| 1602 |
The Dutch East India Company was established. |
| Apr 1652 |
A victualling station for the Dutch East India Company was established on the Cape. This was the first permanent white settlement in South Africa. |
| 1659 |
The first war between the Dutch and the native Khoi-Khoi occurred. Peace was established by 1660, but the Khoi-Khoi lost their land on the peninsula. |
| 1688 |
French Huguenot settlers arrived on the Cape. |
| 1691 - 1700 |
The Trek farmer movement started as a result of inadequate markets for their agricultural goods. This began the expansionist movement in South Africa by white settlers. |
| 1709 |
Pass Laws were implemented. All slaves were required to carry them. The laws were later extended to the Khoi-Khoi until 1828 when "coloreds" were no longer required to carry them. They remained in force for blacks, however, until the late 20th century. |
| 1795 - 1803 |
First British occupation of the Cape. |
| 1799 - 1802 |
The great Khoi-Khoi rebellion took place. The rebellion was unsuccessful. |
| 1803 - 1806 |
The Cape was governed by the Netherlands under Napoleon. |
| 1806 |
The second British occupation of the Cape. |
| 1807 |
The British abolish slavery. |
| 1811 - 1812 |
Twenty thousand Africans, mainly Xhosa, were expelled from the Zuurveld in the Eastern portion of the Cape. Prior to this date, there had been skirmishes between the Europeans and the Africans, but the Africans were able to maintain their positions. |
| 1814 |
The Cape was ceded to Britain by the Netherlands. The British established a much stronger and more efficient colony. |
| 1820 |
5000 British settlers arrived. |
| 1828 |
Ordinance 50 was established which put free blacks on equal political footing with whites. This became one of the incentives for the Great Trek because the Boers were not content with the British efforts at reforming South African society. |
| Dec 1834 |
Slavery was abolished on the Cape. Exploratory parties scouted the interior. |
| 1838 - 1843 |
Voortrekkers governed their own Republic of Natalia. |
| 1843 |
Natal was proclaimed a British Colony. |
| 1852 |
Britain recognized the independence of Boers in Transvaal. |
| 1854 |
The British recognized the independence of the Orange Free State. |
| 1856 |
A Zulu civil war broke out over who will rule on the death of Mpandi. Death and famine occurred among Xhosa after the slaughter of their cattle. The Xhosa slaughtered their own cattle on the recommendation of a seer who said if they do so, prosperity will come to them. Twenty thousand starved to death, others fled to towns where their incorporation into the colonial economy was sped up. |
| 1860 |
The first Indian indentured laborers arrived in Natal. |
| 1867 |
Discovery of diamonds. By 1870, some 10,000 diggers descended on the Vaal River near Kimberly and a Digger Republic was formed. |
| 1871 |
The British annexed the diamond fields. By this time, four republics have been established: Cape Colony and Natal were British colonies; Orange Free State and the South African Republic were Boers states which struggled to remain independent of Britain. |
| 1879 |
An Anglo-Zulu war resulted when the Zulus resisted a demand that their military system be abolished. They were soon defeated and their leader was exiled. Their territory was not annexed until 1887. The Anglo-Pedi War occurred after the Zulus were defeated. The British ended Pedi (a small Sotho group in Southwest Transvaal) independence. |
| 1880 |
First Anglo-Boer War, or the Transvaal War of Independence. It ended in the British giving Transvaal independence subject to the "suzerainty of Her Majesty." |
| 1885 |
Legislation barring Indians from citizenship and property rights was passed. The legislation also provided that they live in separate areas set aside for them. |
| 1887 |
Zululand was proclaimed British territory and the King was deported to St. Helena. |
| 1890 |
The British South Africa Company was established in the Cape. Cecil Rhodes, the founder, became Prime Minister. |
| 1893 - 1914 |
Gandhi became a spokesman for the middle class Indians in South Africa. He formed the Natal Indian Congress and led an unsuccessful protest against legislation barring Indians from voting. |
| 1899 - 1902 |
Second Anglo-Boer War. The Boers were defeated and the Orange Free State was annexed in May 1900 and Transvaal in September 1900. |
| 1903 - 1907 |
More than 63,000 Chinese laborers were brought in to work the mines. |
| 1910 |
The Union of South Africa was inaugurated. |
| 1912 |
The South African Native National Congress (SANNC) was established. |
| 1913 |
The Native Lands Act was passed. It limited land ownership by blacks, including ownership of traditional tribal territory. |
| 1914 |
The National Party was formed. SANNC representatives visited London in protest over the Native Lands Act. |
| 1920 |
The first version of Inkatha, the Zulu cultural movement, was launched. |
| 1921 |
The Communist Party of South Africa (SACP) was formed. |
