1884 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1884 in South Africa.

← 1883 1882 1881 1884 in South Africa → 1885 1886 1887
Decades:	1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Hercules Robinson.
• Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
• State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
• State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
• Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Thomas Charles Scanlen (until 12 May), Thomas Upington (starting 12 May).

Events

April

• 24 – Germany occupies German South-West Africa.

July

• 24 – Barberton is declared a town.

August

• 5 – The Republic of Vryheid is established in northern Natal.
• 7 – Walvisbaai is occupied by the Cape Colony.

November

• 3 – Imvo Zabantsundu (Xhosa: The Native People's Opinion of South Africa), South Africa's first newspaper by and for Black people, is founded by John Tengo Jabavu in King William's Town.[1]
• 15 – The Berlin Conference commences when 14 countries (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway, Turkey, and United States of America) meet in Berlin to each claim their part of Africa.

December

• 1 – The private Kowie Railway line between Grahamstown and Port Alfred is opened to traffic.[2]

King Cetshwayo kaMpande

Deaths

• 8 February – Zulu king Cetshwayo. (b. 1826)

Railways

Railway lines opened

CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0

CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT

• 31 March – Cape Midland – Noupoort to De Aar, to link up with the Cape Western System, 69 miles 6 chains (111.2 kilometres).[3]
• May – Natal – Pietermaritzburg to Merrivale, 15 miles 19 chains (24.5 kilometres).[4]
• 16 September – Cape Eastern – Sterkstroom to Molteno, 20 miles 69 chains (33.6 kilometres).[3]
• 3 November – Cape Western – Victoria West Road to Oranjerivier, 150 miles 69 chains (242.8 kilometres).[3]
• 1 December – Kowie – Port Alfred to Grahamstown, 44 miles (70.8 kilometres).[4]

Locomotives

• The Cape Government Railways places two experimental 3rd Class 4-4-0 tender and four experimental 4th Class 4-6-0 tank-and-tender locomotives in service, designed by the Cape Eastern System to be able to use the low-grade local coal with its high content of incombustible matter.[5][6]

References

1. "Imvo Zabantsundu: a Brief History". National Heritage Monument of South Africa website. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
2. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 12–13.
3. Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909.
4. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 182, ref. no. 200954-13
5. Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
6. C.G.R. Numbering Revised, Article by Dave Littley, SA Rail May–June 1993, pp. 94–95.