1959 in South Africa explained

The following lists events that happened during 1959 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.
• Governor-General:
  • until 25 November: Ernest George Jansen.
  • 25 November – 11 December: Lucas Cornelius Steyn.
  • starting 11 December: Charles Robberts Swart.
• Prime Minister: Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd.
• Chief Justice: Henry Allan Fagan then Lucas Cornelius Steyn.

Events

April

• 5  - The Pan-Africanist Congress led by Robert Sobukwe secedes from the African National Congress.

July

• 9  - Wing Commander Michael Beetham flying a Royal Air Force Vickers Valiant sets a record of 11 hours 27 minutes for a non-stop London-Cape Town flight.^[1]

August

• 11  - Members of the United Party led by Helen Suzman secede and form the Progressive Party.

December

• 1  - Twelve countries, including South Africa, the United States and the Soviet Union, sign the Antarctic Treaty.
• 11  - Charles Robberts Swart is appointed the 11th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa.
• 12  - The 47th Annual Conference of the African National Congress takes place in Durban.

Unknown date

• Papwa Sewgolum, a South African Indian golfer, wins the Dutch Open tournament.

Births

• 1 January  - Thulas Nxesi, national minister
• 7 January  - Peter Mokaba, member of the South African parliament, deputy minister in the government of Nelson Mandela (d. 2002)
• 14 March  - Tertius Bosch, cricketer.
• 16 March  - Tito Mboweni, politician.
• 4 April  - Kenneth Segal, South African-born Israeli industrial designer and educator
• 7 April  - Etsko Schuitema, Afrikaner businessman
• 21 April  - Manne Dipico, politician
• 16 September  - Dave Richardson (cricketer), cricketer.
• 18 November  - Christine Barkhuizen le Roux, writer (d. 2020)^[2]

Deaths

• April 15 – Leonard Beyers, South African army general (b. 1894)
• February 7 – D. F. Malan, South African politician, 4th Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1874)
• April 15 – Leonard Beyers, South African army general (b. 1894)

Railways

Locomotives

Three new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways.

• May–July  - Seven Henschel type DH 1420 diesel-hydraulic locomotives.
• November  - The first of 115 Class 32-000 General Electric type U18C1 diesel-electric locomotives in South West Africa.^[3]
• The first of 135 Class 5E1, Series 1 electric locomotives, an upgraded and more powerful version of the Class 5E.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Records set by the RAF. Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. 10 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20110812152044/http://www.rafweb.org/Records.htm. 12 August 2011. dead.
2. Web site: Christine Barkhuizen-Le Roux (1959–2020). Flanders Literature. 30 November 2020. 13 April 2022.
3. South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended