Dates to Remember - South African Style Quiz

Answer: 1488

The Portuguese had been seeking a new trade route to the East without much success for a number of years. However, on 12 March 1488, their endeavours took a big step forward when Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa, the first European known to have done so.

He named it "Cabo das Tormentas", the "Cape of Storms" in recognition of the fierce weather to which the area was prone. This name was discarded by King John II of Portugal who renamed it the "Cabo da Boa Esperanca" or the "Cape of Good Hope" to reflect the renewed optimism that this milestone brought to their continued search for a sea-route to the East.

Answer: 1652

A further milestone in the history of South Africa was reached on 6 April 1652 when the Dutchman, Jan van Riebeeck, sailed into what is today Cape Town harbour aboard the ship "Dromedaris". He had been engaged by the VOC ( Dutch East India Company) to set up a resupply station at the Cape.

The aim of this settlement was to provide fresh supplies to the Dutch ships which plied the route between Europe and the East. The initial party that accompanied van Riebeeck consisted of eighty two men and eight women.

This date is significant to South Africa's history as it marked the beginning of a permanent European presence in the area.

Answer: 1814

Between 1795 and 1814 control of the Cape Colony and the surrounding area switched between the Dutch and the British. The British had a two-fold interest in the colony. They were concerned that it might fall into French hands, but they also recognised the strategic location the colony occupied on the route between Britain and their interests in the East and in Australia.

In 1806, following the Battle of Blaauwberg, Britain once again claimed control of the colony. It was finally ceded by the Dutch to the British under the terms of the Convention of London which was signed on 13 August 1814.

Answer: 1886

With British control had come increased settlement and expansion into the hinterland of the country. Diamonds were discovered near Kimberley in 1867 which further increased growth and immigration. However in 1886, the fledging country reached a major turning point in its history. Two prospectors found gold on a farm, Langlaagte, on the Witwatersrand.

Although gold had been found earlier in what was then known as the Eastern Transvaal, these deposits were small and soon ran out. However, the find on the Witwatersrand was significant. To use the words of one expert, it was "an endless treasure of gold".

This discovery changed the country from a mainly agricultural based economy to the world's foremost producer of gold.

Answer: 1910

After years of strife and two major wars, the First and Second Boer Wars, 31 May 1910 brought about another major event in the history of South Africa. Eight years after the Treaty of Vereeniging had ended the Second Boer War, the four previously separate territories under British control, Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free Sate came together to form the Union of South Africa.

This union, a dominion of Britain, remained under British control until the Statute of Westminster granted full sovereignty to the country in 1931.

Answer: 1948

1948 formally entrenched the policy that became known as "apartheid". Although racial discrimination had been a part of the country's history since the early days of colonisation, the coming to power of the National Party after the 1948 elections officially formalised the policy throughout the country.

Their aim was the total segregation of the three races groups into which all people were classified. To this end they passed a number of acts such as the "Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act" and the "Group Areas Act" which were designed to keep the various racial groups separate.

The word "apartheid" means "apartness". This policy led to the eventual isolation of South Africa from the world community.

Answer: 1961

In 1961, a referendum was held to determine if South Africa should become a republic. Overall the people voted affirmatively, by a narrow margin, and the Republic of South Africa was declared on May 31 1961. Queen Elizabeth was no longer the Queen of South Africa and the last Governor-General Charles Robberts Swart, was installed as State President.

The parliamentary Westminster system was retained with a largely ceremonial President and a Prime Minister in charge of the legislative arena. In 1983, PW Botha introduced the Constitution Act of 1983 which eliminated the office of the Prime Minister and allowed role of the President to undertake a "Strong President" role where he had at least as much power as the previous Prime Minister in South Africa's legislative decision making process.

Answer: 1990

11 February 1990 was a landmark date in South African history. After twenty-seven years behind bars, Nelson Mandela, the country's leading anti-apartheid activist and one of the leaders of the African National Congress, walked out of the Victor Verster prison in Cape Town a free man. On June 12 1964, Mandela had been given a life sentence for being found guilty of "acts of sabotage". A large portion of this sentence was spent on the penal colony of Robben Island.

In 1989, F. W. de Klerk took over as State President of South Africa and immediately set about instituting the changes which ultimately led to the dismantling of apartheid. One of his first acts was to unconditionally free Nelson Mandela. The two men worked closely in bringing about the "normalisation" of society in South Africa. In 1993 both men were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of these efforts.

Answer: 1994

On 27 April 1994, general elections were held over a three day period under the supervision of the Independent Electoral Commission. This was the first post-apartheid election and all citizens were allowed to vote. Nearly 20 million votes were cast resulting in the previously banned African National Congress winning 252/400 seat with the F.W. de Klerk led National Party winning 82 seats and the Inkatha Freedom Party winning 43 seats.

The ANC received 62% of the vote, somewhat short of the two thirds majority that was required for one party to change an interim constitution.

However, a government of "National Unity" was formed between the three major parties. The new National Assembly voted Nelson Mandela as President as its first act. Mr Mandela became the first black chief executive of South Africa.

A landmark date indeed!

Answer: 2010

While hosting a world sporting event might not seem to be a landmark date in a country's history, the hosting by South Africa of the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup, one of the world's largest and most prestigious tournaments, symbolised its rebirth as the "rainbow nation" on the world stage. Sport previously tended to run along racial lines with rugby being the sport of choice for whites and football or soccer as it is known in South Africa having a greater following among the black community. Together with the 1995 Rugby World Cup, also hosted by South Africa and at which Mr Mandela famously wore a Springbok jersey, this tournament helped bring all sectors of the community together through pride in their country and went a long way to healing old and sometimes bitter wounds.

The World Cup tournament commenced on 11 June 2010 and was eventually won by Spain.