1.
Union of South Africa
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The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of four previously separate British colonies, Cape Colony, Natal Colony, Transvaal Colony and it included the territories formerly part of the Boer republics annexed in 1902, South African Republic and Orange Free State. The Union of South Africa was a dominion of the British Empire and it was governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with the Crown represented by a governor-general. The Union came to an end when the 1961 constitution was enacted, on 31 May 1961 the country became a republic and left the Commonwealth, under the new name Republic of South Africa. Unlike Canada and Australia, the Union of South Africa was a state, rather than a federation. A bicameral parliament was created, consisting of a House of Assembly and Senate, during the course of the Union the franchise changed on several occasions always to suit the needs of the government of the day. Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg were given financial compensation, the Union initially remained under the British Crown as a self-governing dominion of the British Empire. With the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the Union and other dominions became equal in status to the United Kingdom, the Monarch was represented in South Africa by a Governor-General, while effective power was exercised by the Executive Council, headed by the Prime Minister. Louis Botha, formerly a Boer general, was appointed first Prime Minister of the Union, heading a coalition representing the white Afrikaner, prosecutions before courts were instituted in the name of the Crown and government officials served in the name of the Crown. Some extremist Nationalist organisations, like the Ossewa Brandwag, openly supported Nazi Germany during the Second World War, the Afrikaner-dominated Government consequently withdrew South Africa from the Commonwealth. Natal, which had an English-speaking majority, voted against, following the referendum result, some whites in Natal even called for secession from the Union. Five years earlier, some 33,000 Natalians had signed the Natal Covenant in opposition to the plans for a republic, subsequently the National Party Government passed a Constitution that repealed the South Africa Act. The features of the Union were carried over with little change to the newly formed Republic. The decision to transform from a Union to Republic was narrowly decided in the referendum, the South Africa Act dealt with race in two specific provisions. Second it made native affairs a matter for the national government, the practice therefore was to establish a Minister of Native Affairs. Several previous unsuccessful attempts to unite the colonies were made, with proposed political models ranging from unitary, Sir George Grey, the Governor of Cape Colony from 1854 to 1861, decided that unifying the states of southern Africa would be mutually beneficial. He believed that a united South African Federation, under British control and his idea was greeted with cautious optimism in southern Africa, the Orange Free State agreed to the idea in principle and the Transvaal may also eventually have agreed. However, he was overruled by the British Colonial Office which ordered him to desist from his plans and his refusal to abandon the idea eventually led to him being recalled
2.
South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
3.
1911
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As of the start of 1911, the Gregorian calendar was 13 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923. A highlight was the race for the South Pole, through mid-January – First Industrial Airplane Show held in conjunction with the U. S. International Auto Show at Manhattan’s Grand Central Palace in New York. Charles W. Chappelle, a member of the U. S. Aeronautical Reserve, is the only African-American to invent, january 31911 Kebin earthquake, An earthquake of 7.7 moment magnitude strikes near Almaty in Russian Turkestan, killing 450 or more people. Siege of Sidney Street, Two Latvian anarchists die after a siege against a combined police. Home Secretary, Winston Churchill arrived to oversee events, january 5 – Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity is founded at Indiana University Bloomington. January 18 – Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania stationed in San Francisco harbor, january 26 – The United States and Canada announce the successful negotiation of their first reciprocal trade agreement. January 30 – The Cypriot football club Anorthosis Famagusta FC was created, february 5 The Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri is entirely destroyed by fire after a bolt of lightning strikes the dome. The revolution in Haiti is suppressed after the leader, General Montreuil Guillaume, is captured by government troops, General Millionard is executed two days later. February 11 – The Lincoln Memorial Commission is established to find a site for the proposed Lincoln Memorial. February 13 – HNK Hajduk Split, a Croatian football club is founded, february 17 – The first quasi-official airmail flight occurs when Fred Wiseman carries three letters between Petaluma and Santa Rosa, California. February 18 – The first official air mail flight, second overall, takes place from Allahabad, India to Naini, India, march 8 – International Womens Day is celebrated for the first time in history. March 25 – The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City kills 146, march 29 – The United States Army adopts a new service pistol, the M1911 designed by John Browning. It remains the US service pistol for 74 years, April 3 – Jean Sibelius conducts the première of his Symphony No.4 in Helsinki April 8 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity. He presents his findings on April 28, April 13 – Mexican Revolution, Rebels take Agua Prieta on the Sonora–Arizona border, government troops take the town back April 17 when the rebel leader Red López is drunk. April 18 – SS Lusitania, a 5, 557-ton Portuguese passenger liner en route from Mozambique to Lisbon, strikes Bellows Rock just off Cape Point, April 19 – Mexican Revolution, Francisco I. Maderos troops besiege Ciudad Juárez but General Juan J. Navarro refuses his surrender demand, April 22 – A passenger train from Port Alfred to Grahamstown in South Africa derails on the Blaauwkrantz Bridge and plunges into the ravine 200 feet below, killing 31 and seriously injuring 23. April 26 – HŠK Građanski Zagreb, a Croatian Association football club, is founded in Zagreb, April 27 – Huanghuagang Uprising takes place in China. This is an insurrection where rebels take five villages in an attempt to create a base to fight Imperial rule
4.
Monarchy of South Africa
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The monarchs constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. South Africa became a republic and left the Commonwealth on 31 May 1961, on 31 May 1994, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth as a republic, after the end of apartheid. The monarchy was created by the South Africa Act 1909 which united four British colonies in southern Africa, Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony and Transvaal. The Act also made provisions for admitting Southern Rhodesia as a province of the Union in the future. South-West Africa became a League of Nations mandate of the Union in 1915, following a referendum on the subject, South Africa adopted a new constitution in 1961 which abolished the monarchy. King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited South Africa in her capacity as Head of the Commonwealth, in 1995 and 1999. State President of South Africa President of South Africa
5.
George V
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George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. He was the son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. From the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession behind his father and his own brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. From 1877 to 1891, George served in the Royal Navy, on the death of his grandmother in 1901, Georges father became King-Emperor of the British Empire, and George was created Prince of Wales. He succeeded his father in 1910 and he was the only Emperor of India to be present at his own Delhi Durbar. His reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, the Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. In 1917, George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, in 1924 he appointed the first Labour ministry and in 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognised the dominions of the Empire as separate, independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations. He had health problems throughout much of his reign and at his death was succeeded by his eldest son. George was born on 3 June 1865, in Marlborough House and he was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Albert Edward and Alexandra. His father was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and he was baptised at Windsor Castle on 7 July 1865 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley. As a younger son of the Prince of Wales, there was expectation that George would become king. He was third in line to the throne, after his father and elder brother, George was only 17 months younger than Albert Victor, and the two princes were educated together. John Neale Dalton was appointed as their tutor in 1871, neither Albert Victor nor George excelled intellectually. For three years from 1879, the brothers served on HMS Bacchante, accompanied by Dalton. They toured the colonies of the British Empire in the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia, and visited Norfolk, Virginia, as well as South America, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Dalton wrote an account of their journey entitled The Cruise of HMS Bacchante. Between Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton recorded a sighting of the Flying Dutchman, after Lausanne, the brothers were separated, Albert Victor attended Trinity College, Cambridge, while George continued in the Royal Navy. He travelled the world, visiting many areas of the British Empire, during his naval career he commanded Torpedo Boat 79 in home waters then HMS Thrush on the North America station, before his last active service in command of HMS Melampus in 1891–92. From then on, his rank was largely honorary
6.
Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
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The Governor-general of the Union of South Africa was the representative of the British and later South African Crown in the Union of South Africa between 31 May 1910 and 31 May 1961. The Union of South Africa was a Commonwealth realm in which Queen Elizabeth II was given the title Queen of South Africa, as in other Dominions, this would change, and from 1943 onward only South Africans held the office. The office was established by the South Africa Act 1909, although the Governor General was nominally the countrys chief executive, in practice he was bound by convention to act on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. In the interim, the National Party used the Governor-Generals post as a sinecure for retired National Party ministers. In 1957, God Save the Queen ceased to have status with Die Stem van Suid-Afrika as a national anthem. However, it was not until 1960 that prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd advised governor-general Swart to hold a referendum on the issue, the result was 52 per cent in favour of the change. Swart, the last governor-general, asked the Queen to relieve him of his duties on 30 April 1961, state President of South Africa President of South Africa Prime Minister of South Africa
7.
Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone
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Herbert John Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone GCB GCMG GBE PC JP was a British Liberal statesman. The youngest son of William Ewart Gladstone, he was Home Secretary from 1905 to 1910, in secret meetings with Labour leaders in 1903 he forged the famous Gladstone–MacDonald pact. In two-member constituencies, it arranged that Liberal and Labour candidates did not split the vote, historians give him much of the credit for the Liberal triumph in 1906, with 400 MPs and a majority of 243. Historian John Grigg states that while his name is not often included in any list of radicals, his radical record is second to none in the Campbell-Bannerman Government. He was, to be sure, no firebrand, but a party man whose common sense inclined him to be less Gladstonian in the matter of State intervention then than his famous father had been. With his able under-secretary, Herbert Samuel, he sponsored no less than 34 acts Acts of Parliament during his time at the Home Office, William Henry Gladstone and Lord Gladstone of Hawarden were his elder brothers. He was educated at Eton and University College, Oxford, and lectured in history at Keble College, Oxford, in 1880 Gladstone became private secretary to his father. Having been a junior Lord of the Treasury from 1881 to 1885, the following year served for a brief period as Financial Secretary to the War Office in his fathers third administration. The Liberals fell from power in 1895 and he became the Liberals Chief Whip in 1899 and in 1903 he negotiated on behalf of the Liberals an electoral pact with the Labour Representation Committee. He was president of the Darlington Liberal and Radical Association from early 1900, Gladstone returned to office in 1905 when Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman appointed him Home Secretary. As Prince of Wales, King Edward VII had come to enjoy warm and mutually respectful relations with W. E. Gladstone and these feelings did not extend to his son. In September 1908 he permitted Roman Catholic priests in vestments, led by Cardinal Vanutelli, there were a flood of protests, and the King asked Gladstone to ban the procession to avert a breach of the peace. In the end the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith had to ask Lord Ripon, philip Magnus suggests that Gladstone may have become a whipping-boy for the Kings general irritation with the Liberal Government. Gladstone was sacked in the reshuffle in 1910 and the King agreed, with some reluctance and he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George and raised to the peerage as Viscount Gladstone, of the County of Lanark, the same year. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1917, Lord Gladstone married Dorothy Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Paget, 1st Baronet, in 1901. She was over twenty years his junior, there were no children from the marriage. Lord Gladstone died in March 1930, aged 76, at his Ware home, with no children, his title became extinct at his death. The Viscountess Gladstone died in June 1953, the whip as paymaster, Herbert Gladstone and party organization
8.
Prime Minister of South Africa
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The Prime Minister of South Africa was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed and he was appointed by the head of state—the Governor-General until 1961 and the State President after South Africa became a republic in 1961. In practice, he was the leader of the majority party or coalition in the House of Assembly, the first Prime Minister was Louis Botha, a former Boer general and war hero during the Second Boer War. He was the leading political figure and de facto chief executive. The last Prime Minister, Pieter Willem Botha, became the first executive State President after the constitutional reform, parties South African Party United Party National Party State President of South Africa President of South Africa Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
9.
Louis Botha
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Louis Botha was a South African politician who was the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, he would fight to have South Africa become a British Dominion. He was born in Greytown, Natal as one of 13 children born to Louis Botha Senior and he briefly attended the school at Hermannsburg before his family relocated to the Orange Free State. The name Louis runs throughout the family, with every generation since General Louis Botha having the eldest son named Louis, Botha led Dinuzulus Volunteers, a group of Boers that had supported Dinuzulu against Zibhebhu in 1884. He later became a member of the parliament of Transvaal in 1897, in 1899, Botha fought in the Second Boer War, initially under Lucas Meyer in Northern Natal, and later as a general commanding and fighting impressively at Colenso and Spion Kop. On the death of P. J. Joubert, he was made commander-in-chief of the Transvaal Boers, after the battle at the Tugela, Botha granted a twenty-four-hour armistice to General Buller to enable him to bury his dead. Winston Churchill revealed that General Botha was the man who captured him at the ambush of a British armoured train on 15 November 1899, coetzer 1996, p.30 also claims that Botha captured Churchill at train ambush 15 November 1899. Churchill was not aware of the mans identity until 1902, when Botha travelled to London seeking loans to assist his countrys reconstruction, the incident is also mentioned in Arthur Conan Doyles book, The Great Boer War, published in 1902. But more recent sources claim that Field-Cornet Sarel Oosthuizen was in fact the Boer-soldier who, at gunpoint, another version claims that the unit to capture Churchill was the Italian Volunteer Legion and its commander, Camillo Ricchiardi. After the fall of Pretoria in June 1900, Botha led a guerrilla campaign against the British together with Koos de la Rey. The success of his measures was seen in the resistance offered by the Boers to the very close of the three-year war. Botha was a representative of his countrymen in the negotiations of 1902. He later worked towards peace with the British, representing the Boers at the negotiations in 1902. In the period of reconstruction under British rule, Botha went to Europe with de Wet and his war record made him prominent in the politics of Transvaal and he was a major player in the postwar reconstruction of that country, becoming Prime Minister of Transvaal on 4 March 1907. In 1911, together with another Boer war hero, Jan Smuts, he formed the South African Party, widely viewed as too conciliatory with Britain, Botha faced revolts from within his own party and opposition from James Barry Munnik Hertzogs National Party. When South Africa obtained dominion status in 1910, Botha became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, after the First World War started, he sent troops to take German South-West Africa, a move unpopular among Boers, which provoked the Boer Revolt. At the end of the War he briefly led a British Empire military mission to Poland during the Polish-Soviet War and he argued that the terms of the Versailles Treaty were too harsh on the Central Powers, but signed the treaty. Botha was unwell for most of 1919 and he was plagued by fatigue and ill-health that arose from his robust waist-line. ”General Louis Botha died of heart failure following an attack of Spanish influenza on 27 August 1919 in the early hours of the morning
10.
John de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers
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John Henry de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers KCMG PC, was a Cape lawyer and judge. He was Attorney-General in the Molteno Government, Chief Justice for the Cape Colony, John de Villiers was the son of Charles Christian de Villiers, of Paarl, Cape of Good Hope and his wife Dorothea Retief. His family was of French Huguenot descent and had arrived in the Cape four generations before in 1689. His fathers dying wish had been that he become a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, however after 18 months study he found that he had no calling to the church. He studied in Berlin and London, was called to the English bar in 1865, William Porter, the Attorney General at the time, became his legal mentor and soon afterwards he entered parliament representing Worcester. In parliament, he and Porter supported John Moltenos movement for government in 1872. In November 1872, after the Cape successfully attained self-government, the countrys unpopular Attorney General William Griffith was retired, John de Villiers was called upon to replace him as Attorney-General of the Cape Colony in Moltenos cabinet. He served for two years, from 1872 to 1874. He was thus the first Attorney-General of the Cape under responsible government, at the time it was still legal to have a private practice, and de Villiers did so. However this work in addition to his work as adviser to the government. In 1874, on Moltenos insistence, he agreed to take the office of Chief Justice of the Cape Colony - a job he performed with great dedication and skill until the act of Union in 1910. After the Union of South Africa was created, he went on to serve as Chief Justice of South Africa from 1910 to 1914. Altogether, he served as Chief Justice for 40 years, with. an ever-growing reputation of the highest character for independence, legal ability, and irreproachable impartiality. Although he had represented Worcester in Parliament and was much interested in politics. His reserved and sensitive personality, together with a weak constitution and his lack of outward charisma. However his academic ability, progressive thinking, huge range of intellectual interests and he was also a dedicated Freemason of the highest level. Lord de Villiers married Aletta Johanna, daughter of Jan Pieter Jordaan and he died in September 1914, aged 72, and was succeeded in the barony by his son Charles Percy de Villiers. Lady de Villiers died in 1922, new York, St Martins Press,1990, Leigh Rayments Peerage Pages
11.
