Chitja Twala

University of the Free State | ufs · Department of History

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the terrain of the diplomatic and security landscape of Southern Africa shifted dramatically. South Africa declared various Bantustans “independent,” but they were not recognized by other countries. Small regional states like Lesotho increasingly took more combative diplomatic stances, aided by Cold War connection...

The book emphasises the importance and centrality of borders and border-making in Southern Africa. It contributes to an emerging scholarship on mobility and borders, illustrating how they are traversed. The contributors critically illustrate the role of borders in the historical and contemporary contexts of Southern Africa.

Despite the existence of well defined border demarcation, official border crossing points, and border officials tasked with regulating migration between Lesotho and South Africa, instances of illegal and irregular border crossing remain. This has given rise to a flourishing market for illegal border crossing facilitators, commonly known as Paqama s...

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the social license to operate (SLO) are widespread global phenomena in mining-dependent countries. These self-regulated frameworks are used to ensure local ownership and as a response to conflict by mining companies. Over the past two decades, CSR in the mining industry has only been more prevalent in Afric...

The role of Warrior Queen Mmanthatisi and how she is portrayed in historical writings. The chapter attempts to correct the contested portrayal of her as a 'bloody-monger' type of the leader who tormented all those who differed with her.

Around the world, myths have shaped beliefs and cultural practices of traditional and modern societies that are passed on from generation to generation. Beliefs such as praying to God and believing in the existence of Ancestral spirits are common across nations but differ in procedure and variety. Individuals from various communities have follo...

Stock theft has long been a problem along the Lesotho–South Africa border. From Moshoeshoe I’s cattle-raiding in the nineteenth century through to the start of the democratic era in Lesotho (1993) and South Africa (1994), the idea that stock theft is both prevalent and an international problem has been generally accepted by one and all. This articl...

The emphasis is on African women in southern Africa and in the African Diaspora and in particular those who exercised significant power and authority in precolonial and colonial times. It debunks the outdated, timeworn belief that African women have always been downtrodden and held in scant respect because it is/was assumed that since time immemori...

‘Independence’ for bantustans was universally rejected by the international community in the late 1970s and early 1980s. How the status of Lesotho and Swaziland as internationally recognised states deeply embedded in South Africa’s economic and political orbit differed from that of the bantustans was clear in some cases, murky in others. The aparth...

The article traces the impact and relevance of the singing of the liberation songs by members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in South Africa’s new and fragile democratic dispensation. The study also highlights the reaction of the Afrikaner section of South Africa’s population, which cla...

In 1910, when the four British colonies, the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Free State, became the Union of South Africa, the country’s capital city was divided into three parts: the executive in Pretoria, the legislative in Cape Town, and the judicial in Bloemfontein because it had the Appeal Court. The locations of the first two were uncontested, bu...

Alhoewel die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in Suid-Afrika reeds 12 jaar gelede gehou is, is die kriteria gebruik deur die Onafhanklike Verkiesingskommissie (OVK)1 om die April 1994 verkiesing “vry en regverdig” te verklaar nog nooit waarlik deur historici en politieke wetenskaplikes nagevors nie. ‘n Vraag wat reeds ‘n lang tyd by studente van die...

The ANCYL played a significant role in the history of the ANC, therefore the actions of its members at their 23rd conference in Bloemfontein were disturbing for the ANC. Already in the build-up it was clear that rivalries between factions were rife and before the conference started there had been disruptions. The article highlights the reasons behi...

The article attempts to respond to the controversy of leadership squabbles within the ranks of the Congress of the People (COPE). For the past few years, COPE has become the home of divisions, factions and character assassination. It is argued in the article that based on the malicious practices by some leaders of this organisation, it might lose t...

The article attempts to respond to the controversy of leadership squabbles within the ranks of the Congress of the People (COPE). For the past few years, COPE has become the home of divisions, factions and character assassination. It is argued in the article that based on the malicious practices by some leaders of this organisation, it might lose t...

As early as 1989 when it was clear that there was a possibility of unbanning liberation movements in South Africa and securing the release of political prisoners, the African National Congress (ANC)-aligned structures in the di!erent townships began openly and radically mobilising for the organisation. "e ANC-aligned demonstrations and protests bec...

