On this Day in History 23 July
Learn what happened on this day in history
Thursday, 23 July 1925
Daniel F. Malan, the then minister of the Interior, announced the introduction of the Areas Reservation and Immigration and Registration Bill also known as the Asiatic Bill. The Bill defined Indian people as aliens and recommended the limitation of their population through a repatriation process. This Bill was far more stringent than its predecessor, the Class Areas Bill, which had been introduced to merely enforce segregation.
Friday, 23 July 1954
The then African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General, Walter Sisulu, was served with two notifications in terms of the Suppression of Communism Act (Act 44 of 1950) . In terms of these notifications Sisulu was directed to resign as member, official or office-bearer from certain organisations such as the ANC. He was also prohibited from taking part in the activities of these organisations and from attending any gathering at any place within the Union of South Africa or the area South West Africa, for a period of two years. However, Sisulu defied the notice and attended a gathering in Bochabelo location.
Wednesday, 23 July 1986
In July 1986 South Africa was in a state of martial law, with a nation-wide State of Emergency having been declared in June of the same year. To counter the escalating international condemnation that was taking place, the government lifted the obligatory carrying of passbooks by Black people on 23 July 1986. The pass system was, however, not abandoned altogether, Black men and women were still required to have passbooks although they were no longer expected to carry them at all times and failure to present a passbook on demand by the police was no longer a criminal offense.
From the mid-1950s the government had began to coerce rural woman into accepting passbooks – this sparked resistance in the rural areas, with massive and sustained revolts in Zeerust and Sekukuneland in 1958. It was a protest against the pass laws in 1960 that prompted the police to shoot and kill 69 people in what became known as the Sharpeville massacre, leading to South Africa’s first state of emergency and the banning of a host of anti-apartheid organisations, including the African National Congress(ANC)and Pan Africanist Congress(PAC).
Tuesday, 23 July 1996
Penelope Penny Heyns was born on 8 November 1974 in Springs, Gauteng Province. Heyns began swimming at a young age and displayed great skills. Her swimming was exceptional, securing her a bursary to study at the University of Nebraska in the United States.
In 1996, Heyns was part of Team South Africa in Atlanta. She made history by winning both the 100m and 200m events at the games. She remains the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have achieved this. Heyns was named Female World Swimmer of the year in 1996 and 1999 by Swimming World Magazine. She retired from professional swimming in 2001.