Portuguese people
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Portuguese people are an ethnic group indigenous to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and their predominant religion is Christianity, Portuguese people were a key factor to the Age of Exploration, discovering several lands unknown to the Europeans in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, helping to pave the way for Globalization. There are around 10 million native Portuguese in Portugal, out of a population of 10.34 million. A small minority of about 15,000 speak the Mirandese language, in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Vimioso, all of the speakers are bilingual with Portuguese. An even smaller minority of no more than 2,000 people speak Barranquenho, some people from the former colonies have been migrating to Portugal since the 1900s. More recently, a number of Slavs, especially Ukrainians, Moldovans, Romanians and Russians. There is also a Chinese minority, in addition, there is a small minority Gypsies of about 40,000 people, Muslims about 34,000 people and an even smaller minority of Jews of about 5,000 people. Between 1886 and 1966, Portugal lost to more than any West European country except Ireland. From the middle of the 19th century to the late 1950s, about 40 million Brazilians have relatively recent Portuguese background, due to massive immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. About 1.2 million Brazilian citizens are native Portuguese, significant verified Portuguese minorities exist in several countries. Portuguese Sephardic Jews are also in Israel, the Netherlands, the United States, France, Venezuela, Brazil, in Brazil many of the colonists were also originally Sephardic Jews, who, converted, were known as New Christians. In the United States, there are Portuguese communities in New Jersey, the New England states, in the Pacific, Hawaii has a sizable Portuguese element that goes back 150 years, Australia and New Zealand also have Portuguese communities. Canada, particularly Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, has developed a significant Portuguese community since 1940, argentina and Uruguay had Portuguese immigration in the early 20th century. So has Chile where an estimated 50,000 descendants live, an estimated 800,000 Portuguese returned to Portugal as the countrys African possessions gained independence in 1975, after the Carnation Revolution, while others moved to Brazil and South Africa. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Equatorial Guinea, in 1989 some 4,000,000 Portuguese were living abroad, mainly in France, Germany, Brazil, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Venezuela, and the United States. Portuguese constitute 13% of the population of Luxembourg, in areas such as Thetford and the crown dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey, the Portuguese form the largest ethnic minority groups at 30% of the population, 20% and 3% respectively. The British capital London is home to the largest number of Portuguese people in the UK, with the majority being found in the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Westminster. The Portuguese diaspora communities still are very attached to their language, their culture and their national dishes, in colonial times, over 700,000 Portuguese settled in Brazil, and most of them went there during the gold rush of the 18th century
12.
Cape Point
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Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town are close to the northern extremity of the same peninsula. The cape is located at 34°21′26″S 18°29′51″E, about 2.3 kilometres east, the peak above Cape Point is higher than that above the Cape of Good Hope. The rugged sandstone ridge that rises from Cape Point at sea level develops into two peaks, there is a major peak that dominates the skyline locally but there is also a smaller peak about 100 m further south. The higher peak has the old lighthouse on the top, from the end of the railway a second path leads to the lower peak. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping. On 18 April 1911, the Portuguese liner Lusitania was wrecked just south of Cape Point at 34°23′22″S 18°29′23″E on Bellows Rock for precisely this reason, prompting the relocation of the lighthouse. The new lighthouse, located at 34°21′26″S 18°29′49″E, cannot be seen from the West until ships are at a distance to the South. The light of the new Cape Point lighthouse is the most powerful on the South African coast, with a range of 63 miles, Cape Point is situated within the Table Mountain National Park, within a section of the park referred to as Cape of Good Hope. This section covers the whole of the tip of the Cape Peninsula. The Cape of Good Hope section of the park is generally wild, the vegetation at Cape Point consists primarily of Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos. Cape Point is often claimed to be the place where the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the meeting point fluctuates along the southern and southwestern Cape coast, the two intermingling currents help to create the micro-climate of Cape Town and its environs. Contrary to popular mythology, the point of the currents produces no obvious visual effect. There are, however, strong and dangerous swells, tides and localized currents around the point and these troubled seas have witnessed countless maritime disasters in the centuries since ships first sailed here. Fishing is good along the coast but the unpredictable swells make angling from the very dangerous. Over the years scores of fishermen have been swept to their deaths from the platforms by freak waves. False Bay, which opens to the east and north of Cape Point, is the location of the naval port of Simons Town. The bay is also famous - or infamous - for its great white sharks, Cape Point is the site of one of the Global Atmosphere Watchs atmospheric research stations
13.
Mozambique
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It is separated from Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo, between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from farther north and west. Swahili commercial ports existed along the coasts until the arrival of Europeans, the area was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498 and colonised by Portugal from 1505. The country was an important place where Somali merchants enslaved the local population, after over four centuries of Portuguese rule, Mozambique gained independence in 1975, becoming the Peoples Republic of Mozambique shortly thereafter. After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992, in 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has remained a relatively stable presidential republic. However, since 2013, following more than 20 years of peace, Mozambique is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world. Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources, the countrys economy is based largely on agriculture, but industry is growing, mainly food and beverages, chemical manufacturing, and aluminium and petroleum production. The countrys tourism sector is also growing, South Africa is Mozambiques main trading partner and source of foreign direct investment. Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain are also among the countrys most important economic partners, since 2001, Mozambiques annual average GDP growth has been among the worlds highest. However, the ranks among the lowest in GDP per capita, human development, measures of inequality. The only official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, which is mostly as a second language by about half of the population. Common native languages include Makhuwa, Sena, and Swahili, the countrys population of around 24 million is composed overwhelmingly of Bantu people. The largest religion in Mozambique is Christianity, with significant minorities following Islam, the island-town was the capital of the Portuguese colony until 1898, when it was moved south to Lourenço Marques. Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking people migrated from the west and north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and they established agricultural communities or societies based on herding cattle. They brought with them the technology for smelting and smithing iron, from the late first millennium AD, vast Indian Ocean trade networks extended as far south into Mozambique as the ancient port town of Chibuene. Connections are evident at sites including Manyikeni for 11–14th century ties with the inland Great Zimbabwe kingdoms, from about 1500, Portuguese trading posts and forts displaced the Arabic commercial and military hegemony, becoming regular ports of call on the new European sea route to the east. The voyage of Vasco da Gama around the Cape of Good Hope in 1498 marked the Portuguese entry into trade, politics, the Portuguese attempted to legitimise and consolidate their trade and settlement positions through the creation of prazos tied to Portuguese settlement and administration. Historically within Mozambique there was slavery, Human beings were bought and sold by African tribal chiefs, Arab Muslim traders and Portuguese and other European traders as well
14.
