SAHO global search
30,884 records
ArticleThe Natives Land Act of 1913
… Introduction The history of White colonial land dispossession did not begin with the passing of the Native Land Act in 1913, it spans back to the expansion ……
ArticleThe Roots of Segregation: 1860-1910
… By the 1860s, subjugation of African people in the immediate vicinity of the Cape had been achieved. Other than a small, enfranchised … The Roots of…
ArticleThe Group Areas Act of 1950
… The National Party was elected in 1948 on the policy of Apartheid ('separateness'). This 'separateness' … on their own paths in a partitioned system of…
ArticleBritain takes control of the Cape
… The arrival of the British at the Cape changed the lives of the people that were already living there. … Britain takes control of the Cape …
Historical Background of the Constitutional Court
… The Constitutional Court was established in 1994 by South Africa's first democratic constitution - the interim constitution of 1993. The Court, the key…
ArticleUrban Removals - the Destruction of Sophiatown
… Introduction This feature examines the history of forced removals in Johannesburg up to the destruction of Sophiatown. It begins by establishing the link…
The South African Human Rights Commission
… South Africa's Constitution (1996) enshrines the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. Everyone in South Africa, including the … The South…
ArticleThe South African general elections: 1994
… In September 1993, the South African legislature approved the setting up of a multiparty Transitional Executive Council … South Africa’s transition to…
ArticleMaps of Africa through the centuries
… was largely unexplored by Europeans for many centuries the maps that were created were by and large grossly inaccurate. They are still a fascinating look…
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…
ArticleGrade 7 - Term 2: The Transatlantic slave trade
… CONTENT West Africa before the European slave trade A map depicting the three most well-known West African Kingdoms. Image source The peoples of West Africa…
The Liberation Struggle in South Africa
… The Liberation Struggle in South Africa home home politics & … Contribute Tell us your story Contribute to the site Timeline…
ArticleGandhi and the burning of passes
… In August 1906, the British administration in the Transvaal passed the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance (Black Act) to control … Gandhi and the burning of…
A Society for the “Advancement of Art”
… to organise a society, which aimed at coming boldly before the public and asking their encouragement. After various revisions and amendments the society took…
ArticleThe Society of Young Africa (SOYA)
… The Society of Young Africa (SOYA) held its opening … 1951. Led by I. B. Tabata , SOYA was closely linked to the Non European Unity Movement (NEUM)…
ArticleReactions to the formation of a republic
… Different sections of the South African community reacted to the formation of the republic in different ways. The fact that the republic … Reactions to the…
Background to the Freedom Charter 1955
… Defiance Campaign mass meeting The post-1948 period saw the African National Congress (ANC) abandoning its … such as petitions and deputations. In December…
ArticleKing Kong the Musical 1959 -1961
… King Kong: An African Jazz , was the first all-Black South African musical which opened in 2 February 1959. The musical chronicles the rise and fall of…
European Societies in the Middle Ages
… The Middle Ages in Europe, a feudal society Glossary Feudal Society : The stage of society that preceded capitalism, during which a small elite (the…
ArticleThe 1956 Women’s March, Pretoria, 9 August
… ‘Strijdom, you have tampered with the women, You have struck a rock.' So runs the song composed to mark this historic occasion. By the middle of 1956 plans…
ArticleBiko’s imprisonment, death and the aftermath
… In the wake of the urban revolt of 1976 and with prospects of a national … becoming apparent, security police detained Biko, the outspoken student leader, on…
ArticleThe South African general elections: 1999
… On 3 March 1999, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela , announced to the National Assembly (Parliament) that the second non-racial ……
Discovery of the Gold in 1884
… The first recorded discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand was made by Jan Gerrit Bantjes in June 1884, on the farm Vogelstruisfontein, and was followed soon…
ArticleThe Grey Street Mosque, 1880-1930
… The Grey Street Mosque, 1880-1930 Indians began settling in Natal from 1860 when the first indentured workers arrived.1 They were followed from the mid-1870s…
ArticleThe Interim South African Constitution 1993
… On 13 November 1991, Nelson Mandela announced that the first constitutional talks would take place on 29 and 30 November at the World Trade Centre in…
ArticleThe Empire of Mali (1230-1600)
… The Empire of Mali was one of the largest empires in West African History, and at its height, it spanned from the Atlantic Coast to central parts of the…
ArticleHistory of the ‘Indian Opinion’ newspaper
… The Significance of Indian Opinion by Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie Department of History, University of the Western Cape Address to Conference on the Alternate…
ArticlePretoria (Tshwane): The Naming of a City
… Introduction Pretoria is located in the north east of South Africa, to the north of Gauteng , and 60 Kilometres away from the north east of Johannesburg [i] …
ArticleInfecting the City Public Arts Festival
… Infecting the City is an annual arts festival that takes place in … areas of Cape Town and Mbombela, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The festival aims to bring…
The Many Faces of Apartheid Repression
… The content of this article was taken from the book A Crime Against Humanity - Analysing the Repression of the Apartheid State edited by Max Coleman, … The…