Building the Present St Cyprian's – 1913

The foundation stone of the present St Cyprian's was laid on 5 March 1907 by the Right Reverend William Thomas Gaul, Bishop of Mashonaland and a former Rector of St Cyprian's. Architect Arthur Lindley designed the new church in the Gothic Revival tradition, in association with Kimberley architect D. W. Greatbatch. Its pointed arches, tall windows, substantial masonry and long nave created a church building deliberately reminiscent of the great Anglican churches of Britain.

Construction proceeded in stages. The completed nave was dedicated on 13 May 1908, allowing the congregation to move from the old iron church into the imposing new building. The cathedral that visitors see today, however, was not completed all at once. Like many of Kimberley's historic buildings, it evolved over decades as succeeding generations added to the original structure.

Lord Alfred Milner, British Colonial Secretary, dies - 1925

Lord Alfred Milner, a career diplomat in the British Foreign Office in the late 19th century and early 20th century, died in Canterbury, England. Milner came to South Africa in 1902 to oversee the transition to the Union of South Africa, which became a reality in 1910. Milner arrived in South Africa soon after the South African War of 1899 to 1902 (also referred to as the Anglo- Boer War). His mission was to reconcile the British and the Afrikaners and ensure that they would cooperate in establishing a unified state with a single government. This became a delicate issue to resolve.

The Afrikaner, though defeated in the war, felt that they were not completely vanquished. The terms of surrender that they proposed envisaged their republics remaining independent of British control after the formation of the Union. Milner arrived at a compromise. The Transvaal and Orange Free State were allowed to have responsible government in 1906, in preparation for a national election to be held in 1910.   Milner’s administration played a critical role in shaping the constitution of the envisaged Union of South Africa even before it was passed into an Act of Parliament. The Union of South Africa Bill was completed in 1909 and sent to England for discussion in the British Parliament. The Bill provided for the establishment of a unitary state that would exclude blacks (Africans, Coloureds and Indians) from the political process. Despite vociferous opposition from blacks, the Bill was passed, becoming the Union of South Africa Act of 1910. Soon after, Milner returned to England, and Lord Gladstone replaced him as British Governor.

Dipuo Peters is born in 1960

Former Premier of the Northern Cape Province and member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC Women's League, Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, was born in the Kimberley Diamond Fields region. 

PAC leader Robert Sobukwe is released - 1969

Pan-Africanist Congress leader Robert Sobukwe was arrested after the Sharpeville anti-pass campaign of 1960 and harshly sentenced to three years in prison. At the end of his sentence, Parliament enacted a General Law Amendment Act, which empowered the Minister of Justice to detain any political prisoner indefinitely. Subsequently, Sobukwe was moved to Robben Island, where he remained for an additional six years. The Minister of Justice, Jimmy Kruger, announced that Sobukwe was being released from detention on 13 May 1969. On his release, Sobukwe was allowed to join his family in Galeshewe, Kimberley. However, he still remained under twelve-hour house arrest under the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950. As a result of the banning order, Sobukwe was prohibited from taking part in political activities and could not be quoted by anyone or in the press. During his incarceration, Sobukwe earned an Honours Degree in Economics from the University of London and began studying for a Law Degree. He died in 1978 at Kimberley Hospital. The Hospital was renamed Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in September 2018.