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Adoption of the Freedom Charter by the Congress of the people
As the struggle for freedom reached a new intensity in the early fifties, the ANC saw the need for a clear statement on the future of South Africa. The idea of a Freedom Charter was born, and the Congress of the People Campaign was initiated. Thousands of people participated in the campaign and sent in their demands for the kind of South Africa they wished to live in. These demands found final expression in the Freedom Charter -
Women's March against the Pass Law
The Women's March was a spectacular success. Women from all parts of the country arrived in Pretoria, some from as far afield as Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. They then flocked to the Union Buildings in a determined and orderly manner. It was estimated that 10,000-20,000 women who participated, being the biggest demonstration held yet. -
The Sharpeville Massacre
incident in the black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of blacks, killing or wounding some 250 of them. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. -
The Durban strike
The Durban Strikes were a turning point in the confrontation between the country's minority rulers and the worker majority. Motivated by material need and underpinned by principles of democracy and equality, the strikes conjoined academics, workers and political leaders among others, in a struggle that was to redefine the South African political landscape in the years to follow -
The Student uprising in Soweto
On June 16, 1976, South African police fired on student protesters in Soweto, sparking widespread riots that awakened the dormant anti-apartheid movement. -
The killing of Steven Biko by the South African police
On 12 September 1977, Stephen Bantu Biko died in a prison cell in Pretoria. The announcement of Biko's death by the South African government the next day sparked international and national protest. -
The release of Nelson Mandela from prison
On this day, Nelson Mandela was released unconditionally from prison after 27 years. Accompanied by his wife Winnie, Mandela left the Victor Verster prison (renamed Drakenstein Correctional Centre) on the outskirts of Paarl and was driven 60 km to Cape Town by African National Congress's (ANC) Rose Sonto along a route lined by thousands of supporters. -
Hunger Stike on Robbin Island
Three-hundred and forty-three political prisoners began a hunger strike on Robben Island demanding their release in order to strengthen the bargaining position of the ANC. -
The first democratic election
South Africa’s democratic system was endorsed by voters drawn from across the country’s racial divide in April 1994. Nineteen political parties were registered and participated in the elections in 1994 -
Presentationof the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to president Mandela
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created to investigate gross human rights violations that were perpetrated during the period of the Apartheid regime from 1960 to 1994, including abductions, killings, torture. Its mandate covered both violation by both the state and the liberation movements and allowed the commission to hold special hearings focused on specific sectors, institutions, and individuals.