The article reflects on the role played by Jacob Zuma as President of the African National Congress (ANC) using his Zuluness to break the Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP’s) political control of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The rationale for this venture by Zuma elicited an outcry from the IFP, which for long had used the Zuluness appeal in the pr...

This article analyses the emphasis given to the teaching of the South African liberation struggle history at the country’s universities. Although this history has been analysed in books, chapters, journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations by South African scholars working in various disciplines, it is generally underrepresented...

This article analyses the emphasis given to the teaching of the South African liberation struggle history at the country’s universities. Although this history has been analysed in books, chapters, journal articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations by South African scholars working in various disciplines, it is generally under-represented...

The history of student activism and contestation for political space as exhibited by the student organisations at one of the former University of the North’s (Turfloop) satellite campus or branch, UNIQWA, remains untold and scarcely documented, despite the available evidence that UNIQWA experienced student protests between the mid-1980s and mid-199...

This book provides an important contribution to the liberation struggle historiography. More interestingly, it highlights the activities of the African National Congress (ANC) and those aligned to it in the struggle for liberation, particularly in the North West Province, South Africa (SA). It came about as a result of the ANC’s centenary in 2012.

This article explores the role of white male public officials who occupied senior positions in the Qwaqwa bantustan's public service during the rule of the Dikwankwetla Party under the leadership of Chief T. K. Mopeli, from 1975 to 1994. The core argument advanced is that the role of white men in the Qwaqwa public service had adverse consequences f...

The year 2017 marked 23 years of South Africa’s democracy. During these 23 years, great strides have been made in advancing democratic principles. However, despite the above, democratic rule in South Africa has been criticised for the challenges it faces in attempting to strengthen democracy. This article delves into the history of Public Administr...

Khulu Mbatha, Unmasked: Why the ANC failed to govern. Sandton: KMMM Review Publishing Company (Pty) Ltd, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-9922329-7-9, 250 pages.

The study examines the role of third party mediation in trying to broker a peace agreement in the Ivory Coast. Furthermore, it highlights the reasons for the failure to implement the French brokered Linas-Marcoussis, as well as the little success of the Accra Accords. The failure of both agreements provides an understanding of events that led to th...

The ecological crisis of the sacred sites in the Eastern Free State has become a matter of concern both provincially and nationally. From various quarters, attention is drawn to the harm human beings and their activitiesdo the environment and the need to arrest this menace. The paper argues that environmental conservationconcerning the sacred sites...

The cadre deployment policy has been implemented by the African National Congress (ANC) and its alliance partners in pursuit of its avowed intention to have loyal party hands on all the levers of power in government. The present paper finds out that although the policy is justified by the ANC, it has attracted criticism from those who believe that...

Since the entire history of existence, the African National Congress (ANC) has been using collective memory in reminding its members of the history of the organisation, firstly as a liberation movement and secondly in the democratisation period as the ruling party in South Africa. The purpose of the present paper is to expose the significant relati...

In 2014, South Africa celebrated 20 years of democracy. Within these 20 years of democracy, there were many changes in the education sector. The teaching of history, particularly South African history, has survived many challenges during and after apartheid. During the apartheid era, to a certain extent the teaching of South African history was sub...

The study investigates the ideological challenges facing the African National Congress (ANC) from being a liberation movement to it becoming the ruling party in South Africa. The study argues whether there has been an ideological evolution within the ANC or not. Furthermore, the study contends that what the ANC aspired to ideologically, as a libera...

The purpose of this paper, guided by Appreciative Inquiry (AI) prescripts, was to understand and interpret the live experiences of three (out of the five) University of the Free State (UFS), Qwaqwa campus first-year students who went on a short study-abroad program to some universities in the United States of America (USA). The three students, who...

The intent of the study is to investigate and analyse the impact of the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims to the rural communities in South Africa. The authors opine that the issue of traditional leadership has been a contested terrain in South Africa long before the African National Congress (ANC) could assume power in 1994....

