In the short article below, Oscar Norwich, Johannesburg historian and collector, looks at the lives and mansions of a few of the Randlords. These were the men who shaped the history of early Johannesburg following the discovery of the largest goldfield on earth. The piece first appeared in the old Johannesburg Historical Foundation's journal 'Between the Chains'.
ARTICLES
BOOK REVIEWS
‘Geomotional’ is a remarkable and beautifully illustrated exploration of – as the sub-title says – ‘Geometric art, past and present’. The book, which has us journey through images, words, poetry and song, and gives account of a ‘performance-installation’, is compiled by Mary Elizabeth Lange, who is prolific in her writings on Indigenous art and story, and various intersections with heritage.
BLUE PLAQUES
Faced with a new wave of popular resistance in the turbulent 1980s, the PW Botha regime embarked on cross-border attacks. Following the attack on Matola, Mozambique in 1981, the SADF inflicted a massacre on the ANC mission in Maseru, Lesotho on 9 December 1982. Most of the comrades were unarmed and unable to defend themselves. Forty-two people died including five Basothu women and children.