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EventWell-known political activist and academic, Dr. Neville Alexander is born
A well-known political activist and academic, Neville Edward Alexander was born on 22 October, 1936 in Cradock, Eastern Cape. He went on to complete three…
EventLondon hosts an international conference on the protection of the African elephant and rhinoceros
On this day in history, and international conference was held to implement legislation to protect the African elephant and rhinoceros. This is because due to…
EventThe first OK Bazaars opens on the corner of Eloff and President Street in Johannesburg
On 25 June 1927, Michael Miller and Sam Cohen opened the first OK Bazaars on Eloff and President Streets in Johannesburg. OK Bazaars went on to gain success as…
EventZimbabwe becomes a member of the United Nations (UN)
Zimbabwe's pre-colonial history is synonymous with the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, after which the country is now named. Following colonisation by Britain,…
EventThe Azanian People’s Organisation is formed
The Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) was formed at an inaugural conference in Roodepoort, near Johannesburg. The organisation was based on the philosophy…
EventSipho Malaza allegedly dies in detention
A Black high school student, Sipho Malaza, presumably died on this day thirty years ago while in Security Police custody. His death was the twenty-first in…
EventJimmy Kruger announces amendment to the Internal Security Act
The Minister of Justice, James Thomas (JT, Jimmy) Kruger, announced that the provisions of the Internal Security Act, allowing for the unlimited detention…
EventDemocratic Party (DP) indicates its policies and outlines its proposed reforms
The Democratic Party (DP), formed when factions from various opposition parties to the National Party (NP) merged, indicates that it represents a coalition of…
EventMinister of Defence, P.W. Botha, reports to the Senate on the Arms Industry and defines the main aims of South Africa’s defence policy.
Minister of Defence, P.W. Botha, reports to the Senate on the Arms Industry and defines the main aims of South Africa's defence policy. The paranoia that…
EventCODESA 1 convenes in Johannesburg
Twenty years ago, one of the most significant events in the history of South Africa, described by many as tension-driven and known as the Convention for a…
EventFreedom of press is established at the Cape
The freedom of the press was established in the Cape Colony through the efforts of journalist John Fairbairn, founder of The South African Commercial…
EventLeendert Janszen, junior merchant of the VOC, recommends settlement at the Cape
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established as a trading company in 1602, with the aim of monopolising trade in East Asia, in particular the spice trade…
EventThambi Naidoo mobilises the Indians
On 13 October 1913, Thambi Naidoo mobilised the Indians at Newcastle, Natal (KwaZulu Natal) Colony to start the Satyagraha Campaign (Passive Resistance…
EventMilner proposes conditional voting rights for ‘non-Whites’ in SA
A year after the Treaty of Vereeniging, which signalled the end of the Anglo-Boer War 2, the British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lord Alfred Milner,…
EventNelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday.
Nelson Mandela's name resonates with the struggle for independence and social, economic, political and institutional rights of Black people. The commemoration…
EventThe Birkenhead runs aground with 638 passengers
An English troop carrier, the Birkenhead, under Captain Robert Salmond, stranded on a reef opposite Danger Point, the southern point of Walker Bay, at present…
Document 26 - Letter from Patrick Duncan to John Gomas, 3 October 1956
From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume Two 1943 - 1964, by Allison Drew Document 26 - Letter from Patrick Duncan to John…
EventSouth Africa’s first democratic elections
Following a series of tense negotiations and years of liberation struggle, the first democratic election was held in South Africa on the 27th April, 1994. This…
EventRuth Perry is elected to lead Liberia, thus becoming Africa's first female head of state
History was made in Western Africa when, for the first time, a woman, Ms Ruth Sando Perry, was unanimously elected at a meeting of West African heads of state…
PlaceQueens Fort Military Museum, Bloemfontein
The Queens Fort Museum fort erected in 1848, originally housed the Artillery Unit of the Free State, and depicts all major military conflicts from 1820,…
EventThe Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland collapses
On 1 February 1963, a statement announcing the collapse of the Federation of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) was made. In 1959, before the…
Address delivered by the Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, at the National Union of Mineworkers National Congress, 24 May 2006
The President of the NUM, Comrade Senzeni Zokwana, The General Secretary of the NUM, Gwede Mantashe, The President of COSATU, Comrade Willie Madisha, The…
BiographyTheophilus Shepstone
Theophilus Shepston was born near Bristol in 1817, the son of the Reverend J William Shepstone, who became an 1820 settler, and his wife Elizabeth Brooks, a…
BiographySir. Theophilus Shepstone
Theophilus Shepston was born near Bristol in 1817, the son of the Reverend J William Shepstone, who became an 1820 settler, and his wife Elizabeth Brooks, a…
BiographyKasturba Gandhi
Kasturba Kapadia was born on April 11 1869 in Porbandar, in present day Gujarat. She was the daughter of Gokuldas Makanji Kapadia, a wealthy merchant. Kasturba…
ArticleStaffrider magazine (1978-1993)
Introduction Staffrider was a South African literary and arts magazine published by Ravan Press in Johannesburg from 1978 to 1993. It took its name and…
ArticleCouncil of Non-European trade unions (CNETU)
During the 1930s there were attempts by African workers to organise and reconstruct all fragmented African trade unions into a large federation of non-racial…
Early civilisations from around the world: Mesopotamia, China, Indus River Valley, the Mesoamerican empires
Mesopotamia The name Mesopotamia was given to the Middle Eastern civilisation that existed between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The source of these rivers…
The genesis of the armed struggle, 1960-1966
Introduction Sharpeville shortly after the shootings © Museum Africa. The 1960s marked an important watershed in South Africa's struggle against apartheid…
ANC Gauteng Centenary Month to celebrate Oliver Tambo, 18 October 2012
The ANC Gauteng will host the centenary flame for eleven days from the 21st October until November 2012. The ANC will celebrate the life and legacy of the ANC…