History of South Africa

Important finds were made, that prove that anthropoids were present in a number of caves in South Africa as far back as three millions years ago. In Langebaan 117,000 years old footprints have been found of Homo Sapiens, making it the oldest footprints in the world.

Ten thousand years ago groups of San lived in South Africa. The San were hunters and foragers. The San as individual groups have entirely disappeared with the arrival of the white colonists. The only thing left from their culture are rock paintins and reliefs. Also the Khoikhoi were later massacred by the colonists or were turned into slaves.

South African history in a nutshell

100.000 BC - San settled in South Africa

500 AD -  Bantu-speaking people arrive in present KwaZulu-Natal

1487 - Bartholomeu Dias sails around Cape of Good Hope

1500 - Basotho settle in present Lesotho

1652 - Jan van Riebeeck arrives in Table Bay (Cape Town)

1688 - French Huguenots arrive in the Cape

1690 - The Trekboers settle around present Cape Town

1750 - Nguni establish Swaziland

1779 - The Trekboers fight Xhosa at Groot-Vis River

1795 - The British conquer Cape Town

1815 - Shaka assumes into power, start of forced migration

1820 – British settlers arrive in Eastern Cape

1834 – The Trekboers start their big trek

1838 - De Trekboers defeat the Zulu's in the Battle at Ncome

1852 - The Boeren Republic of Transvaal is established

1858 - De British defeat the Xhosa after a rash profecy

1868 – The British claim Basotholand

1868- First diamonds are found in Kimberley

1874 – Gold is discovered on several locations in Transvaal

1877 - British annex Transvaal

1881 – The Trekboers defeat the British and Transvaal becomes the South African Republic

1893 - Mohandas Ghandi arrives in Natal

1897 - Zululand is annexed by the British

1899 – Start of the Second Boer War

1902 - End of the Second Boer War

1910 – Agreement to the Consitution for the Union of South Africa

1912 – Foundation of the South African Native National Congress (later ANC)

1927 – Racial segregation enforced in many urban areas

1939 – South Africa declares war on Germany

1948 - Nasionale Party assumes power

1950 - Communisme prohibited

1952 - Defiance Campaign

1955 - Freedom Charter adopted by ANC

1959 – Foundation of Pan African Congress (PAC)

1960 – Police shoots and kills 69 protesters in Sharpeville

1961 – South Africa becomes a Republic, outside the British Commonwealth

1963 - Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu are imprisoned, among many others

1966 - Lesotho becomes independent

1968 - Swaziland becomes independent

1975 – South Africa invades Angola

1976 – Start of rebellion in Sowetho

1977 - Steve Biko is killed

1985 – state of emergency declared by government

1990 - The ban on the ANC is lifted

1992 - National referendum on reform politics

1994 - ANC wins the first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela inaugurated as President

1997 - Thabo Mbeki succeeds Nelson Mandela

2001 - Mbeki rejects calls to declare state of emergency, while an estimated 4.7 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS

For more history of South Africa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa/History