On This Day: What happened on 23 May?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 23 May, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

1981 | The State Theatre opened in Pretoria. 

1994 | South Africa was admitted as the 53rd member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) at a summit, held in Tunis, Tunisia.

2018 | President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he will donate half of the presidential salary to the Mandela fund.

2019 | To reduce commercial and sexual exploitation of children, Kampala’s City councillors in Uganda announced that giving money or food to street kids will be a criminal offence.

2019 | The ANC’s provincial leader for Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool, resigned from the provincial legislature.

READ: On This Day: What happened on 22 May?

DEATHS

2013 | Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and guitarist, Georges Moustaki (78) 

2017 | South African educationalist and anti-apartheid activist, Patrick van Rensburg (85) 

2017 | Ghanaian actor, Charles Kofi Bucknor (64) 

2019 | President of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union, Dumiso Dabengwa (79)

BIRTHDAYS

1926 | South African activist and politician, Joe Slovo

1966 | Zimbabwean-English cricketer and coach, Graeme Hick 

1996 | Ghanaian football player, Emmanuel Boateng 

1996 | South African football player, Amanda Mthandi

SPORT

2008 | Botswana beat the Bahamas by 70 runs at the ICC World Cricket League Division Five.

2009 | Super 14 semifinals in Pretoria – The Bulls defeated the Crusaders 36-23.

ENTERTAINMENT

1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second film in the series, starring Harrison Ford premieres. 

2000 | The third studio album by Eminem ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’, is released and it became the fastest ever selling studio album.

AFRICA FACT

It is believed the African continent got its name from the ancient Romans when they defeated the ancient northern African city of Carthage. The Romans founded a province they named Africa, after the Afri tribe that inhabited the area.