| 1923 |
The Native Act extended segregation to cities and affirmed that blacks were not permanent residents in urban areas. SANNC changed its name to the African National Congress (ANC). |
| 1925 |
Afrikaans was recognized as the official language. |
| 1927 |
Compulsory segregation was announced in 26 urban areas. The Native Administration Act extended recognition to chiefs and formed the basis for decentralizing authority in African reserves. Sixty-four black residential acts were proclaimed. Several acts restricting black rights were established in the 1920s. |
| Dec 1931 |
A pass-burning campaign led to violence in Durban. |
| 1936 |
The Native Trust and Land Act was passed to increase land for blacks to 13% of the total surface area of the country. |
| 1943 |
A group of black leaders formulated political demands in "African Claims in South Africa." Coloreds joined ranks with the All-African Convention to form a Non-European Unitary Movement. The Trading and Occupation of Land Act placed severe restrictions on where Indians may work and reside. |
| 1944 |
The first mass movement of urban squatters occurred. James Mpanza led homeless Africans to vacant ground in Orlando, later part of Soweto. Many Africans became squatters when their land was taken from them by whites and they were forced to pay rent to live there or use the land. |
| 1948 |
The National Party won elections for the first time on a platform of Afrikaner nationalism. This began the apartheid phase of South African history which was characterized by a separation of races through a program of separate development. Apartheid policies were formulated over the next decades and included the passage of legislation which legally separated whites from other ethnicities (see 1949-1951 below). |
| 1949 |
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act passed. |
| 1950 |
Group Areas Act (allowed the government to move people into new areas based on their race), Population Registration Act (provided for racial classification on a national register), Immorality Amendment Act (prohibited sexual relations between people of different races), and Suppression of Communism Act all passed by the South African Government. The Communist Party went underground. |
| 1951 |
Bantu Authorities Act (prepared the way for a new system of local and regional government in the reserves which modified the old councils) passed. The Separate Representation of Voters Act was passed in an attempt to prevent Coloreds from voting with whites. The latter Act was ruled invalid in 1952. |
| 1952 |
The ANC launched a countrywide defiance campaign. Widespread riots resulted leading to the passing of the Safety Act and the Law Amendment Act. All blacks over age 16 were required to produce a pass on request by police or administrators or face jail. |
| May 1953 |
Liberal Party was formed. It is a non-racial party which stands for the rule of law and equal rights for all in a democratic state. It was dissolved in 1968. |
| Feb 1956 |
Removal of Colored voters from the common roll. |
| 1959 |
The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) was founded under Robert Sobukwe. The Progressive Party was founded under Jan Steytler. |
| 1960 |
Representation for blacks in parliament was abolished. In March, police opened fire on protestors (protesting pass laws) in Sharpeville killing 69 people. In April the ANC and PAC were officially banned. Their leaders fled to foreign states and they formed militant wings. Twenty-thousand people were detained and there were random assaults on blacks in Cape Town. The Anti-Pass strike was broken and Pass Laws were once again enforced. |
| May 31, 1961 |
South Africa left the Commonwealth and became a Republic. Nelson Mandela proposed an armed struggle and 10,000 were detained throughout the year. |
| 1962 |
Nelson Mandela was arrested on his return from abroad. In November, the U.N. voted for economic and diplomatic sanctions against South Africa because of its apartheid policies. |
| May 1963 |
Ninety-day detention without trial was introduced. |
| Dec 1963 |
Transkei was granted self-government. |
| 1965 |
Detention without trial for 180 day periods was introduced. |
| Oct 1966 |
The U.K. granted Lesotho independence, and it gains international recognition. |
| 1967 |
Section 6 of the Terrorism Act provided for indefinite detention without trial. |
| 1969 |
The South African Students' Organization was established to organize students under black leadership. Steven Biko led the movement. It was banned in 1977. Right-wing groups began to form in opposition to the government. |
| 1971 |
Goodwill Zwelithini was installed as the 8th Zulu Monarch. |
| 1972 |
The Black People's Convention was formed to coordinate support of the Black Consciousness Movement. Africans in "white" areas were brought under Bantu Affairs Administration Boards. The Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) was founded. It is a militant right-wing group which advocates total racial separation. |
