South Africa Background Timeline by 2026Logan Tennant

Nelson Mandela Becomes President (1994)

9960047 — 2024-11-21 17:50:55 UTC

Following the first truly democratic election in South Africa, Nelson Mandela became the first black president.

Image : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/05/nelson-mandela-obituary

The Policy of Apartheid (1948-1990)

9960047 — 2024-11-21 17:55:50 UTC

The word Apartheid is an Afrikaans word which means "separate". This policy was the law of the land from 1948-1990 and separated people by race in just about every way such as housing, schooling, working, and transportation.

Diamond Mining (1867)

9960047 — 2024-11-21 17:59:31 UTC

In 1867, Afrikaner prospectors discovered huge diamond deposits in South Africa, and methods like the pass system were used to force people to work and mistreat them.

Image : http://www.miningartifacts.org/South-African-Mines.html

The British arrive to South Africa (1806)

9961436 — 2024-11-21 17:59:41 UTC

In 1806, after the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt, the British assumed power in the Cape of Good Hope. Though it was not until 1820 when the first large group of settlers from Britain arrived in the region, providing more ethnic confusion to the area.

The Dutch arrive to South Africa (1652)

9960047 — 2024-11-21 18:03:30 UTC

On behalf of the Dutch East India Company, Jan van Riebeeck arrived in South Africa and established the first permanent European settlement at the Cape of Good Hope.

Image : https://medium.com/@MeredithAncret/the-dutch-east-india-company-the-forgotten-trading-empire-b661466baa13

Battle of Blood River (December 16, 1838)

9961436 — 2024-11-21 18:07:14 UTC

It was a battle between the Zulu's and the Afrikaners. Although not very significant to African History in general, the Afrikaners mythologized the event believing a group of Trekboers asked god for support in defeating the Zulu. They won, and built a church directly after the victory, and felt like god had favored their superiority over others

Image : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379569074829887064/

Opposition to Apartheid (1912)

9960047 — 2024-11-21 18:11:53 UTC

In 1912, several hundred mission-educated conservative African men formed the African National Congress (ANC) to organize Africans and oppose discrimination.

Dutch East India Company (1652)

9961436 — 2024-11-21 18:25:29 UTC

After Jan Van Reibeeck arrived to create the settlement, they disliked the Khoisan people, avoiding contact and communication with them at all costs. But further down the road after budget cuts for the Company, people that were laid off started taking the Khoisan people as "free labor workers". This ultimately lead to the creation of slave labor as the Europeans saw the positives to this practice due to the profits.