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EventJacob Zuma, Former President of South Africa and of the ANC, is born.
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma was born on the 12 April 1942, at Inkandla, in KwaZulu Natal. At the age of 17, he joined the African National Congress (ANC),…
EventSA Corps of Military Police is reorganised
On 10 November 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War (WW2), Proclamation 276 of Government Gazette 2699 was published. This proclamation…
EventPresident F. W. de Klerk rings in cabinet changes
In what was widely regarded as move to prepare the ground for the country's first multiracial elections, President F.W. de Klerk reshuffled the cabinet. This…
EventRebels overrun the Somalian capital of Mogadishu
In 1969 Somalian president Abd-i-rashid Ali Shermarke was assassinated in a military Coup. Major General Mohammad Siyad Barre took control of the country's…
EventAndries Hendrik Potgieter establishes the town of Potchefstroom
Andries Hendrik Potgieter establishes the town of Potchefstroom after moving away from Natal and heading inland and eventually settling in the northern Free…
EventSir Benjamin D’Urban, for whom the city Durban was named, assumes office as Governor of the Cape of Good Hope
Benjamin D'Urban was born in Suffolk, England and joined the British Army in 1793. He soon rose to prominence, serving in most major battles, including…
EventGrant Baker, SA surfer, wins the Mavericks Surf Contest at Santa Cruz
An accomplished short board surfer with a fondness for tube-riding, Grant Baker from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal became the first surfer from outside Santa Cruz,…
Event15 000 applications for gold mining permits received per week in Johannesburg
The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) transformed South African from an agrarian society at the edge of world trade into a globally integrated…
EventThe 104mm field-gun known as ‘Long Cecil’ is test fired for the first time
The 104mm field-gun designed by American George Labram and manufactured in the De Beers workshop in Kimberley, known as 'Long Cecil' after Cecil John Rhodes,…
EventFirst postage stamp in Africa is issued in the Cape Colony
On 1 September 1853, the first adhesive postage stamp in Africa was issued in the Cape of Good Hope, a British colony at the time. The triangular shaped stamp…
EventInitial experiments on the body of Egyptian King,Tutankhamen, conclude he is a fifteen year old boy
Tutankhamen (also spelled Tutankhamun/Tutankhamon) was an Egyptian Pharoah who ruled in the period known as the 18th Dynasty, the years between 1332 and 1323…
EventZuid-Afrikaansche Republiek decides that December 16 will be a public holiday called Dingaan’s Day
The decision to make December 16 a holiday named Dingaan’s Day was in celebration for what Voortrekkers viewed as a 'victory' over Zulu warriors near the Ncome…
PlaceOld Court House, Victoria Embankment, Durban
The building was designed by architect Stanley Hudson and was erected in 1911 as the Old Court House, and is the oldest public building in the central business…
EventState of emergency declared after Sharpeville Massacre
This was the first such declaration of a State of Emergency by the Apartheid state. During these periods, the government had free reign to suspend civil…
ArchiveBibliography by Howard Barrell
This bibliography includes all books, articles and primary material referred to in the text and footnotes, as well as a few additional works which were…
FAVT: Future Africa Visions in Time – Group Show (until 28 April 2017)
Image: Zohra Opoku & Emeka Alams, Fallen, 2015, Picture by: Lara Buchmann The Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies, Iwalewahaus (University of…
EventJoint call for June 16 Stay away
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), United Democratic Front (UDF) and National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) gathered to issue a call for…
EventMandela meets Taiwanese Foreign Minister
Taiwanese Foreign Minister John Chang Hsiao Yen President met with President Nelson Mandela. While South Africa had maintained a friendly official relationship…
ArchiveRenewed fighting in April
On April 1 1989, the start of the implementation of Resolution 435, clashes between Swapo guerillas and South African security forces broke out in northern…
ArchiveIn Verwoerd's South Africa: a tale of per
The article describes the experiences of various members of the Unity Movement and those directly involved with the liberation struggle, and illustrates the…
EventThe Johannesburg International Airport is officially renamed OR Tambo International Airport by President Mbeki.
OR Tambo Airport is South Africa’s main airport for domestic and international flights. It is Located in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, just outside Johannesburg…
EventSA withdraws from the International Labour Organisation
In February 1964 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) voted in favour of the suspension of South Africa from its Annual General Conferences. The ILO…
EventSolly Sachs leaves South Africa
Socialist and labour activist Emil Solomon (Solly) Sachs left South Africa to settle in England on this date. He stated that his position in South Africa had…
EventTrader and philanthropist Mohamed Joosub dies
On 27 August 1944, a pioneer wholesaler, trader, philanthropist and devout Muslim, Mohamed Hajee Joosub, died in Pretoria. Joosub left his birth place Ranavav,…
EventIdi Amin is deposed as the President of Uganda
Idi Dada Amin ruled Uganda from 1971 until 1979 after he unconstitutionally seized power from president Obote Milton. However, in 1979 he suffers the same fate…
EventJournalist Percy Qoboza is released from detention
Percy Qoboza, editor of the banned newspaper, The World, was released from detention, together with nine other Black leaders seized in security raids in…
EventTwelve Africans are acquitted at the Supreme Court
Twelve Africans on trial at the Supreme Court in Grahamstown, accused of having conspired to take over a town and kill Whites, were acquitted on the charge,…
EventEuropean Community lifts sanctions against SA
Following the institution of the Transitional Executive Council and Nelson Mandela's call to the UN General Assembly to lift all sanctions with the exception…
EventUNHRC service is enlisted in repatriation process
The SA government announced that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would be requested to help in repatriating about 40,000 political…
EventMthunzi Njakazi, ANC member, is killed in shooting after returning from exile
On this day, Mthunzi Velemseni Njakazi an African National Congress (ANC) member was shot in the legs and chest at Warwick Junction taxi rank near the Berea…