Historical Context to Luthuli Chronology

While Luthuli himself preferred another spelling and signed his name without an 'h', his surname is very often spelled 'Luthuli'. It is so in his autobiography, which was prepared for publication by non-vernacular-speaking friends.

While noting this, the spelling on this site has not adhered to Luthuli's preference. This choice is in order to facilitate Internet searches, where the more widespread spelling of 'Luthuli' is more likely to be used by visitors.

Mary Benson in her biography notes that Luthuli, although christened Albert John, preferred his Zulu name Mvumbi, which means continuous rain.

1800s - 1890s

1820s
Shaka, the Zulu king, allows a small party of English traders to found a small settlement in the south of his kingdom near present-day Durban.
1836
January
Dr. Newton Adams and Revs. George Champion and Aldin Grout from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission arrive at Dingane's capital.
Rev. Aldin Grout begins work at KwaNginani, but soon leaves to build the officially termed Umvoti Mission Reserve, on a site near the Umvoti River presently known as Groutville.
1860
Albert Luthuli's grandfather, Ntaba Luthuli, who succeeded Rev Grout as head of the mission station, is elected Chief of Groutville.
1892
John Bunyan Luthuli, second son of Ntaba Ntuli and the father of Albert Luthuli, journeys to Matabeleland in the Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and settles at the Solusi Mission Station near Bulawayo.
1895
John Luthuli is joined in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) by his wife, Mtonya.

Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli - Chronology

1898
Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli is born at the Solusi Mission Station near Bulawayo. Mvumbi, his Zulu name, means 'continuous rain'

1900s

1901
Martin Luthuli, older brother of John Luthuli and the uncle of Albert Luthuli, is involved in the founding of the Natal Native Congress
1908
Mtonya Luthuli and the young Albert Luthuli leave Rhodesia and return to the Union of South Africa. Albert joins the household of his uncle Martin Luthuli in Groutville

1910s

1911
Albert Luthuli starts his education at the Groutville School
1913
19 June
The Land Act, Act No 27, is passed. The Act confines Africans to hopelessly overcrowded reserves and deprives them of rights to purchase land outside the native reserves
1914
Having completed Standard Four, Albert Luthuli continues his education at Ohlange Institute 'a boarding school' under Dr. John Dube, the founding President of the South African Native National Council
After only two terms at Ohlange, Albert Luthuli passes the end of year examinations and is transferred to a Methodist Institution at Edendale, near Pietermaritzburg
1917
Albert Luthuli completes a teacher's training course at Edendale and becomes principal and sole staff member of a tiny intermediate school in Blaauwbosch, Natal
1919
The South African Native National Council organises an anti-pass campaign. In Johannesburg alone, 700 arrests are made

1920s

1920
Albert Luthuli attends the Higher Teachers' Training Course at Adams College on a scholarship and joins the staff upon the successful completion of the course.
40 000 African miners strike on the Reef and in Port Elizabeth 21 people are killed by the police.
1921  
Josiah Mqebu succeeds Martin Luthuli as Chief of Groutville
1927
Albert Luthuli marries fellow Adam's College teacher Nokukhanya (�The Bright One') Bhengu, the granddaughter of a hereditary Zulu Chief.
1928
Albert Luthuli is elected Secretary of the African Teachers' Association under the presidency of his friend Z.K. Matthews, principal of Adam's College.
30 April
Josiah Gumede is succeeded by Pixley ka Isaka Seme as African National Congress president. Luthuli commented later: �with his ascendancy, the African National Congress shifted several degrees rightwards into almost total moribundancy

1930s

1933
Albert Luthuli becomes President of the African Teachers' Association.
1935
Albert Luthuli is elected Chief by the people of Groutville Mission Reserve, and he subsequently leaves Adam's College.
December
Calls for a conference of all African organizations by Professor D.D.T. Jabavu results in 400 delegates attending the All-African Convention in Bloemfontein. Albert Luthuli does not attend.
1938
Albert Luthuli visits India as one of several delegates to the International Missionary Conference in Tambaram, Madras, India.

1940s

1941
April
The African National Congress Youth League is formally constituted.
1944
Albert Luthuli joins the African National Congress.
1945
Albert Luthuli is elected to the Executive Committee of the Natal Provincial Division of the African National Congress.
1946
Albert Luthuli becomes the Natal representative on the Native's Representative Council (NRC) following the death of Dr John Dube.
1948
Albert Luthuli attends the North American Missionary Conference and undertakes a lecture tour under the auspices of the American Board and the North American Missionary Conference.

