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EventHistory of December 16
December 16 looms large in the history of South Africa; it is celebrated as the Day of Reconciliation. First celebrated as ‘Dingane’s Day,’ when the…
ArticleAfrican National Congress Timeline 1950-1959
After coming to power in 1948, the National Party-led government began implementing apartheid by passing a series of racist laws, notably the Population…
ArticleGeneral South African History Timeline: 1900s
1900 7 May, Paul Kruger addresses the volksraad for the last time before being forced to travel on the Delagoa line to Machadodorp, where he lives on his…
PlaceAlbasini Dam, Limpopo
Dam at the foot of the Soutpansberg Mountain Range. Named after Joao Albasini who lived from 1813 to 1885. He was the first European Settler in the Lowveld and…
EventFifth Constitution Amendment Bill is introduced
The Republic of South Africa Constitution Fifth Amendment Bill, establishing a framework for deliberations on the country's future constitutional, economic and…
EventSA writer, Nadine Gordimer, wins Nobel Prize for Literature
South African writer Nadine Gordimer won the 1991 Nobel Prize for Literature. She was the first woman in 25 years to be awarded the honour and the seventh…
EventSoweto High School under siege
South African Defence Force soldiers, travelling in a convoy of more than ten armoured vehicles, surrounded the Thaba-Juluba high school in Soweto and arrested…
EventSA sprinter Oscar Pistorius reaches the final
The seventeen year old Pretoria schoolboy sprinter of Pretoria Boys' High, Oscar Pistorius, fell coming out of the start of his 200m heat for leg amputees,…
ArticleGrade 7 - Term 1: The Kingdom of Mali and the City of Timbuktu in the 14th Century
Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, is a city in the western African country of Mali. Often used as a popular term to describe a distant and mystical place, the city…
The people armed, 1984-1990
Introduction 1985, Desmond Tutu, armed only with the bible under his arm, confronts the SA forces during their attempts to break up a demonstration…
Article1960 - 1994: Armed Struggle and Popular Resistance
1984-1990:- The people armedIntroductionNumerous factors characterised the intensification of the freedom struggle against the National Party government in the…
ArticleWalter Sisulu Timeline 1912-2003
1912 18 May, Walter Ulyate Max Sisulu is born in Engcobo District in the Transkei, in the same year, the ANC was formed. 1920 Walter returns from his…
ArticleFanakalo: the language of mining culture
Introduction Fanakalo is a bridging language of communication in multilingual and multinational settings on South African mines [writers spell this pidgin…
29. Removal to locations: the people are terrified
From the book: A Documentary History of Indian South Africans edited by Surendra Bhana and Bridglal Pachai In a Notice published in the Staats Courant of…
ArticleTreks & Land conflicts timeline 1602-1966
1602 20 March, The Dutch East India Company (VOC) comes into being. 1652 Jan van Riebeeck, a representative of the Dutch East India Company (VOC),…
ArticleTreason Trial 1956 - 1961
For some time there had always been a question in peoples' minds as to why the government had allowed the Congress of the People in 1955, to take place. In…
ArticleUnited Democratic Front (UDF)
The United Democratic Front (UDF) was an anti-apartheid body that incorporated many anti-apartheid organisations. It was launched in 1983, in Mitchells Plain…
PlaceAliwal North, Eastern Cape
Town on the banks of the Orange River, some 195 km from Bloemfontein, on the road to to East London. It was founded in 1849 and named by the Governor of the…
PlaceDwarsvlei Farm, Karoo
The earliest Title Deeds could not be found, but it is believed the Farm 'Dwarsvlei', was established in the middle of the 19th Century. The first Homestead,…
ArticleA History of the South African Film Industry timeline 1895-2003
1895 The Kinetescope (invented by Thomas Edison) was a box in which people could see a moving image. The first Kinetescopes in South Africa were opened…
BiographyDr. Neville Edward Alexander
Neville Edward Alexander was the first of six children of Dimbiti Bisho Alexander, a primary-school teacher, and David James Alexander, a carpenter. It was in…
PlaceCity Hall, Port Elizabeth
It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 29 November 1974. The Port Elizabeth City Hall, which is located in Market Square, was…
EventThe 4th Pan-African Congress is held in New York City, USA
The 4th Pan-African Congress was held in New York City, USA. The congress was sponsored by the American based African-American women's organisation, Circle for…
EventShaun Pollock makes history in a test match
The South African all-rounder, Shaun Pollock, became the only player in Test cricket history to have taken 300 wickets and score 3 000 runs. This milestone was…
ArticleThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the Anti-Apartheid Struggle
Relations between Russia and South Africa In the late-19th century, Russia was engaged in rivalry with the British Empire, especially in Asia, and sought to…
ArchiveElizabeth van der Heyden by Allison Drew
This article was made possible with the support of the British Academy Elizabeth van der Heyden, known as Betty or sometimes Liz, was born on 8 December…
PlaceFramesby, Port Elizabeth
Framesby is one of Port Elizabeth’s well-known residential suburbs. It is flanked by Cape Road (which is part of the N2 motorway, extending from Durban in…
ArticleCato Manor timeline 1650-2007
1650 Earliest known history - the Nqondo clan occupy the land now known as Cato Manor 1730 They are replaced by the Ntuli clan - it is unclear what…
ArticleThe Western Front
At the outbreak of the First World War, Germany put into operation the Schlieffen Plan. This plan was based on the assumption that in case of a war breaking…
The armed struggle and state repression of the 1960s
A turning point in the struggle against apartheid came about in the 1960s. This change was the result of combined elements, including the formation of the PAC,…