On This Day: What happened on 8 December?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 8 December, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

ON THIS DAY: 8 DECEMBER

1991 | Chris Hani is elected secretary-general of the South African Communist Party (SACP) after Joe Slovo resigned. 

1993 | Winnie Mandela, former wife of the South Africa President Nelson Mandela, is elected president of the African National Congress’ Women’s League (ANCWL).

1998 | 81 villagers are killed in the Tadjena massacre by armed groups in Algeria.

2010 |  SpaceX owned by Elon Musk, is the first privately owned company to launch into orbit and recover a spacecraft successfully.

2013 | South Africans attend church services to take part in the national day of prayer to commemorate Nelson Mandela. 

READ: On This Day: What happened on 7 December?

DEATHS

1994 | South African lawyer, Israel Aaron Maisels (89)

2017 | South African politician, Laloo Chiba (87)

2017 | Cameroonian guitarist, Vincent Nguini (65) 

BIRTHDAYS

1959 | South African cricketer, Stephen Jefferies

1978 | Ethiopian footballer, Anwar Siraj

1994 | Kenyan runner, Conseslus Kipruto

SPORT

1961 | Eddie Barlow & Peter Pollock made their South African Test debuts against New Zealand in Durban. SA won by 30 runs.

1991 | The South African Football Association (SAFA) was founded and for the first year, Mluleki George was selected as chairperson.

2015 | South Africa’s bodyboarding champion, Andre Botha, saves Evan Geiselmann from drowning while he was surfing the Pipeline reef in Hawaii.

ENTERTAINMENT

2019 | South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe.

AFRICA FACT

The oldest university in the world is located in Africa, the University of Karueein in Morocco. It was founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri in Fez.