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Historical profile
1652 The Dutch East India Company set up a supply station which became Cape Town, supplying sailing ships to and from the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).
1795 Britain took control of the Cape.
1806 The Cape Colony became British and settlement began in 1820.
1835 Mass treks by Afrikaners (Boers) moved inland, fighting the Ndebele and Zulus.
1899–1902 After many battles, the Boer War was eventually won by the British. With the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902, all Boers became British subjects.
1910 The Union of South Africa was established from the former British colonies of Cape and Natal and the Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State. South Africa became a self-governing dominion led by former Boer generals.
1912 The Native National Congress, the precursor to the African National Congress (ANC), was founded.
1913 The Land Act was introduced to prevent blacks, except those in Cape province, from buying land outside reserves.
1914 The National Party was founded.
1919 South West Africa (Namibia), formerly a German colony, came under South African administration.
1948 Apartheid (separateness) laws excluding non-whites from political and economic influence were applied by successive National Party governments.
1950 The population was classified by race. The Group Areas Act was passed to segregate blacks and whites. The South African Communist Party (SACP) was banned. The ANC responded with a campaign of civil disobedience led by Nelson Mandela.
1960 Apartheid laws were brutally enforced; the most notorious incident was the Sharpeville massacre. The ANC became the main black political organisation opposing the government and consequently was banned.
1961 South Africa was declared a republic and left the Commonwealth. Mandela launched the ANC's military wing which began a campaign of disruption and sabotage.
1964 Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC, was jailed for life. The UN imposed sanctions against South Africa.
1976 More than 600 people were killed in the Soweto uprising.
1983 Constitution established power-sharing of three population groups (whites, Asians and mixed race (coloured)), effectively excluding participation of blacks.
1986 A state of emergency was declared during township riots.
1989 P W Botha (prime minister from 1978–83 and president from 1983–89) was replaced by F W de Klerk, who began a reform programme which started the dismantling of apartheid.
1990 Nelson Mandela was released from prison. A peace accord was signed with the ANC and the state of emergency was lifted. Namibia became independent.
1991 International sanctions were lifted after the remaining apartheid laws were repealed. Fighting broke out between the ANC and the Inkatha movement of KwaZuluNatal, which claimed to represent Zulu tribes.
1993 Parliament assented to the non-racial constitutional guidelines drawn up and adopted by a multi-racial negotiating forum. The three-chamber, racially-based parliament was adjourned and apartheid in the government essentially ended. A transitional Government of National Unity (GNU) was established.
1994 An interim constitution was adopted, allowing for the first non-racial elections. Nelson Mandela was elected president. South Africa successfully reapplied for Commonwealth membership. The remaining sanctions were lifted and South Africa took its seat in the UN General Assembly for the first time in 20 years.
1996 The constitution was adopted. Some changes were made later and an amended text of the constitution was adopted. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It began hearings on human rights abuse committed by both government and liberation movements under the apartheid regime. The National Party withdrew from the coalition government, claiming it was being ignored.
1998 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission branded apartheid a crime against humanity and held the ANC responsible for numerous human rights abuses. South Africa intervened militarily in Lesotho to prevent civil war breaking out in the kingdom.
1999 Thabo Mbeki was elected president by the National Assembly. The ANC increased its share of the election vote and formed a coalition government with the mainly Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
2000 Despite President Mbeki's controversial views on Aids, South Africa played host to the 13th World Aids Conference in July. The Democratic Party, the New National Party and the Federal Alliance merged to form the Democratic Alliance, which won a quarter of the vote in the local elections.
2001 The name of the Greater Pretoria Municipality was changed to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and the Port Elizabeth Municipality to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. A legal action against the South African government by 39 multi-national pharmaceutical companies over the production of generic Aids drugs was dropped. This enabled South Africa and many other poor countries to import cheaper drugs to combat the epidemic. The Democratic Alliance collapsed after the New National Party pulled out of the coalition. The government was cleared of unlawful conduct by an independent tribunal over allegations of corruption surrounding an arms deal involving European firms. The High Court ruled that pregnant women must be given anti-retroviral drugs to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies.
2002 The name of Northern Province was changed to Limpopo Province. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) became the African Union (AU) with President Mbeki as the first chairman.
2003 In June, the government said it would spend R4.1 billion (US$500 million) over the next three years providing free water, sanitation and electricity to those who could not afford them.
2004 The ANC was re-elected on 14 April. On 23 April, Thabo Mbeki was elected unopposed for a second term as president.
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