Today in Kimberley's History
January 3rd
"Every day has a story about Kimberley's past."
On this day...
The third day of January highlights Kimberley's growing civic administration during the early years of the diamond rush, reveals another glimpse into daily life during the Siege of Kimberley, and marks an important milestone on South Africa's journey towards democracy.
1878 - Kimberley’s first Town Clerk appointed
On this day in 1878, John Hamilton Boag was appointed as Kimberley's first Town Clerk, becoming the chief administrative officer of the rapidly growing diamond town.
Born in Scotland in 1849, Boag trained as an accountant before making his way to Kimberley during the diamond rush. He married Jane Marion Gray at St Cyprian's Church in April 1876 and soon became closely involved in the administration of one of southern Africa's fastest-growing communities.
At just 29 years of age, Boag took on the enormous task of helping organise the affairs of a town that had expanded almost overnight from a collection of mining camps into a thriving municipality. The position of Town Clerk was broadly equivalent to what is today known as a Municipal Manager or City Manager, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administration of the municipality.
Boag also served as a Lieutenant in the Griqualand West Light Infantry during the frontier campaigns of 1878 and was awarded the South Africa Medal with clasp for his service.
Although he faced allegations of embezzlement in 1882, he was acquitted of all charges. He later moved to Cape Town, where he died in 1919 at the age of seventy.
Did You Know?
John Hamilton Boag became Kimberley's first Town Clerk at just 29 years old, helping administer one of the fastest-growing towns in the British Empire during the diamond rush.
1883 - Vaal River Water Reaches Kimberley
On 3 January 1883, Kimberley's mining companies received water pumped from the Vaal River for the first time. Kimberley residents began receiving Vaal River water on 1 March 1883; more details are provided on that page. This engineering achievement transformed mining and urban life in Kimberley and was one of the most ambitious water supply schemes in South Africa at the time.
1900 - 80 days since the beginning of the Siege of Kimberley
By 3 January 1900, military authorities were introducing even tighter controls as Kimberley's siege entered its twelfth week.
In The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley, October 1899 to February 1900, Winifred Heberden described new regulations aimed at improving the distribution of increasingly scarce food supplies. Residents would now collect two days' worth of meat at a time, reducing the long queues that had become part of daily life.
Night-time restrictions also became stricter. Households were ordered to extinguish lamps by 9.30 pm, and no lights were to be relit without official permission, except in cases of genuine illness. The blackout was intended to make the Boer artillery observers' task more difficult.
The weather added to everyone's discomfort. Winifred described the day as the worst yet for dust and wind, with tents at the newly established Mounted Camp almost disappearing beneath blowing sand.
Military activity continued throughout the day. British cattle guards near Carter's Farm came under sniper fire and shelling from Boer positions at Wimbledon Ridge. Reinforcements were sent out, forcing the Boers to withdraw.
Amid the hardships, encouraging news arrived from outside Kimberley. Reports reached the town that Douglas had been recaptured by the Australian Contingent serving with Lord Methuen's Column, providing a welcome boost to morale among the besieged residents.
Did You Know?
By early January 1900, Kimberley's blackout regulations required most households to extinguish their lights by 9.30 pm each evening to reduce the risk of attracting Boer artillery fire.
1994 - Millions Regain SA citizenship
On this day in 1994, the Restoration and Extension of South African Citizenship Act came into effect, restoring South African citizenship to more than seven million people living in the former self-governing and independent homelands.
For many years, millions of Black South Africans had been stripped of their South African citizenship under apartheid and assigned citizenship of homelands such as Bophuthatswana, Transkei, Venda and Ciskei. The new legislation reversed that policy, restoring full South African citizenship just four months before the country's first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.
The Act formed part of the constitutional agreements negotiated during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) and represented one of the final legislative steps towards a united, democratic South Africa. For Kimberley and the Northern Cape, it marked another important milestone in the transition to democracy and the creation of a single, inclusive South African nation.
Did You Know?
More than seven million people regained their South African citizenship on 3 January 1994, making it one of the largest single restorations of citizenship in modern history.
Can't find a Kimberley connection for a particular date? Our Today in Kimberley's History collection is continually expanding as we research Kimberley's rich history. If you know of a notable local event that occurred on a specific date, we'd love to hear from you using the Contact Us page.
Kimberley's Story Continues
These are just two of the many events that helped shape Kimberley. Every date on the calendar reveals another chapter in the city's remarkable history.
Continue exploring...