Cecil John Rhodes, prime minister of the Cape Colony, was severely censured for his involvement in the infamous Jameson Raid and forced to resign by the British government. The raid failed because of swift reaction by the forces of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR or Transvaal Republic). The operation was further doomed when an intended rise by Uitlanders on the Witwatersrand was called off shortly before Jameson's invasion. *The 2 & 7 January are given by other sources.
6 January 1896
Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign

- Updated
- 30 Sep 2019

How we know this
- 01Kruger, D.W. (ed) (1972). Dictionary of South African Biography, Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council, v. 3, p.712.
- 02South Africa Holiday, 'Cecil John Rhodes', from South Africa Holiday, [online], available at www.southafricaholiday.org.uk [Accessed: 04 January 2010]
- 03Archives Hub (1893-1903), 'Administrative/Biographical History', from Archives Hub, [online], Available at archiveshub.ac.uk [Accessed 23 August, 2011]
Last updated · 30 Sep 2019
South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011167
South African History Online (2011) 'Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011167 (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
South African History Online, Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011167, (accessed 20 October 2026).
"Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011167. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "Cecil John Rhodes is forced to resign." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011167.
Also on 6 January
- 1688A Dutch ship, the Rosenberg, carrying Huguenots, leaves for the Cape from the Netherlands
- 1906Walter Battiss is born in Somerset East
- 1960Harold Macmillan begins his “winds of change” tour of Africa
- 1978Daily Dispatch editor, Donald Woods, arrives in Britain with his family
- 1995Joe Slovo dies
- 2002ANC celebrates 90th anniversary
- 2005Makgatho Mandela dies
Further reading
Cecil John Rhodes
Llandudno
Ixopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal- Midlands
Statue Of Cecil John Rhodes, in the Company's Gardens
Rhodes University, Grahamstown
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