This day in history

Field-Cornet Jan Potgieter’s commando burns Chief Sikhobobo’s kraal at Qulusini

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Under orders from Commandant-General Louis Botha, Field-Cornet Jan Potgieter's commando burned Chief Sikhobobo's kraal at Qulusini, looted cattle and grain, and drove the inhabitants towards Vryheid. This attack on the Qulusi was avenged within five days. Sikhobobo informed the magistrate at Vryheid, A. J. Shepstone, that he was taking a party of men outside the town to try to recover some of his stolen cattle. That night a Qulusi impi of 300 men attacked a commando of seventy Boers under Field-Cornet Jan Potgieter laagered at Holkrans (Ntatshana), some twenty kilometres north of Vryheid. The impi surrounded the Boer laager intending to surprise them but a premature shot gave the Boers some warning. Nevertheless the Zulus used the darkness to creep in close, practically wiping out the commando. In this attack 56 Boers, most of them local farmers, were killed and 3 taken prisoner while all the cattle at the camp were driven off. The Zulu impi suffered the loss of 52 killed and 48 wounded.

Jacob Zuma found not guilty of rape

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On this day, the Johannesburg High Court found Jacob Zuma not guilty of raping an HIV-positive woman at his home in Johannesburg.[1] End Notes [1] Zuma found not guilty, https://mg.co.za/article/2006-05-08-zuma-found-not-guilty (8 April 2017). ↵

The use of Dutch is ratified in the Cape parliament

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In 1873 the Dutch language was accepted in the Cape Parliament. This was subsequent to a petition that was submitted to parliament by the District of Albert (Burgersdorp) in 1857. The petition served as a formal plea for the use of both Dutch and English languages. The petition was finally ratified by the Cape Parliament in 1873. The First and Second Boer Wars reinforced the position of Afrikaans for after the war culminated; a new upsurge emerged to establish Afrikaans as an official language. This was known as the Second Afrikaans Language Movement. When the Union of South Africa was established in 1910, Dutch became an official language alongside English. On 5 May 1925,  Afrikaans was subsumed under Dutch and thus obtained official recognition. In addition, the first Afrikaans newspaper, magazine and literary texts were published in 1875 by the Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners (Society for Real Afrikaners) in Cape Town.

Dr David Webster, a social anthropologist at Wits University and political activist, is shot dead outside his home

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David Joseph Webster was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1945. He became involved in politics while studying at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in South Africa. He studied Anthropology at the University of Grahamstown and later went on to teach the subject at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).   While studying at Rhodes University, Webster became involved in politics. He was active in the anti-apartheid movement, especially in the Detainees’ Parents’ Support Committee (DPSC). The aim of the committee was to support those who the apartheid government had detained without trial. Webster was gunned down outside his house by Ferdi Barnard on instruction of the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a  government agency. In 1992, Wits University named a new hall of residence for students after him.

