Friday, 25 June 1677
With the coming of the Dutch settlement, the Khoikhoi faced a demand for their cattle. Trade disputes and charges of theft caused great tension between colonists and the Khoikhoi who, for their part, feared that the settlement of free burghers (farmers) in 1657 would eventually deprive them of their valuable pastures and watering places.
These tensions led to the First and Second Khoikhoi-Dutch Wars.
Before the Second Khoikhoi-Dutch War, the Dutch settlement began expanding within Table Valley, and outposts were built at Saldanha Bay and in the Hottentots Holland where, for the first time, land was purchased or bartered from the Khoikhoi chieftain Dhouw. As European explorers, hunters and traders (legally or illegally) crisscrossed the countryside there were incidents of cattle-stealing and hunters were killed or wounded. Incidents and casualties mounted. Encouraged by the many enemies of the Cochoqua, the Dutch blamed Gonnema (the Cochoqua leader) for this uneasy truce.
On 18 July 1673, an expedition under the command of Jeronimus Cruse launched a highly successful campaign against Gonnema. The attack was executed on horseback and marked the beginning of the Second Dutch-Khoikhoi War. The Cochoqua fled into the mountains, leaving behind their livestock. With most other Khoikhoi groups siding with the Dutch, there was little Gonnema could do.
In 1674 the Dutch East India Company launched a second follow-up attack on the Cochoqua, These attacks gave the Company a fine yield of livestock and weapons. The war dragged on inconclusively until 25 June 1677 when Governor Isjbrand Goske’s successor, Joan Bax, accepted a pledge from Gonnema that he would live at peace with the settlers and pay a tribute of 30 cattle annually.
Despite their submission to the Dutch, the Cochoqua were not totally impoverished by the war. Gonnema continued to be regarded as one of the richest chiefs in the region. From a Dutch viewpoint, he also became a model leader, pursuing escaped slaves whenever officials at the fort requested him to do so, and allowing his people to aid white hunters.
However, once peace was restored, white expansion proceeded at a rapid pace. The number of settlers increased with the arrival of French Huguenot refugees in 1688 and a new class arose, that of the trekboer.
Saturday, 25 June 1927
On 25 June 1927, Michael Miller and Sam Cohen opened the first OK Bazaars on Eloff and President Streets in Johannesburg.
OK Bazaars went on to gain success as a general store throughout South Africa, and became a household name. In 1929, OK Bazaars was listed as a public company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and by 1967, OK Bazaars had opened 100 stores.
OK Bazaars also played a role in the labour history of South Africa, as the establishment of this franchise led to competition between stores in small towns throughout the country, for example, where Indian traders had set up general stores.
Despite this, OK Bazaars proved to be fairly progressive enterprise, as it was willing to negotiate with the Shopworkers’ Union in the 1940s, and OK Bazaars employees were seen to be relatively well paid.
In 1997, OK Bazaars was bought out by Shoprite Checkers. However, the OK franchise still exists today as a furniture chain store.
Friday, 25 June 1976
The student-led protests in Soweto in 1976 known as the Soweto Uprising claimed many lives and left many injured. The protests began in Soweto schools and spread across the country. The unrest was a response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction.
The government’s proposed plan was to compel pupils to take half of their content subjects like Biology and Mathematics in Afrikaans and the other half in English. In just 10 days of rioting, the official death toll was 174 black people and two White people. The number of wounded was 1,222 black people and six white people. 1,298 were arrested for offences ranging from attending illegal meetings, arson to terrorism and furthering the aims of banned organizations.
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