The following lists events that happened during

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

. The countries are those described in the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, Southern Africa. The population of Southern Africa is 67,324,356 as of April 18, 2020, based on the latest United Nations estimates. The Southern Africa population is equivalent to 0.87% of the total world population.

Countries

Botswana

- Changed its name from

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (later the United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) in So ...

to Botswana when it declared its independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on September 30, 1966. Thecapital of the

Republic of Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...

. The country is a member of the

African Union (AU) The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

, the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the United Nations (UN). * President of Botswana: Mokgweetsi Masisi (since April 1, 2018)CIA World Factbook: Botswana
retrieved 18 Apr 2020 ** Vice-President of Botswana: Slumber Tsogwane (since April 4, 2018)

Eswatini

- Was officially the Kingdom of Swaziland until 2018; it achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. The executive capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Eswatini is

Mbabane Mbabane (; ss, ÉMbábáne, ) is a city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the executive capital. With an estimated population of 94,874 (2010), it is located on the Mbaba ...

; the traditional, spiritual, and legislative capital is

Lobamba Lobamba is a city in Eswatini, and is one of the two capitals (along with Mbabane), serving as the legislative, traditional, spiritual, seat of government of the Parliament of Eswatini, Ngwenyama (King): Mswati III (since April 25, 1986)CIA World Factbook: Eswantini
retrieved 18 Apr 2020 *Head of government:

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 ...

Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini (5 March 1968 – 13 December 2020) was a Swazi business executive who served as the tenth prime minister of Eswatini, holding the office from October 2018 until his death on 13 December 2020. Born in Eswatini's Manzini ...

(until October 27),

Themba N. Masuku Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku (born 7 July 1950) is a Swazi politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Eswatini since 2018 and as Acting Prime Minister from 13 December 2020 to 16 July 2021. Earlier, he served as Deputy Prime Minister from ...

(from December 13) **Deputy Prime Minister

(since November 6, 2018)

Lesotho

- A country

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

d in South Africa.

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), th ...

declared its independence from the United Kingdom on October 4, 1966, and became the

Kingdom of Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a populatio ...

. Today it is a member of the AU, the Commonwealth, the SADC, and the UN. Its capital is

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...

. *Chief of state:

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Letsie III Letsie III (born Seeiso Bereng; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, and Letsie became king ag ...

(from February 7, 1996)CIA World Factbook: Lesotho
retrieved 18 Apr 2020 *Head of government:

** Tom Thabane (June 16, 2017 to May 19, 2020) ** Moeketsi Majoro (since May 19, 2020)

Namibia

- The Namibian War of Independence led to independence from

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 ...

on March 21, 1990. Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands were ceded to the Republic of Namibia in 1994. Namibia is a member of the AU, SADC, and UN. The capital is

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

. *

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

: Hage Geingob (since March 21, 2015)CIA World Factbook: Nambia
retrieved April 19, 2020 **Vice President:

Nangolo Mbumba Nangolo Mbumba (born 15 August 1941) in Olukonda, Namibia. He is a Namibian politician who currently serves as the 2nd vice president of Namibia. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Mbumba has headed a number of Namib ...

(since February 12, 2018) *

Saara Kuugongelwa Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (born 12 October 1967) is the Prime Minister of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). She has been a member of the National Assem ...

(since March 21, 2015) **Deputy Prime Minister:

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (born 29 October 1952) is a Namibian politician who is the Prime Minister of Namibia, Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia since March 2015. She has also been serving as Namibia's List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Namibi ...

(since March 21, 2015)

South Africa

- The

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

became a self-governing

dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

in 1910 and became the

Republic of 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 ...

in 1961. It ended

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

and gained majority rule on April 27, 1994. The administrative capital is

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 ...

, the legislative capital is

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 ...

