SAHO global search
2,847 records
ArticleThe history of Migrant Labour in South Africa
Introduction The migrant labour system marks a period in which African men were integrated into wage labour. Black men changed from being farmers in their…
A Society for the “Advancement of Art”
Hayden Proud, Curator of Historical Collections of Painting and Sculpture, Iziko Museums of Cape Town Some years ago, a small body of artists clubbed together…
PlacePretoria Boys High School
This school was declared a National Monument. Pretoria Boys High School, also known as 'Boys High'. It is a public, tuition charging, English medium boys high…
BiographyHenry Burton
Early Life Henry Burton was born on 2 June 1866 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa and went to school at St Andrews in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. He…
Doing Oral History
Edited by Dr Johan Wassermann (2002) This publication is a product of an Oral History workshop organised by the Department of Education and the facilitator…
ArticleGrade 5 - Term 3: An ancient African society: Egypt
… dates from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom around 2000 B.C. - 1800 B.C. The ancient Egyptian numbering system was developed …
PlaceA History of Ottosdal and Letsopa
Precolonial and Early History Almost four hundred years ago, Khoe-San people moved into the interior of South Africa from the Cape (what is today the…
BiographyVivian Fitzsimons
For many south africans, the name Fitzsimons will always be linked to snakes - to their diversity and the treatment of their venomous bites. Rightly so, as…
PlaceWonderboom Nature Reserve, Pretoria
The Wonderboom Nature Reserve and is Home to a 1000 Year Old Fig Tree, or Ficus Salicifolia, known as the 'Wonderboom' [wonder tree]. Legend states that the…
ArticleSilverton Siege
On 25 January 1980 three MK Cadres – Stephen Mafoko, Humphrey Makhubo and Wilfred Madela – were allegedly on their way to carry out a planned MK sabotage…
ArticleDifferences between Capitalism & Communism and why did it start in Russia?
Please note that this information was part of our old 'history classroom content' written in 2003, we have updated is slightly to meet the needs of the new…
PlaceHawston
Close to Hermanus, the town of Hawston with its long, white unspoilt beach lies cosily between the sea and the mountain. It is thought that long ago the Quena …
PlaceMapungubwe
The ancient city of Mapungubwe (meaning 'hill of the jackal') is an Iron Age archaeological site in the Limpopo Province on the border between South Africa,…
Grade 6 term 1 classroom support
h3 { width: 100%; text-align: center; border: solid 2px silver; background-color: #AA6969; cursor: pointer; color: white; } h3#a { background-color: …
ArchiveConcentration camps in the South African War? Here are the real facts by Fransjohan Pretorius, (The Conversation), February 18, 2019
One of the Boer concentration camps. Photographical Collection Anglo-Boer War Museum, Bloemfontein SA Image source More than a century after 48 000 people…
EventDanie Malan, SA athlete, sets a new world record in the 1 000m event in Munich
On 24 June 1973, South African athlete Danie Malan set a new world record in the middle distance 1000m event in Munich. Malan was raised in the Boland area of…
EventBritish create the settlement of Sierra Leone, for freed slaves
The colony of Sierra Leone was conceived by British philanthropists and abolitionists as a home for African slaves freed in England. A Temne king sold a strip…
BiographyPitika Ntuli
Born in Springs, situated east of Johannesburg, Pitika Ntuli grew up with a keen interest in art. As a young man, he got involved in politics, and he was an…
BiographyAlex la Guma
Alex la Guma is known as one of South Africa’s foremost activist writers, both for his reportage and fiction writing depicting the oppressive measures of…
PlaceJacobsbaai, West Coast
… of land to a local known as ‘Jacob.’ During the early 1800's a company called “ Stefan Bros” conducted trade along …
PlaceResidence, 21 Cuyler Street, Uitenhage
The construction of the original structure with its Cape Dutch and Georgian features, dates from approximately 1840. It is thus one of the oldest dwellings in…
Ramifications of South Africa’s Dop System by Alexandra Larkin
This article was written by Alexandra Larkin and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project Abstract This essay sheds…
ArticleThe Namibian struggle for independence – 1966 – 1990 – a historical background
During the 1960s most of Africa’s countries had gained independence except for Namibia. Geographically, Namibia is made up of savannah, dry scrub land, as well…
PlaceADAMS CALENDAR also known as: 'Blaauwboschkraal Stone Ruins'
… its many stone circles has been known about since the late 1800's. In 1891 the English explorer Theodore Bent estimated …
ArticleAfrikaans: the Language of Black and Coloured Dissent
IntroductionAfrikaans, one of the official languages, together with English, during South Africa’s Apartheid era, often occupies a politicised space as the …
Learning about local history through pictures
In this lesson we will investigate the history of different local areas and local events using these different sources.Let’s see if you can guess which local…
PlaceArtillery Road Barracks at the H.Q. of South African Defence
The first annexation of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek by Sir Theophilus Shepstone in 1877 led to the establishment of a military camp on the present premises…
EventPiet Retief's Great Trek manifesto is completed
Piet Retief completes the manifesto that sets out the reasons why the Voortrekkers are leaving the Cape Colony. It is published in English in the Graham's Town…
PlaceColesberg, Northern Cape
The Village of Colesberg was founded in 1830 on the site of an abandoned station of the London Missionary Society, and was named in honour of Sir Galbraith…
EventThe first edition of the Graham’s Town Journal, mouthpiece of the Eastern Frontier settlers, is published
The Gramstown Journal, one of South Africa's important and influential early newspapers, ran from 1831- 1920. From its early days its editorial slant voiced…