Today in Kimberley's History
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110 days since beginning of the Siege of Kimberley, 1900
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Colonel Kekewich received a letter from Mr Beaumont of Barkly saying that the Barkly people are further ordered to appear on the 7th fully equipped to fight, and asked what they were to do. The Colonel replied that whatever they did they were not to fight. He declared that he would guarantee that the Government would recompense any losses they incurred through refusing. There are some 300 men still left in the district. The bearer of this letter (who had slipped through the Boer lines) says that Mr Wright, who was imprisoned for saying that he didn't care what the President of the Free State said, or what any President said - had been released after paying a fine of 37/0s., and given a Pass to Orange River.
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Colonel Kekewich received a letter from Mr Beaumont of Barkly saying that the Barkly people are further ordered to appear on the 7th fully equipped to fight, and asked what they were to do. The Colonel replied that whatever they did they were not to fight. He declared that he would guarantee that the Government would recompense any losses they incurred through refusing. There are some 300 men still left in the district. The bearer of this letter (who had slipped through the Boer lines) says that Mr Wright, who was imprisoned for saying that he didn't care what the President of the Free State said, or what any President said - had been released after paying a fine of 37/0s., and given a Pass to Orange River.
Apartheid leader P. W. Botha Resigns - 1989
P. W. Botha suffers a mild stroke and, on this day he announces his intention to resign the National Party presidency while remaining State President. His resignation shocks his colleagues and leads to an internal succession process in the party that culminates in the appointment of F. W. de Klerk. P.W. Botha presided over South Africa when violence and state suppression of resistance movements was at its height. Leading scholars in the field of civil-military relations came to call South Africa a praetorian state, because under his leadership the Security Council and the military became far more involved in the daily running of the state.
P. W. Botha suffers a mild stroke and, on this day he announces his intention to resign the National Party presidency while remaining State President. His resignation shocks his colleagues and leads to an internal succession process in the party that culminates in the appointment of F. W. de Klerk. P.W. Botha presided over South Africa when violence and state suppression of resistance movements was at its height. Leading scholars in the field of civil-military relations came to call South Africa a praetorian state, because under his leadership the Security Council and the military became far more involved in the daily running of the state.
F.W. de Klerk announces the release of Nelson Mandela and unbans political organisations - 1990
The announcement by President FW de Klerk to release Nelson Mandela and unban the African National Congress (ANC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and other liberation movements was received with mixed feelings inside and outside Parliament. Black and White South Africans celebrated the news as they were optimistic that the country was taking a turn for the better. In Cape Town, Archbishop Mpilo Desmond Tutu was at St George's Cathedral with his congregation ready to celebrate an event he considered as the Second Coming. It is believed that de Klerk’s decision to release Mandela and to unban political parties was the result of the following factors. Firstly, South Africa had been isolated through international trade sanctions to the extent that the South African economy was severely handicapped. Coupled with this, the multiple States of Emergency measures enacted by the Apartheid State had consistently failed to quell the uprisings. Lastly South Africa was almost totally isolated from the international community in terms of cultural and sporting events. This milestone was followed by tension-driven negotiations aimed at transferring power from white minority to the majority of South Africans.
Though it brought about democracy, this journey was not totally without obstacles. These ranged from intensification of political violence in some parts of South Africa to unilateral declarations by some groups to break away from South Africa and form their own homelands. Some scholars have argued that de Klerk narrowly avoided a civil war that would have been severely detrimental to the country and the region as a whole. The decision taken by de Klerk was not an easy one, as he faced opposition not only from the political opponents, but also from his own party (National Party).
The announcement by President FW de Klerk to release Nelson Mandela and unban the African National Congress (ANC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and other liberation movements was received with mixed feelings inside and outside Parliament. Black and White South Africans celebrated the news as they were optimistic that the country was taking a turn for the better. In Cape Town, Archbishop Mpilo Desmond Tutu was at St George's Cathedral with his congregation ready to celebrate an event he considered as the Second Coming. It is believed that de Klerk’s decision to release Mandela and to unban political parties was the result of the following factors. Firstly, South Africa had been isolated through international trade sanctions to the extent that the South African economy was severely handicapped. Coupled with this, the multiple States of Emergency measures enacted by the Apartheid State had consistently failed to quell the uprisings. Lastly South Africa was almost totally isolated from the international community in terms of cultural and sporting events. This milestone was followed by tension-driven negotiations aimed at transferring power from white minority to the majority of South Africans.
Though it brought about democracy, this journey was not totally without obstacles. These ranged from intensification of political violence in some parts of South Africa to unilateral declarations by some groups to break away from South Africa and form their own homelands. Some scholars have argued that de Klerk narrowly avoided a civil war that would have been severely detrimental to the country and the region as a whole. The decision taken by de Klerk was not an easy one, as he faced opposition not only from the political opponents, but also from his own party (National Party).
President F W de Klerk announces that South Africa’s first democratic elections will be held - 1994
President F W de Klerk announces that South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections will be held from 26-28 April 1994.
President F W de Klerk announces that South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections will be held from 26-28 April 1994.