Ben Turok was serving a three-year sentence at Pretoria Central around the time that Vuyisile Mini, Wilson Khayingo and Zinakile Mkabi were executed. Of this day in history he recalled, “I was already awake when the singing began again in the early morning…And then, unexpectedly the voice of Vuyisile Mini came roaring down the hushed passages. Evidently standing on a stool, with his face reaching up to a barred vent his cell, his unmistakable bass voice was enunciating his final message in Xhosa to the world he was leaving.

The Liliesleaf raid happened on this day in 1963 leading to the arrests of the Umkhonto Wesizwe High Command. Prior to this Mandela (already captured in 1962) was abruptly transferred from Robben Island to Pretoria Central. The High Command was aware that Liliesleaf was increasingly becoming an unsafe haven, so plans to move its headquarters were under way by the time this day in history took place. They had identified a property in Krugersdorp as a potential new hideout.

In 1964, during the Rivonia Trial, Nelson Mandela said, "The ANC has never at any period of its history advocated a revolutionary change in the economic structure of the country, nor has it, to the best of my recollection, ever condemned capitalist society."

https://twitter.com/KgosiKevin/status/1493138082887000064

That man's statement is a little all over the place because if the ANC did not condemn capitalism, there would be no need to "work" anyone because they all felt the same way. The only one isolated from his comrades on Robben Island was Sobukwe.

The story of Solomon Linda is incredibly painful. Duped into selling away his rights to the song, Mbube. He passed away on this day in 1962. Linda was born in Msinga, KZN on 9 December. He moved to Joburg in 1931 and worked in a furniture shop called Mayi Mayi. While in Joburg he founded the group Evening Birds. Their most famous song was Mbube.

For this women's day here is a thread on women we should know. I want to start with Mazhar Makatemele who was also known as 'Black Sara'. She was the first Black woman in Sweden. How? She was kidnapped from Kwa-Zulu Natal by enslavers in 1846. She is buried in Sweden. Rafaela Stålbalk has done some work on trying to uncover this story. Search a blog called Black Women in Europe for more information on Makatemele and her daughter.

We're 8 days away from the 45th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising. On 8 June 1976, two police officers walked into Naledi High School looking for a learner named Enos Ngutshane. Ngutshane was a SASM leader and these officers wanted to take him in for questioning. Naledi High school students were having none of that. They threw stones at those cops and overturned the police's car. Ngutshane was wanted for writing a letter to the Minister of Bantu administration saying the students did not want to be taught in Afrikaans.

Pixley ka Isaka Seme passed away 70 years ago on this day in 1951. This year will mark the 140th anniversary of his birth. Now before you say you wish the leaders of today were like him...they are. A few revelations about his corruption, fraudulent qualifications have surfaced in recent years. Last I checked the family was challenging these claims however, I haven't seen a rebuttal from them yet.

Oliver Tambo passed away on this day in 1993. Here he is in 1955 at a boxing match Todd Matshikiza covered.
"I said to myself when I saw them, Shucks, these fellows Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo are actually enjoying this cruel sport."- Matshikiza At the ANC conference in November 1958 when the Africanists moved to leave the ANC. At this heated conference in which a fight almost broke out Sobukwe declared, "We shall think of co-operation with other races when we have come into our own."
📸: Peter Magubane

Chris Hani was assassinated on this day in 1993. This was taken 30 years ago on 8 December 1991 at the relaunched SACP's first congress in 41 years.
📸: Walter Dhladhla The SACP (the CPSA) had disbanded on 4 May 1950 ahead of the inevitability of the commencement of the Suppression of Communism Act (26 June 1950). The CPSA remained active, but underground. It was in 1961 that Chris would join this party. The following year her joined MK.

Educator, organizer, writer, chorister Charlotte Maxeke was born Charlotte Mokgomo Mannya in Botlokwa Ga-Ramokgoba, Polokwane on this day 150 years ago. Maxeke was the first Black South African woman to obtain a degree. She is an alumnus of Wilberforce University in Ohio. Her birth place is often mixed up with either her sister, Katie's who was born in Fort Beaufort in 1873 or with her husband's, Marshall Maxeke born in Middledrift. Perhaps because the Mannya's did live in Eastern Cape for a lot of Charlotte's childhood before moving to Kimberley.

