South Africa's Parliament repealed the Population Registration Act, which had required racial classification of every citizen at birth, dismantling a pillar of apartheid law.
PoliticsOn this day — June 17 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Photo by Michael Gross — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1969 Paul Tergat, the Kenyan runner who set the marathon world record and won multiple World Cross Country titles, was born.
Birth
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2021 Kenneth Kaunda, who led Zambia to independence and served as its first president for 27 years, died.
Death
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1942 Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian diplomat who later won the Nobel Peace Prize as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was born.
BirthBritish forces of the 11th Hussars captured Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian troops, an early Allied success in the North African campaign of World War II.
History