In 1949, inter-racial marriage and relationships were banned by South Africa’s apartheid government.

In June 1985, the ban was lifted.

Suzanne La Clerc and Protas Madlala were the first couple to tie the knot under the new rules.

Ashley Byrne was speaking to them in 2015.

Protas Madlala died in 2023.

A made in Manchester production for the BBC World Service

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: The wedding of Protas Madlala and American Susan Leclerc. Credit: Philip Littleton/AFP/Getty Images)

South Africa’s first inter-racial marriage

Witness History