The Khoisan were the first inhabitants of southern Africa and one of the earliest distinct groups of Homo sapiens, enduring centuries of gradual dispossession at the hands of every new wave of settlers, including the Bantu, whose descendants make up most of South Africa's black population today.
European contactThe first European settlement in southern Africa was established by the Dutch East India Company in Table Bay (Cape Town) in 1652. Created to supply passing ships with fresh produce, the colony grew rapidly as Dutch farmers settled to grow crops.
1994 in South Africa saw the transition from South Africa's National Party government who had ruled the country since 1948 and had advocated the apartheid system for most of its history, to the African National Congress (ANC) who had been outlawed in South Africa since the 1950s for its opposition to apartheid.
British desire for natural resources, slave labors and political dominance brought about long-term effects to South Africa, the negative effects include widespread racial discrimination and economic exploitation, but there were few positive effects which were the advances in agriculture, mining industry and education.
Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 170,000 years.
About 334,000 men volunteered for full-time service in the South African Army during the war (including some 211,000 white, 77,000 black and 46,000 coloured and Indian servicemen). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has records of 11,023 known South Africans who died during World War II.
To disrupt South African plans to invade South West Africa, the Germans launched a pre-emptive invasion of their own. The Battle of Kakamas, between South African and German forces, took place over the fords at Kakamas, on 4 February 1915.
The war helped build strong African nationalism, which resulted in a common goal for all Africans to fight for their freedom. World War II led to decolonization of Africa by affecting both Europe and Africa militarily, psychologically, politically, and economically.
From April 1916 until the war in Europe ended on 11 November 1918, South Africa fought alongside other Allied nations at battles of the Somme in 1916; Arras, Ypres, and Menin in 1917; and Passchendaele, Messines, Mont Kemmel, and Cambrai in 1918.
Top 10 strongest armies in Africa
- Egypt. Egypt puts itself over the top with regard to military strength due to the sheer size of its armed forces.
- Algeria. Just like its North Africa counterpart, Algeria has managed to use its large maritime border to its advantage.
- South Africa.
- Nigeria.
- Ethiopia.
- Angola.
- Morocco.
- Sudan.
The two European countries who occupied the land were the Netherlands (1652-1795 and 1803-1806) and Great Britain (1795-1803 and 1806-1961). Although South Africa became a Union with its own white people government in 1910, the country was still regarded as a colony of Britain till 1961.
Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)
| Name | "Oranje, Blanje, Blou""Union flag""Apartheid flag" |
| Use | National flag, civil and state ensign |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 31 May 1928 |
| Relinquished | 21 March 1990 (South West Africa/Namibia) 20 April 1994 (South Africa) |
The war began on October 11 1899, following a Boer ultimatum that the British should cease building up their forces in the region. The Boers had refused to grant political rights to non-Boer settlers, known as Uitlanders, most of whom were British, or to grant civil rights to Africans.
In 1914, the Union of South Africa was four years old; its military only two. Prime Minister Botha, seeing global war as a chance for South African expansion, suppressed the 1914 Afrikaner rebellion. South Africa occupied German South West Africa and was proactive in German East Africa.
The country became a fully sovereign nation state within the British Empire, in 1934 following enactment of the Status of the Union Act. The monarchy came to an end on 31 May 1961, replaced by a republic as the consequence of a 1960 referendum, which legitimised the country becoming the Republic of South Africa.
This is a list of wars involving the Union of South Africa and its successor, the Republic of South Africa.
List of wars involving South Africa.
| Conflict | Greek Civil War (1944–1945) |
|---|
| South Africa and allies | Cairo Government United Kingdom South Africa |
|---|
| Opponents | ELAS |
|---|
| Results | Victory Treaty of Varkiza |
|---|
| Prime Minister (1912–94) President (1994–) | Jan Smuts |
|---|
11 to 11 July –
The 2010 FIFA World Cup takes place in South Africa and is won by Spain, with the Netherlands as the runner-up.
Events
- 24 – Advocate Cézanne Visser is sentenced to seven years in prison by the North Gauteng High Court.
- 24 – Nersa grants Eskom a 24.8% fee increase, 25.8% in 2011 and 25.9% in 2012.
1913: Native Land Act, cornerstone of racial segregation, divides South Africa into black and white areas. 1948: National Party wins power and introduces apartheid laws. 1960: Police kill 69 people during anti-apartheid protests at Sharpeville. ANC and Pan Africanist Congress banned.
82 Interesting facts about South Africa
- The longest continuous wine route on earth is found in South Africa.
- It is the largest meat producer in Africa.
- Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on the planet.
- South Africa is the only country in the world where right-hand drive cars are produced by Mercedes Benz.
Sharpeville massacre, (March 21, 1960), incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of Black people, killing or wounding some 250 of them. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa.
The segregation began in 1948 after the National Party came to power. The nationalist political party instituted policies of white supremacy, which empowered white South Africans who descended from both Dutch and British settlers in South Africa while further disenfranchising black Africans.
