The following lists events that happened during 1977 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 ...

: Nico Diederichs.Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961-1994
(Accessed on 14 April 2017) * Prime Minister: John Vorster. * Chief Justice: Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff.

Events

;January * 8 – The railway line near Soweto is maliciously damaged. ;February * 1 – KwaZulu is granted self-governance. * 24 – A bomb explodes at the Daveyton Police Station, causing only superficial damage. ;March * 5 – British Formula One driver Tom Pryce dies during the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami when his car strikes and kills marshal Frederik Jansen van Vuuren. * 7 – A Pretoria restaurant is destroyed by a bomb. ;April * 1 – Pik Botha, South Africa's ambassador in the United States of America, is appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs. ;June * 4 – Father

Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Smangaliso Mkhatshwa History He described an experience as follows: See also * 1977 in South Africa References * African National Congress. n.d. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, ANC Metro Mayor Candidate – Pretori* ABC Radio National, Australia. ...

is served a 5-year restriction order. * 15 – Monty Motlaung and Solomon Mahlangu, two Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres, kill two civilians and are arrested. * 29 – The United Party is renamed the New Republic Party. ;July * 15 – The railway line at Umlazi in Durban is maliciously damaged. * 29 – The ''Antipolis'', a Greek oil tanker, runs aground on the rocks near Victoria Road in Oudekraal, Cape Town. ;August * A Soviet surveillance satellite detects South Africa's

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

test preparations and alerts the United States. * Black Consciousness leader

Steve Biko Bantu Stephen Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known ...

is detained for breaking a banning order. ;September * 23 – The Netherlands suspends its cultural agreement with South Africa. ;November * 4 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 places a mandatory

arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...

against South Africa. * 25 – Fourteen people are injured when a bomb explodes at the Carlton Centre. * 30 – A bomb explodes on a Pretoria-bound train. * 30 – A whites only

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

is held. The National Party wins. * The railway at Dunswart ( Boksburg) and Apex ( Benoni) is maliciously damaged and a train driver is slightly injured. ;December * 12 – Guerrillas attack the Germiston police station. * 14 – A bomb explodes at the Benoni railway station. * 16 – The ''Venpet''-''Venoil'' collision between two supertankers occurs off the coast of

Cape St. Francis Cape St. Francis ( af, Kaap St Francis) is a village in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location. The village is home to the Seal Point Lighthouse. The Irm ...

. * 22 – An unexploded bomb is found in OK Bazaars in Roodepoort. ;Unknown date * Former members of the United Party join the Progressive Reform Party, which is renamed the Progressive Federal Party. * Cedric Mayson, a Methodist minister, is banned for 5 years.

Births

* 20 January – Paul Adams (cricketer), cricketer * 21 January – Bradley Carnell, football player * 30 January –

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni (born 30 January 1977) is a South African politician serving as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies within the National Assembly of South Africa. She served as Minister of Small Business Develo ...

, national minister * 31 January –

David Terbrugge David John Terbrugge (born 31 January 1977) is a former cricketer, who played in seven Test cricket, Test matches and four One Day Internationals for the South Africa national cricket team between 1998 and 2004. A back injury caused his early ret ...

, cricketer * 14 February –

Elmer Symons Elmer Symons (14 February 1977 – 9 January 2007) was a motorcycle enduro racer. Symons was born in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He began enduro racing in 1996 and moved to the United States in 2003. He had placed well in numerous re ...

, motorcycle enduro racer (d.

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) * 6 March – Khoto Sesinyi, Mosotho footballer * 14 March –

Matthew Booth (soccer) Matthew Paul Booth (born 14 March 1977) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Booth spent the majority of his career in his home country, but also played in Russia for six years and briefly played in En ...

, soccer player * 24 April – Zola (musician), musician, poet, actor and presenter. * 11 May – Victor Matfield, Springbok rugby player * 21 May –

Quinton Fortune Quinton Fortune (born 21 May 1977) is a South African professional football coach and former player, who played as both a midfielder and a defender. His career began in Europe and after stints with Tottenham Hotspur, Mallorca and Atlético Madr ...

