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Apartheid Timeline
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Founding of the ANC
This organisation was initially founded as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein, with the aim of fighting for the rights of black South Africans -
Congress Youth League founded
By the end of the 1940s, the Youth League had gained control of the African National Congress. It called for civil disobedience and strikes in protest at the hundreds of laws associated with the new apartheid system. These protests were often met with force by the South African Government. -
Defiance Campaign
Demonstrations in support of the Defiance Principles were organised for April 6, 1952, the 300th anniversary of white settlement in the Cape of Southern Africa.
Of approximately 10,000 people who protested the unjust apartheid laws, around 8,500 of them were imprisoned, including Nelson Mandela. -
Albert Luthuli wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Albert Lutuli received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1961. During the selection process in 1960, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided that none of the year's nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel. According to the Nobel Foundation's statutes, the Nobel Prize can in such a case be reserved until the following year, and this statute was then applied. Albert Lutuli therefore received his Nobel Prize for 1960 one year later, in 1961 -
Sharpeville Massacre
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Spear of the Nation formed
"Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) which fought against the South African apartheid government.[1] MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961. It was subsequently classified as a terrorist organization by the South African government and the United States, and banned. -
Nelson Mandela sentenced life in prison
Nelson Mandela received a life sentence for committing sabotage against South Africa’s apartheid government, avoiding a possible death sentence. -
The Soweto Uprising
Soweto Uprising, also known as June 16, was a series of high school student-led protests in South Africa that began on the morning of June 16, 1976. Students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto, in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools. An estimated 20 000 students took part in the protests, and roughly 176 people were killed. -
Steve Biko dies in Police Custody
On Sept. 12, 1977, Stephen Biko, one of South Africa’s most influential anti-apartheid activists, died after being beaten by South African police during an interrogation. South African authorities claimed that Mr. Biko’s hunger strike caused his death. -
Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Desmond Tutu received the 1984 Nobel peace prize for his nonviolent work against apartheid, the South African government's policy of racial separateness. -
Nelson Mandela is release from prison
Leading anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela has been freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
His release follows the relaxation of apartheid laws - including lifting the ban on leading black rights party the African National Congress (ANC) -
Nelson Mandela becoms president of South Africa
served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and Mandela was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC).