Nobel laureate, author and anti-apartheid activist Nadine Gordimer passed away this week.  Gordimer was active in the anti-apartheid movement and helped Mandela prepare his famous, ‘I am prepared to die’ speech, given at the Rivonia Trial. She was one of the first people he wanted to see when released from prison She was outspoken against apartheid in her works and several of her works were banned in South Africa for extended periods of time. In an interview with journalist Julie Frederikse in 1988 she said: “It's a challenge - Horrible word politicians use, ...

... during the 1970s and 1980s. 75 deaths in detention were officially recorded in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report. Between 1970 and 1990, eight people, all of whom were being held under detention regulations, died in John Vorster Square.Following the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, widespread changes were made to the security laws in the country. Detention without trial was removed from the stature books and the Security Branch disbanded. In 1995, the South African Police Service was launched and in 1997, the bronze bust of BJ Vorster was removed ...

state under the government's multinational policy but was not recognized outside South African borders.27 October 1917: A South African anti-apartheid activist, Oliver Tambo was born in Bizana. He's well known for his legendary role in the political struggle of South Africa.28 October 1971: Winnie Mandela was given a six-month suspension for disobeying a banner. She was summoned to appear in court in the following month.29 October 1989: The SA Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented its report, condemning both apartheid and anti- apartheid parties for committing human rights

The UDF Virtual Exhibition In August 2008, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the South African History Archive (SAHA) joined forces to develop a virtual exhibition to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the United Democratic Front (UDF), using posters and photographs from the archives to explore the vital role the UDF played in bringing democracy to South Africa. The UDF was launched on 20 August 1983 during the height of apartheid, uniting hundreds of organisations and thousands of people. This ushered in a period of grassroots campaigns for a better life for ...

... "Bokero" Ngwale, an East African prophet and rebel leader is hanged.  Bokero was a leader in the Maji Maji Rebellion against German colonial rule in modern day Tanzania. 5 August 1982: On the 20th anniversary of his imprisonment China makes an international call for the release of Nelson Mandala. 6 August 1861: Britain annexes Lagos and begins colonising

... on the government to abandon its repugnant apartheid policies. The bomb killed an elderly white woman and injured 23 people. This is the incident that led to his arrest, conviction and his subsequent execution on the 1st of April 1965. In 1994, on the day he was elected as state president, Nelson Mandela acknowledged and honoured Harris's selfless sacrifice to the struggle against apartheid. Scroll down for details of the SAHA collection on Harris. Another notable name on the list is that of Andrew Zondo, a young African National Congress (ANC) firebrand, born and bred in ...

... Night Vigil Massacre, and to pay homage to those whose public display of grief drove their aggressors to shoot them down, the Sebokeng community has built a monument in Sebokeng's Zone 7 in their honour. The monument, inscribed with the names of all victims, was unveiled in 1996 by then-President Nelson Mandela on the 21st of March, South Africa's Human Rights Day. More views of the residents of Sebokeng can be found in the 'Forgotten' Voices in the Present project report and in SAHA's 'Forgotten' Voices in the Present Collection available for consultation in ...

... Alex Borraine, TRC Deputy Chairperson to Singqokwana Ernest Malgas, Committee on Human Rights Violations witness, 16 April 1996, East London The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established by the Government of National Unity, under newly-elected democratic President Nelson Mandela, to help deal with the atrocities of the apartheid era. The Commission had been enacted by the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act No 34 of 1995. On 15 April 1996, the TRC, under Chairperson Demond Tutu, opened the first set of its nation-wide hearings ...

... to the content of the report. This specific matter related to a PAIA request made by Avusa Publishing, the publisher of The Herald and the Weekend Post newspapers, requesting a copy of the so-called "Kabuso report". The Kabuso report was the outcome of investigations into maladministration in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. The High Court had held that while section 44 of PAIA did apply in the circumstances, and access may ordinarily be denied in such cirumstances, the report should never the less be discloused in the public interest, in terms of section 46 ...

alliances, international solidarity and life in refugee camps. The interviews further provide an insight into post-independence politics in Zimbabwe. Event details:Date: Saturday 8 December 2012Time: 10h30 for 11h00Venue: Constitution Hill, 1 Kotze Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.RSVP: Contact Nelson Dlamini - info@saha.org.za / 011 718 2560 / 078 731