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EventThe Harms Commission officially restricts investigations into South African security force
The terms of reference of the Harms Commission, which was to inquire into alleged murders and unlawful acts of the security forces, were laid out in a…
EventGeneral Lothar Neethling sues Vrye Weekblad and the Weekly Mail
On 20 January 1990 General Lothar Neethling sued the Vrye Weekblad and the Weekly Mail for R1, 5 million. The lawsuit was sparked by newspaper reports in…
EventThree Delmas trialist released
Three of the 22 Delmas Treason trialists were released after Judge K van Dijkhorst delivered his judgment. The judge released them on the grounds that there…
EventThe ‘Hospital and Lunatic Asylum’, the first civilian hospital in Cape Town, is opened
In the early 1800s, there was only one hospital for army men in the Cape, as well as a naval hospital in Simonstown. So, in order to set up the first civilian…
Event46664 concert is held in Fancourt
The South African 46664 concert, 46664 being the prison number of South African president Nelson Mandela during the apartheid era, was staged at the exclusive…
EventViolence erupts in Richmond
Underlying political tensions between supporters of the African National Congress (ANC) and Inkatha Freedom Party resurfaced in KwaZulu Natal in the late 90's…
EventMarais Steyn dies
Former senior opposition and government politician Marais Steyn, died of heart failure at the age of 83 in Stellenbosch. His political career started in 1948,…
EventA book claims that SA’s Nuclear weapons programme has continued since 1993
Peter Houman and Steve McQuillan's book " Mini-Nuke Conspiracy: Mandela's Nuclear Nightmare " claimed that South Africa did not destroy all its nuclear weapons…
EventBritish presents final Peace proposal
Two British peace negotiators, Lord Alfred Milner and Lord Horatio Kitchner, presented the British final peace proposals to the Boer negotiators after the…
EventFirst mines are proclaimed in Johannesburg
Though gold was discovered near Krugersdorp in July 1852 and mining activities started successively in various places on the Witwatersrand (meaning Ridge of…
EventGerhardus Cornelis Oosthuizen buys a section of land, which is later declared part of the Witwatersrand gold reef
On 6 April 1874, Gerhardus Cornelis Oosthuizen bought a section of the farm Langlaagte for £100. This farm would later be declared a part of the Witwatersrand…
The life, times, and memories of Joe Rassool
The life, times, and memories of Joe Rassool. The book takes us back to the late 19th century Cape Colony to the early 1950s covering the family history or the…
EventDennis Brutus is born
Dennis Vincent Brutus was born on 8 November 1924 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) to South African parents. His parents moved back to…
EventHarold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa
British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan began his "winds of change" tour of Africa in Ghana. Ghana became the first country in Sub-Sahara to gain independence…
EventWidespread violence and intimidation in 1996 Kwazulu-Natal
The prevalent violence in kwaZulu-Natal began with widespread interference during the voter registration process preceding the local government elections…
EventStanley Bongani Nkosi, SA artist, is born in Newcastle, Natal
Stanley Bongani Nkosi was born on 25 November 1945 in Newcastle, Natal (now kwaZulu Natal). When Nkosi was three years old his family moved to Dukathole near…
EventNine policemen are killed in Cato Manor riots in Durban, shortly before the infamous Sharpville Massacre
On 24 January 1960, nine policemen were killed by an angry mob at Cato Manor in Durban. The incident happened after a raid by police searching for illicit…
EventJan van Riebeeck, the first Dutch governor of the Cape Colony, dies
Johan Anthonisz “Jan” van Riebeeck died on 18 January 1677 at the age of 57 in Batavia, now Jakarta, Indonesia, in the former Dutch East Indies. He landed at…
PlaceAlbion a Railway Siding in Kwa-Zulu Natal
Railway Siding, which is a short track parrallel to and joining the main track. 17 km South-West of Carolina on the Route Breyten to Mechadodorp. This coal…
Archive4000 dead and still counting
Black and white poster with title in red letters. Artwork of a dead face with names of people who died on December 2/3 1984, at Union Carbide in Bhopal, India,…
ArchiveOn the eve
EIGHTEEN months after the Queenstown Conference of the African National Congress, which gave birth to the idea, the Congress of the People of South Africa to…
EventDr Benedict Wallet Vilakazi born
Dr Benedict Vilakazi, poet and writer, is born in Groutville, KwaZulu Natal, home to Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli. He was the first Black…
ArchiveWe come of age
This is the sixth address of the Hoernle Memorial Lecture series delivered by Edgar Brookes who emphasises on the need for White South Africans to make changes…
PlaceThe Bag Factory
The Bag Factory is known as one of the leading visual arts facilities in Johannesburg. Since its’ inception in 1991, the non-profit organisation functions as a…
PlaceKweneng, District of Botswana
Kweneng is one of the districts of Botswana and is the recent historical homeland of the Bakwena people, the first group in Botswana converted to Christianity…
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…
EventFIFA World Cup is staged in Africa for the first time
For the first time in the history of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), the World Cup was staged in Africa. Five African nations vied…
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…
PlaceOld Fort, Hospital Hill, Johannesburg
Following the invasion of the ZAR in January 1896 by a troop of cavalry led by Dr Leander Jameson, the Executive Committee of the Republic, resolved on 12…
EventPope Paul VI proclaims 22 new African saints. The saints, known as the Blessed Martyrs of Uganda, were a group of converts who were persecuted and martyred from 1885
The Uganda Martyrs were Ugandan Christians who were murdered for their faith. Most of the 22 martyrs were killed in a single incident, on 3 June1886. In the…