The following lists events that happened during 1959 in South Africa.

Incumbents

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

: ** until 25 November: Ernest George Jansen. ** 25 November – 11 December:

Lucas Cornelius Steyn Lucas Cornelius Steyn, PC, QC (21 December 1903 – 28 July 1976) was Chief Justice of South Africa and, as such, acted as Governor-General on two occasions. Early life Steyn was born in 1903 on a farm in the Orange River Colony, shortly af ...

. ** starting 11 December:

Charles Robberts Swart Charles Robberts Swart (5 December 1894 – 16 July 1982), nicknamed ''Blackie'', was a South African politician who served as the last governor-general of the Union of South Africa from 1959 to 1961 and the first state president of the Republ ...

. * Prime Minister:

Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

. * Chief Justice:

Henry Allan Fagan Henry Allan Fagan, KC (4 April 1889 – 6 December 1963) was the Chief Justice of South Africa from 1957 to 1959 and previously a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Native Affairs in J. B. M. Hertzog's government. Fagan had been an early ...

then

Events

;April * 5 – The

Pan-Africanist Congress The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (known as the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)) is a South African national liberation Pan-Africanism, Pan-Africanist movement that is now a political party. It was founded by an Africanist group, led by Rober ...

led by Robert Sobukwe secedes from the African National Congress. ;July * 9 – Wing Commander Michael Beetham flying a Royal Air Force

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...

sets a record of 11 hours 27 minutes for a non-stop London- Cape Town flight. ;August * 11 – Members of the United Party led by Helen Suzman secede and form the Progressive Party. ;December * 1 – Twelve countries, including South Africa, the United States and the Soviet Union, sign the Antarctic Treaty. * 11 –

is appointed the 11th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. * 12 – The 47th Annual Conference of the African National Congress takes place in Durban. ;Unknown date * Papwa Sewgolum, a South African Indian golfer, wins the

Dutch Open Dutch Open may refer to: *Dutch Open (tennis), an ATP tennis tournament from 1957 to 2008 *Dutch Open (golf), an annual golf tournament on the European Tour *Dutch Open (badminton) *Dutch Open (darts) The Dutch Open is amongst the longest running ...

tournament.

Births

* 1 January – Thulas Nxesi, national minister * 7 January – Peter Mokaba, member of the South African parliament, deputy minister in the government of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

(d. 2002) * 14 March – Tertius Bosch, cricketer. * 16 March – Tito Mboweni, politician. * 16 September – Dave Richardson (cricketer), cricketer. * 18 November –

Christine Barkhuizen le Roux Christine Barkhuizen le Roux (18 November 1959 – 18 November 2020) was a South African Afrikaans writer of poems, novels and short stories. A Bachelor of Arts English, Psychology and Theology graduate of Stellenbosch University, she made her deb ...

, writer (d. 2020)

Deaths

* April 15 –

Leonard Beyers Lieutenant General Leonard Beyers (22 January 1894 – 15 April 1959) was a South African soldier. Although he never saw active service in the field during the two world wars, he became Chief of the General Staff in command of the Union Defence ...

, South African army general (b.

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

) * February 7 –

D. F. Malan Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforc ...

, South African politician, 4th

Prime Minister of South Africa The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...

(b.

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

) * April 15 –

, South African army general (b.

)

Railways

Locomotives

Three new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways. * May–July – Seven Henschel type DH 1420 diesel-hydraulic locomotives. * November – The first of 115 Class 32-000 General Electric type U18C1 diesel-electric locomotives in South West Africa.South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended * The first of 135 Class 5E1, Series 1 electric locomotives, an upgraded and more powerful version of the Class 5E.

References

{{Africa topic, 1959 in, state=collapsed History of South Africa