Historical Event:
• 1988: Govan Mbeki is refused a passport.
• 1933: Victor Smith makes one of the first successful forced landings in South Africa, en route from Cape Town to London on a solo flight, on the Knersvlakte, near Vanrhynsdorp. He lands by the light of a distress flare.
• 1969: The Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, meets John Vorster for talks of a confidential nature.
• 1994: Lucas Mangope, the leader of the apartheid homeland Bophuthatswana, retreats from his capital in the face of a popular uprising after he tries to boycott participation in South Africa’s first all-races election.
• 1995: South Africa abolishes financial rand, effective 13 March. The value of financial rand is close to that of commercial rand
• 2005: Thousands of Cape Peninsula train commuters are left stranded when the deliberate destruction of a major cable throws the train service into disorder during the afternoon peak hour. A cable thief is arrested.
Arts, Music, TV:
• 1850: Christoffel Coetzee, compiler of SA genealogies, is born.
• 1889: Sarah Gertrude Millin, SA author, is born in Lithuania.
• 1914: The Koopmans-De Wet Museum is opened in Cape Town.
• 1926: Michael Zondi, SA artist, is born in Msinga, Greytown, Natal. He was trained in woodwork at the Swedish Lutheran Mission Trade School, obtained certificates in building construction and design and worked at the Appelbosch mission hospital in Natal where he executed the design, construction and decoration for the hospital chapel. After that he served with the Department of Information until 1972.
• 1978: Percy Qoboza, editor of the banned newspaper, The World, is released from detention, together with nine other Black leaders seized in security raids in October 1976.
• 1978: "The Incredible Hulk", starring Bill Bixby as David Banner, premieres on CBS.
Sports:
• 1990: Welcome Ncita, junior featherweight of SA, wins the International Boxing Federation title (IBF).
• 1998: South Africa wins the third cricket test match against Pakistan in Port Elizabeth, Fanie de Villiers’ last match, with 259 runs. Pakistan and South Africa draw the rubber with 1 match each.
• 1963: Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 70 points vs Syracuse.
• 1985: Bonnie Lauer wins Uniden LPGA Golf Invitational.
• 1985: India beat Pakistan to win "World Championship of Cricket"
Source: historyorb.com & sahistory.org.com
Compiled by: Thandi Xaba
