The following lists events that happened during 1981 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 ...

Marais Viljoen Marais Viljoen, (2 December 1915 – 4 January 2007) was the last ceremonial state president of South Africa from 4 June 1979 until 3 September 1984. Viljoen became the last of the ceremonial presidents of South Africa when he was succeeded in ...

.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 ...

: P.W. Botha. * Chief Justice:

Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff, (5 June 1912 – 4 April 1992) was the Chief Justice of South Africa from 1974 to 1982. Early life and education Born in Standerton, Transvaal, Rumpff was educated at the University of Pretoria, where he obtain ...

Events

;January * 25 – The largest part of the town Laingsburg is swept away within minutes by one of the strongest floods ever experienced in the

Great Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi- desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ex ...

. * 30 – The

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 ...

launches Operation Beanbag and raids a suspected Umkhonto we Sizwe safe area in the suburb of Matola,

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...

, Mozambique, killing 12 to 24 people. The numbers reported killed vary. ;February * 9 –

Tuks FM Tuks FM is the radio station of the University of Pretoria and one of South Africa's community broadcasters. It was one of the first community broadcasters in South Africa to be given an FM licence. Previously renowned for its alternative rock ...

(107.2 FM), the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...

's campus radio station, is established. * Two people are injured when a bomb explodes in a

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

shopping centre. ;April * 1 – The South African Railways and Harbours changes its name to the

South African Transport Services Transnet State-owned company, SOC Limited company, Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on 1 April 1990. A majority of the compan ...

. * 14 – A section of railway line between

Richards Bay Richards Bay ( af, Richardsbaai) is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is situated on a 30 square kilometre lagoon of the Mhlatuze River, which makes it one of the country's largest harbours. Richards Bay also has the deepest natural ha ...

and

Vryheid Vryheid ( zu, IVryheid) is a coal mining and cattle ranching town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Vryheid is the Afrikaans word for "freedom". History After Boer farmers, who lived in the Vryheid area, had helped King Dinuzulu defeat his ...

is destroyed by Umkhonto we Sizwe and coal trucks are derailed. * 16 – Bishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

is arrested and his passport is confiscated. * 21 –

Limpet mine A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces. A swimmer or diver m ...

s explode and destroy two transformers at a sub-station in

. ;May * 6 – The railway in the

Hoedspruit Hoedspruit (Afrikaans for ''Hat Creek'') is a town situated at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg (Afrikaans for "Small Dragon Mountains" range), in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on the railway line from Tzaneen to Kaapmuiden. Economy The ...

area is damaged. * 14 – The

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

publishes a blacklist of 65 multi-national companies and some 270 sports persons who have links with South Africa. * 21 – A bomb explodes and damages the

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

rail link to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. * 25 – A pamphlet bomb explodes in Durban. * 25 – The Fort Jackson Police station is attacked. * 25 – The railway line near

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

is damaged. * 25 – The railway line on the

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

South Coast is damaged. * 25 – Power lines are cut in

Vrede Vrede is a town in the Free State province of South Africa that is the agricultural hub of a 100 km² region. Maize, wheat, mutton, wool, beef, dairy products and poultry are farmed in the region. History In 1863 one J. H. Krynauw bought ...

. * 25 – A series of terrorist actions in support of Republic Day protests are admitted by Umkhonto we Sizwe. * 27 – A bomb explodes in Durban destroying a

recruiting building. ;June * 1 – Three offices of the

Progressive Federal Party The Progressive Federal Party (PFP) ( af, Progressiewe Federale Party) was a South African political party formed in 1977 through merger of the Progressive and Reform parties, eventually changing its name to the Progressive Federal Party. For it ...

are firebombed in Johannesburg, with no injuries. * 4 – The police station in Meyerton is attacked by terrorists. * 11 – The railway line on the Natal North coast is maliciously damaged. * 16 – The railway line near

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

is maliciously damaged. * 26 – Two bombs explode at the

Durban Cenotaph The Cenotaph was erected in Farewell Square, Durban, South Africa, as a war memorial to soldiers who died in World War I. Standing about 11 metres (36 feet) high, the Cenotaph is built out of granite decorated with glazed ceramic tiles depictin ...

