The following lists events that happened during 1910 in South Africa.

Incumbents

Cape Colony

* Governor of the Cape of Good Hope: Maj Gen Henry Scobell (acting) (until 30 May). * Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John X. Merriman (until 30 May).

Natal

* Governor of the Colony of Natal: The Lord Methuen (until 30 May). * Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal: Frederick Robert Moor (until 28 April).

Orange River Colony

* Governor of the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

: Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams (until 30 May). * Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony:

Abraham Fischer Abraham Fischer (9 April 1850 – 16 November 1913) was a South African statesman. He was the sole Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony in South Africa, and when that ceased to exist joined the cabinet of the newly formed Union of South Afr ...

(until 30 May).

Transvaal

* Governor of the

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

and

High Commissioner for Southern Africa The British office of high commissioner for Southern Africa was responsible for governing British possessions in Southern Africa, latterly the protectorates of Basutoland (now Lesotho), the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana) and Swaziland ...

: The Earl of Selborne (until 30 May). * Prime Minister of the Transvaal Colony:

Louis Botha Louis Botha ( , ; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first Prime Minister of South Africa, prime minister of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war v ...

(until 30 May).

Union of South Africa

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

: King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

(starting 31 May). *

Governor-General of the Union of South Africa The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (; ) was the highest state official in the Union of South Africa between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1910 and the o ...

and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Viscount Gladstone (from 31 May).Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Governors-General: 1910-1961
(Accessed on 14 April 2017) * Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa:

(from 31 May). * Chief Justice:

John de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers John Henry de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers, (15 June 1842 – 2 September 1914) was a Cape Colony, Cape lawyer and judge. He was Attorney-General in the John Charles Molteno, Molteno Government, Chief Justice for the Cape Colony, and later ...

Events

;May * 31 – The

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

is established from the former British colonies of the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

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 ( ...

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

and

.''The South African Railways - Historical Survey''. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25. * 31 –

Herbert John Gladstone Herbert John Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone (7 January 1854 – 6 March 1930) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. The youngest son of William Ewart Gladstone, he was Home Secretary from 1905 to 1910 and Governor-General of ...

becomes the first

. * 31 –

becomes the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. ;September * 15 – The

1910 South African general election General elections were held in South Africa on 15 September 1910 to elect the 121 members of the House of Assembly (South Africa), House of Assembly. They were the first general election after the Union of South Africa was created on 31 May 19 ...

is held to determine the first members of the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

, the Parliament of the

. Per Thula Simpson, the

South African Party The South African Party (, ) was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934. History The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South Af ...

wins 67 seats, the Unionist Party wins 39, the Labour Party wins four, and independent candidates win 11. The major upset of the election involves

's defeat at the hands of

Percy FitzPatrick Sir James Percy FitzPatrick, (24 July 1862 – 24 January 1931), known as Percy FitzPatrick, was a South African author, politician, mining financier and pioneer of the fruit industry. He authored the classic children's book, ''Jock of the Bush ...

in the Pretoria East constituency. Botha has to accept a seat in the district in order to retain his role as

Prime Minister of South Africa The prime minister of South Africa ( was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed. He was appointed ...

. * 17 – King Geoge V granted an official

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

to the Union. ;November * 4 – The

1st South African Parliament First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

opens. ;December * 28 – Official flag badges approved for the Union. ;Unknown date * The

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

movement is established. * The white population in South Africa is 21.5% of the total. *

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand (, ; ; locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, w ...

gold mine owners come under pressure to improve sanitary conditions since a third of the black miners are dying of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. * The Pretoria and Johannesburg branches of the

Transvaal University College Transvaal University College was a multi-campus public research university in South Africa which gave rise to the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria. History In 1896 the South African School of Mines was founded in Ki ...

(TUC) split into independent institutions. The branches will later become the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

(Tuks) and the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

(Wits) respectively.

Births

* 24 March –

Adolph Malan Adolph Gysbert Malan, (3 October 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. He finishe ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

fighter

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

. (d. 1963) * 9 July –

Govan Mbeki Govan Archibald Mvunyelwa Mbeki (9 July 1910 – 30 August 2001) was a South African politician, military commander, Communist leader who served as the Secretary of Umkhonto we Sizwe, at its inception in 1961. He was also the younger son of Ch ...

, anti-apartheid activist and politician. (d. 2001) * 30 September –

Monty Naicker Gangathura Mohambry "Monty" Naicker (30 September 1910 – 12 January 1978) was a South African anti-apartheid activist Several independent sectors of South African society opposed apartheid through various means, including social movemen ...

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

and politician. (d. 1978) * 26 November –

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

, South African–born actor (d. 1993)

Deaths

* 18 July – Johan Zulch de Villiers, attorney and

mayor of Johannesburg The mayor of Johannesburg is the highest elected position in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 2000, they are the chief executive of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality council. On 16 August 2024, the council elected D ...

. (b. 1845)

Railways

Railway lines opened

* 21 March – Cape Eastern – Riverside (Natal) to Malenge, .''Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway'', Statement No. 19, p. 186, ref. no. 200954-13 * 27 April – Natal – Utrecht Junction to

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, . * 29 April – Transvaal –

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Lydenburg Lydenburg, also known as Mashishing, is a town in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, on the Mpumalanga highveld, South Africa. It is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Lepelle River at the summit of the Long Tom Pass. It h ...

, . * 15 May – Transvaal –

Komatipoort Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger National Park, just 3 km from the Mozambique borde ...

to Newington, . * 4 July – Transvaal – Dunswart to Cranbourne, .

Locomotives

;Natal * Four new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the

Natal Government Railways The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal. In 1877, the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban ...

(NGR): ** Two Class A Pacific type locomotives, built in their Durban workshops. In 1912, these locomotives will be designated Class 2C on the

South African Railways Transnet Freight Rail is a Rail transport in South Africa, 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 h ...

(SAR).Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912. (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000) ** A single Class B Mountain type locomotive, also known as the America D and nicknamed "

Maud Allan Maud Allan (born as either Beulah Maude Durrant or Ulah Maud Alma Durrant;Birthname given as Ulah Maud Alma DurrantMcConnell, Virginia A. ''Sympathy for the Devil: The Emmanuel Baptist Murders of Old San Francisco'', University of Nebraska Pr ...

" by the enginemen. In 1912, it will be designated Class 3A on the SAR. ** Twenty-one Class B Mastodon type tender locomotives. In 1912, they will be designated Class 1A on the SAR. ** Five Mallet articulated compound steam locomotives. In 1912, they will be designated on the SAR. ;Transvaal * Five new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the

Central South African Railways The Central South African Railways (CSAR) was from 1902 to 1910 the operator of public railways in the Transvaal Colony and Orange River Colony in what is now South Africa. During the Anglo-Boer War, as British forces moved into the territory of ...

(CSAR): ** In March, ten Class 10-2 Pacific type steam locomotives, five with and five without superheaters. In 1912, they will be designated Class 10A (saturated steam) and Class 10B (superheated) on the SAR. ** Twelve lighter Class 10-C Pacific type locomotives. In 1912, they will be designated Class 10C on the SAR. ** One American-built Class 10 Pacific type. In 1912, it will be designated the sole Class 10D on the SAR. ** Also in March, a single experimental Mallet articulated locomotive. In 1912, it will be designated Class MD on the SAR.

References

{{Africa topic, 1910 in, state=collapsed

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Years in South Africa