Events in KwaZulu-Natal History
Gama Sails Africa's East Coast
1497-12-16 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama is 1st European to sail along Africa's East Coast, names it Natal
- 1838-02-16 Weenen Massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulu warriors
- 1843-05-04 Great Britain annexes Natal
- 1843-08-08 Natal (in South Africa) is made a British colony
- 1856-07-15 Natal forms as a British colony separate from Cape Colony
- 1881-01-28 Battle at Laing's Neck Natal: Boers beat superior powered British
- 1881-02-26 -27] Natal: British troops under Major General Colley occupy Majuba Hill
- 1894-06-28 The Natal Legislature plans to introduce the Indian Franchise Bill, South Africa
Natal Indian Congress
1894-08-22 Mahatma Gandhi forms the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) in order to fight discrimination against Indian traders in the British Colony of Natal in South Africa
- 1897-12-30 Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
- 1899-09-08 British government sends an additional 10,000 troops to Natal, South Africa
- 1899-10-13 7,000 laid-off black mine workers of South Africa reach Natal
- 1899-10-20 Battle at Talana Hill, Natal: British army vs Boers
- 1899-10-21 Battle at Elandslaagte Natal: (Boers vs British army)
- 1899-10-22 British troops flee Dundee, Natal South Africa
- 1899-10-30 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith
- 1899-11-02 Boers begin siege of Ladysmith, Natal
- 1899-11-12 British troops reach Durban, Natal
Churchill Captured
1899-11-15 Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill captured by Boers in Natal
- 1899-11-22 -23] Battle at Willow Grange, Natal (British vs Boer army)
- 1899-12-09 Boer War: During Siege of Ladysmith, Boers storm King's Post and Caesar's Camp - driven back
- 1900-02-05 British troops under Gen Buller occupy Vaal Krantz, Natal
- 1900-02-07 British troops vacate Vaal Krantz, Natal
- 1900-02-18 British troops occupy Monte Christo, Natal
- 1900-02-19 British troops occupy Hlangwane, Natal
- 1900-02-28 General Buller's troops relieve Ladysmith in Natal
- 1900-09-03 With a proclamation by General Lord Roberts, Britain annexes the Boer Republic of South Africa
- 1901-09-26 Boer General Botha fails to capture Fort Itala in Natal
- 1906-01-01 The poll tax of £1 per head on all adult male inhabitants of Natal, South Africa, except indentured Indians and married Blacks, imposed by the Natal parliament in 1905, becomes payable.
- 1906-02-09 Natal proclaims state of siege in Zulu uprising
- 1909-09-20 The British Parliament passes the South Africa Act; it calls for union of Cape Colony, Natal, Orange River Colony, and Transvaal; and both English and Dutch as official languages
- 1911-01-03 The Government of India announces that emigration to Natal, Southern Africa, is prohibited with effect from 1 July
- 1913-10-19 At a meeting of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) in Durban, NIC secretaries, M. C. Anglia and Dada Osman, severely criticise Mahatma Gandhi and tender their resignations
- 1913-10-21 Transvaal women satyagrahis begin defiance activities, hawking without licenses in Vereeniging; they cross the Natal border and encourage the miners in Newcastle to strike
- 1921-03-06 The Natal Indian Congress is resuscitated and reorganised at a meeting in Durban, with Ismail Gora as President
- 1924-01-27 The Natal Indian Congress and the Natal Indian Association jointly organise a mass meeting in Durban, South Africa in opposition to the Class Areas Bill
- 1954-07-12 ANC President Albert Luthuli banned by South African Minister of Justice from attending public gatherings and confined to the magisterial district of Lower Tugela, Natal
- 1984-01-02 16-year-old future South African Test cricket batsman Darryl Cullinan scores his 1st first-class century (106 no) for Border against Natal B in East London
- 1990-02-13 50 killed at Inkatha-UDF battle in Natal, South Africa
- 1994-03-08 Train accident at Pinetown, Natal, kills 47
- 2000-08-03 South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Amnesty Committee grants amnesty to Curnick Ndlovu, the KwaZulu-Natal leader of the African National Congress and United Democratic Front, for committing sabotage during December 1961 and June 1963 near Durban
