South African Timeline:
1913: Government attempted to enforce passes on women
1940s: Resistance becomes more rigid
1941: Food Canning Workers Union(FCWU) established by Ray Alexander
1944: ANC Women’s League and ANC Youth League
18 December 1946: Steve Biko is born
1948: National Party comes to power
1950-1970: women played an integral role in challenging apartheid politics and
policies in SA
1950s: Active resistance
1952: Native Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents Act was enacted
1953: BANTU Education system began
1954: Federation of South African Women(FEDSAW/FSAW)
1955: South African Congress of Trade Unions(SACTU)
1955: Black Sash/ The Women’s Defence of the Constitution League
October 1955: Passes would be issued to women beginning in January 1956
March 1956: Passes were first issued in the Orange Free State in Winburg
9 August 1956: protest organised by FEDSAW, 20 000 women came to the Union
Buildings in Pretoria
1959: Cato Manor, near Durban became the site of the large-scale protests against
the “BANTU authorities”
June 1959: 2000 women marched to express their grievances. Others entered a
beer hall and destroyed the beer. They organised a beer boycott which led to wide-
scaled uprisings all over Natal.
June 1959: British Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was formed
1960: Labour Party in Britain declared it ‘Africa Year’
1960s: ‘Silent Sixties’
1960s: Armed resistance
November 1962: UN attempts to impose economic sanctions and isolations on SA
21 March 1960: Sharpeville Massacre- commemorated as Human Rights Day
↳ The day that the banning of the parties occurs
1963: Britain stops selling arms to SA- arms embargo
1963: Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement (IAMM) was formed
October 1963: United Nations adopted a resolution calling on South Africa to
release all of its political prisoners
1964: SA did not attend Olympics
1966: Steve Biko enters the Medical School of the University of Natal
1968: Black students formed SASO
1970s-1980s: boycotts and disinvestments
1970s: Change starts
1972: Black People’s Convention is formed
1973: World Oil Crisis
1973: Biko’s first ban
1973: Massive strike in Durban regarding the increase in food prices
1975: BANTU Education is made Strict
1975: Mozambique and Angola became Independent
1975: Biko arrested
1975: Inkatha Freedom Party is formed
16 June 1976: Soweto uprising
17 June 1976: Students did not return to school → joined the fight
1977: Sullivan Principles attempted to encourage economic sanctions on SA
1913: Government attempted to enforce passes on women
1940s: Resistance becomes more rigid
1941: Food Canning Workers Union(FCWU) established by Ray Alexander
1944: ANC Women’s League and ANC Youth League
18 December 1946: Steve Biko is born
1948: National Party comes to power
1950-1970: women played an integral role in challenging apartheid politics and
policies in SA
1950s: Active resistance
1952: Native Abolition of Passes and Co-ordination of Documents Act was enacted
1953: BANTU Education system began
1954: Federation of South African Women(FEDSAW/FSAW)
1955: South African Congress of Trade Unions(SACTU)
1955: Black Sash/ The Women’s Defence of the Constitution League
October 1955: Passes would be issued to women beginning in January 1956
March 1956: Passes were first issued in the Orange Free State in Winburg
9 August 1956: protest organised by FEDSAW, 20 000 women came to the Union
Buildings in Pretoria
1959: Cato Manor, near Durban became the site of the large-scale protests against
the “BANTU authorities”
June 1959: 2000 women marched to express their grievances. Others entered a
beer hall and destroyed the beer. They organised a beer boycott which led to wide-
scaled uprisings all over Natal.
June 1959: British Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was formed
1960: Labour Party in Britain declared it ‘Africa Year’
1960s: ‘Silent Sixties’
1960s: Armed resistance
November 1962: UN attempts to impose economic sanctions and isolations on SA
21 March 1960: Sharpeville Massacre- commemorated as Human Rights Day
↳ The day that the banning of the parties occurs
1963: Britain stops selling arms to SA- arms embargo
1963: Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement (IAMM) was formed
October 1963: United Nations adopted a resolution calling on South Africa to
release all of its political prisoners
1964: SA did not attend Olympics
1966: Steve Biko enters the Medical School of the University of Natal
1968: Black students formed SASO
1970s-1980s: boycotts and disinvestments
1970s: Change starts
1972: Black People’s Convention is formed
1973: World Oil Crisis
1973: Biko’s first ban
1973: Massive strike in Durban regarding the increase in food prices
1975: BANTU Education is made Strict
1975: Mozambique and Angola became Independent
1975: Biko arrested
1975: Inkatha Freedom Party is formed
16 June 1976: Soweto uprising
17 June 1976: Students did not return to school → joined the fight
1977: Sullivan Principles attempted to encourage economic sanctions on SA
