Mobeni
The Johanna
The Johanna, or Joanna, was a British East Indiaman vessel sailing from Kent, England, to Surat, India, under the command of Captain Robert Brown. She embarked on her journey on 27 February 1682, carrying a crew of 110, 36 guns, European-made trading goods and 70 chests of silver ‘pieces of eight’. A ‘piece of eight’ is silver or gold ‘coins’ that were worth eight Spanish ‘Reales’ that could be broken or cut into eight pieces and used to trade for goods and services.
Shipwrecks in South Africa
Historic shipwrecks are time capsules of their time, they are often untouched for decades, sometimes centuries, until they are discovered. Everything onboard gets frozen in time, which archaeologists can study to understand our history. Ships have had an immeasurable impact on how we live today. These vessels are what opened the seas for trade, travel and communication across continental borders.
King Faku ka Ngqungqushe
King Faku ka Ngqungqushe was born around 1780 at the Qawukeni Great Palace near a small town called Lusikisiki in the Mpondoland region, which is in the north eastern part of the former Transkei homeland situated in the present-day Eastern Cape, South Africa. From the traditional history of succession, King Faku was not originally born from the great wife who is normally expected to give birth to an heir to the throne of the King according to the customs and tradition of the Mpondo people[1].
The history of Migrant Labour in South Africa
Introduction
Victor Verster Prison
The Groot Drakenstein correctional facility (the former Victor Verster, (“One of the proprietors of these grounds was Victor Verster, who, after selling his farm to the government, became a commissioner within the prisons department. Many farmers from the surrounding areas were furious with government’s plan to establish a prison in this peaceful valley of Wemmershoek,”) The Maximum Security Prison, near Simondium (which is between Franschhoek and Paarl) is a working prison, that was renamed in 2000. The Groot Drakenstein Prison is on the map chiefly because this was the last place in which Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and it was through these gates, that Mandela walked to freedom in 1990. Mandela was transferred to this prison, from the Maximum Security Prison on Robben Island in 1988, in preparation for his release on the 11th of February 1990. A larger than the life-size bronze statue of Mandela was unveiled, at Groot Drakenstein Prison. (shown in the picture). It is a beautiful statue showing Mandela with raised fist – a well-recognised gesture of defiance, usually accompanied by the freedom slogan – "Amandla Awethu"- isiZulu meaning- 'power to the people'. Groot Drakenstein Prison is an isolated, out of the way place in which to place such a statue, but the location has been deliberately chosen to stand in the very place where Mandela took his first steps outside of the prison as a free man! The statue was commissioned from South African artist Jean Doyle by Tokyo Sexwale, a well known businessman who himself spent 13 years on Robben Island.
The statue is a tribute to every person who made sacrifices in the fight for freedom!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/18/nelson-mandela-drakenstein-prison-house
https://thirstytraveler.co.za/about-freedom-hill-vineyards-our-freedom-hill-legacy-tour/
https://ewn.co.za/2020/02/11/madiba-s-drakenstein-prison-house-set-to-become-heritage-site
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/z_archives/madiba20/Mandelas-jail-a-heritage-site-20100210
http://nhmsa.co.za/news/mandelas-move-to-victor-verster-prison/
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/mandela-moved-victor-verster-prison
https://southafricalists.com/maximum-prisons-in-south-africa/
https://www.un.org/ungifts/content/life-size-statue-of-nelson-mandela