Lisbon
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Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with a population of 552,700 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km². Its urban area extends beyond the administrative limits with a population of around 2.7 million people. About 2.8 million people live in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and it is continental Europes westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean, the westernmost areas of its metro area is the westernmost point of Continental Europe. Lisbon is recognised as a city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education. It is one of the economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector. Humberto Delgado Airport serves over 20 million passengers annually, as of 2015, and the motorway network, the city is the 7th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after Istanbul, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Milan, with 1,740,000 tourists in 2009. The Lisbon region contributes with a higher GDP PPP per capita than any region in Portugal. Its GDP amounts to 96.3 billion USD and thus $32,434 per capita, the city occupies 32nd place of highest gross earnings in the world. Most of the headquarters of multinationals in the country are located in the Lisbon area and it is also the political centre of the country, as its seat of Government and residence of the Head of State. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, in 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural centre of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbons status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed officially – by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal. It has one of the warmest winters of any metropolis in Europe, the typical summer season lasts about four months, from June to September, although also in April temperatures sometimes reach around 25 °C. Although modern archaeological excavations show a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, another conjecture based on ancient hydronymy suggests that the name of the settlement derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus, Lisso or Lucio. Lisbons name was written Ulyssippo in Latin by the geographer Pomponius Mela and it was later referred to as Olisippo by Pliny the Elder and by the Greeks as Olissipo or Olissipona. The Indo-European Celts invaded in the 1st millennium BC, mixing with the Pre-Indo-European population and this indigenous settlement maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, which would account for the recent findings of Phoenician pottery and other material objects
15.
J. B. M. Hertzog
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General James Barry Munnik Hertzog KC, better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African politician and soldier. He was a Boer general during the second Anglo-Boer War who became Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939, throughout his life he encouraged the development of Afrikaner culture, determined to protect the Afrikaners from British influence. He is the only South African Prime Minister to have served under three British Monarchs, Hertzog first studied law at Victoria College in Stellenbosch, Cape Colony. In 1889 he went to the Netherlands to read law at the University of Amsterdam and he had a law practice in Pretoria from 1892 until 1895, when he was appointed to the Orange Free State High Court. During the Boer War of 1899–1902 he rose to the rank of general, despite some military reverses, he gained renown as a daring and resourceful leader of the guerilla forces continuing to fight the British. Eventually, convinced of the futility of further bloodshed, he signed the May 1902 Treaty of Vereeniging, with South Africa now at peace, Hertzog entered politics as the chief organiser of the Orangia Unie Party. In 1907, the Orange River Colony gained self-government and Hertzog joined the cabinet as Attorney-General and his insistence that Dutch as well as English be taught in the schools met bitter opposition. He was appointed national Minister of Justice in the newly formed Union of South Africa and he continued in office until 1912. His antagonism to imperialism and to Premier Botha led to a ministerial crisis, in 1913 he led a secession of the Old Boer and anti-imperialist section from the South African Party. At the outbreak of the South African rebellion in 1914, he stayed neutral, in the years following the war, he headed the opposition to the government of General Smuts. In 1934, the National Party and the South African Party merged to form the United Party, as prime minister, Hertzog presided over the passage of a wide range of social and economic measures which did much to improve conditions for working-class whites. According to one historian, “The government of 1924, which combined Hertzog’s NP with the Labour Party, oversaw the foundations of an Afrikaner welfare state. ”A Department of Labour was established while the Wages Act laid down minimum wages for unskilled workers, although it excluded farm labourers, domestic servants, and public servants. It also established a Wage Board that regulated pay for certain kinds of work, the Old Age Pensions Act provided retirement benefits for white workers. Coloureds also received the pension, but the maximum for Coloureds was only 70% that of whites, various forms of assistance to agriculture were also introduced. Dairy farmers, for instance, were aided by a levy imposed on all butter sales, farmers also benefited from preferential railway tariffs and from the widening availability of loans from the Land Bank. The government also assisted farmers by guaranteeing prices for farm produce, secondary industries were established to improve employment opportunities, which did much to reduce white poverty and enabled many whites to join the ranks of both semi-skilled and skilled labour. A law on miners phthisis was overhauled, and increased protection of white urban tenants against eviction was introduced at a time when houses were in short supply. The civil service was opened up to Afrikaners through the promotion of bilingualism, while a widening of the suffrage was carried out, the Pact also instituted ‘penny postage’, automatic telephone exchanges, a COD postal service, and an experimental airmail service which was later made permanent
16.
Soprano
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A soprano is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The sopranos vocal range is from approximately middle C =261 Hz to high A =880 Hz in choral music, in four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody. The soprano voice type is divided into the coloratura, soubrette, lyric, spinto. The lyric soprano is the most common female singing voice, the word soprano comes from the Italian word sopra, as the soprano is the highest pitch human voice, often given to the leading female roles in operas. The term soprano is also based on the Latin word superius which, like soprano, the word superius was especially used in choral and other multi-part vocal music between the 13th and 16th centuries. The soprano has the highest vocal range of all voice types, a soprano and a mezzo-soprano have a similar range, but their tessituras will lie in different parts of that range. The low extreme for sopranos is roughly A3 or B♭3, within opera, the lowest demanded note for sopranos is F3. Often low notes in higher voices will project less, lack timbre, however, rarely is a soprano simply unable to sing a low note in a song within a soprano role. The high extreme, at a minimum, for non-coloratura sopranos is soprano C, a couple of roles have optional E♭6s, as well. In the coloratura repertoire several roles call for E♭6 on up to F6, in rare cases, some coloratura roles go as high as G6 or G♯6, such as Mozarts concert aria Popoli di Tessaglia. Or the title role of Jules Massenets opera Esclarmonde, while not necessarily within the tessitura, a good soprano will be able to sing her top notes full-throated, with timbre and dynamic control. In opera, the tessitura, vocal weight, and timbre of voices, a singers tessitura is where the voice has the best timbre, easy volume, and most comfort. Within the soprano voice type category are five generally recognized subcategories, coloratura soprano, soubrette, lyric soprano, spinto soprano, the coloratura soprano may be a lyric coloratura or a dramatic coloratura. The lyric coloratura soprano is a very agile light voice with a high upper extension capable of fast vocal coloratura, Light coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C to high F with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately low B to high F with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing higher or lower. In classical music and opera, a soubrette soprano refers to both a type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre, a tessitura in the mid-range, the soubrette voice is not a weak voice, for it must carry over an orchestra without a microphone like all voices in opera. The voice, however, has a lighter weight than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre
17.
Boer
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Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer. As used in South Africa, it was used to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century. For a long time the Dutch East India Company controlled this area, in addition the term was applied to those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State, Transvaal, and to a lesser extent Natal. They left the Cape primarily to escape British rule and get away from the constant border wars between the British imperial government and the tribes on the eastern frontier. The Dutch East India Company had been formed in the Dutch Republic in 1602, in 1648 one of their ships was stranded in Table Bay, and the shipwrecked crew had to forage for themselves on shore for several months. The result was that in 1652, a Dutch expedition led by surgeon Jan van Riebeek constructed a fort, landing at Table Bay, Van Riebeek took control over Cape Town, the settlement developed during the previous 10 years. In 1671 the Dutch first purchased land from the native Khoikhoi beyond the limits of the built by Van Riebeek. They formed a class of a class of vrijlieden, also known as vrijburgers, a large number of vrijburgers became independent farmers and applied for grants of land, as well as loans of seed and tools, from the Company administration. Political refugees from the wars in France, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, they were settled at Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Franschhoek. The influence of small body of immigrants on the character of the Dutch settlers was marked. The Company in 1701 directed that only Dutch should be taught in the schools and this resulted in the Huguenots assimilating by the middle of the 18th century, with a loss to the community in the use and knowledge of French. The little settlement gradually spread eastwards, and in 1754 the country as far as Algoa Bay was included in the colony, at this time the European colonists numbered eight to ten thousand. They possessed numerous slaves, grew wheat in sufficient quantity to make it a commodity crop for export, but their chief wealth was in cattle. Through the latter half of the 17th and the whole of the 18th century, the administration of the Dutch East India Company was extremely despotic. Its policies were not directed at development of the colony, the effect of this tyranny was inevitable, it drove men to desperation. They fled from oppression, and even before 1700 trekking began, in 1789, so strong had feeling amongst the burghers become that delegates were sent from the Cape to interview the authorities at Amsterdam. After this deputation, some reforms were granted. It was largely to escape oppression that the farmers trekked farther and farther from the seat of government, the company, to control the emigrants, established a magistracy at Swellendam in 1745 and another at Graaff Reinet in 1786
18.
