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ArticleTimeline of the German and Herero, Nama War and Genocide
1904 6 January, The settler Frau Sonnenberg tells German soldiers stationed at the Waterberg, including the Sergeant in charge, Sergeant Rademacher, that…
ArticleBecoming human in southern Africa
Human settlement in South Africa Modern humans have been inhabiting South Africa for more than 100 000 years. As a matter of fact, the Cradle of Humankind, or…
ArticleHistory of slavery and early colonisation in South Africa
With colonialism, which began in South Africa in 1652, came the Slavery and Forced Labour Model. This was the original model of colonialism brought by the…
ArticleDecember 16 and the Construction of Afrikaner Nationalism
The date, December 16, holds a special significance in South African history. On this day in 1838, the Voortrekkers fought a battle for survival against…
The War
The flag of the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State On 9 October 1899 the SAR issued an ultimatum to Britain and two days later, on 11 October the war was…
ArticleThe Zulu kingdom and the colony of Natal
The need for a controlled labour force: Indentured Labourers There is an indentured labour gallery on the SAHO site, webteam please select an image from there…
ArticlePrehistory of the Durban area
Prehistory of Southern Africa The Durban area is probably best known for the historic Zulu kingdom, dating to the early 19th century. To understand the…
ArticleMaps of Africa through the centuries
As Africa was largely unexplored by Europeans for many centuries the maps that were created were by and large grossly inaccurate. They are still a fascinating…
ArticleLesotho Timeline
Pre-1804 Khoisan hunter gatherers are the first inhabitants of the region, before Sotho-Tswana peoples colonized the general region between the third and…
Rustenburg the Segregated city
Rustenburg the Segregated city Towards Union The Afrikaner character of the town persisted after Union in 1910, and there was little to attract other…
ArticleTransport in the air
Ancient stories tell of people's desire to fly like a bird. The Greek myth about Icarus and Daedalus is one of the most famous stories. According to the story,…
ArticleAmersfoort Legacy - History of education in South Africa
The opening moment of education in South Africa coincides with the foundation of the colonial experience at the Cape in 1652. Six years after the Dutch East…
Pedi
[baPedi – People and sePedi – Language] The four major ethnic divisions among Black South Africans are the Nguni, Sotho-Tswana, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda…
ArticleUnited Democratic Front timeline 1983-1990
1983 On 23 January, Allan Boesak makes a call for the formation of a ‘united front’ at an anti-SAIC Committee (TASC) conference in Johannesburg. Boesak…
Sport, Race, and Liberation Before Apartheid by Dr Peter Alegi
Sport, Race, and Liberation Before Apartheid: A Preliminary Study of Albert Luthuli, 1920s-1952s Dr Peter Alegi, Department of History, Michigan State…
ArticleThe South African War 1899-1902
On 9 October 1899 the SAR issued an ultimatum to Britain and two days later, on 11 October the war was officially declared between Britain and the Boers. The…
ArticlePoverty and development
One of the most important issues for women in South Africa has always been that of poverty. During the apartheid years, black women were forced into the rural…
ArticleSS Clan Stuart
The SS Clan Stuart was blown ashore in 1914 between Glencairn and Simon's Town, along Cape Town’s west coast. The SS in the vessel's name stands for ‘steamship…
ArticleA Short History of ESKOM, Part 1 (1923-2001)
This short history of Electrical Supply Commission (ESKOM) aims to provide an overview of the history of the power utility over its first seventy-eight years…
ArticleCuba and the struggle for democracy in South Africa
The revolution in Cuba, culminating in Fidel Castro’s seizure of power on 1 January 1959, was from the beginning based on a non-racial ethos, and revolutionary…
Gallery
This extensive history through pictures gallery documents the role that women have played in the liberation and democratisation of our country from 1900…
Prehistory of the Rustenburg area
Prehistory of the Region Pre-history of Southern Africa Africans who worked with copper and iron inhabited the area between 350AD to 600AD. Linguistic and…
Dr William Fehr (1892-1968), collector of art as history
The name of Dr William Fehr should be familiar to many of those who have visited Castle Good Hope in Cape Town at least once during the last fifty years. Young…
ArticleKora
The Korana or Kora were a nomadic Khoikhoi group that probably derived their name from a chief called Kora (or Gora), who was originally a leader of the…
ArticleThe Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau uprising began in 1952 as a reaction to inequalities and injustices in British-controlled Kenya. The response of the colonial administration was a…
Grade 12 - Topic 2 - Independent Africa
In 1884, at the Berlin Conference, the European powers carved up Africa amongst themselves. By 1914 all of Africa, except Liberia and Ethiopia, was under…
ArticleInanda Seminary and its Influence on Education in South Africa by Claire Wilt
This article was written by Claire Wilt and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership projectAbstractInanda Seminary, a private all…
ArticleHistory Grade 10 - Topic 2 Contextual Overview
This topic follows on from the previous one. Having looked at a period when it was not clear that Europe would dominate the world, this topic now explores how…
Increasing repression and the turn to the armed struggle
A series of legislations were passed by the NP led government in the 1950s as it sought to deal with dissent and entrench apartheid. Leading political…
ArticleSouth African Youth Congress (SAYCO)
SAYCO was regarded as the most significant youth organization to emerge during the 1980s. Initiated by COSAS, it focused on organizing the non-student youth,…