, and the judicial capital is Bloemfontein. *

: Cyril Ramaphosa (since February 15, 2018)CIA World Factbook: South Africa
retrieved April 19, 2020 **

Deputy President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

David Mabuza David Dabede "DD" Mabuza (born 25 August 1960) is a South African politician who has been Deputy President of South Africa since February 2018. He was the Deputy President of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 ...

(February 26, 2018) * Chief Justice:

Mogoeng Mogoeng Mogoeng Thomas Reetsang Mogoeng (born 14 January 1961) is a South African jurist who served as the Chief Justice of South Africa from 8 September 2011 until his retirement on 11 October 2021. Early life Mogoeng was born on 14 January 1961 in ...

* Speaker of the National Assembly: Thandi Modise

Monthly events

January and February

*January 1 –

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

*February 3 – A court issues an arrest warrant for former

president

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

, 77, on corruption charges. The case will resume on May 6. *February 5 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in South Africa to discuss trade, investment, and energy issues. *February 6 – Lesotho's First Lady,

Maesiah Thabane Maesaiah or Maesiah Thabane (born 16 April 1977) is the wife of the former prime minister of Lesotho Tom Thabane since her marriage to Thabane on 27 August 2017. On 10 January 2020, police issued an arrest warrant for Maesiah Thabane in connecti ...

is arrested for murdering her predecessor,

Lipolelo Thabane Lipolelo Thabane (1959 – June 14, 2017) was a Mosotho political figure and wife of prime minister Tom Thabane. She was murdered on June 14, 2017, two days before her husband's inauguration. Biography Lipolelo Thabane was born in Basutoland to ...

in 2017. *February 20 – Former prime minister

Thomas Thabane Thomas Motsoahae Thabane (born 28 May 1939) is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth prime minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022. Thabane s ...

, 80, of Lesotho is to be charged with his wife's 2017 murder.

March and April

*March 11 –

Moshoeshoe Day Moshoeshoe I () ( – 11 March 1870) was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his father gain power over som ...

, Lesotho *March 12 – At least 18 African countries, including South Africa report cases of the novel

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

. Most are in single figures, and no deaths have been reported in Sub-Saharan Africa. *March 14 – Scheduled date for the

2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards The 2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards were the 3rd annual DStv Magic Viewers Choice Awards that took place on March 14, 2020, at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg. The event recognized the biggest achievements in television, radio, music, s ...

in South Africa *March 21 **Independence Day, Namibia **Human Rights Day, South Africa *April 10 –

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

, Christian holiday *April 13 **

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

, Christian holiday ** Family Day, South Africa *April 18 – Prime Minister Thomas Thabane deploys the army to the streets of Lesotho to restore order. *April 19 – Birthday of King Mswati III, Eswatini *April 22 – World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the number of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

deaths in Africa may double this year as efforts to curb the disease wind down. *April 26 – COVID-19 pandemic: Cuba sends 200 doctors to South Africa. *April 27 – Freedom Day, South Africa *April 30 – COVID-19 pandemic: Lesotho is the only African country that has not reported the virus.

May and June

*May 1 –

Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

and

International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

*May 4:

Cassinga Day Cassinga Day is a national public holiday in Namibia remembering the Cassinga Massacre. Commemorated annually on 4 May, the date "remembers those (approximately 600) killed in 1978 when the South African Defence Force attacked a SWAPO base at C ...

, Namibia *May 2 – People form lines four kilometers (2.49 miles) long to get food in

Olievenhoutbosch OlievenHoutBosch (also known as 'Oliven"/ 'Stop12") is a township in Centurion, south of Pretoria in Gauteng, South Africa, close to Midrand on the R55 route. It was established in the 1990s It was an informal settlement called Choba at extension ...