1950s

1951
Albert Luthuli represents Natal at the African National Congress national conference.
23 November
M.B.Yengwa and other members of the Youth League in Natal nominates Albert Luthuli for President of the African National Congress in Natal and Luthuli is subsequently elected to this position. In his address to the Annual Conference of the African National Congress in Natal, Luthuli calls for unity among Africans and redefines the challenges that face them in the light of new pieces of apartheid legislation being introduced by the Malan Government.
1952
6 April
While White South Africans celebrate the three hundredth year anniversary of Jan van Riebeeck's arrival at the Cape, large meetings are held in the country's main centres as a warm up for the Defiance Campaign proper.
31 May
Encouraged by the success of huge rallies organised on 6 April in protest against the Van Riebeeck tercentenary celebrations, the executives of the African National Congress, South African Indian Congress (SAIC) and Franchise Action Council (FRAC) decides that the Defiance Campaign shall commence on 26 June.
November
The Government deposes Albert Luthuli from his Chieftainship. Luthuli issues a public statement entitled ' The Road to Freedom is via the Cross'
December
Albert Luthuli elected President-General at the African National Congress' annual conference.
1953
Under the Internal Security (Suppression of Communism) Act, Act No 44, Albert Luthuli is banned for one year from attending any political or public gatherings and prohibited from entering any major city.
January
The Defiance Campaign of 1952 formally ends.

Albert Luthuli visits the Cape to attend the Executive of the Christian Council, which gives him his first opportunity to visit Congress branches outside Natal.
21 February
Albert Luthuli opens the 6th Annual Conference of the Natal Indian Congress in Durban with the speech ' Let us march together to freedom'
June
In ' A message to the African people and their allies in the struggle for freedom in the Union of South Africa', Albert Luthuli introduces the campaign to make ordinary Black people more aware of their political situation and attempts to bridge the gap between the educated and the uneducated.
August
At the African National Congress Cape provincial congress, Professor Z.K. Matthews suggests the summoning of a national convention at which all groups might be represented to consider the country's national problems on an all-inclusive basis in order to draw up a Freedom Charter for a Democratic South Africa.
18 December - 20 December
The African National Congress' 42nd Annual Conference is held in Queenstown. The Conference endorses the idea of an assembly of the people.
1954
The ban on Albert Luthuli expires and is not immediately re-imposed.
Albert Luthuli opens the conference of the Natal Indian Congress in Durban.
23 March
The executives of the African National Congress, South African Indian Congress, Congress of Democrats and the South African Coloured People's Organisation meet at Tongaat near Durban and decide to establish a National Action Council for the Congress of the People.
27 June
A 'Resist Apartheid' conference is held in Johannesburg, and the day is declared one of 'Solidarity with the Western Areas'. In his speech Albert Luthuli calls for the enrolment of 50 000 'Freedom Volunteers'.
11 July
While on his way to address a protest meeting in Johannesburg, Albert Luthuli is served with a banning order as he steps off a plane.
5 September
Albert Luthuli delivers the speech �The Challenge of our Time' to the first Natal Congress of the People held in Durban. It is subsequently cited in the Treason Trial.
November
Nearly the entire Natal Indian Congress executive, elected at the end of 1953, is banned.
1955
Albert Luthuli defines the reasons for the African National Congress' demands for universal suffrage in the speech 'What is aimed at the African people'.
May
An effective protest strike of Coloured people, supported by Africans and Indians, takes place in Port Elizabeth and the South Western Cape. It is directed against the National Party's intention to remove Coloureds from the Common Electoral Roll.
25 June - 26 June
The Freedom Charter is adopted by the Congress of the People at Kliptown, Johannesburg. Albert Luthuli is given the title, Isitwalandwe ('Wearer of the feather of Indwe' a rare legendary bird), traditionally only conferred on the greatest of warriors.
August
The executives of the African National Congress, South African Indian Congress, the Congress of Democrats and South African Coloured People's Organisation recommend the adoption of the Freedom Charter by each of their respective Congresses. A 'million signature' campaign is conceived to popularise the Charter and the 10 000 'Freedom Volunteers' succeeds in collecting nearly 100 000 signatures to the Charter, half of them in the Transvaal.
16 December - 18 December
Albert Luthuli delivers his presidential address to the 44th Annual Congress of the African National Congress in Bloemfontein
1956
In Albert Luthuli's report entitled 'The struggle must go on' to the Annual Provincial Conference of the African National Congress in Natal, he introduces the idea of supporting boycotts and civil disobedience.
5 May - 6 May
At the Natal Indian Congress consultation in Durban, Albert Luthuli criticises the recent Tomlinson Report for 'shamefully ignoring to face the important and urgent question of the inadequacy of land set aside for Africans'.
July
Second banning order on Albert Luthuli expires.
5 December
Albert Luthuli is arrested in Groutville on a charge of high treason.
1957
27 May
In a letter to the Prime Minister, J.G.Strijdom, Albert Luthuli defines the aims and objectives of the African National Congress and its belief in a common society and suggests that a national convention be held.
26 June
A fairly successful one-day stay-at-home of workers is held and 65 treason trialists, including Albert Luthuli, are discharged.
1958
Albert Luthuli delivers a speech entitled 'Our vision is a Democratic Society' to a meeting organised by the Congress of Democrats in Johannesburg.
Albert Luthuli opens the Transvaal Conference of the Liberal Party.
February
The then Minister of Native Affairs, H.F. Verwoerd draws up a proclamation that will give him the power to ban the African National Congress anywhere under his jurisdiction and forwards it to the Governor-General for signature.
April
In an open letter to White voters in 1958, Albert Luthuli states the aim of the African National Congress to be 'a common South African multiracial society, based upon friendship, quality of rights and mutual respect'.
3 September
H.F. Verwoerd assumes the office of Prime Minister following the death of J.G. Strijdom.
2 November
Robert Sobukwe breaks away from the African National Congress to form the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC).
1959
25 May
Albert Luthuli is served with his third banning order, which prohibits him from attending any meeting anywhere in South Africa and from leaving his home district for five years.