Stephanus Jacobus du Toit
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Reverend Stephanus Jacobus du Toit was a controversial South African nationalist, theologian, journalist and failed politician. In his younger years did much to promote the Afrikaans language as a symbol of Afrikaner nationalism, apart from the years 1882-8 when he was Superintendent of Education in the South African Republic, he lived in or near the town of Paarl in the Cape Colony. Disillusionment with the Kruger regime led him, in later years and he was instrumental in initiating the translation of the Bible into Afrikaans and was a proponent of the Afrikaans language. He was born in 1847 near Paarl in the Cape Colony at Plaas Kleinbos, theologically his view were much influenced by the Abraham Kuyper the Dutch Neo-Calvinist thinker. This made many reluctant to invite him to be their minister. In 1875 he became the minister of a new congregation based close to the family farm - that of North Paarl, at the time, the better-educated Dutch settlers in the Cape Colony regarded the Afrikaans language as a patois that was used by the less-educated. Du Toit however regarded the Afrikaans language as a symbol of Afrikaner Nationalism, in the early 1870s two Dutch schoolteachers Arnoldus Pannevis and C. P. In 1874 Pannevis addressed his concerns to the British and Foreign Bible Society while du Toits articles in De Zuid-Afrikaan added support to Pannevis and Hoogenhout. On 14 August 1875 Hoogenhout, Du Toit and others established the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners which has as its objectives the promotion of the Afrikaans language, nation and country. Initially this was to be achieved by the publication a monthly journal and as soon as was possible, Du Toit was elected president of the association and within a year had compiled a set of grammatical rules. In 1876 he launched the first Afrikaans language newspaper Die Afrikaanse Patriot, initially the paper, a monthly publication, had 50 subscribers, in its second year of publication 400 and by 18813000 subscribers, having in 1877 become a weekly publication. The British annexation of the Transvaal in 1877 caused considerable anger among the Dutch community in all of Southern Africa, in 1879 du Toit proposed the formation of the Afrikaner Bond, an anti-British organisation in which all Afrikaners could feel at home. Die Patriot urged a boycott of British products, in 1882, after the Transvaal regained its independence, its president Paul Kruger invited du Toit to become Superintendent of Education, a post that he held until 1889. As Secretary of State, he assisted in drawing up the Republic’s education law of 1882 which embodied Christian national principles, while he was secretary of state both the number of schools and the number of children attending school increased substantially. In 1883-4 he was part of Kruger’s delegation to Europe and helped negotiate the London Convention. In 1875, while in the Transvaal, he was appointed official translator of the Bible by the GRA and he resigned in 1888 due to a personality clash with Leyds, a newly appointed advisor to Kruger. After his resignation, he returned to the Cape Colony and publicly took over the post of editor of Die Patriot and he was personally bankrupt, having lost money in speculation while in the Transvaal. Under his editorship Die Patriot adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the British Government
19.
Afrikaans
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Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and, to a lesser extent, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Hence, it is a language of Dutch, and was previously referred to as Cape Dutch or kitchen Dutch. Although, it is described as a creole, a partially creolised language the least. The term is derived from Dutch Afrikaans-Hollands meaning African Dutch. It is the first language of most of the Afrikaner and Coloured people of Southern Africa, therefore, differences with Dutch often lie in the more analytic morphology and grammar of Afrikaans, and a spelling that expresses Afrikaans pronunciation rather than standard Dutch. There is a degree of mutual intelligibility between the two languages—especially in written form. With about 7 million native speakers in South Africa, or 13. 5% of the population and it has the widest geographical and racial distribution of all the eleven official languages of South Africa, and is widely spoken and understood as a second or third language. About 1. 5% of black South Africans speak it as their first language, large numbers of speakers of Bantu languages and English-speaking South Africans also speak it as their second language. It is taught in schools, with about 10.3 million second-language students and it, along with German, was among the official languages of Namibia until the country became independent in 1990, 25% of the population of Windhoek spoke Afrikaans at home. Both Afrikaans and German survive as recognised regional languages in the country, estimates of the total number of Afrikaans speakers range between 15 and 23 million. The Afrikaans language arose in the Dutch Cape Colony, through a gradual divergence from European Dutch dialects, there is a degree of mutual intelligibility between the two languages, particularly in written form. Nevertheless, Dutch speakers are confronted with fewer non-cognates when listening to Afrikaans than the way round. Mutual intelligibility thus tends to be asymmetrical, as it is easier for Dutch speakers to understand Afrikaans than for Afrikaans speakers to understand Dutch, in general, mutual intelligibility between Dutch and Afrikaans is better than between Dutch and Frisian or between Danish and Swedish. The workers and slaves who contributed to the development of Afrikaans were Asians and Malagasys, as well as the Khoi, San, and Bantu peoples who also lived in the area. African creole people in the early 18th century — documented on the cases of Hendrik Bibault, Only much later in the second half of the 19th century did the Boers adopt this attribution, too. The Khoi and mixed-race groups became collectively referred to as Coloureds, beginning in about 1815, Afrikaans started to replace Malay as the language of instruction in Muslim schools in South Africa, written with the Arabic alphabet, see Arabic Afrikaans. Later, Afrikaans, now written with the Latin alphabet, started to appear in newspapers and political, in 1925, Afrikaans was recognised by the South African government as a real language, rather than simply a slang version of Dutch proper. Before the Boer Wars, and indeed for some time afterwards, rather, Afrikaans was described derogatorily as ‘a kitchen language’ or as ‘a bastard jargon, suitable for communication mainly between the Boers and their servants
20.
Bernard Tancred
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Augustus Bernard Tancred was a leading 19th century South African Test cricketer. Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Tancred attended St. Aidans College, Grahamstown and his contemporaries at school included Percy Fitzpatrick and Charles Coghlan. He attended the Cape University and although there are no records to indicate that he graduated he practised law throughout South Africa, including Kimberley, Pretoria and he became a prominent member of the Uitlander community. Tancred continued to star in club cricket, gaining a reputation as the best batsman in South Africa, with a strong defence and this innings is still the Test Match record for the lowest score made by a batsman carrying their bat through an innings. The following season Tancred played for Kimberley against Transvaal in the inaugural Currie Cup and he also reinforced his stature in South African cricket and society by founding the Transvaal Cricket Union in 1891 and serving as its foundation chairman. Married in 1893 to Adeline Wainwright, who bore him three daughters, Tancreds increasing work commitments forced his withdrawal from the 1894 South African tour of England. The increase in tensions in South Africa between the Boers and Uitlanders saw Captain Tancred and others guarding the main Pretoria – Johannesburg road and he was also made an honorary member of Surrey County Cricket Club. Following the end of the war, Tancred moved to Salisbury to open a law firm in partnership with his fellow St Aidans alumni Sir Charles Coghlan and his brothers, Vincent and Louis, also played Test cricket for South Africa. Hall, BT & Schulze, H The Cricketing Brothers Tancred, Part 1, The Cricket Statistician,111, Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, Orpington, Kent. See also No.112 and 129, murray, B & Vahed, G Empire and Cricket, The South African Experience 1884–1914, chapter 6. Schulze, H South Africas Cricketing Lawyers, chapter 2
21.