First celebration of May Day in South Africa

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On 1 May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day (effectively a May Day holiday). Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party and other labour movements in the struggle against Apartheid.  May Day, as we know it refers to various socialist and labour movement celebrations conducted on 1 May. May Day was born from the industrial struggle for an eight-hour day. Origins of May Day International working classes have existed since the development of agriculture, about ten thousand years ago. Serfs, slaves, trades people and others were forced to turn over the fruits of their labour to an exploiting class. But the modern working class, whose exploitation is hidden by the wage system, is only several hundred years old. Men, women and children forced to work long hours in miserable conditions just to eke out a living. These conditions gave rise to demands for limitations on the working day. Utopian socialist, Robert Owen of England, had raised the demand for a ten-hour day as early as 1810, and instituted it in his socialist enterprise at New Lanark. For the rest of the English workers, progress was slower. Women and children were only granted a ten-hour day in 1847. French worker's demand for a 12-hour day was granted after the February revolution of 1848. In the United States, where May Day was born, Philadelphia carpenters campaigned for a ten-hour day in 1791. By the 1830s, this had become a general demand. In 1835, workers in Philadelphia organised a general strike, led by Irish coal heavers. Their banners read, "From 6 to 6, ten hours work and two hours for meals." From 1830 to 1860, the average work day had dropped from 12 hours to 11 hours. Already in this period, the demand for an eight-hour day was being raised. In 1836, after succeeding in attaining the ten-hour day in Philadelphia, the National Laborer declared: "We have no desire to perpetuate the ten-hour system, for we believe that eight hours' daily labor is more than enough for any man to perform." At the 1863 convention of the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' Union, the eight-hour day was declared a top priority. The heart of the movement was in Chicago, organised mainly by the International Working Peoples' Association. Did you know? May Day is not only celebrated everywhere as a 'workers day'. The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries. Many pre-Christian indigenous celebrations were eventually banned or Christianised during the process of Christianisation in Europe. As a result, a more secular version of the holiday continued to be observed in the schools and churches of Europe well into the 20th century. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of May. Today various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on 1 May. The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring (season), May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors' doorsteps. Business and the state reacted to the rapidly growing militant movement by increasing its support to the police and the militia. Local business in Chicago purchased a $2 000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to use against strikers. On 3 May 1886 police fired into a crowd of striking workers, killing four and wounding many. This uproar was carried out against the backdrop of the Civil War, which marked the abolition of slavery and the opening of the Southern states to free-labour capitalism. A few years later, in 1872, a hundred thousand workers in New York City struck and won the eight-hour day, mostly for building trades workers. It was in this protracted campaign for an eight-hour day that May Day was born. The movement for the eight-hour day was linked to the date of 1 May at an 1884 convention of the three-year-old Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada, the forerunner of the American Federation of Labor. Five years later, in 1889 over 400 delegates met in Paris on the 100th anniversary of the French revolution at the Marxist International Socialist Congress. The congress passed a resolution calling for an international demonstration to campaign for an eight-hour day. It was resolved to hold the demonstration on 1 May 1890 in keeping with the American Federation of Labour's 1886 demonstrations of 1 May. The call was a resounding success. On 1 May 1890, May Day demonstrations took place in the United States and most countries in Europe. Demonstrations were also held in Chile and Peru. In Havana, Cuba, workers marched demanding an eight-hour working day, equal rights for all and working-class unity. Although the 1889 resolution called for a once-off demonstration on 1 May, the day quickly became an annual event. Throughout the world workers in more countries marked the celebration of labourers rights on May Day. May Day was celebrated for the first time in Russia, Brazil and Ireland in 1891. By 1904 the Second International called on all socialists and trade unionists in every country to "demonstrate energetically" annually on 1 May "for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." Chinese workers celebrated their first May Day in 1920, following the Russian socialist revolution. In 1927, workers in India observed May Day with demonstrations in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. By that time, May Day was truly a world workers' day. Ironically, while May Day gained momentum across the world it lost steam in the United States where the celebration originated. Today May Day is celebrated as a public holiday throughout most countries with the exception of the United States, because of the holiday's association with Communism. Mayday has been celebrated unofficially in South Africa since the 1980s. However, 1 May only became an officially recognised public holiday after the democratic elections of 1994. South Africa's mining industry's history and the development of strong Trade Unions and communist ideologies has largely determined the country's labour history and the workers struggle. Below are some links to important features and sources on this history.

Nelson Mandela is escorted out of Umlazi stadium after shots are fired

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President Nelson Mandela addressed a May Day rally at Umlazi Stadium. He was escorted from the stadium in an armoured car when shots were fired from a hill. He warned that grants to KwaZulu-Natal may be stopped if it resisted government as Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi had threatened.

Anti-apartheid activist Dr. David Webster is assassinated

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David Webster, a social anthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand and an anti-apartheid activist is shot dead by apartheid security forces. Ferdi Barnard was accused of killing him. David Webster was assassinated outside his home in Johannesburg.

Wiehahn Commission Report tabled in parliament

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On 1 May 1979, the first interim report of the Wiehahn Commission is tabled in Parliament. The Wiehahn Commission was set up by the government after the Durban strikes of 1973 and the Soweto uprisings of 1976 to look at industrial relations system in South Africa. Two years later the commission made recommendations that the Labour Relations act be amended to grant Black trade unions legal recognition and encourage them to register. The Wiehahn commission believed that these reforms were necessary to control the proliferation of Black trade unions in the 1970s. Its recommendations were that government makes sweeping changes to include the following: Legal recognition of Black trade unions and migrant workers Abolition of statutory job reservation Retention of the closed shop bargaining system The creation of a National Manpower Commission, and The introduction of an Industrial Court to resolve industrial litigation Because the report recommended reforms that would increase the political rights and political participation of Black South Africans in the economy and politics of the country, the report was welcomed in trade union and business circles. However, Black trade unions were still required to register with the state. The apartheid government used this registration process as a tool to maintain control, and its suppression of Black trade unions continued albeit in a more constrained political environment. However, the legal recognition of Black trade unions made them more effective as they could organize more easily and it extended the rights of workers.

