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PlaceGeorge Harrison Park
George Harrison and the history of Johannesburg are closely bound together: it was he who first found gold in 1886, a discovery that gave rise to the largest…
EventAnti-apartheid activist, Norman Levy is born
Norman Levy and his twin brother, Leon Levy were born in Johannesburg to Mary and Mark Levy, immigrants from Lithuania. Levy attended the Yeoville Boys’…
EventLanga, Uitenhage Massacre: 20 killed by police on Sharpeville Commemoration Day
25 years to the day after the infamous Sharpeville Massacre, in which 69 people were killed, the South African Police opened fire on a crowd of people in Langa…
EventFour political detainees escape from Pretoria Central prison in one of the most dramatic escapes in SA history
Four political detainees: Harold Wolpe, a listed Communist arrested on the Bechuanaland border; Arthur Goldreich, caught in the Rivonia raid; Moosie Moolla,…
EventSA artist Mmakgoba Sebidi is born
South African artist Mmakgoba Helen Sebidi was born in Marapyane (Skilpadfontein) in the Hammanskraal area. Her grandmother, a traditional artist, was her…
EventSA signs multilateral treaty on the civil liability for oil pollution damage
On 19 June 1975, South Africa signed a multilateral treaty on the civil liability for oil pollution damage. This treaty was drawn up in Brussels, to ensure…
EventNP presents its revised constitutional proposals
The National Party (NP) government put its revised constitutional proposals on the table during the Convention for Democratic South Africa (CODESA) discussions…
EventThe French Foreign Legion is founded
The elite French Foreign Legion was founded by King Louis-Philippe as a military unit to support the conquest of Algeria, which the French had invaded the…
EventFearon Fallows, first Astronomer Royal at the Cape, is born in England
Fearon Fallows, the first Astronomer Royal at the Cape, was born in Cockermouth, Cumberland on 4 July 1789. The son of a weaver, he was brought up in the…
EventWorld Aids Day
Following the January 1988 meeting of Health Ministers in London, a decision was taken that 1 December would annually be observed as World Aids Day. The step…
EventThe Afrikaner Broederbond is formed
On 5 June 1918 disaffected Afrikaners were brought together in a new organisation called Jong Suid-Afrika (Young South Africa). In 1919 the organisation…
EventSan involvement in the Battle of Chrissiesmeer
The Battle of Chrissiesmeer (Lake Chrissie) during Anglo-Boer War 2 started with an attack by General Louis Botha on the British forces under General Smith…
EventSir John Robinson forms Natal’s first ministry as Prime Minister
On 10 October 1893, Natal's first ministry was formed, with Sir John Robinson as Prime Minister, Minister of Education, and Colonial Secretary. Robinson, who…
EventZulu King Cetshwayo Dies
King Cetshwayo was born to Mpande, who was King Shaka’s half brother in 1826. His father declared him his successor very early on in life, which was unusual…
EventBritain and the Zulu Nation sign a peace treaty
In mid-January 1879 Lt-Gen. Lord Chelmsford invaded Zululand with three columns of British troops, starting the war that ended Zulu independence. After the…
EventElsa, the lioness made famous by Joy Adamson’s book Born Free, dies in Kenya
Elsa the lioness was one of three orphaned lions whose mother was killed in self defence by George Adamson. Adamson was a wildlife conservationist based in…
EventZola Budd, former SA athlete and World Record holder, is born
Zolla Budd was born to an Afrikaans family on 26 May 1966 in Bloemfontein. She was one of five children. Budd was especially close to her older sister Jenny…
EventNine members of the ANC are officially banned in Dakawa, Tanzania
On 28 December 1989, a document officially banning nine members of the African National Congress (ANC) was circulated at Dakawa in Tanzania. The nine members…
EventFormer Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat is born
On 25 December 1918, Anwar al-Sadat was born at Tala District. al-Sadat was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy in Cairo. During the 1952 revolution which…
Draft constitution of the ANC
Report of the working group under paragraph three of the Pretoria Minute 1. The Working Group was established under paragraph 3 of the Pretoria Minute, which…
EventState of Emergency follows Sharpeville massacre
The government proceeded with the introduction of apartheid laws in the 1950s. An example of this was the hated pass law. This forced Black people to carry…
EventAfrikaans Writer Breytenbach is sentenced
On an illegal trip to South Africa with a false passport, a well-known Afrikaans writer Breyten Breytenbach was betrayed, arrested and sentenced to nine years…
EventCOSATU delegates are left at Beitbridge
In spite of being refused to visit, the thirteen delegates of the Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU), left for Zimbabwe with the intent of meeting…
EventSir Alfred Milner arrives as Governor of the Cape
The British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain, appointed Sir Alfred Milner as Governor of the Cape Colony in 1897. Milner arrived in Cape…
EventSA composer Benjamin Tyamzashe is born
South African composer, choir conductor, organist and teacher, Benjamin Tyamzashe, affectionately known as 'B-ka-T', was born in Kimberley in 1890. B-ka-T…
EventAn earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, hits Cape Town.
On 4 December 1809 Cape Town was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale. It is the biggest recorded earthquake to have hit the area. The quake…
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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 …
Ahead of the Bushfire Festival: Five things you might not know about Swaziland
Swaziland is a small mountain kingdom neighboured by South Africa and Mozambique. Reporting about the tiny country usually focuses on its beautiful landscapes …
PlaceHistorical core of Wynberg Village
The old village of Wynberg was developed during the mid-19th Century when it became the preferred place of retirement for British civil servants returning from…