1900 – Kimberley Becomes a Hospital Town

4 days since the lifting of the Siege of Kimberley

Although the siege had ended, the war continued to dominate daily life in Kimberley.

Winifred Heberden recorded that General John French and a large force of cavalry and artillery departed Kimberley early in the morning to join Lord Kitchener in the pursuit of General Piet Cronjé's retreating Boer army. Their destination was Paardeberg, where a decisive battle was now unfolding.

Back in Kimberley, there was encouraging news. The pumping machinery at the Waterworks and Riverton had been found intact after the Boer withdrawal, ensuring that the town's water supply could quickly return to normal. Supplies also began arriving in increasing quantities. Sixty head of cattle, three hundred sheep and goats, together with large consignments of flour, entered Kimberley during the day.

Winifred captured the growing optimism of the town with a simple observation: "If it goes like this every day, we shall soon be able to buy without permits again." The permit system, introduced during the siege to ration scarce food supplies, was one of the many restrictions that residents hoped would soon become a thing of the past.

At the same time, Kimberley was becoming the principal medical centre for the British forces fighting at Paardeberg. The terrible casualties suffered during the previous day's fighting began arriving in the town, where schools, public buildings and charitable institutions were rapidly converted into temporary military hospitals.

The Christian Brothers' College, Nazareth House and the Masonic Temple all played important roles in caring for wounded soldiers. Doctors, nurses and religious sisters who had spent months caring for Kimberley's civilian population now turned their attention to the casualties of the campaign unfolding to the east. The siege of Kimberley had ended, but the city's contribution to the war was far from over.

Did You Know?

After the Battle of Paardeberg began, Kimberley's schools and public buildings were transformed into military hospitals, treating hundreds of wounded soldiers brought back from the front.

1950 – The ANC Charts a New Course in Kimberley

On 19 February 1950, Kimberley again found itself at the centre of an important chapter in South African history.

Senior leaders of the African National Congress gathered at Abantu Batho Hall in Galeshewe to discuss the organisation's future direction amid growing frustration with South Africa's increasingly discriminatory laws. Among those attending were ANC President-General Dr James Sebe Moroka, Treasurer-General Dr Silas Modiri Molema, Cape Provincial President Professor Z. K. Matthews, Dr Bokwe, S. P. Sesedi, Rev. P. M. Montlahla and Doyle Modiakgotla.

Addressing delegates, Professor Matthews warned that the patience of African South Africans was wearing thin, declaring: "There could be no solution to the country's problems until the native was liberated from discriminatory legislation." The meeting reflected a growing determination within the ANC to adopt a more active programme of resistance. The discussions held in Kimberley helped lay the foundations for the campaigns of peaceful protest and civil disobedience that would soon transform South African politics.

Today, Abantu Batho Hall remains an important reminder of Kimberley's contribution to the struggle for democracy.

Did You Know?

When ANC leaders met in Galeshewe in 1950, they were debating the future strategy of the organisation, only two years after the National Party came to power and began introducing apartheid legislation.