The local state is important for understanding the social context within which social conflict and contestation occur. Therefore, the local arena, with its specific historical development and local political scene should be factored into any analysis of social conflict and protest. The study acknowledges that most social movements and community pro...

The aspirations of a ‘new’ democratic South Africa which were realised after the April 1994 general elections marked a critical moment of freedom for the majority of the country’s citizens who were refused the right to vote by the apartheid government prior to 1994. Unshackled from centuries of colonialism and apartheid, the idea of a ‘new’ South A...

The role of traditional authorities, particularly traditional leadership in the democratic South Africa (1994-2013) seems to be a complex and multifaceted process. When the African National Congress (ANC) came into power in May 1994, the party was faced with a mammoth task of incorporating traditional leaders in the local sphere of government. The...

The study proceeds from the premise that meaningful history teaching requires that educators should be able to expose their learners to different types of historical sources and resources in order enhance their quality of teaching. One of the ways of doing this is the use of monuments as spaces to supplement and support what is done in the classroo...

In the recent past (2008-2013), the African National Congress (ANC) led government in South Africa has experienced an outcry from different communities around the country, concerning a lack of provision of services. These conditions to a certain extent led to the outbreak, of what became known as the service delivery protests in South Africa. The b...

Among the many challenges experienced by the Community Councils in the Maseru District in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the local government ones appeared to be the most frustrating ones. Over the years since the introduction of the Lesotho Local Government Act of 1997, the challenges of lack of funding, human resources and the lack of the central govern...

The year 2013 marks the centenary since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963. While the 50th anniversary of the OAU is a cause for celebration in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), the body’s birthplace and home of its successor, the African Union (AU), the occasion prompted much reflection amongst historians and political s...

During the apartheid era in South Africa, there were significant activities and events taking place within and outside the country in as far as the liberation struggle was concerned. The banning of the liberation movements in 1960 and the subsequent launch of an armed struggle led to dramatic change in the lives of millions of South Africans. Parti...

The main focus of this study is to investigate cultural protocols and behavioural patterns in the sacred sites with specific reference to the Free State Province. Emphasis is on the adherence to such cultural protocol and behavioural patterns and the necessity of their observance. Consequently, in most cases these provisions lead to misunderstandin...

The year 2012 was a historic one for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa. The party started the year by successfully celebrating its 100 years on 8 January 2012 in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) and ended it by hosting the 53rd National Elective Conference in the very same city on 16-20 December 2012 at the University of the Free St...

The article traces the impact and relevance of the singing of the liberation songs by members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in South Africa’s new and fragile democratic dispensation. The study also highlights the reaction of the Afrikaner section of South Africa’s population, which cla...

The year 2013 marks the centenary of the infamous 1913 Natives Land Act in South Africa. Although much has been written about the question of access to land, a part of South African history that receives little attention from historians, involves the lack of female representation in land administration. The aim of this study is to examine the relat...

For many decades South African education and the teaching of History in particular, has been characterised by desegregation in an effort to accommodate the diverse nature of society. During the apartheid era, the decentralisation of education provided racially defined communities the legal means to preserve their privileges, that the teaching of a...

Many countries in the SADC region have experienced serious problems concerning immigrants and refugees. The problems troubled and escalated in the region during the 1990s up to date. In the main, this has been due to the nature of the conflicts and violence experienced by the citizens of the countries involved. The purpose of this study is to highl...

The year 2013 marks the centenary of the proclamation of the famous 1913 Land Act in South Africa. Therefore the present inequitable distribution of land as faced by the African National Congress (ANC) government in a post-apartheid South Africa can be traced back to the Natives Land Act of 1913, the Urban Areas Act of 1923, and the Group Areas Act...

The intent of the study was to find out if institutional funding has a quality impact on the delivery of the academic programmes. This study was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews and documental analysis process. The study did attract responses from 50 academics Heads of Department. Majority of the respondents considered academ...

Many countries on the African Continent had experienced serious challenges in as far as the peacekeeping missions were concerned. In the main, this was due to the nature of the conflicts and violence experienced by the citizens of those countries. One of such countries was Sudan, particularly its western region of Darfur. Ever since the name ‘Darfu...

