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EventKitchener’s opinion on Concentration Camps
During Anglo-Boer War 2 (also called South African War) between the two former Boer Republics (the South African Republic and the Orange Free State Republic)…
EventA strong delegation of the ANC NEC members arrives at Caculam, Angola
On 12 January 1984, a strong delegation of African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) members arrived at Caculama, the main training…
EventGoldstone Commission investigate the Bisho Massacre
At the request of President F. W. de Klerk, the commission of inquiry, headed by Judge Richard Goldstone, started the investigation into the Bisho massacre. In…
ArticleHow to undertake research?
South African History Online (SAHO) believes in empowering learners, educators, researchers, and independent web users with the tools they need to investigate…
ArticleThe Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896
The conflict between the British Empire and the Zanzibar Sultanate in 1896 is most notable for being the shortest war in recorded history, lasting less than…
ArticleThe South African general elections: 1999
On 3 March 1999, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, announced to the National Assembly (Parliament) that the second non-racial…
ArticleRock Art
Most researchers who study rock art tend to focus on technical aspects, such as the material and techniques used. Their studies have revealed that ochre was…
ArticleSilverton Siege
On 25 January 1980 three MK Cadres – Stephen Mafoko, Humphrey Makhubo and Wilfred Madela – were allegedly on their way to carry out a planned MK sabotage…
Formation and launch of the UDF
UDF launch at Mitchell's Plain in Cape Town. Source: http://www.nelsonmandela.org In the late 1970s moves to form united front against apartheid were set in…
Art Matters by Suzanne P. Blier, 05 December 2014
Last month, the Harvard Art Museums reopened, and with them another addition to Harvard’s museum landscape: the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African and African…
Timol Inquest: He was murdered but culprits are dead, court rules
A packed courtroom clapped after Judge Billy Mothle ruled that in 1971 the SACP’s Timol was pushed by members of the Security Branch out of a window in John…
Mines of the beloved country: Through the mind of a photographer and essayist by J Brooks Spector (Daily Maverick), 5 November 2012
Back in the mid-1970s, when the writer was still feeling his way along the dark moral landscape that was South Africa, a South African colleague insisted we…
Book 3: Migration, Land and Minerals in the Making of South Africa - Chapter 1 - State Formation in Nineteenth-century South Africa by Yonah Seleti
The nineteenth century in South Africa is noted for the revolutionary processes that resulted in the formation of new states. State formation in nineteenth…
PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW; Documenting Ordinary Scenes Of South Africa Then and Now by Michael Kimmelman (The New York Times), 24 August 2001
David Goldblatt's photographs have borne witness since the late 1940's to life in his native South Africa. More than 150 of his pictures are in a retrospective…
Book 2: The Impact and Limitations of Colonialism - Chapter 2 - The Development of a Colonial Slave Society by Wayne Dooling
From the book: Book 2: The Impact and Limitations of Colonialism commissioned by The Department of Education What were the turning points in southern Africa…
Event“Maberete” strike ends more than a decade of labour broking at the South African Post Office
On 4 April 2012 casual workers employed through labour brokers reached an agreement with management at the South African Post Office (SAPO) to be employed…
EventThe African National Congress (ANC) calls a meeting to chart a way forward for the Defiance Campaign
On 29 July 1951 the African National Congress (ANC) called a meeting in Johannesburg. Executives from the South African Indian Congress (SAIC), the African…
EventThe first episode of Star Trek is aired on NBC
The now iconic series struggled to find an audience at first, and was cancelled after just 3 seasons. However, its cult-like popularity blossomed in…
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…
EventMembers of the ANC and SACP are detained due to Operation Vula
On 25 July 1990 government security forces detained approximately forty members of the African National Congress (ANC) and South African Communist Party (SACP)…
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…
EventSANDF soldiers strike
Problems with the integration of " uMkhonto we Sizwe" (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Azanian People's Liberation Army …
EventThe peace talks between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) are called off
The peace talks between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were called off as a result of the ANC's ultimatum sent to…
ArticleA Spiral of Trials by Norman Levy
This article was taken from the book The Final Prize by Norman Levy (Chapter 6) A Spiral of Trials In the arrests, indictments and trials that occurred from…
PlaceRobben Island Museum
From the 17th to the 20th centuries, Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum, a…
PlaceDurban, Kwa-Zulu Natal
Durban is South Africa’s third-largest City and one of the fastest-growing urban Areas in the World. It's Port is the busiest in South Africa and also one of…
Abdullah Ibrahim and the Politics of Jazz in South Africa
Jazz has had an especial role in the social and cultural politics of South Africa. This paper will trace its function in the political struggle waged by Black…
South African Youth Revolutionary Council (SAYRCO)
The student protest that broke out on 16 June 1976 was organised and directed by the Soweto Students Representative Council (SSRC). Recent accounts of the…
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…
Biography of Abdullah Ibrahim by Chance Overby
Figure 1 Image source Abdullah Ibrahim is a profoundly influential South African jazz musician who was frequently oppressed by the apartheid regime in South…