South Africa’s Natal Colony is established, over what was once the Boer Republic of Natalia. Britain will double the colony’s size through a prolonged war and eventual conquest of the Kingdom of Zululand, incorporating Zulu lands.

The Windhoek Railway Bridge, a landmark of the capital of South West Africa (Namibia), is completed.

British aviatrix Amy Johnson flies from England to South Africa in a Percival Gulf Six airplane. She achieves a speed record of three days, six hours and 26 minutes.

British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) introduces a new London to Johannesburg passenger service. The flight takes four days, with overnight stops at Sicily, Italy; Luxor, Egypt; Kampala, British East Africa (Uganda), and Victoria Falls, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). The flight takes off with a crew of seven and 34 passengers, who pay £167 (equal to £6470 in 2022).

South Africa’s white minority government cracks down on independent press reporting critical of life under apartheid. This past month, the editor of Contact (pic: front page with anti-apartheid MP Helen Suzman) was detained for refusing to disclose sources. New Age and Torch are now banned. The foreign correspondent for the London Herald and New York Post is detained. The editor of Africa South flees the country to avoid arrest. The editor of the Evening Post is prosecuted for publishing the view of two Canadian tourists who said South Africa “is a country afraid to talk.”

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The first African Superhero appears as The Black Panther debuts in Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four no. 52 (cover date July 1966). The story is set in the fictional East African country Wakanda, which is far superior technologically than the rest of the world but keeps its abilities secret. Empowered with super-human strength and agility, the Black Panther is Wakanda’s warrior king, T'Challa.

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The Massacre of Cassinga occurs when the South African army launches an attack on the Cassinga refugee camp in Angola, believing insurrectionists from South West Africa are there. South African paratroopers shoot or bayonet to death 612 African civilians, mostly children, women and elderly men who have fled violence and are receiving food and shelter from the rebels. The U.N. Security Council condemns the raid.

The Groote Schuur Minute is signed by South Africa’s apartheid government and the liberation party the African National Congress. The agreement seeks to end political violence and fixes terms for the release of political prisoners and immunity from prosecution for returning political exiles.

Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba is convicted in London High Court of stealing US$46 million, in a civil case. The court finds that Chiluba had the Zambia intelligence service send millions of dollars to his London bank account to purchase an expensive wardrobe of “stupendous proportions.” By May, 2008, the Zambian government will recover more than US$60 million that Chiluba looted from the treasury.

The Ansar Dine Islamic terror group occupying Timbuktu goes on a rampage to destroy ancient archeological treasures, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Sacred ancient documents are being secretly removed from libraries and archives to prevent their destruction, and hidden away by preservationists at risk of their lives.

Release of the Nigerian film Heart2Heart, the first commercial movie made on the Internet platform Zoom. During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns that closed film productions globally, Nigerian director Obi Emelonye (pic) turned to new media to assemble his actors and produce the story.