As we have celebrated Youth Month in June, let’s take a look at some important dates in South Africa’s political calendar and SA’s human rights journey.
1948 – National Party (NP) introduces apartheid.
1950’s- Race classification and the Group Areas Act. Communist Party is banned. A civil disobedience campaign begins, with Nelson Mandela leading.
1955 – Freedom Charter is launched at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.
1959 – The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) is formed by Robert Mmangaliso Sobukwe.
1960 – 69 people are killed at Sharpeville. The African National Congress (ANC), PAC and other liberation organisations are banned.
1961 – SA is declared a republic and leaves the Commonwealth. Umkhonto WeSizwe is established and a sabotage campaign is launched within the ANC.
1960’s – Growing world pressure over apartheid. SA is excluded from the Olympics.
1964 – Mandela is jailed for life. MK cadre, Vuyisile Mini becomes the first MK soldier to be hanged by the NP apartheid regime.
1966 – HF Verwoerd is assassinated.
1970’s – Millions resettled in Bantustans.
1976 – More than 600 are killed in uprisings that start in Soweto.
1977 – Black Consciousness Movement leader Steve Biko dies in custody.
1978 – PAC founder and its leader Robert Sobukwe dies. MK soldier Solomon Kalushi Khala Mahlangu is sentenced to death.
1969 – Solomon Mahlangu is hanged by the NP government.
1984 to 1989 – Township on fire, hundreds are held and tortured through two states of emergency. 1985 – The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is formed.
1989 – FW de Klerk becomes State President. Public places are desecrated and some ANC prisoners freed. Next week important dates in the 90’s
Philani Hadebe is a freelance journalist who majored in Political Science.
