The Special Commissioner of Swazieland (Eswatini) Johannes Krogh orders all white residents to evacuate the country. War seems unstoppable between Britain and Boer Republics in South Africa, which surrounds tiny Swazieland. For the first time in 60 years, Swazis are again entirely alone and undisturbed in their own country, although Queen Mother Labotisbeni is saddened by the abandonment of the capital town Bremersdorp (Manzini).

With South Africa’s railway network completed, business officials are advertising in Britain in the hopes of drawing tourists by offering swift access to Mosi-oa-Tunya (called Victoria Falls in England). An advert notes that a ship sails every Saturday from Southampton, England to Cape Town. After the 16-day sea voyage, a three day rail trip arrives a Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), and another one day rail trip brings visitors to the Zambezi River waterfall.

Passenger and freight traffic commences along the completed Usambara Railway, connecting Tangara port in German East Africa (Tanzania) with Lake Victoria. The trip takes 14 hours, 4 minutes.

The Cape Town Aerial Tramway begins service in South Africa, fifty years after the system was first proposed. The 704-metre climb to the top of Table Mountain on small wooden cars will become one of Cape Town’s most popular tourist attractions.

The grandest movie palace in Sub-Saharan Africa, The Coliseum, “the Wonder Theatre of the Miracle City Johannesburg,” is opened by former (and future) South African Prime Minister General Jan Smuts. The art-deco building is clad with Egyptian styling outside, and seats audiences in a fantasy castle auditorium with lights embedded in the ceiling that imitate a starry sky, the luxurious theatre can also host an orchestra and stage show. Black South Africans, who make up 90% of the country’s population, are not allowed inside.

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Africans in British Kenya are being trained as soldiers to fight in the British Army against the Italian colonies in East Africa. Kenya is one of Britain’s most important recruiting grounds, and will provide 98,240 men during World War II.

Nelson Mandela and 139 other anti-apartheid activists are arrested by police throughout South Africa for terrorism, under the Suppression of Communism Act. Eventually a total of 156 activists will be arrested and put on trial.

As trade increases between East Africa and Europe, East African Airways leases a DC-7F aircraft from BOAC (British Airways) to begin a new weekly all-freight service between London and Nairobi.

Lesotho achieves national independence, from Britain. The capital is Maseru. The national population is 941,798.  (pic: King Moshoeshoe II)

Burkina Faso’s visionary leader and Pan-Africanist Thomas Sankara makes an international impact with a powerful speech before the U.N. General Assembly. He begins, “I bring you fraternal greetings from a country whose seven million children, women and men refuse to die of ignorance, hunger and thirst any longer.”

South Africa’s first pay-tv station, M-Net, begins service. Viewers receive signals through decoder boxes connected to their TVs. Broadcasting local and international programmes, sports and movies, M-Net is required by government to provide unencrypted “free” service to the public from 5-7 p.m.

Mozambique produces more than 160,000 tonnes of cashews, up 12% from 2020, and is returning to its pre-Civil War production of 200,000 tonnes in the 1970s.