Alberton, Gauteng
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Alberton is a city situated on the southern part of the East Rand of Gauteng Province in South Africa which celebrated its centenary year in 2005. As of 2007 it had a population of 202,202 and it is known as a typical bedroom community, a community primarily residential in character, with most of its workers commuting to work in nearby suburbs or cities. The town has access roads to all major freeways in Gauteng. Alberton is situated on the banks of the Natal Spruit close to the urban centres of Johannesburg. At the age of 13 a boy by the name of Johannes Petrus Meyer bought 11 hectares of his father’s farm Elandsfontein and he later built a house next to the Alberton stream or Natalspruit, close to where the civic centre stands today, and married. After his wife died in 1870 at the birth of their daughter, he decided to start a general store. The house was left unharmed during the Anglo Boer War of 1899–1902. Jans brother, Johan Georg Meyer, took over the farm after Jans death, general Hennie Alberts, a veteran of the war, purchased a part of the farm Elandsfontein from Org and he decided on the name Alberton. The primary school Generaal Alberts, and Hennie Alberts Avenue in the suburb of Brackenhurst, are named after the town founder, the first official post office was opened in 1926, and in 1938 building work started on a town hall. Street names in the Alberton North suburb were renamed after Voortrekkers in 1938, the well-known Blou Meul was established in 1954 in Van Riebeeck Street, Alberton North, and is still trading today as a general store specializing in outdoor activity equipment. The only reason for Albertons location is its proximity to the population centre. It has large areas, and has become a part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, together with other towns such as Germiston, Bedfordview. There are several shopping centres, libraries, clinics, hospitals, the towns initial centre of development was in the area now known as Alberton North or ‘Old’ Alberton. Alberton has an elevation of approximately 1,570 m above sea level, alrode, which is Albertons current industrial suburb, was established in 1943. Healthcare facilities include numerous government clinics as well the privately run Union Hospital, there are sports facilities and clubs for tennis, rugby, boxing, wrestling, cricket, jukskei, netball, hockey, soccer, bowls, korfball and ring tennis in Alberton. It is also home to the Reading Country Club and Golf Course, Alberton was also home to the now defunct New Market Race Course, which is now a shopping mall. Developed over what used to be the Newmarket Racecourse in Alberton, Mall at Newmarket is conveniently located at the Newmarket Park, a 77.3 hectares property development south east of Albertons CBD
22.
Lichtenburg, North West
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Lichtenburg is a town situated in North West Province of South Africa. It is the centre of Ditsobotla Local Municipality. The town was established in 1873 and was named by Transvaal President Thomas François Burgers, on the 13 March 1926, Jacobus Voorendyk, discovered a diamond on his family farm and within 12 months there were 108,000 fortune seekers on the scene. The resulting diamond rush lasted ten years, the main economic activity is the production of maize. Lichtenburg lies in the heart of the triangle, which is the main maize growing area in South Africa. Another major economic activity is the production of cement, within an 80 kilometres radius of Lichtenburg there are three major cement producers, which creates opportunities for long distance transport and related businesses. Lichtenburg is situated approximately 230 kilometres west of Johannesburg on the route to Mmabatho. It lies 1,459 metres above sea level, the climate is healthy and moderate. Frost occurs in winter but the days are pleasantly sunny, as a result of natural water resources and wide open spaces it has a natural charm and is a true oasis in an otherwise slightly arid North West Province. Lichtenburg was established in 1873 by Commandant H. A, after Unification he also became Senator. He was buried in Lichtenburg after a shooting incident at Langlaagte. More and more farmers settled here during the mid to late 1800s, several factories manufacturing inter alia liquid fertilizer, animal feed and agricultural implements are established here. Two of the largest cement factories in the Southern Hemisphere namely AfriSam Dudfield, the central business area consists of approximately 150 retail undertakings,20 financial institutions and many other service institutions. Shop and office accommodation is available as well as select business sites adjoining the central business area, peet Swart, a well known athlete, is situated in Lichtenburg. The theme of the museum is the alluvial diamant diggings of this region 1925–1935, the biggest pure red diamond in the world was found here in 1927. The stone was of 33 carats and it was sold for 66 pounds and was later valued at $150,000. The stone would be more than $6 million today and is the purest red diamond in the world. The biggest diamond rush in history took place in March 1927 on the farm Grasfontein near Lichtenburg, the town accommodates a Social-historical museum and an Agricultural museum with a big collection of antique tractors and many other interesting objects, and the new Digging Museum
23.
Graafwater
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Graafwater is a town in the Sandveld in the Western Cape province of South Africa situated 300 km from Cape Town, about halfway between Clanwilliam and Lamberts Bay. Graafwater is the Afrikaans term for water from a spade referring to the Afrikaans farming culture found in South Africa at the time of establishment and it is located in the Cederberg Municipality. Graafwater is often divided into Graafwater North and Graafwater South, after the railway junction between Cape Town and Bitterfontein was built in 1910, the town Graafwater was established. The local Dutch Reformed Church of Leipoldtville developed the town further, the Graafwater Dutch Reformed church formed its own congregation after a few years. The Heerenlogement - A cave about 30 km from the town that lodged both Simon van der Stel and Olaff Bergh
24.
Ermelo, Mpumalanga
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Ermelo is the educational, industrial and commercial centre of the 7,750 km² Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga province, Republic of South Africa. Mixed farming and anthracite, coal and torbanite mining take place here, Ermelo is the crossroads of three national highways, N2, N11 and the N17, only Pretoria and Johannesburg are crossed by more. In 1976, an unusually toed individual originated here, Jayjay and it is also a railway junction between Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Some of the earliest inhabitants of the area were the mysterious Leghoya people, not much is known about them, but ruins of their settlements dating back to c.1400 can be found in the area. Modern Ermelo was founded by Dutch Reformed Church Reverend Frans Lion Cachet and he named it after a town in the Netherlands. Cachet was a preacher, who had a strong interest in evangelism to Jews. Cachet had met and been influenced by Hermanus Willem Witteveen from Ermelo in the Netherlands as a young man, a congregation was started at Ermelo by Cachet in 1870, and was recognised by the 5th annual general meeting of the church in April 1872. The town was reduced to a single standing home by the British during the Second Boer War, lucky Dube, musician Michiel Daniel Overbeek, astronomer Gert Sibande, ANC-activist Municipality — A municipal board was established for Ermelo in 1903. By 1931, it had assumed a coat of arms, the arms were registered with the Transvaal Provincial Administration in January 1957 and recorded at the Bureau of Heraldry as part of a municipal flag in 1967. The arms were, Per pale, dexter Or, a mining headgear Sable, sinister Vert, the crest was a green mural crown with the brickwork outlined in gold
25.
Piet Retief, Mpumalanga
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Piet Retief is a town situated in a timber growing region in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It is the seat of the Mkhondo Local Municipality and it is located not far from the Swaziland border. In 1886, the inhabitants of the declared the Klein Vrystaat. This republic existed until 1891, when it was incorporated into the South African Republic, the town became a municipality in 1932. Its main tourist attraction is the Dutch Reformed Church that was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk, the area has an annual rainfall of 1000 mm. Its main economic activities are timber, paper and wattle bark production as well as mica, kaolin, on 2 February 2010, South African Arts and Culture minister Lulu Xingwana approved a state decision for Piet Retief to be renamed to eMkhondo. Like many other name changes in South Africa, the incident remains controversial. Most residents are uncertain what the new name means, and have argued that Piet Retief did not evoke widespread public offence, as did Verwoerdburg. Prominent Afrikaner groups, including the Freedom Front Plus, have promised to contest the change. O Mdluli, musician, Teargas member Pretty Yende, opera soprano Towns website
26.
