On this Day in History 25 September

Tuesday, 25 September 1657

Jan Hendrik Hendricxsz Boom was first gardener at the Cape and with his wife Annetjie (Annetjie de Boerin) had accompanied Jan van Riebeeck to the Cape in 1652. In 1657 he was one of the first group of nine men who was released from service of the Dutch East India Company to become free burghers in order to supply in the demands for fresh produce from passing ships and the expanding settlement. The family settled on a plot near the Fort. Though they made a relative success as cattle farmers, the family was dogged by adversity. Their cattle were raided by Hottentots (Khoi-Khoi) and then their servants absconded. They returned to the Netherlands in 1665.

The settling of free burghers was a radical change from the previous policy of the Company, as this was the start of a colony at the Cape. The free Burghers had strict instructions from the Company not to enslave local Khoi-Khoi and to promote peaceful relations between the two groups. The burghers were, however, allowed to barter cattle from them. This and the expansionist policy which followed led to numerous armed conflicts through more than 300 years and ultimately to the liberation struggle in the 1900s.

Wednesday, 25 September 1974

The achievement of independence in Mozambique inspired the South African Black Consciousness Movement organisations, the Black People’s Convention (BPC) and the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO), to organise a ‘Viva Frelimo’ rally. If Portuguese colonialism could be defeated in Mozambique, so could settler-colonialism in South Africa. The idea was conceived by the SASO president at the time, Muntu Myeza. These rallies were the only national campaigns to be staged by SASO and it accelerated tension between SASO and the South African government.

The Minister of Justice, Jimmy Kruger, banned the rally planned for 25 September 1974. But, much publicity had already gone out, and the image of the Black Consciousness Movement was at stake. On the day of the rally people turned up in large numbers in Durban and Turfloop. Police arrests followed and many BCM/BPC/SASO leaders were arrested, including Myeza, Cyril Ramaphosa, Zithulele Cindi, Cooper, Lekota, Aubrey Mokoape, Strini Moodley, Nkwenkwe Nkomo and Kaborane Sedibe. Most of these leaders were subsequently charged under the Terrorism Act.

Definition: FRELIMO – Acronym for the Liberation Movement, ‘Front for the Liberation of Mozambique’, which fought to achieve the independence of Mozambique.

Monday, 25 September 1978

Eleven Soweto students were charged under the Terrorism Act.The fifty-six page indictment alleged that as officers, members or supporters of the now banned Soweto Students’ Representative Council (SSRC) they conspired to commit sedition and terrorism between May 1976 and October 1977. On 11 May, 1979 they were convicted of sedition and sentenced to terms of imprisonment, most of which were suspended since the accused had already been held for long periods.

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