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EventANC President Oliver Tambo meets with Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow
The African National Congress (ANC) leader, Oliver Tambo met Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)’s Central…
PlaceLanglaagte Deep Residential Village, Johannesburg
In 1886 Hans Sauer, who combined a medical practice with prospecting on Cecil Rhodes’s behalf, was guided from Ferreira’s Camp to the main group of gold reefs…
EventCecil John Rhodes, South African statesman, is born
Cecil John Rhodes was born on 5 July 1853 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. Rhodes was sickly as a teenager and suffered bouts of asthma. His…
EventBheki Mlangeni, ANC human rights lawyer of Soweto, is killed by a walkman bomb meant for Dirk Coetzee.
Bheki Mlangeni was a lawyer working for the African National Congress (ANC) in the 1990s. He and former police Captain Dirk Coetzee had worked together to…
EventAbebe Bikila wins gold at Rome Olympic Games
Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, running barefoot, became the first Black African to win gold in the history of the Olympic Games. In the process Bikila set a new world…
EventDutch Foreign Minister Luns is asked by the Johannesburg
On 16 February 1960, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs J.M.A.H Luns was asked by Johannesburg-based Dutch Immigration Committee to cease what they call …
EventLaurie Bloomfield takes picture of rioting in Cato Manor, Durban
On 24 January 1960, Laurie Bloomfield, a photographer for the Daily News took a picture of rioting in Cato Manor, Durban which was immediately published around…
EventChris Hani is born
Thembisile 'Chris' Hani, Chief of Staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, military arm of the African National Congress (ANC) and General-Secretary of the South African…
EventLuc Montagnier, virologist who discovered the human immunodeficiency virus, is born
On 18 August 1932, Luc Montagnier was born in Chabris, France. He studied natural sciences at the University of Poitiers and received his license of sciences…
EventPretoria receives city status
On 14 October 1931, Pretoria achieved official city status. The city was established in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius, a leader of the Voortrekkers who named it…
EventDavid Kitson released
South Africa's longest serving White political prisoner, David Kitson, was released, seven months short of completing his twenty-year sentence for sabotage…
EventRiots erupt in Soweto
On 27 August 1986 a crowd of more than 500 marched to council offices in Soweto, demonstrating against evictions which had been carried out after an eleven…
EventThe Second General Election is held in the Union of SA
The second general election was held in the Union of South Africa with the National Party (NP) participating for the first time. The main point at issue was…
EventNkosi Sikelel’iAfrica composer, Enoch Sontonga dies
Enoch Mankayi Sontonga, writer and composer of the National Anthem Nkosi Sikelel' IAfrica (God Bless Africa) died at the age of thirty-two. He wrote Nkosi…
EventJosephine Wood, founder of the South African Library for the Blind, is born in Grahamstown
Josephine Ethel (Josie) Wood was born on 22 January 1874 in Grahamstown. She was one of six children of the first mayor of Grahamstown, George Samuel Wood and…
EventPortuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias anchors at Walvis Bay
On 8 December 1487, Portuguese explorer and navigator Bartholomew Dias anchored in what is now known as Walvis Bay. Dias was on an expedition to discover a sea…
For Richard Turner by Peter Sacks
You wrote on the back page of my last essay ("Political Education in The Republic") "Good ideas, but style too literary. Use of images evades the final…
EventSouthern Rhodesia rejects joining the Union of South Africa
Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) rejected joining the South African Union in a referendum. Voters had to choose between establishing self government, joining…
Document 112 - Note from Claremont branch of the National Liberation League of South Africa, 26 March 1938
From:South Africa's Radical Tradition, a documentary history, Volume One 1907 - 1950, by Allison Drew National Liberation League of S.A. The Stables",…
EventFormer African Springbok captain, Welile Nkohla dies
On 23 July 2017, Welile James Nkohla, also known as ‘Bomza’, died at the age of 71 years of age in Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth, after a long battle…
ArchiveAfrica South Vol.2 No.3 Apr-Jun 1958
Even We. Cartoon, David Marais. The Fight is on, Rev. Joost de Blank, Archbishop of Cape Town. The Widow of the Reserves, Phyllis Ntanala. Bethal Case-Book,…
PlaceMac-mac falls
The Mac-mac falls is the second highest falls in the Mpumalanga tour route, its shimmering waters plunge to a depth of 65m. The Mac mac Falls is 13 km from…
EventSA cartoonist, Daniel Cornelis Boonzaaier is born
South African cartoonist Daniël Cornelis Boonzaaier was born at Patatsrivier in the Cape Province in 1865. Boonzaaier became famous for his caricatures and…
EventDisbanding of Communist Party is announced
Sam Kahn, leader of the Communist Party of South African (CPSA) and natives' representative in parliament, announced in parliament that the party has…
EventCharlotte Maxeke dies
Charlotte Makgomo Maxeke, teacher, social worker, politician and founder of the Bantu Women's League of South Africa, died in Johannesburg at the age of 65. In…
EventESCOM announces its decision to order two nuclear power reactors from France
On 29 May 1976, the South African Electricity Supply Commission (ESKOM) announced its decision to order two nuclear power reactors from France. These reactors…
EventPrime Minister B.J Vorster supports changes to Black labour
South African Prime Minister Balthazar Johannes (BJ) Vorster indicated that there was nothing to prevent employers taking the necessary steps to bring about…
EventChief Mangosuthu Buthelezi calls for National Convention
The leader of the Zulu Territorial Authority, Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, called for a National Convention of all races in South Africa to make a…
EventUnited Democratic Front member Pearl Tshabalala assassinated
Ms Pearl Tshabalala, a prominent businesswoman and member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Clermont, Durban, who had resisted moves to incorporate…
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…