, South Africa. *May 8 – Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane will step down in July as the country's leader. *May 13 – COVID-19 pandemic: Lesotho report its first case of the virus, becoming the last country in Afric to do so. *May 14 –

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

speakers fear the language may be on the way to extinction. *May 19 – Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane resigns. Moeketsi Majoro is sworn in. *May 25 – Africa Day *June 3 – Lesotho's former first lady, Maesaiah Thabane, is arrested for the murder of the previous wife of her husband and former prime minister, Thomas Thabane. *June 8 **COVID-19 pandemic: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who says that he's worried that the country's numbers of COVID-19 are rising fast. More than half of South Africa's more than 50,000 confirmed cases and 1,000 deaths have been recorded in the last two weeks. **South Africans in

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

protest the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, USA. The protests are also in honor of Collins Khosa, a black South African man who died after allegedly being assaulted by black soldiers enforcing the country's strict lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. *June 12 – World Day Against Child Labor: The

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

and the

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

warn that millions of children are likely to be pushed into forced labor because of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. *June 16 – Youth Day, South Africa

July and August

*July 1 – Sir Seretse Khama Day, Botswana *July 5 – Botswana investigates the mysterious death of between 275 and 356

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...

*July 17:

King's birthday The King's Official Birthday (alternatively the Queen's Official Birthday when the monarch is female) is the selected day in the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those ...

, Lesotho *July 20:

Presidents' Day (Botswana) Presidents' Day is a holiday in Botswana. Since 2006, it has been a one-day holiday held on the third Monday of July. Previous to that, it was a two-day holiday, held on Monday and Tuesday of the 3rd week in July, but the Public Holidays Amendmen ...

*July 22: King Father's birthday, Eswatini *August 9: National Women's Day (South Africa) *August 26: Heroes' Day, Namibia

September and October

*September 7 – The World Food Programme warns of possible hunger in southern Africa, including Zimbabwe,

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, Madagascar,

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

, Lesotho, Esuatini, Zambia,

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

November and December

*November 15 – Preacher Shepherd Bushiri and his wife skip bail and flee from South Africa to Malawi to avoid a fraud trial.

Predicted and scheduled events

*September 6: Somhlolo Day (Independence Day, Eswatini) *September 24:

Heritage Day (South Africa) Heritage Day (; ) is a South African public holiday celebrated on 24 September. On this day, South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belo ...

*September 30:

Botswana Day Public holidays in Botswana are largely controlled by government sector employers who are given paid time off. The government holiday schedule mainly benefits employees of government and government regulated businesses. At the discretion of the em ...

*October 4: Independence Day, Lesotho *November TBA: Namibia National council, Regional councils, and local electionsAfrica Watch: 2020 is election season across Africa
by Franck Kuwonu, United Nations.org,Africa Renewal: Dec 2019 to March 2020, retrieved 22 Feb 2020 *December 10: Human Rights Day, Namibia *December 16: Day of Reconciliation, South Africa *December 20:

Incwala Incwala () is the main ritual of kingship in the Eswatini, Kingdom of Eswatini. This is a national event that takes place during the summer solstice. The main participant in incwala is the King of Eswatini; when there is no king there is no incw ...

(summer solstice), Eswatini *December 25:

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

, Christian holiday *December 26:

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

, Commonwealth countries and "Day of Goodwill" in Namibia and South Africa

Culture

The Arts

Television

*February 28 – Premier of ''

Queen Sono ''Queen Sono'' is a South African crime drama streaming television series created by Kagiso Lediga that premiered on Netflix on February 28, 2020. The series stars Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob van V ...

'' *March 14 –

, Johannesburg *TBA – Premier of 8th season of ''Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island''

Sports

*November 29, 2019 to February 1, 2020: 2019–20 CAF Champions League group stage *December 1, 2019 to February 2, 2020: 2019–20 CAF Confederation Cup group stage *17 January to 9 February 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup *20 to 23 April 2020:

2020 IIHF World Championship Division III The 2020 IIHF World Championship Division III was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Group A tournament would have been held in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg from 19 to 25 April and the Group B ...

, Cape Town, South Africa *May TBA – Finals of

2020 African U-17 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament The 2020 African U-17 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament was the 7th edition of the African U-17 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, the biennial international youth football competition organised by the Confederation of African Footbal ...

