The Motshabi Commission Report
The Motshabi Commission Report On 2 May 1975, the Motshabi Commission delivered an interim report on the condition of the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) existing People’s Army abroad. The “Commission on the State of Affairs in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in East Africa” was established by the ANC Revolutionary Council on 17 April 1975, with a mandate to investigate the causes of and possible remedies for the “deterioration of the standard of military life and…
The Draconian 1913 Native Land Act is Passed
The Draconian 1913 Native Land Act is Passed On 19 June 1913, the Natives Land Act (No. 27 of 1913) was passed to allocate only about 7% of arable land to Africans and leave the more fertile land for whites. This law incorporated territorial segregation into legislation for the first time since the Union of South Africa was declared in 1910. It created reserves for Blacks and prohibited the sale of territory in white areas…
Michael “Mick” Harmel: A Revolutionary Thinker, Writer and Strategist
Michael “Mick” Harmel: A Revolutionary Thinker, Writer and Strategist On 18 June 1974, a revolutionary South African anti-imperialist activist, journalist and South African Communist Party (SACP) member Michael “Mick” Harmel died in Prague, in the then Czechoslovakia, while he was working for the “World Marxist Review” journal. Known by his pen name “A. Lerumo”, he was a founding member of the SACP, after the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) was banned, and a key…
The Aftermath of the Soweto June 16 Uprisings
The Aftermath of the Soweto June 16 Uprisings On 17 June 1976, the day after the 16 June 1976 Soweto uprisings, the revolts rapidly escalated, spreading beyond Soweto to other South African townships while sparking widespread political strikes and solidarity protests. Riots erupted in the black townships of other cities across South Africa. Government institutions, administration buildings and beer halls were looted and set on fire. A student solidarity protest in Kagiso (near Krugersdorp, west…
Post-June 16 Youth: Responsibility to Achieve Socio-Economic Transformation
Post-June 16 Youth: Responsibility to Achieve Socio-Economic Transformation This theme is a powerful and necessary revolutionary perspective of how South Africa should view Youth Day. It shifts the narrative from passive commemoration to active, modern nation-building, directly connecting the political liberation pursued by the generation of 1976 to the incomplete struggle for economic emancipation today. The generation of 1976 fought against an oppressive education system to secure political freedom. Five decades later, South Africa’s youth…
Ciskei General Charles Sebe is Imprisoned and Convicted
Ciskei General Charles Sebe is Imprisoned and Convicted On 15 June 1984, former Commander of the Armed Forces of the Ciskei, Major-General Charles Sebe, brother of President Lennox Sebe, was sentenced to twelve years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of incitement to public violence. He was charged of having established and being leader of a brutal elite unit named “Ikrele Lesizwe” (Sword of the Nation), an anti-terrorist squad that championed state-sponsored violence and intimidation, and…
40 Years After the MK Bombing of the Magoo’s Bar in Durban
40 Years After the MK Bombing of the Magoo’s Bar in Durban On 14 June 1986, exactly a year after the Gaborone Raid, at approximately 19:00, Robert McBride showed up at the house of Matthew le Cordier, and together they went to Durban’s Marine Parade. Just before reaching Magoo’s Bar on Marine Parade, McBride flashed the lights of the blue Ford Cortina he was driving. Following this, Greta Apelgren moved out of a parking space…