1948 in South Africa

Events

January

• 4 – Prince Edward Island is annexed.^[1]

March

• 13 – Dr. K. Goonam leads a batch of twelve passive resisters across the Natal-Transvaal border.

May

• 26 – The National Party wins the General Elections in coalition with the Afrikaner Party (AP).
• 28 – The National Party forms a new South African government as incumbent prime minister Jan Smuts loses his seat.

June

• 4 – Daniel François Malan is elected the 5th Prime Minister of South Africa.
• 12 – The first Rembrandt cigarettes are manufactured.

September

• 8 – A group of 83 German children, orphaned by the war, arrives in Table Bay.
• 10 – The German orphans reach Pretoria to settle in South Africa.

October

• 15 – Foreign Minister Eric Louw informs Commonwealth leaders that South Africa is not prepared to allow interference in its domestic affairs.

Births

• 2 February – Mluleki George, politician.
• 24 June – Dave Orchard, cricketer.
• 9 July – Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, composer, pianist and teacher.
• 27 July – Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, King of the Zulu.
• 10 December – Thamsanga Mnyele, artist and activist. (d. 1985)
• 13 December – Lillian Board, South African-born English Olympic athlete. (d. 1970)

Deaths

• 2 February – Bevil Rudd, athlete. (b. 1894)
• 25 February – Alexander du Toit, geologist. (b. 1878)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 7 June – Free State: Whites to Odendaalsrus, 24 miles 27 chains (39.2 kilometres).^[2]

References