- 2022-04-13 At least 448 people killed after heavy rains and flooding in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, "one of the worst weather storms in the history of our country" according to authorities [1]
- 2022-08-20 Misuzulu ka Zwelithini crowned Zulu King at KwaKhangelamankengane Palace in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa [1]
Famous People from KwaZulu-Natal
- 1794-06-28 Allen Frances Gardiner, British naval officer and Anglican missionary (Port Natal;, Zululand; Patagonia), born in Basildon, Berkshire, England (d. 1851)
- 1832-09-30 Frederick Roberts "Bobs", British military commander and governor of Natal (Second Afghan War, Boer War), born in Cawnpore, British India (d. 1914)
- 1845-09-01 Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen, English army officer (Governor of Natal and Malta), born at Corsham Court, Eng;and (d. 1932)
Louis Botha (1862-1919)
1862-09-27 Boer general and statesman, 1st Prime Minister of South Africa (1910-19), born in Greytown, Natal
- 1876-04-09 George Shepstone, South African cricket batsman (2 Tests; Transvaal), born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal, South Africa (d. 1940)
- 1876-09-26 Charlie Llewellyn, South African cricketer (South African lefty all-rounder 1896-1912), born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal (d. 1964)
- 1876-11-28 Bert Vogler, South African cricket all-rounder (15 Tests, 64 wickets, BB 7/94, 2 x 50; Natal, Transvaal; MCC), born in Swartwater, South Africa (d. 1946)
- 1881-04-23 Claude Carter, South African cricket spin bowler (19 Tests, 28 wickets, BB 6/50; Natal, Transvaal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1952)
- 1884-02-04 Rolland Beaumont, South African cricket batsman (5 Tests; Transvaal), born in Newcastle, Natal, South Africa (d. 1958)
- 1884-10-10 Ormy Pearse, South African cricketer (3 Tests for South Africa in Australia 1910-11), born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal (d. 1953)
- 1886-06-28 Joe Cox, South African cricket fast medium bowler (3 Tests; Natal), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (d. 1971)
- 1887-01-09 Dan Taylor, South African cricket batsman (2 Tests, HS 36; Natal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1957)
- 1889-05-05 Herbie Taylor, South African cricket batsman and captain (42 Tests; 2,936 runs @ 40.77; 7 x 100s), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1973)
- 1890-06-30 Horace Chapman, South African cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Natal), born in Durban, Natal (d. 1941)
- 1895-07-21 H G "Nummy" Deane, South African cricket batsman (17 Tests [12 as captain], 3 x 50; Natal, Transvaal), born in Eshowe, South Africa (d. 1939)
- 1897-05-10 Dalton Conyngham, South African cricket medium-pace bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Natal, Transvaal, Western Province), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1979)
- 1905-06-29 Alphaeus Hamilton Zulu, Anglican bishop of Zululand and Swaziland, born in South Africa (d. 1988)
- 1905-09-14 Herby Wade, South African cricket batsman and captain (10 Tests, 327 runs; Natal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1980)
- 1906-01-06 Benedict Vilakazi, South African Zulu poet and educator (Zulu-English Dictionary), born in KwaDukuza, Natal (d. 1947)
- 1906-12-02 Eric Dalton, South African cricket batsman (15 Tests, top score 117), born in Durban, Natal, South Africa (d. 1981)
- 1908-02-11 Sutan Takdir Alishahbana, Indonesian linguist and writer (Poedjangga Baroe), born in Natal, Dutch East Indies (d. 1994)
- 1912-03-02 Arthur Langton, South African cricket medium pace bowler (15 Tests, 40 wickets), born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa (d. 1942)
- 1914-05-02 Dennis Dyer, South African cricketer (opened batting for South Africa v England 1947), born in Durban, Natal (d. 1990)
- 1914-06-18 Billy Wade, South African cricket wicketkeeper (11 Tests, 1 x 100, 17 dismissals; Natal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 2003)
- 1918-07-09 Rowley Israel Arenstein, South African attorney, communist and activist (under house arrest for 18 years), born in Durban, Natal (d. 1996)
- 1920-09-23 Gerard W. Taylor, South African-British surgeon, born in Natal, South Africa (d. 1995)
- 1923-04-10 John Watkins, South African cricket all-rounder (15 Tests, 29 wickets, 3 x 50s; Natal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 2021)
