The following lists events that happened during 1972 in South Africa.

Incumbents

State President The State President of the Republic of South Africa ( af, Staatspresident) was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic on 31 May 1961, albeit, outside the Commonweal ...

Jim Fouché Jacobus Johannes "Jim" Fouché, (6 June 1898 – 23 September 1980Jacobus Johannes Fouch� ...

.Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961-1994
(Accessed on 14 April 2017) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

John Vorster Balthazar Johannes "B. J." Vorster (; also known as John Vorster; 13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983) was a South African apartheid politician who served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and the fourth state presid ...

. * Chief Justice:

Newton Ogilvie Thompson Newton Ogilvie Thompson (27 May 1904, Kentani, Cape Colony - 1 July 1992, Kenilworth, Cape Town) was a South African jurist who served as the 13th Chief Justice of South Africa, from 1971 to 1974. Early life and education Thompson was born i ...

Events

;May * 3 –

Abram Onkgopotse Tiro Onkgopotse Tiro (9 November 1945 – 1 February 1974) was a South African student activist and black consciousness militant. He was born in Dinokana, a small village near Zeerust. He was expelled from the University of the North (now known as Un ...

is expelled from the

University of the North The University of Limpopo is a university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institutions for ...

and students protest the expulsion. * 4 – South Africa and

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

decide to establish reciprocal consular representation. ;August * 12 – Oil tankers ''Oswego-Guardian'' and ''Texanita'' collide near

Stilbaai Stilbaai, also known as the ''Bay of Sleeping Beauty'', is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province. Alternate spellings of t ...

. ;October * 1 – 1 Reconnaissance Commando is established at

Oudtshoorn Oudtshoorn (, ), the "ostrich capital of the world", is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, located between the Swartberg mountains to the north and the Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Two ostrich-feather booms, during 1865–1 ...

. ;Unknown date * A

South African Special Forces Insurgency in Cabo Delgado, The South African Special Forces Brigade, colloquially known as the Recces, is South Africa's principal Special forces, special operations unit, specialising in various types of operations including; counter-insurge ...

team carry out a submarine-borne raid on the

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

n port of

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

using the

SAS Emily Hobhouse SAS ''Umkhonto'' (S98), formerly SAS ''Emily Hobhouse'', was the second of three French-built s ordered by the South African Navy in 1968. Laid down in December 1968 and launched on 24 October 1969 and commissioned into the South African Navy ...

, a

Daphne class submarine Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ...

. * The

South African Police The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Afr ...

deploys to

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

. *

Conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

for all white males is extended from 9 to 12 months, followed by a 19-day annual call-up for five years. * Operation Plathond, a joint

South African Defence Force The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence F ...

and

South African Bureau of State Security The Bureau for State Security ( af, Buro vir Staatsveiligheid; also known as the Bureau of State Security (BOSS)) was the main South African state intelligence agency from 1969 to 1980. A high-budget and secretive institution, it reported directly ...

operation, is launched to train dissident Zambians in the

Caprivi Strip The Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi, is a geographic salient protruding from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It is surrounded by Botswana to the south and Angola and Zambia to the north. Namibia, Botswana and Zambia meet at a sin ...

Births

* 2 February –

Hendrick Ramaala Hendrik Ramaala (born 2 February 1972) is a South African long-distance runner. Biography Education Ramaala is a law graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand. He matriculated at St. Bede's secondary school in Ga Molepo area, Polokwane ...

, long-distance runner. * 4 February –

Sthandiwe Kgoroge Sthandiwe Kgoroge (born Sithandiwe Msomi; 4 February 1972) is a South Africa actor who appeared in ''Generations'', series 5 and 7 of ''MTV Shuga'', the mini-series ''MTV Shuga Alone Together'', and the first series of ''Yizo Yizo''. Life Kgorog ...

, actress. * 21 February – Mark Andrews (rugby player), rugby player. * 12 March –

Arno Carstens Arno Carstens (born 12 March 1972) is a South African musician and artist. Career Arno Carstens is a platinum selling, award-winning singer-songwriter based in Cape Town, South Africa. During his career as the lead singer of The Springbok Nud ...

, singer-songwriter, lead singer of

Springbok Nude Girls The Springbok Nude Girls (a.k.a. the Nudies, or the Nude Girls) is a rock band from Cape Town, South Africa. An alternative rock band, the Nude Girls introduced punk rock, ska, acid jazz and heavy metal into their songs, introducing a new wo ...

. * 22 March –

Baby Cele Baby Cele - Maloka (born 22 March 1972) is a South African actress born in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. Career Cele gained recognition for her role as Kaltego Rathebe, a character she portrayed for eight years on the now defunct e.tv youth tel ...

