony of the South African College School (SACS) takes place
The South African College School (SACS) was inaugurated at the Groote Kerk, giving impetus to the formation of the first school in Cape Town. The idea of…
EventSA judge jails former state assassin Eugene de Kock for more than 200 years
During the Apartheid regime, Eugene de Kock was a colonel in the South African Police force. He acted as the commander of a counter-insurgency group located on…
EventThe National Party (Transvaal) is founded
The Union of South Africa was established in 1910. Although South Africa was no longer a British colony, it was not an independent country either. Its…
EventSir Bartle Frere, the new British High Commissioner delivers an ultimatum to Cetshwayo the Zulu king to disband his army’
The newly appointed British High Commissioner for Southern Africa delivers to Cetshwayo the Zulu king to disband his army, handover offenders. Frere who was…
PlaceRaadsaal, 95 St George’s Street, Bloemfontein
The first Raadsaal is probably the most important Historical Building in the Free State, dating back to 1849, it is the oldest building left standing in…
EventThe full citizenship of Coloured people is called for
During apartheid, the term "Coloured" was used to refer to group of people generally considered to be of mixed race origin. Coloured people, throughout the…
The kanga, womanhood and how Zuma's 2006 rape trial changed the meaning of the fabric by Ra'eesa Pather (Mail and Guardian), 10 Aug 2016
During the 2006 rape trial in which President Jacob Zuma was acquitted of rape, there wasn’t much in common in Zuma or Khwezi’s testimonies. But one thing that…
What the lives of two South African music giants tell us about culture under apartheid by Gwen Ansell (The Conversation), 13 July 2017
Back in 2000, musicians interviewed for my book on music and politics in South Africa, Soweto Blues, regularly asserted: I’m not a politician. How could this…
ArchiveThe Final Prize - Contents and Preface
From the book: The Final Prize by Norman Levy “Everyone has a story”, Sephiwe, the librarian at the Robben Island Mayibuye Archive, said to me as he handed me…
Liberation and Ethics. Is there a connection? by Raymond Suttner, 05 April 2016
It is no exaggeration to suggest that the legitimacy not only of President Jacob Zuma and the ANC, but also the notion of the liberation struggle itself is in…
Yet another Myth: Mbeki and the Monopolisation of Power by Thabo Mbeki, 25 January 2016
The December 17, 2007 website of the UK newspaper, “The Guardian”, carried an article headed “Mbeki’s shock as ANC turns on him”, written by one Chris McGreal…
EventJoseph Louw is sentenced to six months imprisonment for contravening the Immorality Act
On 24 February 1962, a Coloured journalist Joseph Louw, 23, was sentenced to six months in the Johannesburg Regional Court for conspiring with Pamela Beira, a…
EventGamal Abdel Nasser is formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic
On 5 February 1958, Gamal Abdel Nasser was formally nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic. In February 1958, Egypt joined…
EventGold Coast (Ghana) gains independence
On 6 March 1957, the Gold Coast (now known as Ghana) gained independence from Britain. Ghana became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and was led to…
EventPresident F.W. de Klerk promises repeal of apartheid laws
The circumstances that led to the repealing and ultimate dismantling of the Apartheid structure was similar to those that led to the earlier proclamation made…
EventThe Opening Ceremony of 2000 Olympic Games takes place
The 2000 Summer Olympic Games or Millennium Games, hosted by Australia, were officially opened in the capital Sydney. Australia won the right to host the games…
EventSir Abe Bailey, Rand mine magnate and politician, marries Mary Westenra, pioneer aviatrix
Sir Abe Bailey, a prominent politician and mine magnate, married Mary Westenra on 5 September 1911, and together they settled in Johannesburg. Lady Mary Bailey…
EventProfessor Bob Hepple is born
Professor Bob Hepple was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng). His father, Alex Hepple, was a trade unionist, Labour Party member and Chairman of the…
EventThe Johannesburg Meteorological Observatory opens
The Observatory was founded as the Transvaal Meteorological Department, and was initially meant to be used to watch weather patterns. Astronomer Dr Robert…
EventANC member and UDF-leader Christmas Tinto, is born in Mqanduli in the Transkei
Christmas Fihla Tinto was born on Christmas day on 25 December 1925 in the Mqanduli district of the former Transkei, now part of Eastern Cape Province. His…
EventBritish racing driver Tom Pryce dies in a freak accident during the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami
Welsh racing driver Tom Pryce died on the tracks during the South African Grand Prix in Kyalami on 5 March 1977. The horrific accident left two people dead; a…
Extract from a speech at the opening of the National Party Congress of the Orange Free State at Bloemfontein on 18 September 1973
Important and significant events preceded this address of the Prime Minister. There was the accusation from the Herstigte Nasionale Party concerning…
PlaceDiep River
Johann Georg Rathfelder was born in Stuttgart in 1811 and emigrated to the Cape in 1835. Following his marriage in the colony, he inherited a halfway-house…
PlaceGannahoek Farm
Gannahoek Farm is situated in the Colenso district in KwaZulu-Natal Province. In 1894, the McFie family took possession of the farm until 1990. Evictions …
PlaceCuthbert’s Building, Eloff Street, Johannesburg
The firm of WM Cuthbert & Co, shoe merchants, was established in 1882. Their Johannesburg building was designed by architects Stucke & Bannister and was…
A.I. Kajee His Work for the Southern African Indian Community - Chapter 7
From the book: A.I. Kajee His Work for the Southern African Indian Community by C. H. Calpin In 1942, a strike was called at the Dunlop rubber factory in…