Began January 2020 *June 21 – Finals of 2020 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament *August 8 to September 27:

2020 Rugby Championship The 2020 Tri Nations Series was the seventeenth edition of the annual southern hemisphere competition, involving Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. On 16 October 2020, 2019 Rugby Championship winners and 2019 Rugby World Cup champions South A ...

, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. *October 5 to October 12: 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification — CAF second round *October 13: 2020 MEA Rugby League Championship, Pretoria, South Africa

Deaths

January to March

*January 6 –

Richard Maponya Richard John Pelwana Maponya, GCOB, (24 December 1920 – 6 January 2020) was a South African entrepreneur and property developer best known for building a business empire despite the restrictions of apartheid and his determination to see the ...

, 99, South African entrepreneur and property developer (b. 1920). *January 18 –

Peter Mathebula Peter Mathebula (3 July 1952 – 18 January 2020) was a South African professional boxer who held the WBA flyweight title from 1980 to 1981. Biography After he began his professional career in 1971, Mathebula became flyweight in 1978 and banta ...

, South African WBA flyweight champion boxer (b. 1952). *January 20 –

Bicks Ndoni Bicks Ndoni (7 May 1958 – 20 January 2020) was a South African politician who served as chief whip of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from August 2018 until his death in January 2020. He was previously the deputy mayor of Nelson ...

, South African politician (b. 1958). *January 26 – Santu Mofokeng, 64, South African photographer; progressive supranuclear palsy * 7 February –

Harold Strachan Robert Harold Lundie "Jock" Strachan (1 December 1925 – 7 February 2020) was a white South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. He flew for the South African Air Force during the Second World War, trained as an artist, then became Umkho ...

, 94, South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. *February 11 – Joseph Shabalala, 78, founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo *February 20 –

Zoe Gail Zoe Gail (20 February 1920 – 20 February 2020) was a South African-born British-American actress. Early life Gail was born Zoe Margaret Stapelton in Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa. She was an actress known for Tonight at th ...

, 100, South African-born British singer and actress ('' No Orchids for Miss Blandish''). *February 26 – Clinton Marius, 53, South African writer and performer *March 21 – Sol Kerzner, 84, South African hotelier, founder of

Southern Sun Hotel Group Southern Sun is a South African multinational hospitality company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The group was founded in 1969 by hotelier Sol Kerzner and South African Breweries. ...

and

Sun International Sun International Hotels Limited is a resort hotel chain and casino destination from South Africa created by Sol Kerzner, best known for its Sun City Resort near Rustenburg in the North West Province. Specialising in gaming, hospitality and en ...

, cancer. *March 25 – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, 98, South African traditional healer and conspiracy theorist *March 31 –

Gita Ramjee Gita Ramjee (née Parekh; 8 April 1956 – 31 March 2020) was a Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher in HIV prevention. In 2018, she was awarded the ‘Outstanding Female Scientist’ award from the European and Developing Countries ...

, 63, South African HIV prevention researcher;

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

April to June

*April 1 –

Harold Rubin Harold Rubin (13 May 1932 – 1 April 2020) was a South African-born Israeli artist and free jazz clarinetist. Life and career Rubin was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on 13 May 1932. He attended the Jeppe High School for Boys and received ...

, 87, South African-born Israeli jazz clarinettist. *April 3 ** Hans Meyer, 94, South African actor (''

Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situated in the Leipzig Bay, southeast of the c ...

'') **

Constand Viljoen General Constand Laubscher Viljoen, (28 October 1933 – 3 April 2020) was a South African military commander and politician. He co-founded the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front) and later founded the Freedom Front (now Fre ...

, 86, South African military officer and politician, MP (1994–2001) *April 29 – Denis Goldberg, 87, South African lawyer and political activist (

Rivonia Trial The Rivonia Trial took place in South Africa between 9 October 1963 and 12 June 1964, and led to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and the others among the accused who were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life at the Palace of Justice ...

