In the article below, Jaco Mattheyse explores the history behind a well-known Krugersdorp landmark: the old Police Station on Commissioner Street. He begins by unpacking the social and political landscape of the town in the 1890s.
ARTICLES
BOOK REVIEWS
I presented this story at the Valentine's Day Johannesburg Heritage Foundation celebration on the lawns of Northwards and thought Heritage Portal readers would also enjoy this South African story of love, endurance and resilience against the backdrop of the Second World War. It was one of seven presented at this event.
BLUE PLAQUES
On 2 June 1900, two days after taking over Johannesburg, the British, who had been welcomed by local African people as liberators, re-imposed the pass laws of the Z.A.R., effectively threatening any unemployed or self-employed black man with expulsion. This racial legislation secured the workforce needed by the army and the mines.