| 1976 |
The Suppression of Communism Act became the Internal Security Act. In the late 1970s, Buthelezi, the Inkatha leader, split with the ANC. Inkatha is seen by Afrikaners as a less radical movement. |
| Jun 16, 1976 |
South African Students Movement (SASM) activists were catalysts in student protests in Soweto. Students were protesting against inequalities of Bantu Education and the introduction of Afrikans as a teaching medium. Adding to the disquiet in Soweto were the government's reluctance to maintain subsidies on vital consumer goods, rising unemployment rates, and urban crowding. The protests lasted over a year and hundreds were killed by police. |
| Sep 12, 1977 |
Steven Biko died in police custody. His death heightened world condemnation of South Africa. |
| Dec 1977 |
Bophuthatswana became an "independent" homeland. |
| Oct 1978 |
Pieter Botha became Prime Minister. |
| Feb 1 - Dec 31, 1980 |
Black high school students boycotted classes, especially in the Cape Peninsula. Forty-five were shot by police in the Cape Town area in June violence. |
| Dec 1981 |
Ciskei was declared "independent." |
| 1982 |
Venda was declared "independent." The Conservative Party was created. It becomes the official opposition in 1987. |
| 1983 |
A white referendum approved a new constitution. The United Democratic Front (UDF) was founded as an extra-parliamentary opposition group. The Colored Labor Party decided to participate in the tri-cameral parliament. Only 13% of Indians and 18% of Coloreds voted. |
| 1984 - 1986 |
Period of unrest and instability. A State of Emergency was declared. |
| 1986 |
The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, the Prohibition of Political Interference Act and section 16 of the Immorality Act were repealed. Pass laws and influx control were abolished. |
| 1989 |
Botha resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by F.W. de Klerk. The Separate Amenities Act was repealed. |
| 1990 |
De Klerk announced the unconditional release of Nelson Mandela and a lifting of the ban on all illegal organizations. Mandela was released February 11. The State of Emergency was lifted. Namibia became independent from South Africa. Violence between traditionalists and non-traditionalists in Natal spread to Johannesburg's townships in July. In August, the ANC agreed to suspend its armed struggle against the government. In the past three years, more than 4000 have died in violence between Xhosa and Zulus in Natal. By December, more than 1000 had died in Johannesburg in the violence. |
| Jan 1991 |
ANC leader Mandela met with Inkatha leader Buthelezi over continuing violence in the townships. The ANC and Inkatha have a history of disagreement with many seeing Buthelezi as having sold out to the whites in agreeing to the homelands system. Inkatha members were blamed for the killing of at least 35 ANC supporters who were attending a vigil for an ANC murder victim on 12 January. Inkatha has often been accused by the ANC of fomenting violence to prevent its being marginalized as a political force. |
| Apr 1991 |
Violence erupted in several townships between ANC and Inkatha supporters. Relations between the leaders of the two groups worsen, while the ANC appears to be moving towards a new accommodation with the PAC. |
| May 1991 |
A conference on ending township violence scheduled by the government is attended by only the IFP, some representatives of minority parties, and the neo-fascist Afrikaner Resistance Movement. The ANC, churches, and main opposition Conservative Party stayed away in protest over Inkatha supporters' carrying of traditional weapons. King Goodwill Zwelithini criticized Mandela at a rally of some 40,000 Inkatha followers. He warned the ANC against verbal attacks on the Zulu and said his people would not give up their traditional weapons. |
| Jun 5, 1991 |
Racist restrictions in hundreds of laws, including the entire provisions of the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936, the Group Areas Act, the Development Trust and Land Act and the Black Communities Act were taken off the statute books. |
| Jun 9, 1991 |
Buthelezi denied allegations of a former SADF (South African Defense Forces) intelligence major that the SADF had trained Inkatha loyalists to attack ANC supporters. The major said the army's intent was to ensure that "moderates" won in the inevitable multi-racial elections. |
| Jun 17, 1991 |
The Population Registration Act, under which South Africans were classified by race, is repealed. |
| Jul 6, 1991 |
U.S. President George Bush repealed the CAAA (Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act), thereby lifting the bulk of trade and investment sanctions against South Africa. |
| Jul 19, 1991 |
The Press began to disclose SAP (police) funding of Inkatha rallies held in November 1989 and March 1990. Minister of Law and Order Adriaan Vlok admitted to covert funding of Inkatha, describing it as non-political. Buthelezi continued to deny knowledge of any payments. In light of these revelations, Mandela renewed calls for an interim government. |
