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EventPolitical activist, Professor ZK Matthews is born
Zachariah Keodirelang Matthews, was born in Kimberley in 1901, the son of Peter Motsielwa and Martha Mooketsi Matthews, a Tswana mineworker who later opened a…
EventBattle of Vaalkrans begins
Among the reasons for the South African War (Anglo- Boer War), 1899 - 1902, was that the Afrikaners attempted to assert their independence as a nation in the…
2. Potchefstroom: A Fighting Location
In the mid-1920s African protest escalated throughout the Transvaal countryside. African labour tenants and farm workers, chafing under poor wages and working…
Prehistory: Pre colonial farmers in Gauteng
Prehistory of Southern AfricaFarming people did not inhabit the Greater Johannesburg region until the Late Iron Age. Then, beginning in the 15th century,…
ArticleSotho (South Sotho or Basotho)
Sotho (South Sotho or Basotho) people are concentrated in the Free State, Gauteng and Eastern Cape Provinces, with small groups in Namibia and Zambia. While…
ArticleSouth African Coloured People Organisation (SACPO)
Like all other Black ethnic groups, the Coloureds also fell victim to segregation and repressive legislations enacted by Colonial and successive governments…
A new class struggle
While historians are generally in agreement that the main anti-Indian feeling in South Africa was directed towards the merchant class, these sentiments were…
ArticleYoung Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA)
The history of the Young Communist League (YCL) dates back to 1921, although the organisation observes 25 May 1922 as the date of its official formation…
ArticleDefiance Campaign timeline 1948-1952
1948 May 26, The National Party (NP) wins election and immediately introduces apartheid (separateness) measures against Blacks, Indian immigrants and those…
ArticleAzanian People’s Organization (AZAPO)
In aftermath of the June 16 Uprising, the government cracked down on student activists and organisations alike. On 19 October 1977 the Black Consciousness…
Time for ANC members to speak out when democracy is at stake by Denis Goldberg (Sunday Times), 17 April 2016
Members of the party can no longer follow party orders to remain silent on Nkandla, writes Denis Goldberg Dear Comrade Secretary-General It seems to me…
Chapter 3: The Role of the Police and the Government in Vigilante Activities
This chapter is not about the general role of the South African Police (SAP) and the South African Government in KwaZulu-Natal; it is about their alleged…
Interview with Harry Gwala conducted by Tony Karonat, January 1989, Dambuza Pietermaritzburg
TK: So com, could you tell us about your history and how you came into the struggle? Harry Gwala: Well, my history is maybe interesting in its own way, you…
Extract from a speech made at Heilbron on 16 August 1968
Adv. Vorster once referred to this speech as his "political confession". 1 It was in his second year as Prime Minister that Adv. Vorster made this now well…
EventMandela confirms Kerzner's contribution to the ANC
President Nelson Mandela confirmed that hotel magnate and socialite Sol Kerzner did indeed make a contribution to the ANC electoral funds as alleged by Bantu…
ArticleThe Cabinet Reshuffle of 2017
On 31 March 2017, President Jacob Zuma exercised his constitutional rights as the head of the executive branch by appointing, reshuffling and dismissing…
ArticleGarveyism: Early 1900s philosophy
Marcus Garvey, preaching the unity of all blacks, claimed that liberty would come about only through the return of all Afro-Americans to their ancestral homes…
ArticleThe Wragg Commission (1885-1887)
Indian immigration into Natal brought with it strained relations and severe problems and conflicts between the White colonists and the new arrivals. Within a…
ArticleThe formation of SASO and the Black People’s Convention
Black university students had tried for many years to make progress through the multiracial and liberal National Union of South African Students (NUSAS). In…
Chapter 11 - Negotiating the final constitution
The adoption of the final Constitution concluded some of the most successful negotiations in recent constitutional and political history. The most striking and…
"Should we get rid of the whites?" - Albert Luthuli answer to a question, 5 March 1959
[Drum, a Johannesburg monthly, asked a number of African leaders, "Do we really want to get rid of the white man?" The following is the reply of Chief Lutuli.]…
SABC’s Matthews was Motsoeneng’s willing enforcer-in-chief: FJT (TMG Digital), 28 June 2016
A statement by the FJT leadership described Matthews’ resignation as acting group CEO at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) as “long overdue”. …
PlaceLutheran Church, New Germany
The New Germany Lutheran Church is the oldest congregation in the ELCSA(NT). Located in the greater Durban area, this congregation is characterized by…
PlaceMarket Square, Port Elizabeth
The Market Square in the heart of the Port Elizabeth town centre is a historical icon that reveals much about this old coastal town. It is home to the City…
Document 37 - Letter from S. P. Bunting to E. R. Roux, 29 November 1930
From: South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume One 1907 - 1950, by Allison Drew Document 37 - Letter from S. P. Bunting to E. R. Roux…
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…
EventA car bomb explodes in Durban, killing five and injuring 27 people
On 12 July 1984, a car bomb exploded in Durban, killing five and injuring 27 people. This car bombing was known as the "Jacobs" car bomb, according to an…
EventBeatles records are banned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), due to John Lennon’s previous ‘Jesus’ comments
In early 1966 John Lennon was reading about Christianity and when he was interviewed by Maureen Cleave for the London Evening Stadard on 4 March, said: …
EventAbram Fischer is struck off the roll of advocates
The Johannesburg Bar Council struck Abram Fischer's name off the roll of advocates for his role in the struggle against apartheid. As an advocate Fischer…
EventSomerset concludes a treaty with Ngqika (aka Gaika)
On this day 1817, Cape Governor Lord Charles Somerset concluded a treaty with the Xhosa chief, Ngqika (who was also known as Gaika). The treaty was concluded…