, soccer player & coach * 13 June –

Stanton Fredericks Stanton "Stiga" Fredericks (born 13 June 1978 in Johannesburg, Gauteng) is a South African association football player who last played as midfielder for Bidvest Wits in the Premier Soccer League and has previously represented South Africa. Stant ...

, soccer player * 18 June –

Riaad Moosa Riad or Riyad may refer to: * Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia * Riyad, Mauritania * Riad (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name, also Riyad or Riyadh) * Riad (architecture), a traditional Moroccan hous ...

, comedian, actor and doctor * 6 July –

Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini OIS (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first black player to play for the South African national cricket team. He reached second place in the ICC Te ...

, cricketer * 12 August –

Zanne Stapelberg Zanne Stapelberg (12 August 1977) is a South African musician. Biography Zanne Stapelberg was born in Bellville, in 1977, and grew up in the suburb of Durbanville. She matriculated on Durbanville High School. Education Stapelberg began her ...

, soprano singer * 26 August – Gareth Cliff, radio host, television personality and businessman * 2 October – Justin Kemp, cricketer * 21 October –

Brett Goldin Brett Goldin (21 October 1977 – 16 April 2006) was a South African actor and part of the Crazy Monkey comedy troupe. Goldin was murdered in Cape Town in 2006 alongside friend Richard Bloom, a fashion designer who was a label manager for the M ...

, actor (d.

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

) * 12 November – Benni McCarthy, soccer striker & coach * 12 November –

Susan Wessels-Webber Susan Wessels-Webber (born 12 November 1977 in Bloemfontein, Free State) is a field hockey player from South Africa who represented her country at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. She captained the women's national team at the 2003 All-Afri ...

, hockey player * 17 November – Ryk Neethling, swimmer * 25 November –

MacBeth Sibaya Ntuthuko MacBeth-Mao Sibaya (born 25 November 1977), known as MacBeth Sibaya, is a South African former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Club career Sibaya was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. He previously played fo ...

, soccer player * 2 December –

Siyabonga Nomvethe Siyabonga Eugene Nomvethe (; born 2 December 1977) is a South African former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Nomvethe played in several European leagues. Nomvethe represented the South Africa national team from his debut on ...

, soccer player * 7 December – Delron Buckley, footballer

Deaths

* 29 January –

Buster Nupen Eiulf Peter "Buster" Nupen (1 January 1902 – 29 January 1977) was a cricketer who played in 17 Test matches for South Africa between 1921–22 and 1935–36. He was born in Norway, lost an eye in a childhood accident, and was shot through bot ...

75, cricketer. (b. 1902) * 20 February –

Christoffel Venter Major-General Christoffel 'Boetie' Venter , (1 November 1892 – 20 February 1977) was a South African military commander. Military career He joined the 7th Mounted Rifles in 1912 then the 5th SAMR in August 1914 for service in South West Af ...

84, South African Air Force general. (b. 1892) * 5 March – Tom Pryce 27, a Welsh racing driver, (b. 1949) killed during the

1977 South African Grand Prix The 1977 South African Grand Prix (formally the XXIII The Citizen Grand Prix of South Africa) was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 5 March 1977, won by Niki Lauda of Austria. The race is principally remembered for the accident that re ...

in Midrand * 8 March –

Moses Kottler Moses Kottler (1896–1977) was a South African painter and sculptor. He is widely regarded, along with Anton van Wouw and Lippy Lipshitz, as one of the most important South African sculptors. This triumvirate had the distinction of also havin ...

, sculptor. (b. 1896) * 12 September –

30, black consciousness activist. (b. 1946)

Railways

Locomotives

* The South African Railways places the first of 150 Class 6E1, Series 7 electric locomotives in mainline service.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

Sports

Motorsport

* 5 March – The South African Grand Prix takes place at Kyalami.

References

{{Africa topic, 1977 in, state=collapsed South Africa Years in South Africa History of South Africa