1960s

1960
7 April
The Extension of University Education Amendment Act, Act No 34, bans Black students from attending white universities.
1961
15 March
Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd withdraws South Africa's application for continued membership of the Commonwealth following bitter opposition in the Conference of Commonwealth Ministers.
29 March
Twenty-eight persons, including Albert Luthuli and Walter Sisulu, on trial for high treason since 1956, are found not guilty and discharged. The three judges of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg unanimously find there is no evidence of communist infiltration into the African National Congress. Hours later the Government retaliates by renewing the ban on the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress for another year.
October
Albert Luthuli is informed that he has been awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize for Peace for his 'fight against racial discrimination' through non-violent means. Luthuli is the first African to win the prize.
5 December
Albert Luthuli and his wife boards a plane in Durban to be flown to Oslo via London to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 1960.
10 December
Wearing a Chief's ceremonial garb, Albert Luthuli receives the Nobel Peace Prize in the presence of King Olaf of Norway, many diplomats and other dignitaries and is given a standing ovation. In his acceptance speech, Albert Luthuli declares: 'I regard this as a tribute to Mother Africa, to all peoples, whatever their race, colour or creed'.
11 December
Albert Luthuli delivers his Nobel Peace Prize address entitled 'Africa and Freedom' and pays tribute to the late Dag Hammarskjöld, 'a distinguished world citizen and fighter for peace,' to whom the Nobel Peace Prize for 1961 was awarded. At the conclusion of his address, Albert Luthuli sings the liberation anthem Nkosi Sikel'I iAfrika and all the assembly soon joins in singing or humming the anthem.
1962
1 February
A statement entitled 'We don't want crumbs' appears in New Age. In the statement Albert Luthuli unequivocally rejects the Government's homelands policy.
October
Albert Luthuli is elected rector by the students of Glasgow University in recognition of his 'dignity and restraint' in 'a potentially inflammatory situation'.
10 December
Albert Luthuli and Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. issue a joint statement 'Appeal for Action Against Apartheid'
1964
May
Minister of Justice, John (B.J.) Vorster, serves Albert Luthuli with yet another five-year ban confining him to his home in Groutville.
12 June
In a statement issued following the imposition of life sentences on Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and six others after the Rivonia Trial, Albert Luthuli declares: 'The African National Congress never abandoned its method of militant, non-violent struggle�However, in the face of the uncompromising White refusal to abandon a policy which denies the African and other oppressed South Africans their rightful heritage freedom - no one can blame brave, just men for seeking justice by use of violent methods; nor could they be blamed if they tried to create an organised force in order to establish ultimately peace and racial harmony'.
1967
21 July
Albert Luthuli is killed after being struck by a train on a narrow railway bridge near his home in Groutville.
23 July
3 000 people gather in the church at Groutville to attend Luthuli's memorial service and to see Mrs Nokukhanya Luthuli unveil the memorial stone which has been erected on his grave.