1931 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1931 in South Africa.

← 1930 1929 1928 1931 in South Africa → 1932 1933 1934
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George V.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Earl of Claredon (starting 26 January)
• Prime Minister: James Barry Munnik Hertzog.
• Chief Justice: Jacob de Villiers.

Events

January

• 26 – George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon, is appointed the 5th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa.

December

• 11 – The Statute of Westminster establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, Irish Free State, Dominion of Newfoundland, Dominion of New Zealand and Union of South Africa.

Births

• 21 January – Joseph Engenas Matlhakanye Lekganyane, founder of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church.
• 10 March – Raymond Ackerman (businessman), businessman, founder of Pick n Pay supermarket group.
• 19 April – Kobie Coetsee, politician, in Ladybrand.
• 5 July – Ismail Mahomed, South African and Namibian Chief Justice. (d. 2000)
• 15 July – Gene Louw, politician.
• 27 September – Thandi Klaasen, jazz musician (d. 2017).
• 4 October – Basil D'Oliveira, cricketer (d. 2011)
• 7 October – Desmond Tutu, social rights activist and Anglican bishop, in Klerksdorp.
• 24 November – Arthur Chaskalson, President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa & Chief Justice of South Africa.
• 31 December – Dorothy Nyembe, activist and politician (d. 1998).

Deaths

• 9 January – Second Boer War General Johannes Gerhardus Celliers at age 70.
• 24 January – Sir Percy FitzPatrick, author, politician and mining financier. (b. 1862)
• 24 October – Sir Murray Bisset, South African cricketer and Governor of Southern Rhodesia (b. 1876)

Railways

Class NG G14 Garratt

Class NG15 Kalahari

Railway lines opened

• 3 June – Cape – Molteno to Jamestown, 41 miles 72 chains (67.4 kilometres).[1]
• 1 July – Natal – Chailey to Mount Alida, 25 miles 33 chains (40.9 kilometres).[1]
• 1 July – Natal – Greyville Cabin to Berea Road, 1 mile 36 chains (2.3 kilometres).[1]

Locomotives

Two new narrow gauge steam locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

• A single light Class NG G14 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt articulated steam locomotive.[2]
• Three 2-8-2 Mikado locomotives for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa. In 1960 they would become the Class NG15 Apple Express Kalaharis on the narrow gauge Avontuur Railway.[2]

Sports

Rugby

• 19 December – The South African Springboks beat Ireland 8-3 in Ireland.

References

1. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 190, ref. no. 200954-13
2. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 107–108. ISBN 0869772112.