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Questions tagged [south-africa]

Pertaining to the country at the southern tip of Africa generally known as the Republic of South Africa.

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Who coined the term Bantustan for the first time and why did they use the Persian suffix?

From the Wikipedia article for Bantustan: The term, first used in the late 1940s, was coined from Bantu (meaning "people" in some of the Bantu languages) and -stan (a suffix meaning "...
Etack Sxchange's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
199 views

How did a few blacks and Indians attain good education during apartheid in Cape Town?

How did they attain a good education without going to boarding schools or spending money on it? I am talking about both, high school, and college. The timeline is between 1940-1960. During this time ...
user324713's user avatar
-2 votes
2 answers
164 views

Were there any tests or prerequisites for Blacks and Indians to be admitted to the University of Cape Town during Apartheid? [closed]

I have gone through the university's website. Their website does mention anything about this.
user324713's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
154 views

Sources for tracking a ship in the 1840s

I am trying to determine the itinerary of a Danish ship that traveled in the "East Indies" 1841–43. I have its name, captain, departure from and return to Copenhagen. Additionally, I have ...
meide's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Why did Burgers' Transvaal try to build rail east?

According to shanskraal, [Thomas Burgers, president of the Transvaal Republic] considered a railway link with the non-British port of Delagoa Bay (Maputo) as essential for the economic survival of ...
rwallace's user avatar
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1 vote
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What decided the First Sekhukhune War?

I'm trying to find out more about the First Sekhukhune War, and in particular exactly how and why Sekhukhune won. As wars in historical times go, it seems to be very sparsely documented. Here's what I ...
rwallace's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
399 views

Why did wagons in the frontier era travel at night?

I'm currently reading 'The diamond diggings of South Africa' by Charles Payton, a first-hand account of a visit to the diamond mines in 1871. On page 80 it says For the first fortnight from leaving ...
rwallace's user avatar
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26 votes
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Why were diamond mining plots 31-foot squares?

The Kimberley diamond mine, one of the richest in the world, was discovered in 1871, setting off a rush by hopeful miners. In The South African Diamond Fields, and a Journey to the Mines the author ...
rwallace's user avatar
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4 votes
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What was the available transport to Kimberley in 1871?

The DeBeers diamond company was not actually named for the founders, but for two farmers who discovered diamonds on their land in 1871, and sold the farm to be developed into a diamond mine, the place ...
rwallace's user avatar
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10 votes
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Was Queen Elizabeth II ever the head of state of Namibia?

Let's set the scene, WW1 is over and part of the negotiations, and the only thing we're really focusing on here, is that Deutsch-Südwestafrika becomes administered by the Union of South Africa, the ...
Daniel's user avatar
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2 answers
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What prompted Cuba to fight against South African Imperialism? [closed]

After the Cuban Revolution, Cuba fought against South African apartheid against the advice of its Soviet sponsors who were looking for a rapprochement with the US. What prompted such a move? Although ...
Mozibur Ullah's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why did Ronald Reagan veto the Anti-Aparthied Bill of 1986? [closed]

Ronald Dellums, a black, and openly socialist democratic member of the senate, began his campaign to end US support for the South African regime for apartheid in 1972. By 1986 he had put together ...
Mozibur Ullah's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
587 views

Who was the train conductor who threw Gandhi from a first class train coach in South Africa?

A pivotal moment in history, which catalyzed Gandhi's subsequent actions was his ejection from a first-class train carriage in South Africa by the train conductor, a story which is recounted in his ...
Frost's user avatar
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4 votes
4 answers
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How was South African infrastructure before 1994?

So we all know that 1994 was a good year for the social side of South African life. Apartheid was over, the government was now elected by the majority of the people and Nelson Mandela was in charge ...
Jalapeno's user avatar
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1 answer
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What is the source for the Arabic name of the penguin and when it is first used?

During Vasco da Gama's trip to the south of Africa, they discovered birds never seen by European eyes before which became named as penguins in most of the European languages. But in the Arabic ...
Mr.lock's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why were Indians able to free themselves of the European Colonialists unlike South Africans? [closed]

About 8 months back, I went to South Africa. I did try to learn a bit about the country before going there. I was very much surprised to learn that 'Apartheid' was a thing/practice till Nelson Mandela'...
shirish's user avatar
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1 answer
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Did the apartheid South Africa leaders seriously plan to make the bantustans be independent countries?

Did the apartheid South Africa leaders seriously plan to make the Bantustans be independent countries (like Lesotho and Swaziland)? If yes, why did they assign such disjoint territories to each of ...
Milchar's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
365 views

How did the white minority in South Africa see their situation in the apartheid times?

How did the white minority in South Africa see their situation in the apartheid times, let's say in 1970? For example, how did their mass media explain the black and coloured people being unhappy ...
Milchar's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
53 views

How do you trace a service record during WW2 in South Africa?

I'm looking to trace a few of my family who where on active duty during the second world war.
Howard Leslie Evans's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
2k views

Was it true that Nelson Mandela refused to renounce violence while in Prison?

I got this comment from an article on Mandela: Most white South Africans rejoin that Nelson Mandela had no reason to seek revenge on anyone, nor any basis for extending forgiveness to his previous ...
Jacob Blaustein's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
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Did the Portuguese build any settlement around the Cape of Good Hope?

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to go around the Cape of Good Hope and build several outposts, later turned into large colonies, at Angola and Moçambique, on both sides of the Cape, but none ...
JMVanPelt's user avatar
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1 answer
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Were there any non-Afrikaner apartheid supporters in South Africa before 1994?

In South Africa before 1994 (i.e., during apartheid), were there any non-Afrikaners who were so racist as to supporter apartheid? I'm wondering about individuals of British Isles descent, or other ...
user24353's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
565 views

What would the Royal Sussex Regiment have been doing in South Africa between 1900-1902?

My 2x Great Grandfather, James Walter Juden, served in the Royal Sussex Regiment from 1889 to 1902. I have a copy of his service records. Which I have downloaded from FindMyPast, the images can be ...
Danny B's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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What happened to Justice, Nelson Mandela's cousin (or stepbrother)?

Reading Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela ran away from his guardian, Jogintaba the regent of Transkei, with the regent's son who was called Justice. Then Justice simply drops out of the story. ...
Ne Mo's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
269 views

What was the reason for Gandhi's visit to Africa [closed]

Why did Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi visit South Africa? What was the purpose of his visit to South Africa?
Vishal Subramanyam's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
8k views

What happened to Dada Abdullah & Co, the firm that started Gandhi's career in South Africa?

Reading the autobiography of Gandhi I just wondered what happened to the company Dada Abdullah & Co, which hired Gandhi to go to South Africa. What is it now? As given in the book Dada Abdullah &...
Ilaya Raja S's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why did The Crown give assent to Apartheid legislation during the 1950s?

Why did The Crown give assent to Apartheid legislation during the 1950s? For example, the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, Act No 49 of 1953 was assented to by the crown. The relevant law in ...
Samuel Russell's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
738 views

Were boycotts, divestment, and sanctions effective against apartheid?

In the 1980s there was a movement to use boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) to apply pressure on the apartheid regime in South Africa. These efforts included sports boycotts, refusal of some ...
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8 votes
1 answer
476 views

Did the British government oppose racial segregation in South Africa from 1815-1931?

In South Africa, the Afrikaners' political movements, including the National Party, took the lead in extending segregation in the first half of the 20th-century. Anglo-Africans were less enthusiastic ...
Ne Mo's user avatar
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