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ArticleThe Cape Minstrels: Origins and Evolution of Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year) in the Cape
IntroductionIn the years following 1994, South Africa has become well known for its culturally diverse population and heritage (Fraser, 2005:11). The ways in…
BiographyDr. Abu Baker Asvat
This article was written by Michelle Hayman and forms part of the SAHO Public History Internship The ‘People’s Doctor’ ‘He struggled to liberate…
ArticleYusuf Dadoo Centenary Celebrations
2009 marked 100 years since Yusuf Dadoo was born in Krugersdorp, West Rand on 5 September. Today, he like many activists of the South African socialist…
BiographyChristopher “Dali” Daluxolo Mpofu
Christopher Daluxolo Mpofu (popularly known as Dali Mpofu) is a South African advocate, legal expert, and former African National Congress (ANC) stalwart…
PlaceGuinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries, has a population of 2 019 023 million people, (21/07/2021). Guinea-Bissau’s Atlantic…
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…
PlaceBarberton, Mpumalanga
Historical BackgroundBarberton, the 'Daisy Town', was named after Henry Barber on 24th of July 1884 by the Gold Commissioner David Walson, after Barber and his…
BiographyChief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi
Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, son of Princess Magogo Constance Zulu kaDinuzulu, King Solomon’s sister, and Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi, the King’s Prime…
ArticleHighlights for 2013
South African History Online believes that history is made every day and to that effect we have compiled what we feel are the key historical events of 2013. We…
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…
ArticleAfrican National Congress Timeline 1920-1929
The ANC in the 1920s was largely weakened and suffered from both organisation incapacity and financial constraints. During this period, the party attempted to…
ArticleNelson Mandela Timeline 1950-1959
1950 In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mandela trained at the Donaldson Orlando Community Centre. He excelled at boxing and shared his love of the sport…
BiographyChris Hani
Thembisile Chris Hani was born in the rural village of Sabalele, in the Cofimvaba region of the former Transkei. He was the fifth of the six children of…
ArticleGeneral South African History Timeline: 1960s
1960 1 January, Minister of Bantu Education assumes control of University College of Fort Hare.African students are prohibited from attending formerly "open…
BiographyStephen Joel Chifunyise
Stephen Joel Chifunyise[i] was born on 21 September 1948 in Nhema, Shurugwi, in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia). He started school…
ArticleTimeline of the Bulhoek Massacre
1868 Enoch Mgijima is born at Bulhoek, Eastern Cape, the son of Jonas Mayekiso Mgijima. 1907 19 April, Enoch Mgijima, who had already gained quite a…
Segregationist Legislation Timeline 1930-1939
The Transvaal Asiatic Land Tenure of 1930 The (Amendment) Bill is introduced by Minister of Interior as a result of recommendations of Select Committee…
ArticleThe Durban strikes and the resurgence of the trade union movement in 1973
When Black workers in Durban embarked on a wave of strikes in January 1973, the government and employers were shocked, and they responded mainly by giving in…
BiographySefako Mapogo Makgatho
Sefako Mapogo Makgatho was born at GaMphahlele, in the Pietersburg district in Transvaal (now Limpopo province) in 1861. He was the son of Chief Kgorutlhe…
PlaceBritish Bechuanaland
Territory of British Bechuanaland The territory known as British Bechuanaland covered an area that included the subsequent divisions of Vryburg, Mafikeng…
ArticleKenyan Timeline
The earliest human ancestors (Homo erectus and Homo habilis) have their origin in East Africa more than 2 million years ago. Several human remains have been…
The Arrival of the Khoisan
About 2 000 years ago (100 BC), life began to change significantly in the Western part of Southern Africa. Herders, also known as the Khoikhoi, arrived,…
Nelson Mandela Timeline 1920-1929
1920 The Housing Act is passed. This Act made funds available for the government to house the poor. “The resultant estates were required to be racially…
71.The Group Areas Act
From the book: A Documentary History of Indian South Africans edited by Surendra Bhana and Bridglal Pachai When the Group Areas Act was passed in 1950, all…
ArchiveCHAPTER 3 - Unprepared by Howard Barrell
- Soweto and All That, June 1976 - October 1978 Fifteen years after our commitment to armed struggle, we could mount no organised retaliation by armed groups…
Document 69 - Letter from the Workers’ Party of South Africa, Johannesburg, to the Cape Town branch, 22 March 1937
From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume One 1907 - 1950, by Allison Drew Document 69 - Letter from the Workers' Party of South…
Conservative Revolutionaries - Anti-Apartheid Activism at the University of Cape Town 1963-1973 by Robert Erbmann, Oxford University, 2005
Introduction The 1960s are often described as a unique period of activism, in which students were to find themselves at the cutting edge of social…
ArticleGeneral South African History Timeline: 1700s
1700 The first "placaat" (ordinance or statute) restricting the importation of Asian slaves is promulgated. Dlamini chiefdoms move south from Delagoa Bay…
EventThree British mercenaries are sentenced to death for their part in the Angolan civil war
In January 1976, a group of 100 mercenaries crossed over from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire) to Angola in order to support The National…
EventPort Natal is renamed Durban in honour of Sir Benjamin D’Urban, governor of the Cape Colony from 1834 - 1837
On 23 June 1835 Port Natal was renamed Durban in honour of Sir Benjamin D'Urban, governor of the Cape Colony from 1834 - 37. It is thought that the first…