| Aug 1991 |
The UDF disbanded declaring that it had fulfilled its major objectives in dismantling apartheid. A bloody confrontation between extremist AWB (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) members and SADF took place when the AWB attempted to interrupt a speech by de Klerk. Three AWB members were killed and 58 were injured including 7 police and 15 black civilians. |
| Sep 1991 |
The ANC, IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party), and the government signed a peace accord amid continuing violence. De Klerk continued to call for the demolition of the ANC armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Mandela responded by suggesting the integration of the MK into the SADF. De Klerk also urged the ANC to become a political party which it refused to do until a new constitution allowing for equal rights of all citizens of South Africa is in place. |
| Oct 1991 |
The Patriotic Front was formed after a meeting between the ANC, PAC and 90 other groups. This marked PACs entry into the negotiations with the government for complete destruction of apartheid in the country. The military authorities in the nominally independent Ciskei declared a state of emergency to combat ANC "terrorism". The ANC denied the charges and condemned the repressive rule of Ciskei military leader Oupa Gqozo. |
| Nov 1991 |
The State of Emergency in Ciskei was ended as ANC leaders and Gqozo commit to peace in the region. Seventy-six blacks were killed in clashes between Xhosa and Sotho workers at the President Steyn mine. ANC leader Mandela announced the party must pay more attention to the needs of Coloreds and Indians. |
| Dec 1991 |
Progress on the forming of a new Constitution was made with the meeting of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa). Two parties were noticeably absent: IFP and the Government of Bophuthatswana. During 1991, 2,165 people died in political violence. Exiled ANC leader Oliver Tambo returned to South Africa. |
| Jan 1992 |
The European Community announced that it will lift economic sanctions against South Africa which have been in place since 1986. A former central committee member of the IFP provided further proof that the IFP and SADF had cooperated in attacks on ANC supporters. The South African Institute of Race Relations reported that the total number of deaths occurring from political violence since 1984 was 11,910. |
| Mar 17, 1992 |
A white-only referendum was held to establish that the white community was agreeable to the continuation of the process of dismantling apartheid. Sixty-eight percent of whites said they want the process to continue. |
| Jun 7, 1992 |
Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini married a Xhosa woman in an inter-tribal ceremony. |
| Jun 17, 1992 |
Two hundred men went on a rampage in a Boipatong squatter camp. At least 45 people were killed by Inkatha members supported by the police. Boipatong is an ANC stronghold and the ANC withdrew from Codesa in protest and launched a three-month mass action campaign. |
| Aug 1992 |
The Communist Party (SACP) split, and some members form the right-wing Afrikaner Volksunie Party (AVU). |
| Sep 1992 |
At least 29 people were killed when troops from the Ciskei "homeland" fired on ANC supporters marching towards the Ciskei capital. The ANC and government resumed talks and signed a Record of Understanding. In response, Buthelezi of the IFP, President Mangope of Bophuthatswana, Oupa Gquozo, military leader of Ciskei, the AVU and the CP form the Concerned South Africans Group (Cosag). Violence continued throughout the year. |
| Nov 1992 |
The Goldstone Commission, a judicial inquiry into political violence established in September 1991 released evidence of a "dirty tricks" campaign sanctioned by senior SADF figures against the ANC since its legalization in 1990. |
| Dec 1992 |
De Klerk strongly criticized Buthelezi's draft constitution for a new "state of Kwa-Zulu". De Klerk warned that such proposals were incompatible with previous agreements that constitutional reform should be the result of multi-party talks. Separate attacks on whites November 29, December 4 and 9 were claimed by PAC's militant wing, the APLA. |
| Feb 1993 |
De Klerk announced major reforms for the Own Affairs system under which the affairs of Whites, Coloreds, and Indians were handled by different departments. |
| Mar 5, 1993 |
The multiparty planning conference convened ending an eight-month hiatus in negotiations. |
| Apr 1993 |
Talks were disrupted when Chris Hani, Secretary-General of the SACP, was assassinated. A Polish immigrant and CP Member of Parliament were arrested and convicted for his murder. Retired SADF (South African Defense Forces) and SAP (South African Party) generals formed the Afrikaner Volksfront in an attempt to unite the right-wing. Africans occupied 800 homes earmarked for Indian families in Cato Manor outside Durban. |
