November 5, 1987: Govan Mbeki is freed after 23 years

Govan Mbeki is freed after 23 years

1987 — The South African Government announced the release of ageing African National Congress (ANC) veteran Govan Mbeki, after 23 years of a life sentence for sabotage. ANC President Nelson Mandela’s lawyer and Mbeki’s son, Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, said his release could be a trial run for the release of Mandela. Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a foremost spokesman for black apartheid foes, hailed Mbeki as a hero. “He paid a very, very, heavy price and we are very proud of him. Some people might have considered him a criminal, but for blacks he is a hero,” Tutu said. Alan Boesak, founder of the ANC supporting United Democratic Front welcomed his release, but cautioned: “This is merely a beginning, the very smallest step in the right direction.”

November 5

1838 - Honduras declares its absolute independence and becomes an independent republic.

1913 - Ludwig III becomes the last King of Bavaria after deposing his cousin, King Otto.

1914 - Britain annexes Cyprus, Egypt and Sudan during the First World War.

1916 - Emperor Wilhelm II and Franz Jozef I establish the kingdom of Poland.

1927 - The first automatic traffic lights in Britain begin operating, in Princes Square, Wolverhampton.

1940 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the only US President to win a third term in office.

1945 - Colombia joins the United Nations.

1946 - The world’s first mobile bank goes into service on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It was operated by the National Bank of Scotland.

1974 - Ella T. Grasso is elected Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to win gubernatorial office in the US without succeeding her husband.

1980 - Ronald Reagan wins US Presidential election in landslide victory.

1982 - Itaipu Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric plant, is inaugurated on the Brazil-Paraguay border.

1985 - UN General Assembly approves a resolution calling on Vietnam to withdraw its forces from Cambodia.

1989 - Rene Muawad is elected President of Lebanon; he was killed after 17 days.

1991 - Billionaire publisher Robert Maxwell is found dead in waters off Canary Islands where his yacht had been cruising.

1992 - Ghana’s leader Jerry J. Rawlings becomes president.

2000 - The Dubai Ring Road is opened to the public.

2006 - Saddam Hussain is sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for crimes against humanity.

2007 - Google introduces its Android mobile operating system.

2012 - Ethiopia and Qatar resume diplomatic and economic ties, ending a four-year row.

2013 - India successfully launches the first mission to Mars.

2014 - The RAK Eye Care Centre, first and only dedicated eye speciality centre in Ras Al Khaimah, opens to the public.