. * 28 – The railway near

Empangeni Empangeni is a city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is approximately 157 kilometres north of Durban, in hilly countryside, overlooking a flat coastal plain and the major harbour town of Richards Bay 16 kilometres away. The N2 freeway runs east ...

is maliciously damaged. * 30 –

Zwelakhe Sisulu Zwelakhe Sisulu (17 December 1950 – 4 October 2012) was a South African black journalist, editor, and newspaper founder. He was president of the Writers' Association of South Africa, which later became the Black Media Workers Association of So ...

, President of the Black Media Workers Association of South Africa, is arrested under the Internal Security Act. ;July * 3 – A

limpet mine A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces. A swimmer or diver m ...

is found at the fuel storage yard in Alberton and defused. * 21 – Six bomb explosions at sub-stations in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

, and Ermelo disrupt power supply. * 26 – Two bombs explode at 05:50 and 06:10 in central Durban. Three people are injured and extensive damage is caused to motor vehicle firms. ;August * 6 – A bomb explodes in an

shopping complex minutes before rush hour. * 8 – A bomb explodes in a

shopping centre in similar manner to the East London bomb. * 11 – The

Voortrekkerhoogte Thaba Tshwane is a military base (or military area) in Pretoria, South Africa. Units and facilities The oldest building in the complex is the South African Garrison Institute, what is now known as the Army College. Lord Kitchener laid the corn ...

Military Base outside

is attacked with

RPG-7 The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. ...

s. Two British citizens, Nicolas Heath and Bonnie Lou Muller, are identified as accomplices in the assault. * 19 – The railway line near East London is maliciously damaged. * 23 – The

attacks

South-West Africa People's Organisation The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

bases in

Xangongo Xangongo (pre-1975: ''Vila Roçadas'') is a town, with a population of 35,000 (2014), and a commune in the municipality of Ombadja, province of Cunene, Angola. It is also the seat of that municipality and is located at around . It was also the ...

and

Ongiva Ondjiva, formerly Vila Pereira d'Eça, is a town, with a population of 121,537 (2014), and a Communes of Angola, commune in the municipality of Cuanhama, province of Cunene Province, Cunene, Angola. It is also the administrative capital of Cunene ...

, southern

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

during

Operation Protea Operation Protea was a military operation during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War in which South African Defence Forces (SADF) destroyed a number of South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) bases in Angola. During the ...

. ;September * 2 – Two policemen and two civilians, one a child, are killed during an attack on

Mabopane Mabopane is a residential suburb in South Africa. It is situated in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, to the north of Pretoria in Gauteng. History Proclamation Mabopane was proclaimed in 1959 as a black-only residential settlement by the the ...

Police station. * 12 – A bomb damages the main railway line at Delville Wood near Durban. ;October * 10 – Umkhonto we Sizwe attacks government offices of the Department of Co-operation and Development. Four civilians are injured. * 21 – Umkhonto we Sizwe destroys a transformer in

Evander Evander is a masculine given name. It is an anglicization of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (lit. "good man", Latinized ''Evandrus''). It has also been adopted as an anglicization of the Gaelic name Iomhar (the Gaelic variant of the name Ivor ...

and a water pipeline feeding Sasol III (

Secunda CTL Secunda CTL is a synthetic fuel plant owned by Sasol at Secunda, Mpumalanga in South Africa. It uses coal liquefaction to produce petroleum-like synthetic crude oil from coal. The process used by Sasol is based on the Fischer–Tropsch process. ...

) in Secunda. * 26 – Two policemen are killed during an attack on Sibasa Police station. ;November * 1 – The Jeppes Reef House near the

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

border, occupied by the

, comes under

attack. * 1 – The South African Defence Force attacks

bases in Chitequeta, south-eastern

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, during

Operation Daisy Operation Daisy was a military operation conducted from November 1–20, 1981 by the South African Defence Force and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) in Angola during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War. This conflict ...