Polokwane
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Polokwane, meaning Place of Safety in Northern Sotho, is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also referred to by its former official name. Polokwane is South Africas largest urban centre north of Gauteng and it was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the 1840s, Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp and this settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes. They founded a new town in 1886 and named it Pietersburg in honour of Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert, the British built a concentration camp at Pietersburg during the Boer War to house almost 4,000 Boer women and children. The city was the site of the ANC national conference which saw Jacob Zuma take over as head of the party, in 1904 Pietersburg had a population of 3,276, of whom 1,620 were whites. Pietersburg was an area during apartheid and so had an overwhelming white majority before 1990. After the dismantling of apartheid the city retained a large white population. Neighbouring townships have a black majority, the South African census showed the population of Polokwane City as 130,028 with 43,846 households in the 2011 census. Under the apartheid government certain areas were allocated to certain racial groups, westernburg is a former Coloured township. Seshego and Turfloop are former black townships outside Polokwane, nirvana is a former Indian township. Serala View and Marula Heights are new black elite suburbs and these suburbs no longer host exclusive racial groups and the local government has launched a project to encourage ethnic integration. Polokwane features a semi-arid climate under the Köppen climate classification, despite its position on the Tropic of Capricorn, the climate is tempered by its position on a plateau 1230 meters above sea level. Average temperatures reach around 21–22 °C in January and fall to 11 °C in July, as with much of inland South Africa, Polokwane has experienced notably warmer seasons over the last decade than its long term average. Polokwane has a dry climate with a rainy season and a pronounced dry spell during winter. Average annual rainfall is 495 millimetres, with December or January the wettest month, a public airport, Polokwane International Airport, is located just North of the city. There are daily flights to Johannesburg, running east, the R71 connects the city with Tzaneen, Phalaborwa and the Kruger National Park. The Nelson Mandela road traffic island is situated on the outskirts of Polokwane when approaching from the direction of Johannesburg and it was built prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup as part of beautifying the city for the event
27.
Hopefield, Western Cape
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The Dutch Reformed congregation was established December 1851 and the town was founded in 1852 on the farm Langekuil, it became a municipality in 1914. Named after two people who laid it out, Major William Hope, Auditor-General, and a Mr Field. The Air Force Base Langebaanweg,22 km west of the town, as well as the West Coast Fossil park West Coast Fossil park 25km west from town, there is an area of the town is called Oudekraalfontein with a population of 5,524. In earlier years, this now small town, was considered the capital of the West Coast, with banks, filling stations, the only access to the towns of Vredenburg, Langebaan and Saldanha was through Hopefield. With the re-routing of the R45 road, passing the town on the outside and the construction of the R27, the infrastructure of the town gradually shrunk away
28.
Bergrivier Local Municipality
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Bergrivier Local Municipality is a local municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It governs the towns of Piketberg, Velddrif and Porterville, as well as the surrounding villages, as of 2011 it had a population of 61,897. It is located within the West Coast District Municipality and has municipality code WC013, the municipality covers an area of 4,407 square kilometres stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Groot Winterhoek Mountains in the east. Much of its southern border follows the Berg River, while to the north it stretches as far as the Olifants River Mountains, the Piketberg mountain occupies the middle of the area. To the north it abuts on the Cederberg Municipality, to the east the Witzenberg Municipality, according to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 61,897 people in 16,275 households. Of this population,70. 9% describe themselves as Coloured,16. 9% as White, the first language of 90. 7% of the population is Afrikaans, while 3. 8% speak Xhosa and 2. 5% speak English. The municipal headquarters are in the town of Piketberg, which is situated north of the Berg River on the eastern slope of the mountain also known as the Piketberg. According to the 2011 census, Piketberg has a population of 12,075, the other principal towns in the municipality are Velddrif on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Berg River, and Porterville on the edge of the Groot Winterhoek Mountains. There are smaller villages in the vicinity of Piketberg at Goedverwacht and Wittewater, and in the northern parts of the municipality at Aurora, Eendekuil. Dwarskersbos is a village and coastal resort near Velddrif. The municipal council consists of thirteen members elected by proportional representation. In the election of 18 May 2011 the Democratic Alliance obtained a majority of seven seats on the council, the following table shows the results of the 2011 election. The local council sends two representatives to the council of the West Coast District Municipality, one from the Democratic Alliance, official website Bergrivier Local Municipality on the Western Cape Government website
29.
Sanna's Post
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Sannas Post was an engagement fought during the Second Boer War between the British Empire and the Boers of the two independent republics of Orange Free State and South African Republic. In early 1900, the British army, in overwhelming strength, had occupied Bloemfontein, capital of the Orange Free State, and were preparing to drive north to Pretoria, capital of the Transvaal. Field Marshal Lord Roberts, commander in chief of the British forces and their action at Sanna’s Post was the first large-scale use of guerrilla tactics in this conflict. On 30 March 1900 a 2, 000-man Boer force led by Christiaan De Wet advanced in the direction of Bloemfontein, reconnaissance indicated the presence of a small garrison of British troops at Sanna’s Post,23 miles east of Bloemfontein, which held Bloemfonteins water works. A British mounted force under Brigadier General Robert George Broadwood which had attacked other Boer positions at Thaba Nchu, was withdrawing there. De Wet sent 1600 of his men under his brother Piet to attack Broadwood from the north, during the darkness De Wet infiltrated a force of riflemen into the ravine created by the Modder River, setting the kill zone of the ambush. At first light on 31 March, Piet de Wets artillery opened fire from a set of hills to the north as the British troops were striking camp for the morning. Tactical surprise was complete and all were sent into a state of confusion, the British force began to retreat as expected, in the direction of the ravine where the blocking force awaited with orders from De Wet to hold their fire. The civilian wagon drivers preceding the soldiers were seized by the Boers, therefore, the British soldiers suspected nothing and approached the river in small groups. As they did so De Wet’s troops ordered them to surrender, an alert British officer noticed what was happening and ordered Q Battery to gallop away. De Wets men then opened fire, the British fell back on a railway station which offered substantial cover, while Q Battery under Major Phipps-Hornby deployed in the open and opened fire. This fire, combined with rifle fire from the railway station, pinned down Christiaan de Wets men. Broadwoods ammunition was running out, and he decided to retire to the south and his guns had first to be recovered. Five were hooked up and towed away, but two had to be abandoned, many British soldiers were killed crossing the 1300 yards of open ground to retrieve the guns, but unit integrity was maintained. Eventually, Broadwood managed to break contact and this nevertheless left Bloemfonteins water works in Boer hands. In all, the British suffered 155 men killed or wounded,428 men, seven field artillery pieces and 117 wagons were captured. The Boer force suffered three killed and five wounded, but even more serious than the losses in the action was the loss of Bloemfonteins water supplies. This greatly aggravated an epidemic of enteric fever dysentery and cholera among the occupying British army, the men from Q Battery awarded the Victoria Cross were, Major Edmund Phipps-Hornby, Sergeant Charles E. H. Parker, Gunner Isaac Lodge, and Driver Horace Henry Glasock
30.
South African Class 4 4-8-2
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The South African Railways Class 4 4-8-2 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope. In 1911, the Cape Government Railways placed two steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain type wheel arrangement in service and they were renumbered and designated Class 4 when they were assimilated into the South African Railways a year later. Two locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company and delivered in March 1911, the Class 4 locomotives had 4 1⁄2 inches thick bar frames, Stephenson valve gear with flat D slide valves arranged above the cylinders, and used saturated steam. The boiler was equipped with a chamber which was carried forward 2 feet from the firebox into the boiler barrel. This reduced the distance between the plates to 18 feet and made them excellent steamers. They were numbered 850 and 851 in the CGR numbering sequence and they were delivered with Type XJ tenders with a 6 long tons 10 hundredweight coal and a 3,500 imperial gallons water capacity. In 1912, these two locomotives were renumbered to 1477 and 1478 and designated Class 4 on the SAR, both locomotives were placed in service in the Karoo, working between Touws River and Beaufort West. They were withdrawn from service by 1938, the main picture shows SAR no.1478 at Worcester, c. 1930, with Coles Pop safety valves
31.
