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EventThe Herstigte Nasionale Party is established
The Herstigte Nasionale Party (HNP) (Reconstituted National Party) was established as a right wing splinter group of the South African National Party (NP). The…
EventAmerican Troops pull out of Somalia
American troops a re pulled out of Somalia following a series of gun battles Somali militias under the Command of General Mohammed Farrah Aidid. American…
EventMulti-party delegates endorses the Interim constitution
Delegates at the multiparty Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiation endorsed the Interim Constitution according to which SA would have a…
EventCelebration of Nigeria’s Day of Independence cancelled due to air disaster
Nigeria's thirty-second independence anniversary celebration was called off at the last minute by General Ibrahim Babangida's military government as result of…
EventANC government tension continues
On the day that the first serious talks between the Minister of Constitutional Development, Roelf Meyer, and Cyril Ramaphosa started, ANC's Deputy President…
EventP. W. Botha grants reprieve to the “Sharpeville Six”
South African President P. W. Botha granted a reprieve to the "Sharpeville Six" (Reginald Sefatsa, Reid Mokoena, Moses Diniso, Theresa Ramashamole, Duma…
EventMorgan Tsvangirai is cleared of Treason charges
The Zimbabwean opposition leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, was charged with treason for allegedly plotting to kill President…
EventMandela asks for commitment to fight AIDS
Former President Nelson Mandela, speaking in a meeting of international dignitaries in Bangkok, Thailand, said he could not receive a better birthday gift the…
EventDecision to integrate city councils of Pretoria area
The municipality of Pretoria announced that several autonomous city councils were going to merge to form the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM)…
EventBritish Airways prohibits smoking on all flights
On 29 March 1998, British Airways (BA) prohibited smoking on all flights. Other countries across the world had begun to impose the first restrictions on…
EventFormer member of the Mandela United Football Club, Katiza Cebekhulu appears before the TRC
A former member of the Mandela United Football Club, Katiza Cebekhulu, who disappeared on the eve of the 1991 trial in which he was expected to testify,…
EventDinuzulu refuses British instructions to take up arms against Boers
King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo of the Zulu Kingdom in northern Natal, which is now part of the Kwazulu-Natal province, refused to follow British instructions to…
EventFirst recorded discovery of diamonds in the colonial period of South Africa
13 October 1867 marks the first recorded discovery of diamonds in the colonial period of South Africa, with the very first becoming known as the Eureka diamond…
EventPieter Jacobs Marais reports discovery of gold
Pieter Jacobs Marais reports his discovery of alluvial gold in the Jukskei River on B.J. Liebenberg's farm, Bultfontein, in 1853. The site was just north of…
EventConscientious objector Ivan Toms is sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for refusing to serve in the SADF
Dr Ivan Toms was a physician who worked in the informal settlement of Crossroads in Cape Town. In 1983, he witnessed the South African Defence Force (SADF)…
EventANC President, Oliver Tambo, denies that the ANC is in secret negotiations with the South African government
The African National Congress (ANC) President, Oliver Tambo denied that the ANC was in secret negotiations with the South African government. His denial came…
EventAn inquest into the death of Ernest Dipale finds no-one criminally liable for his death
An inquest into the death of Ernest Dipale, who had died in custody at the Johannesburg Security Police headquarters, John Vorster Square on 8 August 1982,…
EventThe University of South Africa is officially opened, replacing the University of the Cape of Good Hope.
South Africa’s biggest University, the University of South Africa (Unisa) was officially opened on 2 March 1918. It had been known as the University of the…
EventA ferry carrying 200 passengers capsizes near the coastal town of Robersport in Northwest Liberia
A ferry carrying close to 200 passengers capsized in Robersport, Liberia on 14 December 2002. The passengers were returning from the funeral of a well-known…
EventDarrell Roodt was born on this day
On this day, Darrell Roodt was born in Johannesburg. Growing up during the height of Apartheid South Africa, he always used the art of film to condemn the…
EventBirth of Paul Kruger
On 10 October 1825 Paul Kruger (Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger), son of Casper Kruger, was born in Whittlesea, Eastern Cape on his grandfather's farm. In…
ANC media statement on comrade Carl Niehaus, 10 July 2009
The African National Congress (ANC) has noted a public apology made by Comrade Carl Niehaus in which he is asking for forgiveness. Comrade Carl is highly…
EventPolice constable is buried alive at Ackerville cemetery near Witbank
On 31 May, Constable S.H. Mandlazi was attacked by a crowd of people armed with spades at the Ackerville cemetery while he was attending the funeral of a…
Rethinking the William Fehr Collection
The William Fehr Collection had been on exhibition at the Castle – more or less unchanged – from the 1950s. The core of the collection comprises historical…
PlaceCaledon Museum, Eastern Cape
The Caledon Museum is split into two Buildings depicting very different parts of local History. The Victorian House, houses an abundance of artifacts…
PlaceSmuts Hall, University of Cape Town
This hall was erected as one of the first phases of the University of Cape Town's Groote Schuur campus. Among the famous residents of this hall was Mark…
EventHuman Rights Day is celebrated for the first time in South Africa
Since 1995, Human Rights Day has been a public holiday celebrated in South Africa. It shares the day with the anniversary of the infamous Sharpeville Massacre,…
EventSouth African man sets record for world’s deepest dive
South African engineer, Nuno Gomes, entered the Guinness Book of Records for mankind’s deepest dive ever on 13 June 2005. Gomes’318.25m plunge beat the record…
EventThe battle of Donkerhoek (Diamond Hill) marks the continuation of the South African War
On 11 June, 1900, Boer commandos and British forces clashed at Donkerhoek (Diamond Hill) during the South African War. The battle came after General Lord…
EventBlacks are making bonfires of their “passes” in Johannesburg
On 28 March 1960, Natives began making bonfires of their reference books in Johannesburg. Their action was the latest gesture of defiance against the pass laws…