| Jun 1993 |
A tentative date for elections was scheduled (27 April 1994). The CP, IFP and KwaZulu Government formally withdrew from the multi-party negotiations. A group of 500 heavily armed AVF supporters stormed the Johannesburg World Trade Center, attacking black delegates and journalists. After negotiations with the government, they agreed to leave if no arrests were made. The government withheld the right to make later arrests and by the end of the month, only 25 participants in the attack were arrested. |
| Jul 1993 |
Heightened political violence culminated in an attack on a Cape Town church in which gunmen opened fire on the congregation leaving 12 dead and 50 injured. Most of the victims were whites. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. A draft constitution was published. |
| Sep 1993 |
The Transitional Executive Commission Bill (TEC) and other bills making up the first part of the transitional package, were agreed to by the negotiators. They also finally agreed to draft an interim constitution and an Electoral Bill. Mandela asked countries to lift economic and trade sanctions against South Africa, but asked the arms embargo to remain until a government of national unity was in place after the April 1994 elections. |
| Oct 1993 |
The Freedom Alliance, formerly known as Cosag, was formed. It announced the suspension of all bilateral negotiations with the government and the ANC. Its main objective is to negotiate a constitution entrenching the right of self-determination. Eugene Terre-Blanche, leader of the Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) was convicted of charges of public violence arising from his part in an attack on a rally addressed by President de Klerk in August 1991. |
| Nov 1993 |
Deaths in political violence reached 3,981 for the year. Delegates to the multi-party negotiations endorsed an Interim Constitution under which South Africa was to be governed for five years after elections in April. The constitution was revised from the one published in July with added concessions to the right-wing Freedom Alliance including allowing regions to draft their own constitutions. The draft was rejected by the Freedom Alliance, though leaders' reactions were not uniform. The multi-party negotiators agreed to repeal Section 29 of the Internal Security Act which allows for detention without trial. The trial of Oupa Gqozo, military leader of Ciskei, began 9 November. He was charged with murder and incitement of murder in the killing of Lt-Gen. Charles Sebe during a 1991 coup attempt. |
| Nov 1993 |
The Minority Front, an Indian Party, was launched. |
| Dec 1993 |
The TEC was installed giving Africans a legal role in the government of South Africa for the first time. The three chamber parliament implemented under apartheid was dissolved. |
| Jan 1994 |
The ANC and government held talks with the Freedom Alliance (FA) in an effort to persuade the FA to accept the interim constitution and participate in TEC. Ciskei, a member of the FA, announced it will join TEC. PAC announced a suspension of activities by its armed wing, the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA). TEC announced that the training of a National Peacekeeping Force would begin on 24 January. |
| Mar 1994 |
The FA effectively collapsed after a crisis in Bophuthatswana. Bophuthatswana President Lucas Mangope announced his region would not take part in elections in April. Widespread generalized violence erupted against the Mangope regime. Up to 5000 armed white right-wing extremists rallied around the president vowing to keep the region independent. SADF troops were sent in to restore order and at least 60 people were killed. The TEC removed Mangope from power. The FA, already weakened from the withdrawal of Ciskei, collapsed. The collapse of the FA left Buthelezi increasingly isolated in his opposition to elections. |
| Mar 31, 1994 |
De Klerk imposed a State of Emergency in KwaZulu-Natal in anticipation of elections. The Freedom Front, led by Constand Viljoen, claimed that 70-80% of Afrikaners want a separate white homeland. |
| Apr 25, 1994 |
A controversial transfer of land to the Zulu king took place just before elections. |
| Apr 26 - 28, 1994 |
Multi-racial elections took place for the first time in South Africa. The ANC received almost 63% of the National Assembly vote, followed by the NP (National Party) which received 20.5%, and the IFP which received 8%. In the four years leading up to political reform, up to 20,000 people have died in political violence. |
| May 10, 1994 |
Nelson Mandela was chosen president and sworn in. Thabo Mbeki, ANC chairman, was named first deputy president and F.W. de Klerk, leader of the largest opposition party, was named second deputy president. |
| Jun 1994 |