South African Class NG4 4-6-2T
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The South African Railways Class NG4 4-6-2T of 1911 was a narrow gauge steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal. In 1912, when two locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they retained their engine numbers. Five more of these locomotives were delivered to the South African Railways in 1913 and 1914, when a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were all designated Class NG4. The third narrow gauge line in Natal was the Alfred County Railway which ran from Port Shepstone on the South Coast to Harding. The first section to Paddock was opened on 8 November 1911. A, hendrie, using the Hawthorn Leslie drawings for the Class NG3. The majority of their parts were interchangeable with those of the earlier engines, between 1911 and 1913, the High Commissioner for the Union of South Africa placed three orders for altogether seven of these locomotives with Kerr, Stuart and Company. Two locomotives were ordered on 10 January 1911 and they were dispatched from the factory in September of that same year with Kerr, Stuart works numbers 1207 and 1208, for delivery to the Natal Government Railways. They were numbered NGR10 and 11 and designated Class N on the NGR roster, two more were ordered on 28 September 1912. They were dispatched from the factory in April and May 1913 with works numbers 1294 and 1295 and they were numbered SAR NG12 and NG13. Three more were ordered on 10 June 1913 and they were dispatched from the factory in July 1914 with works numbers 1342 to 1344. They were numbered SAR NG14 to NG16 and this last order also included the final two of the Class NG8 4-6-0 tender locomotives which were delivered with Kerr, Stuart works numbers 1345 and 1346. These locomotives were identical to the Hawthorn Leslie Side Tanks, except for their boiler. The boiler pitch had been raised from 4 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 9 inches to make a larger firebox possible and they had outside plate frames, Belpaire fireboxes and used Walschaerts valve gear. The most obvious differences from the Hawthorn Leslie locomotives were the higher side tanks, the less ornate sand boxes on top of the boiler. As built, they had no headlamps, but some were equipped with the large oil headlamps which were in use on the SAR at the time. In 1912, narrow gauge locomotives were included in the SARs narrow gauge numbering scheme and they retained their existing engine numbers, but with an NG number prefix for narrow gauge. The two locomotives which had delivered in 1911, listed as Late Administration S. A. R. Numbers 10 and 11 in the lists, were therefore renumbered NG10
32.
South African Class MF 2-6-6-2
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The South African Railways Class MF 2-6-6-2 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal. In 1911, the Central South African Railways placed nine Mallet articulated compound steam locomotives with a 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement in service, in 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and designated Class MF. Five more of these locomotives were delivered in November 1911 and were numbered directly onto the South African Railways roster, nine Mallet articulated compound steam locomotives which were delivered to the Central South African Railways in 1911 were built by the American Locomotive Company in 1910 and 1911. These engines had Walschaerts valve gear and Type XS tenders with a capacity of 10 long tons. They were numbered in the range from 1015 to 1023, in a compound locomotive, steam is expanded in phases. By comparison, in the usual arrangement of simple expansion. In the compound Mallet locomotive, the set of coupled wheels are driven by the smaller high-pressure cylinders which are fed steam from the steam dome via the superheater. Their spent steam is fed to the larger low-pressure cylinders which drive the front set of coupled wheels. The most noticeable difference from the experimental Class MD engine was the altered arrangement of the main steam pipes necessitated by the superheater. In 1912, these locomotives were renumbered in the range from 1619 to 1627, the new locomotives were erected in the workshops in Pretoria rather than Durban. The erection of engines away from ports was an innovation which was probably the outcome of experience gained with the Class MD, which had been erected at Durban. While the locomotive was brought to the Transvaal, difficulty was experienced at Drummond, the Class MF joined the experimental Class MD on the coal traffic line between Witbank and Germiston. When the Mallets replaced the existing Class 11 locomotives on this line, the Mallets proved to be capable of handling the heavy coal loads. In May 1914, Class MF no.1620 was used in a test run from Witbank to Germiston, the 80 miles journey was accomplished in seven hours, which included several stops. In 1923, engine no.1620 was converted to a locomotive in the Salvokop shops in Pretoria. Five more, numbers 1621 to 1623,1631 and 1632, were converted to simplex locomotives in 1925. They appear to have not been up to the task in the Eastern Cape, however and they were all withdrawn from service and scrapped by 1939
33.
South African Class MG 2-6-6-2
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The South African Railways Class MG 2-6-6-2 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal. In 1911, the Central South African Railways placed an experimental Mallet articulated compound steam locomotive with a 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement in service, in 1912, when it was assimilated into the South African Railways, it was renumbered and designated the sole member of Class MG. It had Walschaerts valve gear and was numbered 1024, in a compound locomotive, steam is expanded in phases. By comparison, in the usual arrangement of simple expansion. In the compound Mallet locomotive, the set of coupled wheels are driven by the smaller high-pressure cylinders. Their spent steam is fed to the larger low-pressure cylinders. Apart from having a different boiler, there were three major differences between this locomotive and the nine Class MF engines which were built and delivered at the same time. It was not equipped with a superheater, although superheated locomotives had already proven to be more economic. Since steam did not have to be routed via a superheater, the front set of coupled wheels was of a larger diameter than the rear set. In theory, this configuration was to result in improved acceleration with the engine unit providing the traction. It was the only South African articulated locomotive to have coupled wheels of different diameters. Owing to the larger diameter wheels of the engine unit, the boiler pitch had to be raised to 7 feet 11 1⁄2 inches. The unorthodox driving wheel configuration did not have the results and, in comparison with the other nine superheated engines. This was the first South African locomotive to be equipped with a mechanical stoker and this device was of the Street type and consisted of a coal crusher, hand-fed by the fireman, which was fitted to the front left hand side of the tender footplate. The crusher was driven by a steam engine which was mounted behind the hand brake column. The crusher reduced the coal to a size for the stoker. The crushed coal then fell by gravity into a chute which led to a receiving bin, from here it was picked up by a bucket elevator which worked in a large pipe. The full buckets were carried up in the left-hand-side tube mounted on the back of the firebox, discharged into a central receiver, the bucket belt was driven by another small steam engine mounted on the left side of the firebox, near the top
34.
Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone is situated on the mouth of the largest river on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Mzimkulu River. 120 kilometres south of Durban, it is the administrative, educational and commercial centre for southern Natal, Port Shepstone was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered nearby and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. William Bazley built a harbour and the first coaster entered the harbour on the May 8,1880, in 1882 a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled here and played a large part in the development of the area. After the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901 the harbour fell in disuse, the 27,000 candela lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River. Its industries include a mill, a lime works and a marble quarry. Timber, wattle bark and sub-tropical fruit are produced in the district, after the standard gauge Transnet passenger services shut down in 1986, the ACR continued operations until 2005, when the famous Banana Express ceased operation. The first school was opened in 1883 but by 1950 the school too small. The Port Shepstone School split into two, the Port Shepstone Primary School and the Port Shepstone High School, there is also the Port Shepstone Secondary School Port Shepstone is twinned with, Oskarshamn, Sweden
35.
Lady Grey, Eastern Cape
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Lady Grey is a rural village in the North-Eastern Cape in South Africa near the border with Lesotho. It is situated in the foothills of the Witteberg mountains,54 km due east of Aliwal North on the R58 road and 260 km from the capital of the Free State Province, Bloemfontein. Lady Grey was established on the farm Waaihoek, purchased by the Dutch Reformed Church of Aliwal North on 30 April 1857 for the purpose of founding a new congregation. It was named in honour of Eliza Lucy Grey, daughter of Sir Richard Spencer, the first municipality of Lady Grey was proclaimed in 1893. Currently, Senqu Local Municipality has its seat in Lady Grey, tucked away in a valley below the majestic Witteberg mountains, Lady Grey is a hidden gem, a tranquil, rural village founded in 1858. Surrounded by soaring mountains, crisp clean air and gentle streams, old buildings have been restored to attract tourists and relocators. Lady Grey attracts nature lovers, bird watchers, hikers, star gazers, wild trout and yellowfish are found in abundance in the streams and rivers in the area. Visitors wishing to fish here are advised to obtain a permit from the fly fishing association, especially for fishing on private property. The well-known Lady Grey Arts Academy is an exceptional combined Primary and Secondary school for pupils wanting to further their education in the performing and visual arts as well as in music. Regular shows, like the play during Easter, as well as Christmas plays are performed. Alwyn Schlebusch – only holder of the title Vice State President of South Africa, was born in Lady Grey in 1917, standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa http, //www. wildtrout. co. za http, //www. artsacademy. co. za
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