Predictive validity of student admission is an incubator programme for producing quality teachers that can enhance performance of learner’s achievement in Mathematics and Physical Sciences at Grade 12. The key issue examined in the paper is whether the admission policy used in Natural Sciences programmes has made a significant contribution to their...

The question of rural safety in South Africa has been a contested terrain for a number of years. In most cases, the safety crisis threatened the farmers and their labour force. In order to contain the situation, the commandos played a significant role of providing security to both the farmers and the farm workers. Although the commandos provided th...

This study examines the impact of rural and agrarian development discourse in a post-apartheid South Africa. Although the African National Congress (ANC) led government introduced the land reform programme almost two decades ago, pointers are that the process has not yield the desired results. Despite the ANC’s enormous rural development efforts, l...

p>Local government elections are notorious for low voter turnout, but the May 2011 elections in South Africa showed a record 58 percent of the 24 million registered voters. In South Africa, local government matters and not just because it provides a pointer to what might happen in the provincial and national elections due in 2014, but helps in dete...

This article seeks to highlight the understanding of and insight into the African ritual of animal slaughtering in South Africa. Reference will be made to the ritual as performed by the African National Congress (ANC) activist, Tony Yengeni after being released from prison in 2007. Furthermore, the paper shows its implications for current debates o...

One of the African National Congress (ANC) led government’s promises to the electorate in all the elections since 1994 was to assist the African rural communities with infrastructure development for poverty reduction programmes. Consequently, this in return would help in the provision of sustainable livelihoods for such communities. Therefore, as p...

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of life skills as a strategy to combat HIV/AIDS among school-going young people and listen to the educator’s stories regarding their experiences. Life orientation programme was included as part of the revised national curriculum statement and is offered as a compulsory subject from Grade R to 12....

The article traces the impact and relevance of the service delivery and poverty alleviation strategies introduced by the African National Congress (ANC) led provincial government in the Free State Province. This was in line with the promises made by the ANC during its electioneering campaigns of a “better life for all”. South Africa was confronted...

Since its formation in 1985, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) had played a significant role in the political landscape of South Africa. From the start, COSATU appeared to be in support of the then banned African National Congress (ANC) when it adopted the Freedom Charter. This article highlights the relationship which exists betw...

As early as 1989 when it was clear that there was a possibility of unbanning liberation movements in South Africa and securing the release of political prisoners, the African National Congress (ANC)-aligned structures in the different townships began openly and radically mobilising for the organisation. The ANC-aligned demonstrations and protests b...

The chapter deals with the resistance politics in the Northern Cape between 1980 and 1990. it unpacks how the civic, workers, student and youth organization rendered the territory ungovernable in the quest for liberation.

The chapter is about political contestation in QwaQwa during Chief TK Mopeli's governance in the homeland. it discusses the achievements and challenges faced by his government from the Congress-aligned structures in the Free State.

The chapter examines activist networks and political protest in the Free State. The authors explain that although no formal regional UDF structure was formally launched in the area there were protests in many of the townships.

Die historiese en kulturele belangrikheid van die heilige terreine in die Vrystaatprovinsie, Suid-Afrika Die artikel beklemtoon die belangrikheid van die heilige terreine in die Vrystaatprovinsie. Dit toon aan dat die toenemende neiging om ekonomiese ontwikkeling in die provinsie te konsentreer, ’n impak op die terreine het deurdat hulle dikwels be...

Winnie Mandela bannelinghuis in Brandfort (Majwemasweu) – die historiese belang daarvan: 1977-1985: Die verbanning van Winnie Mandela na die dorpie Brandfort in die Vrystaat in 1977 het die verpolitisering en politieke mobilisasie van die jeug in die gebied tot gevolg gehad. Dit was tydens haar tydperk van ballingskap in huis 808 in Majwemasweu dat...

Die Afrika-tradisie van inisiasie en besnydenis: vloek of kuur in Suid-Afrika?Tradisionele gebruikte soos inisiasie en besnydenis weerspieël die norme en gewoontes van gemeenskappe wat oor geslagte strek. Elke sosiale groepering in die wêreld het spesifieke kulturele norme en gewoontes. Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe is geen uitsondering nie. In Suid...