. * 9 – A bomb explodes at the Orlando Magistrates Court in

. * 12 – Rosslyn sub-station in

is damaged by 4

s. * 27 – Cedric Mayson, a former

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister, is arrested. ;December * 4 – South Africa grants

Ciskei Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian O ...

independence. * 9 – The offices of the Chief Commissioner of the Department of Co-operation and Development in Cape Town is attacked. * 14 – A Pretoria sub-station is bombed. * 23 – Eastern Cape provincial buildings in

Duncan Village Duncan Village is a township in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The township is located about five kilometres away from the East London city business district (CBD). Duncan Village is di ...

are damaged in an Umkhonto we Sizwe attack. * 26 – The Wonderboompoort Police station is attacked. ;Unknown date *

Trevor Manuel Trevor Andrew Manuel (born 31 January 1956) is a South African politician who served in the government of South Africa as Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2009, during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, and ...

becomes the General Secretary of the Cape Areas Housing Action Committee. *

Bulelani Ngcuka Bulelani T. Ngcuka (pronounced ; born 2 May 1954) is a South African attorney, prosecutor and activist, who served as the first Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of former Deputy President of South Africa Phumz ...

is detained by police for eight months. * A Security Police

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

unit is started by

Dirk Coetzee Dirk Coetzee (15 April 1945 – 7 March 2013) was co-founder and commander of the covert South African Security Police unit based at Vlakplaas. He and his colleagues were involved in a number of extra judicial killings including that of Griffith ...

, Jan Viktor and Jac Buchner with 16 police officers at

Vlakplaas Vlakplaas (trans. "shallow farm") is a farm 20 km west of Pretoria that served as the headquarters of counterinsurgency unit C1 (later called C10) of the Security Branch of the apartheid-era South African Police. Though officially called S ...

Births

* 13 January –

Ayanda Borotho Ayanda Borotho (née Ngubane) born 13 January 1981) is a South African actress and former model best known for playing the title role in the SABC 1 sitcom Nomzamo, from 2007-2010, of which she replaced Zinzile Zungu as well as Phumelele Zungu ...

, actress * 22 January –

Khabonina Qubeka Khabonina Qubeka (born 22 January 1981) is a South African actress, television presenter, dancer, choreographer, businesswoman and singer. In 2017, she won best actress at the Boston International Film Festival Awards and was nominated as best ...

, actress, TV presenter, dancer, choreographer, fitness & wellness coach * 1 February –

Graeme Smith Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for South Africa in all formats. In 2003, he was appointed captain of the national team, taking over from Shaun Pollock. He held th ...

, cricketer * 3 February –

Jo-Ann Strauss Jo-Ann Cindy Strauss (born 3 February 1981 in Cape Town) is a South African model, public speaker and businesswoman. In 2001, she represented her country as Miss South Africa at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico as well as at the Miss W ...

, 2001

Miss South Africa Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that selects South African representatives to compete in two of the Big Four international beauty pageants, Miss World and Miss Universe, and also selects another representative ...

* 10 February –

Maggie Benedict Maggie Benedict (born in Pretoria on February 10, 1981) is a South African actress, writer and director. She studied acting at Pretoria Tech. Benedict is best known for playing the role of Akhona Miya on the SABC 1 soap opera '' Generations'' (2 ...

, actress * 11 February – Alexander Peternell, equestrian rider * 15 February –

Lee-Anne Pace Lee-Anne Pace (born 15 February 1981) is a South African professional golfer. Career Pace was born in Paarl, Western Cape. She had a successful amateur collegiate career in the United States, where she attended Murray State University and the ...

, golfer * 20 February – Akona Ndungane, rugby player * 20 February –

Odwa Ndungane Odwa Mzuzo Ndungane (born 20 February 1981 in Mthatha, South Africa) is a former rugby union player that played first class rugby between 2000 and 2017. He played on the wing and spent the bulk of his career playing for the Sharks in the Super ...

, rugby player * 24 February –

Jean De Villiers Jean de Villiers (born 24 February 1981) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He started his career at wing, but played most of his career as an inside centre. De Villiers previously played for Western Province in the ...

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 ...

captain * 26 February –

Bridget Masinga Bridget Masinga (born 26 February 1981) is a South African actress, television and radio personality, fashion model and philanthropist. She placed 3rd in the 2002 Miss South Africa pageant and is best known for her roles on the South African ...

, 3rd in the 2002

pageant, actress, television and radio personality * 3 March –

Julius Malema Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician and activist who is a Member of Parliament and the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a left-wing party which he founded in 2013. He was formerly the President of ...

, Member of Parliament and the founder & leader of the

Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African left-wing to far-left pan-Africanist and Marxist–Leninist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Julius Malema, and hi ...

* 16 April – Nasief Morris, football player * 16 April –

Gareth Echardt Gareth Echardt (born 16 April 1981 in Cape Town) is a South African former competitive figure skater. He is a six-time South African national silver medalist (2001, 2003, 2005–2007) and competed in the final segment at four Four Continents C ...

, figure skater * 4 May –

Jacques Rudolph Jacobus Andries "Jacques" Rudolph (born 4 May 1981) is a former South African cricketer who played for Glamorgan and in South Africa with Titans. He attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, a popular and renowned public school located in Pretoria. ...

, cricketer * 11 May –

Terry Pheto Moitheri Pheto (born 11 May 1981) is a South African actress who is known for starring in an Oscar-winning film ''Tsotsi'' (2005) and other South African soapies. She had a recurring role of a heart surgeon, Dr. Malaika Maponya, on the America ...

, actress * 21 May – Jacques le Roux, tenor singer * 26 May –

Zakes Bantwini Zakhele Madida (born May 26, 1980) professionally known as Zakes Bantwini, is a South African singer, record producer and businessman. Born from KwaMashu F-section, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has worked with fellow musician Black Coffee, ...

, musician, recording artist and record producer. * 29 May –

Iain Evans Iain Frederick Evans (born 18 April 1959) is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2006 to 2007. Early life Evans attended Heathfield Primary and subsequently He ...

, field hockey player * 10 June –

Albie Morkel Johannes Albertus Morkel (born 10 June 1981), better known as Albie Morkel, is a former South African cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium fast and bats left-handed. He was earmarked as the new Lance Klusener from an ear ...

, cricketer * 12 June – Gurthrö Steenkamp, rugby player * 19 June – Quintin Geldenhuys, South African-born Italian rugby player * 19 June – Dorian James, badminton player * 22 June –

Linda Mkhize Linda Mkhize (22 June 1981 – 8 August 2018), better known by his stage name PRO and formerly as Pro Kid, was a South African rapper and producer. He was known for rapping in a mixture of South African township Soweto vernacular ( tsotsi taal) ...

, rapper and producer (d. 2018) * 6 July – Jenna Challenor, long-distance runner * 30 July – Juan Smith, rugby player * 4 September –

Lesley Manyathela Lesley Phuti Manyathela (4 September 1981 – 9 August 2003) was a South African professional soccer player who played as a striker for Premier Soccer League club Orlando Pirates and the South African national team. A prolific goalscorer, Man ...

, football player (d. 2003) * 8 September –

Ashwin Willemse Ashwin Willemse (born 8 September 1981 in Caledon, Cape Province) is a retired South African rugby union player. He played at wing for the national team, the Springboks. After winning an IRB Under-21 World Cup gold medal for South Africa in 2 ...

, rugby player & tv rugby analyst * 29 September – Siyabonga Sangweni, football player * 19 October –

Lucas Thwala Lucas Bongane Thwala (born 19 October 1981 in Nelspruit) is a retired South African football defender who last played for SuperSport United in the Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governmen ...

, football player * 18 December- Bernard de Jager, South African Pen and Ink Artist * 22 December – Tumi Morake, comedienne, actress & TV personality * 26 December –

Shu-Aib Walters Shu-Aib Walters (born 26 December 1981) is a South African association football player who last played as a goalkeeper for Ajax Cape Town in the Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, st ...

, football player

Deaths

* 19 November – Griffiths Mxenge, activist. (b. 1935)

Railways

Locomotives

* 5 February – Rebuilding of the Class 26 4-8-4 steam locomotive, popularly known as the ''Red Devil'', is completed at the Salt River Works in Cape Town.The Ultimate Steam Page
/ref> * Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the

South African Railways Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people ...

: ** May – One hundred Class 37-000 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26M2C diesel-electric locomotives.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 eighty-five Class 6E1, Series 9 electric locomotives.

Sports

Athletics

* 17 October –

Mark Plaatjes Mark Plaatjes (born 2 June 1962 in Johannesburg) is a former marathon runner who was champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart. Biography Born in South Africa under apartheid, Plaatjes won two national titles at the m ...

wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:16:17 in

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom (, colloquially known as Potch) is an academic city in the North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstroom is on the Mooi Rivier (Afrikaans for "pretty river" ...

Rugby

* 30 May – The South African Springboks beat

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

23–15. * 6 June – The Springboks beat Ireland 12–10. * 14 August – The South African Springbok tour in New Zealand elicits protests.

References

{{Africa topic, 1981 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 History of South Africa