TODAY IN HISTORY

1795 Colonel Robert Gordon, Dutch explorer and commander of the garrison responsible for the Cape’s defence, commits suicide because of his inability to prevent the British occupation. 1988 After continued unrest, University of Bophuthatswana vice-chancellor Professor M R Malope declares that all lectures have been made compulsory and that failure to attend could lead to students being banned from examinations on November 15. 1993 South Africa is invited to rejoin the Commonwealth of Nations from 1994. 1999 Author J M Coetzee, pictured, wins the Booker Prize for the second time – this time for his novel Disgrace.