South Africa

Historical overview

The history of South Africa includes ancient African societies, powerful regional kingdoms, European settlement, colonial conquest, mineral-driven industrialisation, racial segregation, apartheid and the establishment of a constitutional democracy.

Long before European settlement, the region was home to diverse African communities, including Khoekhoe and San peoples and later Bantu-speaking societies. The Portuguese reached the southern African coast during the late fifteenth century. In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station at the Cape, which developed into a settler colony. British control expanded during the nineteenth century, while conflicts over land, sovereignty and resources affected African kingdoms and communities.

The discovery of diamonds near Kimberley in 1867 and gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 transformed the economy and accelerated industrialisation. The South African War of 1899–1902 ended with British victory. In 1910, the Union of South Africa was established as a self-governing dominion within the British Empire. Its political system excluded the overwhelming majority of Black South Africans from national political power. The African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1912 as the South African Native National Congress, became a major organisation opposing racial exclusion. South African GovernmentRacial segregation existed before 1948. The Natives Land Act of 1913 restricted Black land ownership and occupation to designated areas, laying important foundations for later apartheid. In 1948, the National Party came to power and formalised apartheid through legislation governing racial classification, residence, movement, education, marriage and political rights.

Resistance took many forms. The Defiance Campaign began in 1952, and the Congress of the People adopted the Freedom Charter in 1955. On 21 March 1960, police killed 69 people at Sharpeville during a protest against pass laws. The government subsequently banned the ANC and Pan Africanist Congress. The Rivonia Trial resulted in the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid leaders. The Soweto uprising of 16 June 1976, sparked by resistance to the compulsory use of Afrikaans in some schools, became another defining event in the struggle.

Negotiations to end apartheid accelerated in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The unbanning of liberation organisations and the release of political prisoners helped open a path to constitutional negotiations. On 27 April 1994, South Africa held its first national democratic election in which citizens of all races could vote. Nelson Mandela became president, and a new constitutional order was established. Apartheid MuseumThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established under the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995, investigated politically motivated human-rights violations committed during the conflict. It included committees on human-rights violations, amnesty, and reparation and rehabilitation. Its records are an essential resource for documenting both victims’ experiences and the actions of perpetrators. justice.gov.zaThe Constitution of 1996, which came into effect on 4 February 1997, established a democratic state founded on human dignity, equality, non-racialism, non-sexism, universal adult suffrage and fundamental rights. South African Government

Key historical timeline

1. 1652Dutch East India Company establishes a settlement at the Cape.
2. 1795British forces occupy the Cape for the first time.
3. 1806Britain establishes permanent control of the Cape Colony.
4. 1867Diamonds discovered near Kimberley.
5. 1886Gold discovered on the Witwatersrand.
6. 1899–1902South African War.
7. 1910Union of South Africa established.
8. 1912South African Native National Congress founded, later renamed ANC.
9. 1913Natives Land Act restricts Black land ownership.
10. 1948National Party takes power and formal apartheid policies are introduced.
11. 1952Defiance Campaign against discriminatory laws.
12. 1955Freedom Charter adopted at Kliptown.
13. 21 March 1960Sharpeville massacre.
14. 1961South Africa becomes a republic outside the Commonwealth.
15. 1964Nelson Mandela and other Rivonia Trial defendants sentenced to life imprisonment.
16. 16 June 1976Soweto uprising.
17. 1985–86State of emergency and intensified repression.
18. 1990ANC and other organisations unbanned; Mandela released.
19. 1991Major apartheid laws repealed, including the Population Registration Act.
20. 1993Interim Constitution agreed.
21. 27 April 1994First all-race democratic national election.
22. 1995Truth and Reconciliation Commission established.
23. 1996Final Constitution adopted.
24. 4 February 1997Constitution enters into force.Important historical documents to digitiseCape colonial administration records.South African War records and concentration-camp documentation.South Africa Act (1909).Natives Land Act (1913).ANC founding records (1912).Freedom Charter (1955).Sharpeville investigation and inquest records.Rivonia Trial transcripts.Soweto uprising records and photographs.Apartheid legislation and pass-law records.Interim Constitution (1993).Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act (1995).Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports and testimony.Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996).Archives and research linksNational Archives and Records Service of South Africa – government, colonial and audiovisual records.Truth and Reconciliation Commission archive – official TRC mandate, reports and committee information.South African History Archive – photographs, anti-apartheid records, posters and human-rights collections.South African Government –

Archive notes

Historical overview – national political history.

South African Government – Constitution – constitutional text and fundamental rights.

Stellenbosch University – 1994 election photograph collection – information on Paul Weinberg’s historical photographs.

Human-rights focus: Apartheid legislation, forced removals, political imprisonment, torture, killings, censorship, the treatment of political detainees, and the work and limitations of the TRC. The archive should also document continuing debates over land restitution, economic inequality and the implementation of constitutional rights.