Neo-nazi leader Eugene Terre Blanche announced that bombings would continue until whites get a separate homeland. Twenty-one people have been killed in the bombings and his organization, AWB, has a few thousand members. |
| Sep 1994 |
King Zwelithini cancelled the Shaka Day festivities in KwaZulu-Natal honoring the warrior king Shaka after Inkatha supporters stormed the royal residence while a meeting between Zwelithini, Mandela and Buthelezi was taking place. Zwelithini has distanced himself in recent months from Buthelezi and rejected his claim to be the hereditary advisor to the king. He appeared to be moving closer to the ANC and the Zulu people are divided in their support. |
| May 1995 |
A secret document preparing an autonomy bid by KwaZulu-Natal was discovered. The plan called for a regional security force, media control and the provincial take-over of licensing, education and civil service. |
| Jun 1995 |
The Constitutional Court abolished the death penalty. (Kaleidoscope 6/6/95) |
| Jun 16, 1995 |
Mandela visited KwaZulu-Natal to make a bid for peace. His relationship with Buthelezi has completely deteriorated. Increases in violence in the region are seen as a result of Buthelezi's decision to boycott the constitution-writing process and demand international mediation. Buthelezi wants stronger regional powers guaranteed in the constitution. Violence in the region has killed 1100 since elections in April 1994. |
| Jul 1995 |
Local tribal chiefs in KwaZulu-Natal were at the center of the power struggle between Mandela and Buthelezi. Most sided with Buthelezi and intimidated ANC supporters in their villages. They also think the Zulu King is selling out to the ANC. |
| Jul 1996 |
Local election results in KwaZulu/Natal province were announced. The Minority Front, a party that only campaigns in this province to attract its large Indian minority, gained 2.29% of the vote. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur 7/2/96) |
| Oct 1996 |
Judge Ismail Mohamed, a member of South Africa's Indian minority, was named the next chief justice by President Nelson Mandela. He would assume this post January 1, 1997. (United Press International 10/23/96) |
| Jun 17, 1997 |
Afrikaner Resistance Movement leader Eugene Terre Blanche was sentenced to six years in prison for the 1996 beating of a black employee discovered eating on the job. He also received a concurrent one-year sentence for unleashing his dogs on a gas station attendant last year. (Kaleidoscope) |
| Nov 1997 |
Hawkers in Johannesburg have decided that Pakistani, Indian and Chinese businesses should be boycotted and that the people of these origins should be expelled from South Africa. Over 500 local hawkers rallied for a boycott of goods sold by amakwerekwere (a derogatory term for non-Africans). Moffat Sibulelo, coordinator of the Greater Johannesburg Hawkers Association, was responsible for the distribution of a pamphlet encouraging a boycott. Some members of the association want non-Africans to stop selling on the streets, while others want all "foreigners" out of South Africa. Speakers at the rally accused the foreigners of selling dirty products and aggravating South Africa's unemployment problems. The South African government's Department of Foreign Affairs refused to grant the association's demand to ban foreign street vendors because South Africa is a signatory of the Organisation for African Unity and the UN conventions. These documents provide for foreigners to sustain themselves and thus, allowing street vending. |
| Dec 1997 |
During her testimony to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing concerning allegations against her of human rights abuses, Ms. Madikizela-Mandela played on racial antagonism by saying that some people who testified against her were part of an "Indian cabal." (Irish Times 12/22/97; The New York Times 12/5/97) |
| Dec 1997 |
Former Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement chairman Kader Asmal was one of five South Africans of Indian origin to finish in the first ten positions of the African National Congress's elections. His receiving the second highest number of votes for the sixty vacancies on the ANC's national executive committee, along with the fact that only three indigenous blacks finished in the top ten were a disappointment to a group within the ANC which tries to advance the claims of indigenous Africans over those of minority populations. (Irish Times 12/22/97) |
| Jan 1998 |
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) planned a series of mass disruptions in the police and correctional services departments to demonstrate its frustration towards racism and slow affirmative action implementation in the South African Police Service. A crisis meeting held at KwaZulu/Natal police stations ended with the decision to suspend the transfer of police officers and promotions. An Indian station commander was barred from entering the Thornville police station. A protest was staged against the appointment of two senior Indian officers at the KwaMashu station. (BBC 1/15/98; Africa News 11/28/97,1/30/98) |
