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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Childhood in the Eastern CapeNelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the son of Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Henry Mgadla Mandela, a chief and chief councillor to the paramount chief of the Thembu and a member of the Madiba clan. Mandela's original name was Rolihlahla, which literally means …

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Editorial register · B-0065300

This day in history · 21 July

1967Chief Albert Luthuli, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of the ANC, is killed in Groutville

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Featured biographies

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Feature biographies

Advocate George Bizos

15 November 1927 – 9 September 2020

George Bizos was born in 1927 in Vasilitsi, near Koroni in the south of Greece. During World War II, when the Germans occupied Greece in 1941, the…

Feature biographies

Ahmed Mohamed "Kathy" Kathrada

21 August 1929 – 28 March 2017

Ahmed Mohamed "Kathy" Kathrada was born on 21 August 1929, to Indian immigrant parents in Schweizer Reneke, a small town in Western Transvaal [now…

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Govan Mbeki

09-July-1910 – 30 August 2001

Govan Mbeki (Oom Gov) joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the 1950's and remained a communist and a firm believer in the superior…

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Andrew Mokete Mlangeni

6 June 1925 – 21 July 2020

Andrew Mokete Mlangeni was born on 6 June 1925 on a farm in the Bethlehem, Orange Free State (now Free State Province) district, as one of a twin (he…

Feature biographies

Walter Ulyate Sisulu

18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003

Walter Ulyate Max Sisulu was born in the village of Qutubeni in the Engcobo district of the Transkei on 18 May 1912. Sisulu was born out of wedlock…

Feature biographies

Satyandranath “Mac” Maharaj

22 April 1935

Mac Maharaj was born on the 22 April 1935, the fourth of the eight children of Mr and Mrs NR Maharaj of Newcastle, Natal. He matriculated at St…

Featured SAHO articles

These are the latest of our articles.

Colonial history of Nelspruit

Nelspruit lies in the Lowveld, in the valley of the Crocodile River just below the great eastern escarpment of the Transvaal.

Updated: 21 Jul 2026 · Created: 29 Mar 2011

Learning about history through people: oral history

People as historical sourcesPeople can be great sources of information. By speaking to people we can learn about the past.

Updated: 20 Jul 2026 · Created: 11 Jan 2016

History of Slavery and early colonisation in SA timeline 1602-1841

1602 Chamber Representatives of the Netherlands Parliament grant a founding charter to the Dutch East India Company to establish an Indian...

Updated: 20 Jul 2026 · Created: 31 Mar 2011

The Freedom Charter Campaign

The adoption of the Freedom Charter by the Congress of the People was widely recognised both in South Africa and internationally as an event of major...

Updated: 20 Jul 2026 · Created: 31 Mar 2011

The death of Samora Machel

This feature celebrates Samora Machel and examines the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death and acknowledges the contribution that he made...

Updated: 20 Jul 2026 · Created: 3 Apr 2011