International celebration of ‘May Day’

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On 1 May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day (effectively a May Day holiday). Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party and other labour movements in the struggle against apartheid.  May Day, as we know it, refers to various international socialist and labour movement celebrations conducted on 1 May. May Day was born from the international industrial struggle for an eight-hour day. Origins of May Day International working classes have existed since the development of agriculture, which began about ten thousand years ago. Serfs, slaves, trades people and others had been forced to turn over the fruits of their labour to an exploiting class. However, the modern working class, whose exploitation is hidden by the wage system, has only existed for several hundred years. Men, women and children were therefore forced to work long hours in miserable conditions just to eke out a living. These conditions gave rise to demands for limitations on the working day. Utopian socialist, Robert Owen of England, had raised the demand for a ten-hour day as early as 1810, and instituted it in his socialist enterprise at New Lanark. For the rest of the English workers, progress was slower. Women and children were only granted a ten-hour day in 1847. French workers demands for a 12-hour day were granted after the February revolution of 1848. In the United States, where May Day was born, Philadelphia carpenters campaigned for a ten-hour day in 1791. By the 1830s, this had become a general demand and in 1835, workers in Philadelphia organised a general strike, led by Irish coal heavers. Their banners read, "From 6 to 6, ten hours work and two hours for meals." From 1830 to 1860, the average work day had dropped from 12 hours to 11 hours. During this period, the demand for an eight-hour day was raised. In 1836, after succeeding in attaining the ten-hour day in Philadelphia, the National Laborer declared: "We have no desire to perpetuate the ten-hour system, for we believe that eight hours' daily labor is more than enough for any man to perform." At the 1863 convention of the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' Union, the eight-hour day was declared a top priority. The heart of the movement was in Chicago, and was organised mainly by the International Working Peoples' Association. Businesses and the state reacted to the rapidly growing militant movement by increasing its support to the police and the militia. Local business in Chicago even purchased a $2 000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to use against strikers. On 3 May 1886, police fired into a crowd of striking workers, killing four and wounding many. This uproar was carried out against the backdrop of the Civil War, which marked the abolition of slavery and the opening of the Southern states to free-labour capitalism. A few years later, in 1872, a hundred thousand workers in New York City went on strike and won the eight-hour day, mostly for building trades workers. It was in this protracted campaign for an eight-hour day that May Day was born. The movement for the eight-hour day was linked to the date of 1 May at an 1884 convention of the three-year-old Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada, the forerunner of the American Federation of Labor. Five years later, in 1889 over 400 delegates met in Paris on the 100th anniversary of the French revolution at the Marxist International Socialist Congress. The congress passed a resolution calling for an international demonstration to campaign for an eight-hour day. It was resolved to hold the demonstration on 1 May 1890 in keeping with the American Federation of Labour's 1886 demonstrations of 1 May. The call was a resounding success. On 1 May 1890, May Day demonstrations took place in the United States, and in most European countries. Demonstrations were also held in Chile and Peru. In Havana, Cuba, workers marched demanding an eight-hour working day, equal rights for all and working-class unity. Although the 1889 resolution called for a once-off demonstration on 1 May, the day quickly became an annual event. Throughout the world workers in more countries marked the celebration of labourer's rights on May Day. May Day was celebrated for the first time in Russia, Brazil and Ireland in 1891. By 1904 the Second International called on all socialists and trade unionists in every country to "demonstrate energetically" on 1 May "for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." Chinese workers celebrated their first May Day in 1920, following the Russian socialist revolution. In 1927, workers in India observed May Day with demonstrations in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. By that time, May Day was truly a world workers' day. Ironically, while May Day gained momentum across the world it lost steam in the United States where the celebration originated. Today May Day is celebrated as a public holiday throughout most countries with the exception of the United States, because of the holiday's association with Communism. Mayday has been celebrated unofficially in South Africa since the 1980s. However, 1 May only became an officially recognised public holiday after the democratic elections in 1994. South Africa's mining industry's history, and the development of strong Trade Unions and communist ideologies, has largely determined the country's labour history and the workers struggle. Did you know? May Day is not only celebrated everywhere as a 'workers day'. The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries. Many pre-Christian indigenous celebrations were eventually banned or Christianised during the process of Christianisation in Europe. As a result, a more secular version of the holiday continued to be observed in the schools and churches of Europe well into the 20th century. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of May. Today various Neo- Pagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on 1 May. This day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of spring, May 1 was the first day of summer. Therefore, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps. Related: A feature on South African labour history.

Van Riebeeck establishes the first burgher commando

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Jan van Riebeeck established the Burgher Militia a few days before a Khoi-Khoi (Hottentot) rising, sometimes called the 'First Hottentot War' (though it was rather a series of skirmishes), started at the Cape. This was in line with an instruction by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) that every freeman should be trained to handle fire-arms. The company, under Sergeant Steven Jansz Botma and Corporals Herman Remajenne and Wouter Cornelisz Mostert, paraded at the fort every Sunday morning. The Burgher Militia acted at first only in support of the garrison, consisting of professional soldiers, but later developed into burgher commandoes who bound themselves together for protection against cattle-thieves and acted without the help of troops, but with ammunition provided by the government.

