Secret History

Rhodes, Populism and the Election that Changed the World

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:48:25 GMT

The multi-racial 1898 election in the Cape Colony was the most factional in its history. What was more, it was an election that found the mining magnate and self-professed racist, Cecil John Rhodes, prostrating himself before an entirely black audience. But just why he ended up at this meeting near Kimberley, accusing the black newspaper editor John Tengo Jabavu of ‘Krugerism’, is a highly complex colonial story.

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Bonus on Pickled Fish, Brutalism and a Dog

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 08:14:35 GMT

In this week's episode Nick and Matthew chat about three fascinating - but entirely unrelated - topics. You'll find out why Cape Christians and Muslims all eat pickled fish over Easter. How a brutalist masterpiece came to be in Durban's port - and why it's on the verge of being torn down. And finally, you'll learn about the life and times of Just Nuisance, the first dog ever to be enlisted in the Royal Navy.

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Yonge and Corrupt at Heart

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 04:54:21 GMT

Sir George Yonge - aka The Lofty Twaddler - was so flagrantly (and hopelessly) corrupt, that he lasted little more than a year as Governor of the Cape Colony. But while there is much comedy in his actions (he was surprised when the Dutch objected to him doubling the tax on brandy, for example) Yonge also had a dark side: he was fired because of his involvement in a slave smuggling ring.

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The History of an Image of a Hanging

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 21:29:36 GMT

This is a podcast of the history of an image of a hanging that took place in Rhodesia in 1896 at the time of the First Chimurenga (or Matabele Uprising). The image appeared in a book by Olive Schreiner, 'Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland', and in a court case against Cecil Rhodes. It comprises interviews with Prof Paul Walters and Brian Willan.

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Robert Grendon's Nightmare

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:45:54 GMT

Part 2 of the interview with Dr Grant Christison on the turn in Robert Grendon's life under colonialism.

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Robert Grendon's Dream

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 05:30:27 GMT

We interview the incredible researcher and historian, Dr Grant Christison about Robert Grendon. Poet, scholar, botanist, auxiliary soldier, journalist, politician, talented sportsman, and grandson of a famous Herero leader, Robert Grendon is one of the most extraordinary people in South African history. What is incredible is that he has been almost entirely forgotten.

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The Burghers' Revenge

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 04:39:09 GMT

How the corrupt Dutch governor at the Cape met his match.

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The Corrupt Cape Dutch

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 20:23:44 GMT

In 1706 the corrupt and dictatorial Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel used company funds, manpower and raw materials to build Nkandla 1.0 aka Vergelegen. Several men, including Adam Tas (of Tassenberg fame), decided to do something about it. It would set off one of the greatest fights against corruption in South African history.

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Wrecking Cape Town

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 12:21:01 GMT

The wrecking of Cape Town: Meet the 1647 castaways who were the real founding fathers of colonial South Africa and learn about their unusual interactions with the indigenous inhabitants.

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