- 1927-10-25 Headley Keith, South African cricket batsman (8 Tests @ 21.19; Natal), born in Dundee, South Africa (d. 1997)
- 1928-06-28 Peter Heine, South African cricketer (solid South African fast bowler in 1950's), born in Winterton, Natal, South Africa (d. 2005)
- 1928-08-27 Mangosuthu Buthelezi, South African politician (Chief Minister of KwaZulu 1972-94), born in Mahlabathini, Natal, South Africa (d. 2023) [1]
- 1928-11-12 Bob Holness, South African English radio and television presenter (BBC), (d. 2012), born in Natal, South Africa (d. 2012)
- 1929-03-11 Jackie McGlew, South African cricket batsman (34 Tests, 7 x 100, HS 255no; Natal), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (d. 1998)
- 1930-07-09 Roy McLean, South African cricketer (prolific South African batsman played 40 Tests), born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal, South Africa (d. 2007)
- 1931-08-01 Trevor Goddard, South African cricketer (South African opening batsman and opening bowler), born in Durban, Natal, South Africa (d. 2016)
- 1932-02-03 Jonathan Fellows-Smith, South African cricket all-rounder (4 Tests, HS 35; Oxford University CC, Northamptonshire CCC, Transvaal), born in Durban, Natal (d. 2013)
- 1935-07-12 Chris Burger, South African cricket batsman (2 Tests, HS 37no; Natal), born in Randfontein, South Africa (d. 2014)
- 1939-04-19 Michael Macaulay, South African cricketer (Tvl, W Prov, OFS, NE Tvl, E Prov & S Afr), born in Durban, Natal
- 1939-06-12 Geoff Griffin, South African cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; first RSA Test hat-trick 1960), born in Greytown, Natal Province, South Africa (d. 2006)
- 1940-02-17 Dennis Gamsy, South African cricket wicketkeeper (2 Tests, 5 dismissals; Natal), born in Glenwood, South Africa
- 1940-05-18 Pat Trimborn, South African cricket fast bowler (4 Tests, 11 wickets), born in Durban, Natal, South Africa
- 1941-06-30 Peter Pollock, South African cricket fast bowler (28 Tests, 116 wickets, BB 6/38, 1 x 50; Eastern Province), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- 1943-04-21 Hannes Viljoen, South African rugby union winger (3 caps; Natal), born in Elliot, South Africa (d. 2021)
- 1944-03-09 Lee Irvine, South African cricket batsman (4 Tests, 1 x 100, 2 x 50, HS 102; Essex CCC, Natal, Transvaal), born in Durban, South Africa
- 1945-07-21 Barry Richards, South African cricket batsman (4 Tests, 2 x 100, 2 x 50, HS 140; Natal, Gloucestershire CCC, Hampshire CCC, South Australia), born in Durban, South Africa
- 1946-09-15 Mike Procter, South African cricket all-rounder (7 Tests, 41 wickets, BB 6/73; Gloucestershire CCC, Natal, Western Province, Rhodesia, Orange Free State), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 2024)
- 1946-10-29 Strinivasa Moodley, South African anti-apartheid activist, born in Durban, Natal
- 1950-12-03 Muntu Myeza, South African anti-apartheid activist and General Secretary of SASO, born in Natal, South Africa (d. 1990)
- 1955-05-14 Peter Kirsten, South African cricket batsman and coach (12 Tests, top score 104; 40 ODIs), born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa
- 1956-06-25 Bongiwe (Bongi) Dhlomo-Mautloa, South African artist, born in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- 1958-04-05 Johan Kriek, South African-American, tennis player (US Indoor 1982), born in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- 1960-11-02 Rosalyn Fairbank, South African tennis player (French Open doubles 1981, 83), born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
- 1965-12-01 Henry Honiball, South African rugby union fly-half (35 caps; Sharks [Natal], Bristol), born in Estcourt, South Africa
- 1980-06-27 Kevin Pietersen, South African cricket batsman (104 Tests England, 23 x 100, HS 227, 136 ODIs; waZulu Natal, Nottinghamshire CCC, MCC, Hampshire CCC, Surrey CCC) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- 1983-03-31 Hashim Amla, South African cricket batsman (first RSA Test triple century, 311), born in Durban, Natal
- 1985-07-09 BJ Watling, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (79 Tests, 8 x 100s, 275 dismissals, TS 205; Northern Districts, Durham CCC, Lancashire CCC), born in Durban, Natal Province, South Africa
Alan Paton
Bobby Locke
Candice Swanepoel
Charlize Theron
Christiaan Barnard
Cyril Ramaphosa