May Day

On 1 May, South Africa will enjoy Worker's Day (effectively a May Day holiday). Worker's Day celebrates the role played by Trade Unions, the Communist Party and other labour movements in the struggle against Apartheid. 

May Day, as we know it refers to various socialist and labour movement celebrations conducted on 1 May. May Day was born from the industrial struggle for an eight-hour day.

Origins of May Day

International working classes have existed since the development of agriculture, about ten thousand years ago. Serfs, slaves, trades people and others were forced to turn over the fruits of their labour to an exploiting class. But the modern working class, whose exploitation is hidden by the wage system, is only several hundred years old. Men, women and children forced to work long hours in miserable conditions just to eke out a living.

These conditions gave rise to demands for limitations on the working day. Utopian socialist, Robert Owen of England, had raised the demand for a ten-hour day as early as 1810, and instituted it in his socialist enterprise at New Lanark. For the rest of the English workers, progress was slower. Women and children were only granted a ten-hour day in 1847.

French worker's demand for a 12-hour day was granted after the February revolution of 1848.

In the United States, where May Day was born, Philadelphia carpenters campaigned for a ten-hour day in 1791. By the 1830s, this had become a general demand. In 1835, workers in Philadelphia organised a general strike, led by Irish coal heavers. Their banners read, "From 6 to 6, ten hours work and two hours for meals." From 1830 to 1860, the average work day had dropped from 12 hours to 11 hours.

Already in this period, the demand for an eight-hour day was being raised. In 1836, after succeeding in attaining the ten-hour day in Philadelphia, the National Laborer declared: "We have no desire to perpetuate the ten-hour system, for we believe that eight hours' daily labor is more than enough for any man to perform."

At the 1863 convention of the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' Union, the eight-hour day was declared a top priority. The heart of the movement was in Chicago, organised mainly by the International Working Peoples' Association.

Did you know?

May Day is not only celebrated everywhere as a 'workers day'. The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries. Many pre-Christian indigenous celebrations were eventually banned or Christianised during the process of Christianisation in Europe. As a result, a more secular version of the holiday continued to be observed in the schools and churches of Europe well into the 20th century. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of May. Today various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on 1 May.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring (season), May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors' doorsteps.

Business and the state reacted to the rapidly growing militant movement by increasing its support to the police and the militia. Local business in Chicago purchased a $2 000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to use against strikers. On 3 May 1886 police fired into a crowd of striking workers, killing four and wounding many.

This uproar was carried out against the backdrop of the Civil War, which marked the abolition of slavery and the opening of the Southern states to free-labour capitalism.

A few years later, in 1872, a hundred thousand workers in New York City struck and won the eight-hour day, mostly for building trades workers. It was in this protracted campaign for an eight-hour day that May Day was born.

The movement for the eight-hour day was linked to the date of 1 May at an 1884 convention of the three-year-old Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada, the forerunner of the American Federation of Labor.

Five years later, in 1889 over 400 delegates met in Paris on the 100th anniversary of the French revolution at the Marxist International Socialist Congress. The congress passed a resolution calling for an international demonstration to campaign for an eight-hour day. It was resolved to hold the demonstration on 1 May 1890 in keeping with the American Federation of Labour's 1886 demonstrations of 1 May.

The call was a resounding success. On 1 May 1890, May Day demonstrations took place in the United States and most countries in Europe. Demonstrations were also held in Chile and Peru. In Havana, Cuba, workers marched demanding an eight-hour working day, equal rights for all and working-class unity.

Although the 1889 resolution called for a once-off demonstration on 1 May, the day quickly became an annual event. Throughout the world workers in more countries marked the celebration of labourers rights on May Day.

May Day was celebrated for the first time in Russia, Brazil and Ireland in 1891. By 1904 the Second International called on all socialists and trade unionists in every country to "demonstrate energetically" annually on 1 May "for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace."

Chinese workers celebrated their first May Day in 1920, following the Russian socialist revolution. In 1927, workers in India observed May Day with demonstrations in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. By that time, May Day was truly a world workers' day.

Ironically, while May Day gained momentum across the world it lost steam in the United States where the celebration originated. Today May Day is celebrated as a public holiday throughout most countries with the exception of the United States, because of the holiday's association with Communism.

Mayday has been celebrated unofficially in South Africa since the 1980s. However, 1 May only became an officially recognised public holiday after the democratic elections of 1994. South Africa's mining industry's history and the development of strong Trade Unions and communist ideologies has largely determined the country's labour history and the workers struggle. Below are some links to important features and sources on this history.

 

Feature:

South Africa's Labour history | link

A book: A Place in the City - Luli Callinicos | link

A book: Gold & Workers - Luli Callinicos | link

A book: Working Life - Luli Callinicos | link