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EventQueen Elizabeth ascends to the throne
On 17 November 1558 the British Queen, Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne following the death of her half-sister, Mary. The Queen of England, who was…
EventSouth Africa relinquishes sovereignty over Walvis Bay
Location: back to this day in history search archive Walvis Bay, from the Dutch for "Whale Bay", is situated in Namibia, along the west coast of southern…
Event18 mineworkers die in Carletonville
On 29 July 1999, a team of AngloGold mineworkers at the Mponeng mine in Carletonville accidentally drilled into a pocket of flammable methane gas in the…
EventKitchener succeeds Roberts as Commander-in-Chief
On Lord Roberts' return to England in November 1900 Lord Kitchener succeeded him as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the second Anglo Boer War …
EventC James reports that South Africa is a poor market for produce
In 1900, C James, an official of the British colonial administration, went on a voyage to South Africa to evaluate the market for produce. He undertook this…
EventBattle of Vaalkrans begins
Among the reasons for the South African War (Anglo- Boer War), 1899 - 1902, was that the Afrikaners attempted to assert their independence as a nation in the…
EventIndian students join the Coloured schools boycott
The Coloured schools' boycott began as a result of students' dissatisfaction with the South African educational and political systems. Students from about 60…
EventScores of soccer fans die in a friendly match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates met in a pre-season friendly at the 23,000 seater Oppenheimer Stadium, near Orkney, Western Transvaal (now North West…
ArticleHistory Grade 11 - Topic 1 Source-based Questions
General Tips when answering Source-based Questions: When approaching a source-based question, look at the MARK ALLOCATION of the question. It will…
PlaceVredenhof Organic Farm, Somerset West
For many year seafarers sought a trade route to link Europe and the East in order to cut out the Arab middlemen who controlled the land routes. Vasco da Gama,…
PlaceAbees, Bela-Bela
Old Khoikhoi name for Warmbad. It means 'place of cleansing or washing'. A Town 100 km away from Pretoria North. It was laid out in 1882 on the Farms: 'Het bad…
EventThe seven day war in Kwazulu-Natal starts
The first of more than 100 people were killed near Pietermaritzburg. Political conflict in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa caused the death of 200…
EventDigging for gold is officially authorised and fortune hunters flock to the Witwatersrand
Digging for gold in the Witwatersrand (now city of Johannesburg and surroundings) was authorised in September 1886 and further accelerated the influx of people…
ArticleHIV/Aids in South Africa timeline 1940s-2009
1940s The oldest Human Immunodeficiency Virus-2 (HIV-2) jumps from animals to humans, according to a Washington-based study in May 2003. Some sources say…
BiographyHerbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo
Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo was born in Edendale, Natal on February 26th, 1903. He was the second son to Ezra and Sardinia Dhlomo. Ezra came from a line of…
ArticleBloemfontein Timeline 1824-2010
1824 The Matabele, underChief Mzilikazi, settle on Thaba Bosiu. 1833 The Baralong under Chief Moroka II settle at what was later known as ThabaNchu. …
ArticleDutch East India Company (DEIC)/VOC
March 20, 1602 marked the beginning of the inexorable end for many a state in the then known world. On that day, four hundred years ago, a group of Dutch…
EventThe Natives Resettlement Act, Act No 19 of 1954 is passed
The Natives Resettlement Act, Act No 19 of 1954 empowered the Government to remove Africans from any area within and next to the magisterial district of…
EventXhosa author Samuel Mqhayi dies
Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi, Xhosa poet, prose writer and educator, died at Ntab'ozuko, near King William's Town, Transkei. His first collection of poems,…
EventMandela addresses ANC rally in Durban
In an effort to promote peace in Natal, the African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela made a trip to Durban to speak to ANC supporters. In a peace…
EventThomas Thornton becomes the first passenger on an aeroplane in South Africa
On 19 March 1910, Thomas Thornton became the first person to fly on an aeroplane as a passenger when he paid Albert Kimmerling £100 for a short flight from…
ArticleThe Mfecane: Understanding a Period of Transformation in Southern Africa
The Mfecane - known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane in Sesotho - was a period of profound political, social, and demographic transformation in southern Africa…
PlaceGroote Schuur Estate
Cecil Rhodes had a herbivorous menagerie on his estate and in 1896 he was given two lions and a leopard, for which he built an extension onto the menagerie to…
PlaceRailway Administration Building, bounded by Maitland-, Hanger, St Andrew and Harvey Streets, Bloemfontein
A double-storey brick building with heavily ornamented Victorian and neo-Classical Architectural features. It was designed by Architect; D.W. Wentink and built…
PlaceWierda Bridge, Six Mile Spruit, Pretoria
It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 10 December 1965. The British Army approached Pretoria at Wierda Bridge (Six Mile Spruit) on 4…
PlaceSchanskop Fort, Pretoria
It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 29 June 1938. After the Jameson Raid in 1896, President Paul Kruger of the "Zuid-Afrikaansche…
PlaceMarket Square, Port Elizabeth
The Market Square in the heart of the Port Elizabeth town centre is a historical icon that reveals much about this old coastal town. It is home to the City…
EventThe Queen mother Elizabeth is born.
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born on 4 August 1900. Queen Elizabeth Angela was the ninth child and daughter of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, father…
EventA car bomb explodes in Durban, killing five and injuring 27 people
On 12 July 1984, a car bomb exploded in Durban, killing five and injuring 27 people. This car bombing was known as the "Jacobs" car bomb, according to an…
EventPresident Paul Kruger (78), dies of heart failure in Clarens, Switzerland
Paul Kruger (Stephanus Johannes Paulus) was born on 10 October 1825 in the Steynsburg district. When the Great Trek started in 1836, he joined the trek party…