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ArticleThe turbulent 1950s - Women as defiant activists
In the 1950s the government's increasingly repressive policies began to pose a direct threat to all people of colour, and there was a surge of mass political…
ArticleThe Khoisan
In around 2300 BP (Before Present), hunter-gatherers called the San acquired domestic stock in what is now modern day Botswana. Their population grew, and…
ArticleResponses in South Africa to the outbreak of WWI: The Afrikaner Response and the 1914 Rebellion
When the First World War broke out in August 1914, the British Government called upon the dominions in the British Empire to come to its assistance. The South…
ArticleWorld War I Timeline 1914
The outbreak of the First World War was precipitated by the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife, by Serbian…
Article2016 in Review
In 2016 South Africa History Online celebrates 15 years of being a public open source heritage site. What a journey it has been. At the end of the first week…
ArticleTimeline for Grade 12.4 - The end of the Cold War and a new global world order 1989 to present
1955 The Freedom charter is adopted. This was the statement, charecterised by its demand that “ the people shall govern” that highlighted the main…
Zulu Community
Late nineteenth century postcard of Zulu Warriors. Note the Europeans in the background. Source: Frescura Collection The pre-1994 apartheid system of…
ArticleOvercoming Adversity from All Angles: The Struggle of the Domestic Worker during Apartheid by Bennett Gwynn
This article was written by Bennett Gwynn and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership project Overcoming Adversity from All…
ArticleSouth African Indian Congress (SAIC)
The period 1860-1923 is characterised firstly by the introduction of indentured Indian labourers into Natal and of the "passenger" Indians who came to trade,…
ArticleA brief history of domestic service in South Africa
Colonial History of Domestic Work Since slaves were used as domestic servants in the settler colony from the middle to late 18th century, domestic…
ArticleWomen’s resistance in the 1960s - Sharpeville and its aftermath
As the 1950s gave way to the 1960s the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) both announced plans to tackle the pass laws for…
ArticleFederation of Transvaal Women (FEDTRAW)
The Federation of Transvaal Women (FEDTRAW) was formed on the 8th of December 1984, bringing together close to 200 women from all over the Transvaal (now known…
ArticleThe Order of Mapungubwe
This Order is to be awarded to South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport. Organisation …
ArticleWomen’s Rights and Representation
It was not until the introduction of the Bill of Rights that all women in this country received formal recognition as equal citizens. South African women …
ArticleWomens Rights
It was not until the introduction of the Bill of Rights that all women in this country received formal recognition as equal citizens. South African women …
ArticleThe influence of apartheid
The Ndebele and the apartheid state When the Nationalist Party was elected to power in 1948 by a minority of the white electorate, their platform promised…
ArticleWomen and Children in White Concentration Camps during the Anglo-Boer War, 1900-1902
Due to the fact that Black People were detained in separate camps, the issue of Black Concentration Camps is dealt with in another chronology.Boer women,…
ArticleThe missionaries
Missionaries arrived in Pondoland in 1830 when Faku, the ruler of the Mpondo Kingdom from 1818 to 1867, allowed Wesleyan missionaries to establish a mission…
ArticleWhat was the Great Depression and why did it start in the USA?
The depression was caused by a number of serious weaknesses in the economy. Although the 1920s appeared on the surface to be a prosperous time, income was…
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…
ArticlePolitical executions in South Africa by the apartheid government 1961 - 1989
On 9 June 1983, three members of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), were executed at the gallows in Pretoria…
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…
ArticleTimeline of the Labour and Trade Union Movement in South Africa 1881 - 1919
The period preceding the formation of the South Africa Union witnessed the establishment and growth of trade unionism which continued even after formation…
ArticleRobert Mangaliso Sobukwe Timeline 1924 - 1978
1924 5 December, Robert Mangaliso Sobukhwe is born in Graaff-Reinet a town in the Cape Province. 1940 Sobukwe enrols at Healdtown Institute where he…
ArticleHistory Grade 11 - Topic 1 Contextual Overview
What is Communism? Communism is a social, economic, and political ideology whose aim is to establish a communist society in which there is a collective…
ArticleA Spiral of Trials by Norman Levy
This article was taken from the book The Final Prize by Norman Levy (Chapter 6) A Spiral of Trials In the arrests, indictments and trials that occurred from…
Pottery, division of labour, trade, medicine and healing, hunting
Pottery Pottery production was also a very important feature of Iron Age society. The Iron Age women were skilled potters. Pots were used for cooking and…
ArticleAbout Nkosi Albert Luthuli Oral History Project
The Nkosi Albert Luthuli Oral History Competition is a national competition that has taken place annually since 2006. Each year it is open to secondary school…
ArticleEuropean missionaries in southern Africa: the role of the missionaries
"Without doubt it is a far more costly thing to kill the (indigenous population) than to Christianise them." (Warneck 1888) European missionaries to…
The Atlantic slave trade
Causes and results of slavery A main cause of the trade was the colonies that European countries were starting to develop. In America, for instance, which was…