News of the day

December 16, 1880

Words out of place

THE affair in which Captain Barker and 20 natives lost their lives occurred high up on the Drakensberg and was almost a big disaster for our Griqualand East forces. The European and eight natives were “massacred”, as the correspondents put it, in one spot, while another European who engaged in a foolhardy enterprise a couple of days later was “murdered” by the enemy, into whose hands he fell. It is a pity we cannot all agree to look at things in a reasonable light. “Massacre” and “murder” – these words are out of place when it is of declared war that we are writing.

December 16, 1895

Khama and the Company BECHUANA chiefs Khama, Sebele and Bathoen have every reason to be satisfied with themselves and the world at large. They have been made much of, and are individually “very much pleased”. Khama retains the control of his own territory, from which liquor continues to be excluded, the Charter Company secured the right of constructing a railway through the Protectorate and, in addition, a certain amount of territory over which circumstances rendered it advisable that they should have jurisdictions. We trust that the Khama will continue to administer the affairs of his country with the discretion he has hitherto displayed. He has managed to spend a very pleasant time among the English people and has not returned emptyhanded. Fresh from the triumphs and attentions of his “provincial tour”, the chief has (been) inclined to institute unfavourable comparisons between colonists and home-born. As he has to spend the remainder of his years in South Africa, it would, perhaps, be well for him to come again into line with colonial sentiment as soon as possible.

December 17, 1938

Unsolved murders in the Union SERIOUS crime in the Union has been practically stationary since 1933 and in some parts shows a slight decline. This satisfactory position emerges from the report on the Statistics of Crime, 1936-37, released for publication today. The police in 1936 investigated 874 reports of murder and 550 persons were tried. There were 120 convictions. Last year the police investigated 1 107 deaths where murder was suspected and 731 persons were tried. There were 145 convictions. On the other hand, 46 murders remained undetected in 1936 and 67 last year. Every week 700 police stations in the Union forward slips to the Census office giving coded details of persons dealt with by the courts. In 1936 there were 636 159 persons of all races convicted. The number of cases dealt with by the courts, says the report, is constantly increasing, partly owing to the creation of new offences by legislation. For example, motoring offences have grown greatly during the last few years.

December 19, 1946

Race attitudes of the Bantu

THE relations between the urban and educated Africans and the coloured may be said to be steadily improving as both groups begin to think of themselves as racial entities, writes DGSM Timkulu, published by arrangement with Race Relations, the journal of the SA Institute of Race Relations. In times past there was a certain stigma attached to the coloured man on account of his mixed parentage. There grew out of this an attitude which made the full-blooded African feel superior to the coloured man. The coloured man, on the other hand, vindicated his superiority by calling the Africans a “Kaffir”. This mild hostility between the two groups, however, is steadily passing as they both begin to realise how necessary they are to

each other’s welfare.

December 19, 1946

Big rush of December marriages

THE marriage office at the Cape Town magistrate’s court is fully booked up for this year. The rush of December marriages is the biggest since 1940 and the officials at Caledon Square are finding difficulty in coping with the work. “We cannot possibly take on any more appointments till early next year,” an official told a representative of The Argus. So far 55 weddings have taken place in the magistrate’s court in Cape Town this month and the officials expect that by the end of the month the number will be about 110.

December 19, 1956

Japanese clicked and whirred FIFTY-three Japanese scientists could hardly contain their excitement when their orange-hulled ice-breaking ship, the Soya, docked in the Victoria basin today. With cameras slung round their necks – many of them carried three to four cameras each – they rushed from one side of the ship to the other. Cameras clicked and cine-cameras whirred. They shot everything in sight. Including the Press, who retaliated with flash bulbs and questions. The Soya, accompanied by another scientific vessel, the Umitaka Maru, will take the scientists with their sledges, dogs and 400 tons of equipment to the Antarctic, where they will establish a base at Lutzoholm.

December 19, 1956

First mass treason inquiry opens in Johannesburg – huge crowds

SOUTH Africa’s first mass treason inquiry preliminaries opened in a specially constituted court in the Drill Hall, Johannesburg, today before Mr FC Wessel

(Chief Magistrate of Bloemfontein). A total of

153 people of all races from many parts of the Union are appearing at a preparatory examination of allegations of treason.

Three hours before the hearing was due to start, there was a queue of 300 people – mostly Natives and Coloured people – stretching around three sides of the Drill Hall. At 9.45 am this number had swelled to more than 5 000.

December 9, 1980

John Lennon shot dead FORMER Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed last night at his home in New York City. The killer was described as a “local screwball” with no motive by police, who have arrested a suspect. Authorities said Lennon, 40, was taken in a police car to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead soon after the shooting. The shooting took place outside the Dakota, the centuryold luxury apartment house where Lennon lived with his wife, Yoko Ono. Witnesses said a gunman waited outside the front gate and fired five times as the British musician and Yoko approached.

December 17, 2004

Speedy lift breaks world record TAIPEI 101, the world’s tallest building, has set another first as the Guinness World Records has certified two of its lifts as the fastest in the world. The two Toshiba-made lifts will take tourists to the observation deck on the

89th floor in 37 seconds. Yesterday they beat a 1993 record of 750m a minute set by Mitsubishu-made lifts in the 70-storey Landmark Tower in Yokohama, Japan.