| Feb 27, 1998 |
The U.S. lifted a 35-year arms embargo against South Africa. (Kaleidoscope 2/27/98) |
| Mar 1998 |
ANC south central councillor S'thenjwa Nyawose said that twelve Umlazi residents had been murdered in nearby Chatsworth (an area with a large Indian population) since June in racially motivated attacks. Over 2000 Umlazi residents gathered and threatened to launch a revenge attack. Inspector Raj Bharath, speaking on behalf of the Chatsworth police, said that ten of the killings were politically motivated. According to Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi, there were "slight" racial tensions. Police spokesman Captain Vish Naidoo was aware of an Indian taxi driver killing a black man who he thought was trying to rob him and also of a Chatsworth man shooting a man from Umlazi for attempting to steal his chickens. Both events happened in 1998. (Times Media Limited, Business Day South Africa, 3/31/98) |
| Jul 1998 |
The DP had 32.4 percent of its support coming from Indian voters while the NP had 31.4 percent. (Africa News 8/24/98) |
| Sep 22, 1998 |
South Africa sent hundreds of soldiers into Lesotho at the request of Lesotho's Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, who was fearing a coup attempt due to political unrest after last month's elections. Ten South Africans were killed. This incident marked the first time since 1994 that South Africa had militarily become involved with another country. (Kaleidoscope) |
| Mar 1999 |
Amos Maphumolo had his post as editor of Ilanga, the best-selling Zulu newspaper, taken away after writing an editorial that accused South African Indians of conspiring with the white community to oppress the black population. He also said that South Africa needed its own Idi Amin. While the Indian community protested the editorial, some Zulus staged demonstrations in support of it. Maphumolo was given another non-editorial job. Ilanga's owner and IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi disassociated himself from the editorial. (BBC Online Network 4/1/99; Africa News 4/13/99; 5/28/99). |
| Apr 1999 |
The increasing number of Chinese immigrants entering South Africa illegally has caused much anxiety in South Africa's Chinese community. The fear is that South African Chinese and those having citizenship will be blamed for prostitution, smuggling and other crimes associated with illegal Chinese immigrants. There is an especially deep concern in the Western Cape where many illegal Chinese immigrants are involved in the smuggling of perlemoen (abalone). (Africa News 4/19/99) |
| Apr 15, 1999 |
Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi announced that his party was dissatisfied with the way affirmative action was being implemented in South Africa. The party wanted those previously disadvantaged communities to benefit from affirmative action, along with the introduction of capital punishment and a ban on guns. He blamed the system of affirmative action for the fact that most Indians voted for the New National Party. Sixty-five percent of Indians voted for the NP in 1994 and 41 percent in 1996 local government polls. (Africa News 4/16/99) |
| May 1999 |
Pre-election campaigns attempted to take advantage of white, colored and Indian fears of a black majority. Issues such as crime, affirmative action and Africanism were brought up to convince Indians that they were becoming a marginalized minority. The DP advertised in newspapers that Privani Reddy was refused admission to the University of Natal medical school because she was Indian. The Freedom Front (FF) was looking to form an alliance with South Africa's Indian population by making them aware of their minority rights. The New National Party (NNP) tried, but was prevented because of a Durban High Court ruling, to distribute election material claiming that the ANC did not care about Indian interests. The Concerned Citizens Group, a group of prominent Indians was encouraging Indian voters to reject both the DP and the NNP. Instead of instilling fear, the ANC used the method of praising the Indian community's contributions to fighting apartheid. (Africa News 5/28/99) |
| Jun 2, 1999 |
South Africa held its second democratic elections. Deputy President Thabo Mbeki won, taking Nelson Mandela's place as the nation's president. (AP/Wide World) |
| Apr 12, 2004 |
An anti-Indian riot breaks out in Ntha Lindley in Free State when rumors spread that an India murdered an black African. The police later arrested a non-Indian for the murder. (South African Press Association. 4/12/2004. "Fstate Man Killed after Argument in Shop") |
| Sep 30 - Oct 3, 2006 |
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits South Africa in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent protest movement in South Africa. (Agence France Presse. 9/30/2006. "Indian PM arrives in South Africa in Gandhi's footsteps.") |