Solomon Mahlangu was executed on this day in 1979 even though the court knew he was not responsible for the killings on Goch Street on 13 June 1977. His death took place on what was called Van Riebeeck Day, which marked the official arrival of the VOC on 6 April 1652. Mahlangu joined MK after the riots that broke out in response and solidarity with the learners of Soweto. The ANC used June 16 as a rallying call to the military training camps and young people responded in their numbers. Mahlangu was among them. He left in September that year.

Prof Wangari Maathai would've turned 81 today. Prof Maathai was the Kenyan woman to obtain a PhD when she graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1971. She is apparently the first woman in the East African region to obtain this qualification. She would later make history as the first African woman Nobel Laureate.

The first group of enslaved people, about 174, arrived at the Cape on this day in 1658 aboard the Amersfoort. Most of them were children. But they actually were not meant to be here, they'd been captured from a Portuguese slaver ship headed to Brazil from Angola. The Amersfoort basically intercepted the Portuguese ship on which 500 enslaved were aboard taking 250 of them. Not all of those 250 made it to the Cape as 76 of them passed away from illness.

Journalist, writer & activist Ida B Wells passed away on this day in 1931. She was born into slavery on 16 July 1862 a year into the American civil war. As an investigative journalist she was the first to expose lynchings in the south. Her work on lynchings was inspired by her friends murder, businessman Thomas Moss & his business partners Will Stewart and Calvin McDowell who were killed on 9 March 1892 all because they had a thriving grocery store business that outrivalled their white counterpart.

It's the photographer, Ernest Cole's birthday today. He would've turned 81. This photo of Ma Ngoyi was included in his book House Of Bondage.

https://twitter.com/valavoosh/status/1370651284777369603

Cole was born Ernest Levi Tsoloane Kole in Eersterust, Pretoria. He dropped out of school when Bantu Education was introduced and would later join Drum as a photographer and later Bantu World. He also was a freelancer.

Remembering Sharpeville 61 years later. While Nyakane Tsolo led the Sharpeville protest, Sobukwe is pictured here in Soweto leading the people there toward the local police station where they would hand themselves over for arrest. After the PAC was formed on 6 April 1959, the movement got to work setting up branches. In July that year the Tsolo brothers (Nyakane and Job) set up a branch in Sharpeville with Nyakane (pictured here) serving as branch secretary.

Sunday will mark the 61st anniversary of the Sharpeville Masscare. But it was on this day in 1960, 3 days before the fateful event that the PAC published a circular by its president Robert Sobukwe. It read: This is the call thr African people have been waiting for. It has come! On Monday the 21st of March 1960 we launch our POSITIVE, DECISIVE CAMPAIGN against PASS LAWS in this country. Our Demands:
1) We demand that the Pass Laws be totally abolished
2) We demand a minimum wage established by the Government legislation of £35 per month or £8. 34 per

This image depicts the Battle of Salt River which took place on this day in 1510 between the ǃUriǁʼaekua (Goringhaiqua) & the Portuguese. Some historians have cited attempted kidnapping of ǃUriǁʼaekua children that sparked the battle. It ended in defeat of the Portuguese. There's always been weariness Khoe communities had with the presence of the Portuguese in the Cape, apparently. Historians specifically note somewhere around 1503 as the first instance of said weariness when the Portuguese led by Antonio De Saldanha became the first to enter what

21 February is jampacked with history. It's WB Rubusana's birthday today. His work Zemk' Inkomo Magwalandini & A History of South Africa from a Native Standpoint were published 115 years ago in 1906. This year will mark the 85th anniversary of his death. I saw there's a book on the APO's Abdullah Abdurahman, Cape Town's first Black councilor. WB was the first Black politician elected to the Cape Provincial Council which is like a provincial legislature of sorts. This was a huge upset for the liberals. I would read a book on this.

This is the SS Mendi. It was involved in a collision with another ship the SS Darro on this day in 1917 causing it to sink. About 646 Black soldiers of the South African Native Labour Corps drowned. There's a monument eGcuwa in honor of those who drowned on this day. The captain navigating Darro never warned other ships, didn't have any lights as is usually the protocol as it sailed toward the Mendi. It didn't even stop to assist those on board. So it's very possible more people would've survived the accident.

It's Sade's 62nd birthday. One of the beauty brands should've had a red lipstick named after her by now. One of my favorite stories of Sade's influence has to do with my favorite album from Janet. Apparently Janet and her producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were in the studio deciding on a lead single. Up until 93 Janet had always led with an uptempo single (your Rhythm Nations etc)