, actress. * 26 March –

Willem Jackson Willem Jackson (born 26 March 1972 in Bloemfontein, Free State) is a retired South African footballer who played as defender. A fullback capable of lining up on either flank, he played mostly for Bloemfontein Celtic and Orlando Pirates. Jack ...

, football player * 3 April –

Alfred Ntombela Alfred Ntombela (born 3 April 1972) is a South African actor, known for his role in South African candid genre films alongside Leon Schuster, his fast-paced Joker-like laugh and for his small stature as an adult. He became renowned for his role ...

, actor. * 21 June –

Irene van Dyk Irene van Dyk (née Viljoen; born 21 June 1972) is a South African-born New Zealand netball player. A goal-shooter, van Dyk is one of the world's best-known netballers and is the most capped international player of all time: in every game she ...

, South African and New Zealand netball player. * 23 June – Slindile Nodangala, actress. * 15 July –

Sophie Ndaba Sophie Lichaba (born 29 June 1973), née Mphasane, formerly Sophie Ndaba, is a South African actress. She played Queen Moroka in the soap ''Generations''. In 2016, she was guest judge in the final Miss South Africa 2016 beauty pageant. Educat ...

, actress. * 16 August –

James Dalton (rugby player) James Dalton (born 16 August 1972) is a South African rugby union player who played for the South Africa national rugby union team. He was educated at Parktown Boys' High School and matriculated at Jeppe High School for Boys in Johannesburg, Sou ...

, rugby player. * 25 August –

Elmarie Gerryts Elmarie Gerryts (born 25 August 1972 in Cape Town) is a retired pole vaulter from South Africa. She finished tenth at the 1999 World Championships and won the silver medal at the 1999 All-Africa Games. She represented her native country at the ...

, pole vaulter. * 8 September – Os du Randt,

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

rugby player. * 16 October –

Jacques Nienaber Jacques Nienaber (born 16 October 1972) is a South African rugby union coach who is currently the head coach of the South Africa national team, the Springboks. Early life Nienaber was born in Kimberley, but grew up in Bloemfontein, where he a ...

coach. * 28 October –

David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...

, actor. * 31 October –

Shaun Bartlett Shaun Bartlett (born 31 October 1972) is a South African professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of Cape Town Spurs F.C., Cape Town Spurs. During his playing career, h ...

, former soccer player & coach. * 14 November –

Florence Masebe Florence Masebe is a South African actress, known locally for her role in the series ''Muvhango''. She won Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Filmography * ''Morwalela'' * ''7 d ...

, actress. * 7 December –

Sean Dundee Sean William Dundee (born 7 December 1972) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in South Africa, Dundee represented Germany national B team once. Club career Born in Durban, Dundee began his football career in Sou ...

, football player. * 16 December –

Kuli Roberts Nomakula Kuli Roberts (16 December 1972 – 9 February 2022) was a South African fashion and beauty tabloid journalist, television presenter, author and actress. She was popularly known for co-hosting the SABC2 reality television show ''What No ...

, journalist, TV presenter, author * 23 December –

Somizi Mhlongo Somizi Buyani Mhlongo (born 23 December 1972) is a South African media personality, television presenter, actor and choreographer. In 1992, he appeared on the musical and political film, '' Sarafina!'' which gained him prominence. Mhlongo becam ...

, choreographer, actor and radio personality. * 26 December – Colleen Piketh, lawn bowler

Deaths

* 14 May –

Lawrence G. Green Lawrence George Green (1900 – 14 May 1972) was a South African journalist and writer. Eschewing any grandiose view of his literature and his way of life, he wrote for the layman and general reading entertainment as a raconteur. As such his wr ...

, journalist and author. (b. 1900) * 11 August –

Max Theiler Max Theiler (30 January 1899 – 11 August 1972) was a South African-American virologist and physician. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever in 1937, becoming the first ...

, South African-American virologist and physician and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate. (b. 1899) * 2 December – Sir

Pierre van Ryneveld General Sir Hesperus Andrias van Ryneveld, (2 May 1891 – 2 December 1972), known as Sir Pierre van Ryneveld, was a South African military commander. He was the founding commander of the South African Air Force. Military career Van Ryneveld ...

, head of the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

(b. 1891)

Railways

Locomotives

* In March the South African Railways places the first of seventy Class 35-000 General Electric type U15C diesel-electric locomotives in branchline service.South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610 mm and 1065 mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended

References

{{Africa topic, 1972 in, state=collapsed

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Years in South Africa