Today in Kimberley's History
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F Walton Jameson appointed Kimberley City Engineer - 1927
Frank Walton Jameson, popularly known as “Jacaranda Jim” was the person responsible for planting the jacaranda trees in Kimberley, Nairobi (Kenya), and in Pretoria, the latter city being the most famous for the purple flowering tree and where he received his nickname. Jameson was born in Durban in 1873 and received his education by private school and tutoring. From 1891 until 1894 he had his pupilage under the Borough Engineer of Durban, John Fletcher, and was an assistant engineer with the Durban council from1894 to 1896. In 1896 he was appointed as assistant engineer to WH Radford in Nottingham, England, taking a course at the Technical University in Nottingham at the same time. In 1897 he was the resident engineer of the Bridgeford (England) development scheme and in 1898 the assistant resident engineer on the Walton-on-Thames sewerage scheme. Returning to South Africa in 1899 he worked for the Durban Corporation as the waterworks engineer and was appointed Borough engineer of Pietermaritzburg in 1902. In 1905, Jameson was seconded and appointed technical commissioner by the governor of Transvaal to inquire into the Pretoria Sewerage Scheme and a threatened interdict of the scheme. In 1909, he was appointed town engineer of Pretoria where he remained until 1920. From 1920 to 1931, Jameson was city engineer of Kimberley. (In 1920, he was also appointed technical member of the Central Housing Board in the Department of Public Health.) In 1931, Jameson was town engineer of Krugersdorp. After that, he was working for Central Housing Board until 1948 and for National Housing Commission in 1948–1951. He died in 1956. (Courtesy of Kimberley Calls...And Recalls Facebook page) |
Frank Walton Jameson. (Photo Public Domain)
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Chief Albert Luthuli is killed - 1967
On 21 July 1967, Chief Albert Luthuli died after he was struck by a train on a railway bridge close to the home that he had been confined to by the Apartheid regime in Groutville, (then) Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal. Chief Luthuli was President-General of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his death in 1967. In 1960, he received the Nobel Peace Prize and he was the most widely known and respected African leader of his era. Born near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, in 1898, the Chief's family moved to Kwazulu-Natal in 1908. Luthuli trained as a teacher and lay preacher in the Methodist Church. His political activities and defiance brought him into direct conflict with the apartheid government. He was banned from public gatherings and confined to his home. This, however, did not stop him from playing a political role in the country. Throughout his life Chief Luthuli steadfastly believed that a non-racial society in South Africa could be achieved.
On 21 July 1967, Chief Albert Luthuli died after he was struck by a train on a railway bridge close to the home that he had been confined to by the Apartheid regime in Groutville, (then) Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal. Chief Luthuli was President-General of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his death in 1967. In 1960, he received the Nobel Peace Prize and he was the most widely known and respected African leader of his era. Born near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, in 1898, the Chief's family moved to Kwazulu-Natal in 1908. Luthuli trained as a teacher and lay preacher in the Methodist Church. His political activities and defiance brought him into direct conflict with the apartheid government. He was banned from public gatherings and confined to his home. This, however, did not stop him from playing a political role in the country. Throughout his life Chief Luthuli steadfastly believed that a non-racial society in South Africa could be achieved.
uMkhonto We Sizwe claims responsibility for power station blast - 1981
uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), translated as "Spear of the Nation", was the active military wing of the African National Congress (ANC). It was formed in co-operation with the South African Communist Party (SACP) to fight against the apartheid government by means of guerilla attacks. MK was founded soon after the banning of the ANC and its leadership included Arthur Goldreich and Walter Sisulu.The first guerilla attack was launched on 16 December 1961. The headquarters of MK, located in Rivonia, Johannesburg, was raided in 1963. This resulted in the arrest of 19 ANC and MK leaders. The Rivonia Trial followed, in which 10 ANC leaders were tried for sabotage. MK was classified as a terrorist organization by the apartheid government, and was subsequently banned. MK continued to carry out its guerilla attacks, targeting mostly military and infrastructure sites. On 21 July 1981, explosions occurred at two electrical power stations in the Eastern Transvaal, causing several millions Rands worth of damage. MK claimed responsibility for this attack; for the 1982 attack on the Koeberg nuclear power plant, and the 1983 Church Street bombing in which 19 people were killed. MK was disbanded in 1990 and was integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF).
uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), translated as "Spear of the Nation", was the active military wing of the African National Congress (ANC). It was formed in co-operation with the South African Communist Party (SACP) to fight against the apartheid government by means of guerilla attacks. MK was founded soon after the banning of the ANC and its leadership included Arthur Goldreich and Walter Sisulu.The first guerilla attack was launched on 16 December 1961. The headquarters of MK, located in Rivonia, Johannesburg, was raided in 1963. This resulted in the arrest of 19 ANC and MK leaders. The Rivonia Trial followed, in which 10 ANC leaders were tried for sabotage. MK was classified as a terrorist organization by the apartheid government, and was subsequently banned. MK continued to carry out its guerilla attacks, targeting mostly military and infrastructure sites. On 21 July 1981, explosions occurred at two electrical power stations in the Eastern Transvaal, causing several millions Rands worth of damage. MK claimed responsibility for this attack; for the 1982 attack on the Koeberg nuclear power plant, and the 1983 Church Street bombing in which 19 people were killed. MK was disbanded in 1990 and was integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF).