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The Mfecane: Understanding a Period of Transformation in Southern Africa

The Mfecane: Understanding a Period of Transformation in Southern Africa

16 December 2025

The Mfecane - known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane in Sesotho - was a period of profound political, social, and demographic...

The 1956 Women’s March in Pretoria

The 1956 Women’s March in Pretoria

18 September 2025

The Women’s Charter

The Women’s Charter

Adopted at the Founding Conference of the Federation of South African Women Johannesburg, 17 April 1954. The Charter ...

Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW)

Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW)

The Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW or FSAW) was launched on 17 April 1954 in Johannesburg as the first attemp...

South African Students Movement (SASM)

South African Students Movement (SASM)

The South African Students Movement (SASM) an organisation of mainly high school students was formed to represent studen...

Commemoration, remembering and memorialising June 16 Soweto uprising

Commemoration, remembering and memorialising June 16 Soweto uprising

Since the early 1990s, June 16, now known as Youth Day, has been remembered, commemorated, and memorialised as public hi...

Battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1988

Battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1988

Introduction The battle of Cuito Cuanavale and the Cuban intervention in Angola is one of the turning points in South...

Indentured Indian labourers and their struggle for citizenship in South Africa by Dr Brij Maharaj

Indentured Indian labourers and their struggle for citizenship in South Africa by Dr Brij Maharaj

1 December 2023

16 November 2023, marks the 163rd anniversary of the arrival in South Africa of indentured labourers from India. From th...

Mangosuthu Buthelezi: the Zulu nationalist who left his mark on South Africa’s history

Mangosuthu Buthelezi: the Zulu nationalist who left his mark on South Africa’s history

15 September 2023

Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi played a prominent role in South African politics for almost half a century. He wa...

Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a man of immense political talent and contradictions

Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a man of immense political talent and contradictions

15 September 2023

Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, who has died, was a history maker. He was born on 27 August 1928 into a tumultuous glo...

History of Women in Prisons during Apartheid

History of Women in Prisons during Apartheid

This article was written by Justin Lawler and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership proj...

The Early Cape Slave Trade

The Early Cape Slave Trade

The year 1658 marks the beginning of the slave trade at the Cape colony. During the first four years of the Dutch East ...

The Nelson Mandela Presidency - 1994 to 1999

The Nelson Mandela Presidency - 1994 to 1999

In 1991, Nelson Mandela was elected the president of the African National Congress (ANC), and his friend and colleague, ...

SS Clan Stuart

2 September 2022

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 Arniston

The Arniston was built on the River Thames, England in 1794. It was a three-decked and three-masted British East Indiam...

The Johanna

The Johanna, or Joanna, was a British East Indiaman vessel sailing from Kent, England, to Surat, India, under the comman...

The South African Communist Party and May Day – Some Key Moments

The South African Communist Party and May Day – Some Key Moments

May Day celebrated on 1 May annually, is a celebration of workers and their work. It has a long history, being a day of ...

The turbulent 1950s - Women as defiant activists

The turbulent 1950s - Women as defiant activists

In the 1950s the government's increasingly repressive policies began to pose a direct threat to all people of colour, an...

Nelson Mandela Awards 1960s - 2000s

Nelson Mandela Awards 1960s - 2000s

Awards 1960s  1964 Elected Honorary President of the Students' Union, University College, London. 1965 ...

The 1956 Women’s March, Pretoria, 9 August

The 1956 Women’s March, Pretoria, 9 August

‘Strijdom, you have tampered with the women, You have struck a rock.'  So runs the song composed to mark this ...

Women’s Rights and Representation

Women’s Rights and Representation

It was not until the introduction of the Bill of Rights that all women in this country received formal recognition as eq...

The Black Sash: A History of Transformation

The Black Sash: A History of Transformation

This article was written by Ashley Schumacher and forms part of the SAHO and Southern Methodist University partnership ...

Womens Rights

It was not until the introduction of the Bill of Rights that all women in this country received formal recognition as eq...

The Founding of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)

The Founding of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)

According to the EFF’s publication ‘The Coming Revolution’, Julius Malema had earned the title of Commander-in Chie...

Trevor Andrew Manuel and Economic Freedom Fighters - High Court of South Africa - Gauteng Local Division - Johannesburg

Trevor Andrew Manuel and Economic Freedom Fighters - High Court of South Africa - Gauteng Local Division - Johannesburg

This is a semi-urgent application for final interdictory relief against the respondents (Economic Freedom Fighters,&nbsp...

The International Socialist League (ISL)

The International Socialist League (ISL) was formed in September 1915. It was created by a progressive faction of the So...

The Freedom Charter by Norman Levy

The Freedom Charter by Norman Levy

This article was taken from the book The Final Prize by Norman Levy (Chapter 10) Time for a Chartist Movement The...

Black Consciousness and 16 June – The birth of a new generation

Black Consciousness and 16 June – The birth of a new generation

The Black Consciousness philosophy gained most of its support in the secondary schools and universities. The role played...

PAC office bearers

PAC Presidents from 1959 - present President Period Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe 19...

Coloured Section | First edition of the Bloemfontein Bantu And Coloured People`s Directory by John Mancoe

26 February 2015