History Matters

The Albert Luthuli Young Historians competition is an annual oral history competition that invites grade 10 and 11 learners from around the country to submit their oral research projects into competition for the prestigious Albert Luthuli Young Historian’s Prize. This year learners could submit projects in one of the following categories: Learners will be required [...]

5 October 1978 – US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance travels to South Africa to promote transition to black rule in Namibia 6 October 1654 – The Directors of the Dutch East India Company propose Hout Bay to Jan van Riebeeck as a possible area to settle some Dutch families 7 October 1978 – Rhodesian [...]

Mark Gevisser – Businnes day 23 September 2008 IF THE goal of Thabo Mbeki’s resignation speech on Sunday night was to remind South Africans and the world at large what they will be missing when he goes, then he was successful. His is the type of leadership, he made clear, which is neither “gloomy” when [...]

21 September 1965 – Gambia is admitted to the United Nations 22 September 1927 – The British colonial government declares the abolishment of slavery in Sierra Leone 23 September 1979 – Worldwide speculation begins that a bright flash detected over the southern Indian Ocean was a South African nuclear test 24 September – National Heritage [...]

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the tragic death of Steve Biko who died in police custody on 12 September 1977, the 46th person to die in police detention.  Steve Biko was an incredible leader who’s life was decisively cut short by the apartheid regime. In honour of Steve Biko’s contribution to South Africa, History [...]

14 September 1652 – Jan van Riebeeck visits Robben Island for the first time 15 September 1835 – Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands 16 September 1859 – David Livingstone “discovers” Lake Nyasa 17 September 1919 – German South West Africa is put under South African administration 18 September 1999 – [...]

7 September 1992- Soldiers Fire On Demonstrators on the border of Ciskei, South Africa, killing 28 and wounding 200. 8 September 1966 – The fist episode of Star Trek is aired on NBC. 9 September 1985 – American President Ronald Reagan reverses his earlier stance on South Africa and agrees to limited sanctions. 10 September [...]

“I have seen the new world to come.” Reflections on the late JT Gumede’s visit to Georgia in 1927. by Raymond van Diemel For too long Georgian aggression towards its weaker neighbouring states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia has been overlook. Only a handful of journalists recognized the true nature of the current Georgian president, [...]

31 August 1997 – Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, is killed in a car accident in Paris 1 September 1939 – Germany invades Poland, starting World War 2 2 September 1879 – Britain and the Zulu Nation sign a peace treaty 3 September 1905 – Johannes Nkosi, martyr for the Communist Party of South [...]