SOLOMON EDWARDIAN GUEST HOUSE
  • Welcome
  • Guest Rooms
  • Directions
  • Contact
  • Explore Kimberley

Today in Kimberley's History
​August 16th

.
​​Something happened today in Kimberley's history, but we don't know about it yet...
​ANC adopts motion to hold a Congress of the People to draw up the Freedom Charter - 1953
At the annual conference of the ANC (Cape) held in Craddock on 15th and 16th August 1953, Kimberley-born Prof ZK Matthews proposed that a radically inclusive national convention be held to draw up a democratic Freedom Charter. The ANC supported the call for a Congress of the People and the resolution was adopted at their National Conference in Queenstown in December 1953. The Congress of the People took place in Kliptown on the 25th and 26th June 1955, attended by more than 3,000 delegates from across South Africa. The Congress ended with the historic adoption of the Freedom Charter.

Mandela and De Klerk hold emergency talks -1990
On 16 August 1990, President F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela held emergency talks in Pretoria about increasing violence in Soweto. Fighting in Soweto started when Zulu migrant workers armed with axes and spears attacked passengers at a train station. This was seen as long standing political feud between the supporters of African National Congress (ANC) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Mandela was hoping that by engaging De Klerk in talks they could find a solution to the conflict and avert full-scale war between ANC and IFP supporters.
Picture

Police open fire, killing 34 striking mine-workers at Marikana - 2012
Police opened fire killing 34 striking mine-workers at Marikana, North West Province. As a result, 78 people were left wounded while more than 250 people were arrested. The protesting miners were demanding a wage increase at the Lonmin platinum mine. This was the biggest incident of police brutality since the dawn of democracy and it revived memories of security-police brutality suffered under Apartheid. Addressing a press conference, the South African Police Service (SAPS) authorities claimed its officers had been under attack by a group of mine-workers armed with dangerous weapons. President Jacob Zuma cut short his attendance of the 32nd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Maputo, Mozambique, in order to visit the site of the incident. Upon his return, he announced that a commission of inquiry would be appointed to probe the Marikana shootings.
​©2023 Solomon Edwardian Guest House, 1 Solomon Street, Klisser, Kimberley

Image copyright: we have not been able to identify the owner of all images used in a not-for-profit basis on this website. If you are the owner please let us know so that we can acknowledge you or remove the image. 
  • Welcome
  • Guest Rooms
  • Directions
  • Contact
  • Explore Kimberley