Events in Western Cape History
Cape Colony Founded
1652-04-06 Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa, established by Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeeck
- 1795-09-15 Dutch East India controlled Cape Colony (present day South Africa) surrenders to Britain
- 1806-01-08 Battle of Blaauwberg: British forces attack French vassal, the Batavian Republic near Cape Town, modern day South Africa
- 1856-07-15 Natal forms as a British colony separate from Cape Colony
- 1877-03-12 Great Britain annexes Walvis Bay at Cape colony, Southern Africa.
- 1879-07-04 Africaner Union forms by Rev SJ du Toit at Cape colony
Rhodes Becomes Premier
1890-07-17 Cecil Rhodes becomes Premier of Cape Colony
- 1895-11-11 Bechuanaland becomes part of Cape Colony
- 1896-01-06 Cecil Rhodes resigns as premier of Cape colony
- 1899-11-23 Battle at Belmont: General Methuen's British brigades engage Boer force during Second Boer War
- 1899-11-25 Battle at Graspan, Cape colony: General Methuen beats Farmers
Battle of Modder River
1899-11-28 Second Boer War: Battle of Modder River (Cape Colony), British Lord Methuen defeats Boer forces of Piet Cronjé and Koos de la Rey
- 1900-05-17 British troops relieve Mafeking (Cape Colony)
- 1900-12-16 Boer army under gen Kritzinger take Cape colony
- 1901-08-12 Boer General Kritzinger driven out of Cape colony
- 1901-08-20 The Fawcett Commission visits Mafeking concentration camp in Cape Colony
Boers Raid Cape Colony
1901-09-03 General Jan Smuts enters Kiba Drift on the first Boer raid into Cape Colony
- 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
- 1938-08-08 Great Trek Centenary Celebrations commence; the Great Trek was a migration involving Boers leaving the Cape Colony and settling in the interior of South Africa
- 2017-05-22 South Africa's Western Cape province declares a drought disaster - worst for 113 years
Famous People from Western Cape
- 1619-04-21 Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Colony (Cape Town), born in Culemborg (d. 1677)
- 1639-10-14 Simon van der Stel, 1st governor of Dutch Cape Colony (1679-99), born in Indian Ocean en route to Mauritius (d. 1712)
- 1762-10-12 Jan Willem Janssens, Dutch nobleman, military officer, and Governor-General of Cape colony and Dutch-Indies, born in Nijmegen, Netherlands (d. 1838)
- 1792-12-19 Andries Hendrik Potgieter, Boer leader (led Voortrekkers group to settle Transvaal), born in Graaff-Reinet district, Cape Colony (d. 1852)
- 1819-09-17 Marthinus Wessels Pretorius, 1st president of the Republic South Africa, born in Graaff Reinet, Cape Colony (d. 1901)
Paul Kruger (1825-1904)
1825-10-10 3rd President of South African Republic (1883-1900) and face of Boer resistance during the Second Boer War, born in Steynsburg, Cape Colony
- 1831-01-20 Piet Joubert, South African general and vice-president, born in Prince Albert, British Cape Colony (d. 1900)
- 1844-10-05 Francis William Reitz, 5th State President of the Orange Free State, born in Swellendam, Cape Colony (d. 1934)
- 1853-02-09 Leander Starr Jameson, British colonial politician (led Jameson raid in attempt to overthrow Boer Transvaal government, Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1904-08), born in Stranraer, Scotland (d. 1917)
Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902)
1853-07-05 British businessman, diamond merchant and imperialist politician who was Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (1890-96), born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
- 1854-03-23 Alfred Milner, British governor (Cape Colony) and colonial administrator, born in Giessen, Grand Duchy of Hesse (d. 1925)
J. B. M. Hertzog (1866-1942)
1866-04-03 South African General and Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa (1924-39), born in Wellington, South Africa
Jan Smuts (1870-1950)
1870-05-24 Prime Minister of South Africa (1919-24, 1939-48), military leader (Boer War, WWI, Smuts Report that led to the RAF) and internationalist statesman (Commonwealth, League of Nations, United Nations), born in Bovenplaats, Cape Colony, British Empire
- 1870-06-24 Horatio Mbelle, South African interpreter, community leader and politician, born in Burgersdorp, Cape Colony (d. 1947)
- 1874-05-22 Daniel François Malan, Prime Minister of South Africa (1948-54) who began the implementation of apartheid, born in Riebeek-Wes, Cape Colony (d. 1959)
- 1876-04-14 Murray Bisset, South African cricket wicket-keeper and captain (3 Tests, 3 dismissals; Western Province), born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa (d. 1931)
- 1877-02-21 Totius [Jacob D. du Toit], South African poet and theologist, born in Paarl, Cape Colony (d. 1953)
- 1879-08-07 Johannes Kotze, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 6 wickets, BB 3/64; London County, Transvaal, Western Province), born in Cape Town, South Africa (d. 1931)
- 1890-06-20 Dorothy Bernard, American stage, silent and sound screen actress (Life With Father - "Margaret"), born in Port Elizabeth, British Cape Colony (now South Africa) (d. 1955)
- 1890-08-22 Cecil Kellaway, South African-American stage and screen character actor (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; The Luck of the Irish), born in Cape Town, Cape Colony (now South Africa) (d. 1973)
- 1893-07-14 John G. Strijdom, South African politician and nationalist, Prime Minister of South-Africa (1954-58), born in Willowmore, Cape Colony (d. 1958)
- 1897-05-11 Boerneef [pen name for Izak Wilhelmus van der Merwe], South African writer (Tweetalige Woordeboek), born in Ceres, Cape Colony (d. 1967)
- 1899-09-29 Billy Butlin, South African-British holiday camp promoter (Butlins), born in Cape Town, Cape Colony (d. 1980)
- 1901-12-26 Victor Hely-Hutchinson, British composer (Carol Symphony), born in Cape Town, Cape Colony (d. 1947)
- 1913-06-13 Etienne Leroux, Afrikaans author (Een vir Azazel), born in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape (d. 1989)
- 1914-08-07 Ted Moore, South African-British cinematographer (James Bond), born in Western Cape, South Africa (d. 1987)
- 1931-03-08 Neil Adcock, South African cricket fast bowler (26 Tests, 104 wickets @ 21.10), born in Cape Town, Western Cape (d. 2013)
- 1931-08-02 Eddie Fuller, South African cricket fast bowler (7 Tests, 22 wickets, BB 5/66; Western Province, Cumbria CCC), born in Worcester, South Africa (d. 2008)
- 1935-08-20 Dulcie September, South African teacher and anti-apartheid political activist, born in Athlone, Western Cape, South Africa (d. 1988)
- 1979-12-16 Trevor Immelman, South African golfer (US Masters 2008), born in Cape Town, Western Cape
Alan Paton
Bobby Locke
Candice Swanepoel
Charlize Theron
Christiaan Barnard
Cyril Ramaphosa