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EventSA military integration is disputed
The transition in the South African Defence Force (later SANDF) was not achieved without difficulties. It came to the surface that a dispute ensued between…
EventIndustrial and Commercial Workers Union is founded under Clements Kadalie
The Industrial and Commercial Union later renamed the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) was founded by Clements Kadalie, a young Nyassalander who…
EventFormer Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd is born
Former Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd is born Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, former South African prime minister and chief architect of apartheid was born in…
EventMakapane’s Cave is under siege
The nearly month-long siege of Makapane's Cave took place after warriors of the Ndebele chief Makapan (Makapane) massacred 23 Voortrekkers, men, women, and…
EventProtests against Afrikaans language in Black schools
Afrikaans as a medium for education was deeply unpopular since Afrikaans was regarded by some as the language of the oppressor. It was against this background…
EventNigerian terrorist, Henry Okah is found guilty of masterminding two car bombs in Abuja by a South African Judge.
Henry Okah was the leader of a terrorist group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). The group…
EventNiel van der Watt, SA composer is born
Born Gerhardus Daniel van der Watt in Pretoria, Niel van der Walt is a composer well known for his choral compositions. He comes from a family of teachers. He…
EventFrederik Willem de Klerk is elected President of South Africa
Frederik Willem de Klerk was elected State President of South Africa and was officially inaugurated on 20 September. De Klerk had been Acting State President…
EventSpecial Committee on Apartheid publishes its first Interim Report
The United Nations (UN) Special Committee on Apartheid published its first Interim Report, satisfied with the number of countries that had broken off…
EventJean-Bedel Bokassa, ruler of Central African Empire, crowns himself.
Jean-Bédel Bokassa was the head of State of the Central African Republic from 1 January 1966 to 4 December 1976. After eleven years as president he dissolved…
EventRichard Maponya, one of South Africa’s richest businessmen, is born
Richard John Maponya was born in Lenyenye in the Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo Province). The founder and first president of the National Federated Chamber…
EventFive power stations are blown up as tensions rise during WWII
Five power stations are blown up by pro-Axis power saboteurs in an attempt to destabilise the Rand gold mines. During the Second World War supporters of the…
January 8th Statements - Statement of the National Executive Committee on the Occasion of the 108th Anniversary of the African National Congress by Cyril Ramaphosa, 8 January 2020
Today, the African National Congress celebrates 108 years since its formation. We mark this occasion in the historic city of Kimberley in the Northern Cape,…
EventAllen Kwela was born on this day
On this day, Allen Kwela was born in Kwazulu Natal. He was exposed to Western and traditional African music, both of which were important in shaping his…
EventDiplomatic ties are established between SA and Saudi Arabia
On 29 May 1994 the South African government signed an agreement establishing diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The diplomatic relations…
PlaceBakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, in Polokwane
Experience the warm hospitality and rich Culture of the Basotho people in the 'Bakone Malapa Museum'. The Bakone, a sub-group of the Northern Sotho Cultural…
EventWalter Sisulu and others are arrested for attending a party
Walter Sisulu, Lillian Ngoyi and Alfred Nzo were arrested after attending a party that was used as a cover up for a political meeting at the house of Lillian…
EventNelson Mandela announces he will not stand for re-election in 1999
On 15 February 1995, President Nelson Mandela revealed he will not be standing for re-election in 1999. Mandela, who was released from prison in February 1990,…
EventPoqo members arrested
Armed Poqo members were intercepted by the police while on their way to assassinate Chief Kaiser Matanzima. An armed clash between the police and Poqo members,…
EventUniversity of Pretoria is established
The Transvaal University College, with branches in Johannesburg and Pretoria, took the examinations of the Cape University. The Pretoria branch of the…
EventBoris Becker of West Germany beats Kevin Curren of SA at Wimbledon.
Boris Becker (17) of West Germany beat Kevin Curren (27) of South Africa at Wimbledon to become the youngest ever tennis champion. Becker beat Curren in the…
EventPrime Minister P.W. Botha announces Ciskei will become independent on 4 December 1981
The homeland known as Ciskei, between the Fish and the Kei River, was created between 1961 and 1982 by the then Nationalist Party Government.. This was done as…
EventInkatha Freedom Party is formed
The Inkatha National Cultural Liberation Movement was founded on 21 March 1975 at KwaNzimela, in Northern KwaZulu. Inkatha emerged, along with the Black…
EventPhotographer, Abdul Shariff, is murdered in Katlehong
On 9 January 1994, Abdul Shariff a freelance photographer was shot in the back and killed while covering an African National Congress (ANC) delegation visit to…
EventF.W. De Klerk is inaugurated
After the September general election, F.W. De Klerk was inaugurated as the new State President at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. De Klerk had been Acting…
EventThe Democratic Party, now the Democratic Alliance, is formed
On 8 April 1989, the Progressive Federal Party, Independent Party, the National Democratic Movement and the Fourth Force of 'Ontevrede Afrikaners' …
EventEleven people are killed at Donnybrook, Kwazulu
The killing of eleven people at Donnybrook, Kwazulu-Natal on the 21 March 1996 can be considered as part of the ongoing rivalry between supporters of the…
EventAfrikaans becomes the official language of the Union of South Africa
When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, it consisted of the Transvaal, the Orange Free State, Natal and the Cape Province. Dutch and English were…
EventNelson Mandela appeals for calm after the assassination of Communist Party chief, Chris Hani
Following the assassination of the former Secretary-General of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and chief commander of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), the…
EventPeter van der Merwe, South African cricketer, dies
Peter Laurence van der Merwe was born on 14 March 1937 in Paarl, Cape Town. He began playing first-class cricket for South African Universities as a left-side…