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6 April1652:The Dutch East India Company decided to establish a permanent settlement.
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The british take control of Cape Town and English was declared the official language of the Cape Colony in 1822 (replacing Dutch), and the stated language policy of the government of the time was one of Anglicisation.
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Gold is discovered in Johannesburg, making the city rich.
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Dutch settlers fight the British in the Boer War. Britain eventually gains control of South Africa.
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Apartheid is introduced. Laws legally and physically separate different racial groups.
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The African National Congress, a black civil rights group, begins a Campaign for Defiance of Unjust Laws as a protest against apartheid. Nelson Mandela is one of its leaders.
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1960: In the town of Sharpeville, 67 Africans are killed while protesting Apartheid
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Mandela is arrested for plotting against the government. Though he stays active politically, he will spend 27 years in prison.
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President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid. Mandela is freed from prison after serving 27 years.
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De Klerk and Mandela are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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South Africa holds its first elections in which all races can vote. Nelson Mandela is elected President
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South Africa hosts and wins the World Cup rugby tournament.
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Mandela steps down as President.
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Jacob Zuma is elected President.
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South Africa hosts the World Cup soccer tournament.