); lung cancer *May 4 –

Cedric Xulu Cedric "Sugar Ray" Xulu (13 December 1939 – 4 May 2020) was a South African footballer. Career Xulu was a footballer whose career in the 1960s led him to play for local side AmaZulu and Mbabane Swallows in Swaziland. In 1972, he played for Z ...

, 80, South African footballer (

AmaZulu F.C. AmaZulu Football Club (Simply often known as AmaZulu) is a South African professional soccer club based in the city of Durban in the KwaZulu Natal province, that plays in the Premier Soccer League the first-tier of South African football l ...

), cancer. *May 11 – Ewie Cronje, 80, South African cricketer. *12 May - Clarence Mini, 68, South African doctor, anti-apartheid fighter, COVID-19. *May 19 – Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, 60, South African pastor and academic; complications from surgery *June 2 – Jeanne Goosen, 81, South African writer. *June 12 – Kirvan Fortuin, 28, South African dancer, choreographer and LGBTQI activist; stabbed. *June 14 – Elsa Joubert, 97, South African

Sestigers The Sestigers (Sixtiers), also known as the Beweging van Sestig (the movement of sixty), were a group of influential resistant Afrikaans-language writers in the 1960s started by André Brink and Breyten Breytenbach, which also included Reza de W ...

writer, COVID-19.

July to September

*July 13 –

Zindzi Mandela Zindziswa "Zindzi" Mandela (23 December 196013 July 2020), also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, was a South African diplomat and poet, and the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and politicians Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. ...

, 59, South African diplomat and poet, daughter 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 ...

*July 21 – Andrew Mlangeni, 95, politician, anti-Apartheid activist and the last

st. *July 22 –

Theo Diergaardt Vivian Theo Diergaardt (1969/1970 – 22 July 2020) was a Namibian politician and Member of Parliament. He was Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement from 2011 to 2015. Life and career Diergaardt grew up in Rehoboth and attended school there ...

, 50, Namibian politician. *July 24 –

Bernard Mohlalisi Bernard Mosiuoa Mohlalisi O.M.I. (March 16, 1933 – July 24, 2020) was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maseru in Lesotho from 1990 to 2009. On June 30, 2009, his resignation due to age was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI. He wa ...

, 87, Lesothan Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of

(1990–2009). *August 6 –

John Nkadimeng John Kgwana Nkadimeng (12 June 1927 – 6 August 2020) was a South African politician, anti-apartheid activist and South African ambassador in Cuba. Nkadimeng was awarded the Order of Luthuli in 2003 by President Thabo Mbeki and Isitwalandwe in ...

, 93, South African politician and anti-Apartheid activist. *August 26 –

Dirk Mudge Dirk Frederik Mudge (16 January 192826 August 2020) was a Namibian politician. He served in several high-ranking positions in the South African administration of South West Africa, was the chairman of the 1975–1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Con ...

, 92, Namibian politician; COVID-19. *9 September –

George Bizos George Bizos ( el, Γιώργος Μπίζος; 14 November 19279 September 2020) was a Greek-South African human rights lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. He was noted for representing Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia T ...

, 92, South African human rights lawyer (

) and anti-apartheid activist.

October to December

*November 11 –

Thembekile Kimi Makwetu Thembekile Kimi Makwetu (died 11 November 2020) was a South African Chartered accountant. He served as the Auditor-General of South Africa between 2013 and 2020. Education Makwetu was born in Cape Town, South Africa on the 7th of January 1966. ...

, 54, South African accountant,

Auditor-General A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

(since 2013); lung cancer. *December 13 –

, Prime Minister of Eswatini; COVID-19.

References

Footnotes

Citations

External links

allAfrica news sitePulling down statues of racists? Africa's done it for years
{{Year in Africa , 2020 2020 in Africa Events in Africa