1970 — South Africa becomes the first nation to be expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Amsterdam, being ousted after a vote of 35 to 28, with three abstentions. The expulsion came 11 years after the first attempt to boot the apartheid government. The charges against South Africa, which had already been barred from competing at the 1964 and 1968 Games, included racial discrimination in sport and lack of facilities for sports people of colour. Frank Braun, president of the South African National Olympic Committee, had tried to plead South Africa’s case. His conservative mindset would not have appeased apartheid’s opponents. At a meeting in South Africa later that month he criticised those calling for racial equality in sport, saying it was one thing not minding playing against non-whites, and another thing not minding playing with non-whites. South Africa returned to the Olympics only in 1992.
1977 — Alan North becomes the first South African to win the Italian Grand Prix, taking the 350cc race at Imola in what turned out to be the only GP victory of the Durban motorcyclist’s career. Countryman Kork Ballington won the following year and in 1979, and Brad Binder triumphed in Moto3 in 2016.
1978 — Dale Hayes wins his second European Tour event in as many weeks, taking the French Open by an incredible 11 shots. He carded an overall 269 with Spanish legend and defending champion Seve Ballesteros the runner-up on 280. Hayes, who had won the Italian Open the week before, shot rounds of 66, 69, 67 and 67.
1993 — “Baby” Jake Matlala, at 1.48m (4’10”) the shortest professional boxer in the world at the time, wins the first of his four world titles when he stops Pat Clinton in the eighth round for the WBO flyweight crown in Glasgow. It was Matlala’s second world title shot after losing to Dave McAuley for the IBF belt two years earlier.
1994 — Mzukisi Sikali and Lindi Memani, both future world champions, face off for the South African junior-flyweight title that had been vacant since Matlala had relinquished it. This is their third meeting, having drawn more than six rounds in 1990 and Sikali winning the fight provincial junior-flyweight title on points the following year. The fight for the national crown is at the Orient theatre, in Memani’s backyard, but it is Port Elizabeth-based Sikali who emerges victorious, scoring a knockdown en route to a unanimous points victory.
1999 — Jacques Kallis scores 96 to help the Proteas get their World Cup campaign in England off to a winning start by beating India by four wickets at Hove. The Indians made 253/5, with Lance Klusener taking 3/66 and Allan Donald 1/34 in his 10 overs.
2001 — Jacques Kallis top-scores with 69 in an otherwise poor Proteas innings of 163/7 against the West Indies in the seventh and final ODI in Kingston. The hosts, trailing 1-5 in the series, had little trouble chasing down the target, with Marlon Samuels making 54 en route to a six-wicket victory.
2004 — South Africa beats Morocco and Egypt for the right to host the 2010 World Cup. The announcement in Zurich was attended by then president Nelson Mandela. South Africa beat Morocco by 14 votes to 10. Egypt didn’t get a single vote.
2005 — The Proteas score a clean sweep in the ODI series against the West Indies, winning the weather-shortened fifth and final match by seven wickets. After limiting the home team to 128/7 off 20 overs, Boeta Dippenaar cracked an unbeaten 61 runs off 47 balls to steer his side to victory with five balls remaining.
2019 — Chloe Tryon scores 43 as the South African women are held to 119/7 on their way to losing the first T20 against Pakistan in Pretoria by seven wickets.
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