History
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From numbers to names: How indenture stories reclaim identity
As Indian Arrival Day marks the landing of the SS Truro in 1860, descendants of indentured labourers are reclaiming their ancestral stories and identities from the erasure of…
Shining a royal torch on Diwali yet no monument for the indentured labourers of 1860
Despite growing royal and political recognition of Diwali in South Africa, descendants of Indian indentured labourers are still waiting for a promised Durban monument honouring…
We are free but belonging is a struggle
Decolonisation cannot belong only to the leaders who negotiated the 1994 transition or the state institutions speaking in its name. It must be lived and shaped in everyday…
Slavery debt is far from settled
The debate over slavery reparations highlights the enduring structural inequalities built by European empires, challenging political narratives that attempt to dismiss colonial…
Emulate OR Tambo’s values
Ahead of the municipal elections, South African voters are urged to overcome disillusionment and draw inspiration from OR Tambo's legacy of selfless leadership and active…
The voice we lost: Forty years without Samora Machel
Four decades after the tragic Mbuzini plane crash that killed Samora Machel, Mozambique reflects on the enduring promise of independence, regional liberation, and the…
Book Review: Chris Hani: A life of courage and compassion
In 'Chris Hani: A Life of Courage and Compassion', acclaimed author Zakes Mda moves beyond the revolutionary icon to reveal the husband, father, and thinker whose warnings still…
‘Complete fabrication’: Mbeki rejects secret amnesty deal claims
Former president Thabo Mbeki has strongly denied allegations of secret talks with apartheid-era generals to secure amnesty, calling the claims a complete fabrication during his…
Mhudi’, a novel ahead of its time
Published in 1930, Sol Plaatje’s epic Mhudi challenged colonial perspectives and societal gender norms, establishing a pioneering milestone in South African and African literature.
Plaatje was never a lone genius
As South Africa marks 150 years since the birth of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, we remember how the pioneer's towering legacy was shaped and sustained by a supportive community.
When good deeds go unrewarded
A reflection on the life, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of PAC Underground struggle stalwart Bra Mike Sello Matsobane, exploring how African philosophy honours unsung heroes.
More than Mandela’s wife: Nomzamo’s own fight
An exploration of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s life and resistance against apartheid, highlighting how black women's domestic, social, and political labour shaped South African…
The photographs that connect two histories of displacement
Veteran photographer Jimi Matthews pairs his archive of apartheid-era forced removals in District Six with intimate portraits of daily life and resilience in Palestine in a…
Heritage isn't a museum of past relics
Heritage Day is more than a celebration of the past; it is a critical, ongoing process of deciding which values, memories, and traditions we choose to carry into South Africa's…
Dr Wouter Basson, please tell us who poisoned Siphiwo Mtimkulu
As apartheid chemical warfare head Wouter Basson fills theatre seats, an unresolved question lingers about the 1981 thallium poisoning of activist Siphiwo Mtimkulu and its…