LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

The new four-lane divided freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria will be open to traffic in a matter of days. This long-awaited event will revolutionise travel between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and its long-term effect will be to turn them into twin cities. The thoroughfare will greatly speed up journeys for commuters, and it will become comparatively easy to live in one city and work in another. Boundary to boundary, the Johannesburg-Pretoria trip should take only about 25 minutes. For citizens of Pretoria, the theatres of Johannesburg will now be easily accessible for them to enjoy the cultural fare that Johannesburg has to offer. — November 30 1969

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

AWB leader Eugene Terre’Blanche cut a forlorn figure this week when he finally appeared at the Potchefstroom magistrate’s court to answer allegations that he and his movement destroyed squatter shanties near Ventersdorp three years ago and beat up the occupants. The squatters, who at the time were living on a farm called Goedgevonden, are suing the AWB and its leader for damages of R100,000. The once mighty Mr Terre’Blanche was tongue-lashed by his lawyer, Mr Danie Bischoff, for not appearing in court as scheduled. “You are bloody undisciplined, man,” Mr Bischoff raged in a tone nobody would have dared to adopt in Mr Terre’Blanche’s heyday. — November 27 1994