Monday, 10 April 1854
The newly formed Republic of the Orange Free State (OFS) promulgated its constitution.
The constitution was largely influenced by the constitutions the USA and the French Republic.
This worsened strains between Britain and the OFS, a British colony before it gained independence in 1854.
Monday, 10 April 1972
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxic Weapons and their Destruction was signed in Moscow, London and Washington.
South Africa formed part of this convention, and signed this multilateral treaty, which prohibited the development and stockpiling of any weapons which would enable a country to embark on biological warfare.
This prohibition was a supplement to the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
This treaty was opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and put into effect on 26 March 1975.
This treaty is regarded as the first international treaty to ban an entire class of weapons, and by June 2000, the treaty had been signed by 144 states parties, which includes the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Monday, 10 April 1978
Transkei Prime Minister Chief Kaiser Matanzima announces his government’s decision to break all diplomatic ties with the Republic of South Africa.
This included a unilateral withdrawal from the non-aggression pact between the two governments, and the demand that all South African Defence Force (SADF) members seconded to the Transkei Army should leave. In February 1980, Transkei announced it was re-establishing diplomatic relations with South Africa following Pretoria’s undertaking to negotiate over disputed land.
Saturday, 10 April 1993
The South African Communist Party (SACP) secretary-general, Chris Thembisile Hani was shot and killed in the driveway of his Boksburg home.
Soon after, Janus Walus, a Polish immigrant who came to South Africa in 1982, was arrested in connection with the murder.
He was linked to co-conspirator Clive Derby-Lewis, a Conservative Party (CP) Member of Parliament (MP)and his wife Gaye.
Hani was killed in front of his 15-year-old daughter Nomakhwezi.
