The Congress of the People took place on the 26th June 1955, in Kliptown, just outside of Johannesburg. Attended by some 3000 people, the aim of the meeting was to discuss the content of the proposed Freedom Charter, with submissions for the document having been received from people all across the country. The Freedom Charter, some of the core tenets … Read more
This past Sunday marked the 105th anniversary of the founding of the ANC. Originally called the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), the political organisation was formed on the 8th January 1912, in response, in part, to the Natives Land Act which once passed into law would create separate reserves for black people, and prohibit … Read more
This year marks 70 years since the signing of the historic Joint Declaration of Cooperation. Commonly referred to as ‘The Three Doctors’ Pact’, the agreement was signed on the 9th March 1947 by Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Yusuf Dadoo, and the then leader of the ANC, Dr Alfred Xuma. The Joint Meeting, which was attended by members of the … Read more
As we’re about to ring in the New Year it seems an appropriate time to tell the story of Donald Woods’ dramatic escape from South Africa some thirty years ago. Woods, editor at the time of the East London-based newspaper, Daily Dispatch, had been issued with a five year banning order after being arrested at the airport trying … Read more
Three years ago this Christmas the movie, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom had its international premier. In an interview with Huffington Post at the time, Saths Cooper reflected on the years that he spent on Robben Island with Mandela, and specifically how they spent the holiday season. Cooper, a member of the Black Consciousness Movement and former resident … Read more
Family members of fourteen political prisoners executed under the apartheid regime will finally have somewhere to visit their loved ones after their bodies were exhumed on Wednesday as part of the country’s Gallows Exhumation Project, led by the Missing Person’s Task Team. The men, who were hung in Pretoria in July 1964, were members of the armed wing of the Pan African … Read more