South African Timeline 1999-2011

1999 

• ANC wins general elections, Thabo Mbeki takes over as president. 

2001   

• May - An official panel considers allegations of corruption surrounding a 1999 arms deal involving British, French, German, Italian, Swedish and South African firms. In November the panel clears the government of unlawful conduct. 

2002  

• October - Bomb explosions in Soweto and a blast near Pretoria are thought to be the work of right-wing extremists. Separately, police charge 17 right-wingers with plotting against the state. 
• Land Distribution and Agricultural Development Programme - 20,000-100,000 rand is given to help black entrepreneurs set up commercially viable farms, they have to first contribute 5,000 rand of their own money. 
• Economy ranked 23rd largest in the world.

2003 

• Government transfer 300,000 hectares of land to 140,000 people.
• Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Act - Affirmative Action.
• Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act.

2004  

• April - Ruling ANC wins landslide election victory, gaining nearly 70% of votes. Thabo Mbeki begins a second term as president. 
• Budget deficit falls to 1.5%.

2005  

• June - President Mbeki sacks his deputy, Jacob Zuma, in the aftermath of a corruption case. 
• August - Around 100,000 gold miners strike over pay, bringing the industry to a standstill. 

2006  

• May - Former deputy president Jacob Zuma is acquitted of rape charges by the High Court in Johannesburg. He is reinstated as deputy leader of the governing African National Congress.  
• September - Corruption charges against former deputy president Zuma are dismissed, boosting his bid for the presidency.   
• December - South Africa becomes the first African country, and the fifth in the world, to allow same-sex unions. 

2007  

• April - President Mbeki, often accused of turning a blind eye to crime, urges South Africans to join forces to bring rapists, drug dealers and corrupt officials to justice. 
• June - Hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers take part in the biggest strike since the end of apartheid. The strike lasts for four weeks and causes widespread disruption to schools, hospitals and public transport.    
• December - Zuma is elected chairman of the ANC, placing him in a strong position to become the next president. Prosecutors bring new corruption charges against him.

2008 

• May - Wave of violence directed at foreigners hits townships across the country. Dozens of people die and thousands of Zimbabweans, Malawians and Mozambicans return home.  
• September - A judge throws out a corruption case against ruling ANC party chief Jacob Zuma, opening the way for him to stand as the country's president in 2009.
• President Mbeki resigns over allegations that he interfered in the corruption case against Mr Zuma. ANC deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe is chosen by parliament as president.  
• December - A new political party is launched in Bloemfontein, in the first real challenge to the governing ANC. The Congress of the People - or Cope - is made up largely of defectors from the ANC and is headed by former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota. 

2009 

• January - Appeals court rules that state prosecutors can resurrect their corruption case against ANC leader Jacob Zuma, opening the way for Mr Zuma's trial to be resumed, just months before general election.  
• April - Public prosecutors drop corruption case against Jacob Zuma.
• ANC wins general election. 
• May - Parliament elects Jacob Zuma as president.
• Economy goes into recession for first time in 17 years.  
• July - Township residents complaining about poor living conditions mount violent protests. 

2010 

• June - South Africa hosts the World Cup football tournament.  
• August - Civil servants stage nation-wide strike. 

2011 

• May - Local elections, with opposition Democratic Alliance nearly doubling its share of the vote since the last poll.
• President Zuma mediates in Libyan conflict.