3 million years ago: Presence of Hominidae in the Transvaal
300.000-200.000 years ago: Presence of the Khoisan Civilization in Cape Town and the Drakensberg
3 centuries AD: Bantu peoples progressively settle in the north
1488: Bartholomew Dias lands at the Cape of Good Hope
1652: Arrival of Jan van Riebeeck; First European settlements
1681: First slaves from Asia and Madagascar
1687-1690: Arrival of the French Huguenots
1795: Annexation of Cape Town by the British
1802: France and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Amiens. The Cape Town settlement is given back to the Dutch
1806: The British occupy Cape Town again
1815: Shaka becomes King of the Zulus
1833: Defeat of the Zulu army at the battle of Blood River
1834: Beginning of the “Great Trek” from Cape Town
1852-53: The Boers found the Republics of Transvaal and Free State of Orange
1867: First diamonds discovered
1880: First Anglo-Boer war. The Imperial Prince, son of Napoleon 3rd and Empress Eugenie, fights on the British side
1886: Discovery of the Wiwatersrand gold mines. Foundation of Johannesburg
1893-1914: Presence of the Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa
1899-1902: Second Anglo-Boer war. Victory of the British (the Transvaal and Free State of Orange become British colonies)
1900: Paul Kruger tours Europe; President Emile Loubert receives him at the Elysée
1905-1906: Rebellion of Zulu Chief Bambatha in Natal, violently repressed
1910: Creation of the South African Union, under British dominion
1912: Foundation of the African National Congress (ANC)
1914: Foundation of the Afrikaner National Party (NP) by JB Hertzog
1930: Women obtain the right to vote
1931: The South African Union becomes an independent dominion
1948: Victory of the National Party. Instauration of the apartheid regime
1951: Max Theiler is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his work on yellow fever
1952: Civil disobedience campaign
1955: Upon the initiative of the ANC, adoption of the Freedom Charter by 3.000 delegates from opposition parties
1959: Foundation of the Pan African Congress (PAC) by ANC dissidents
1960: Demonstrations against the “pass” system. Sharpeville Massacre. A state of emergency is declared and African Organisations, including the ANC and PAC, are dissolved. Albert Luthuli, Chairman of the ANC, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1961: South Africa leaves the Commonwealth and becomes a Republic
1964: Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu and Dennis Goldberg are sentenced to life imprisonment
1976: Beginning of the Soweto Riots (16 June)
1977: Steve Biko is arrested. The UN Security Council imposes an embargo on weapons
1984: The Archbishop of Cape Town, Mgr Desmond Tutu, receives the Nobel Peace Prize
1986: The US Congress imposes sanctions against South Africa. Legislation on passes is abrogated. A state of emergency is declared in the country. Thousands of people are placed in custody, the press is censored. Several apartheid Acts are abrogated
1989: Unofficial negotiations between the Government and the ANC. Political prisoners are released, including Walter Sisulu. Public spaces are desegregated. Frederik de Klerk and Nelson Mandela meet for the first time (13 December)
February 1990: Frederik de Klerk gives an address laying the foundations of the political transition. Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners are released (11 February) and liberation movements are authorized again
1991: Official abolition of apartheid. Nadine Gordimer is given the Nobel Prize in Literature
1992: Victory for the “Yes” side in the (whites-only) referendum on whether the negotiations should continue
1993: Creation of a Government of National Unity. Mandela and de Klerk receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The UN and Europe lift sanctions. Frederik de Klerk announces the destruction of the nuclear weapons stock
April 1994: The Interim Constitution comes into force. The first multiracial elections are held. Nelson Mandela is elected as the first President of the Republic of South Africa (10 May)
May-June 1994: South Africa joins the AUO, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth. The UN Security Council lifts its embargo on weapons
1995: Beginning of the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
1996: Nelson Mandela signs the permanent Constitution
1997: Entry into force of the new Constitution. Thabo Mbeki takes over from Nelson Mandela as the Head of the ANC
July 2002: In Durban, the AUO becomes the African Union (AU)
March 2003: The TRC reports back to President Mbeki. John Maxwell Coetzee is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
March 2004: South Africa is chosen to be the host of the Pan-African Parliament
April 2004: Third General Election. President Thabo Mbeki is re-elected
November 2004: State Visit of President Mbeki to France
16 October 2006: South Africa is elected as a Non-permanent Member of the UN Security Council
October 2007: The Springboks win the Rugby World Cup in France
February 2008: State Visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozyuth to South Africa
September 2008: Resignation of President Mbeki
6 May 2009: Jacob Zuma is elected as the new President of South Africa
June-July 2010: South Africa hosts the FIFA Soccer World Cup
12 October 2010: South Africa is elected, for the second time in less than 10 years, as a Non-permanent Member of the UN Security Council for 2011-2012
24 December 2010: South Africa joins the BRIC group of emerging countries which become the BRICS
2-3 March 2011: President Zuma pays a State visit to France
January 2012: The ANC celebrates its 100th anniversary
15 July 2012: Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, becomes the chair of the African Union commission
2012-2013: Cross Cultural seasons France-South Africa
November 2013: President Hollande on a State visit to South Africa
5 December 2013: Former president and father of the nation Nelson Mandela passes away
April 2014: General elections. South Africa celebrates its 20 years of democracy
2015: South Africa celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter
2016: The 40th Anniversary of the 16 June 1976 Soweto Student Uprising is celebrated, along with the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996.
2018: Cyril Ramaphosa elected president by Parliament on 15 February after his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, resigned
8 May 2019: General elections. The ANC holds a majority in parliament,
25 May 2019: Cyril Ramaphosa inaugurated as the sixth democratically elected President of South Africa.
25 August 2019: President Ramaphosa attends the Summit on the Financing of African Economies in Biarritz
November 2019: South Africa crowned world champion in the final of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
5 March 2020: President Ramaphosa declares a national state of disaster, on 23 March, a 21-day national lockdown is announced, starting on 27 March 2020.
28-29 May 2021: President Macron on an official visit in South Africa
26 December 2021: Desmond Tutu, 90, South African Anglican Bishop and anti-apartheid activist passes away
2 January 2022: A major fire breaks out at the parliamentary complex in Cape Town.
8–12 April 2022: Severe floods across KwaZulu-Natal leave at least 435 people dead.
28 October 2023: Rugby World Cup: South Africa wins a record fourth Webb Ellis Cup
29 December 2023: South Africa files the case South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention) against Israel at World Court.
29 May – 2024: South African general election.
14 June 2024: Cyril Ramaphosa is re-elected as President of South Africa for a second term.
