1972 in South Africa
Encyclopedia
Events
- A South African recce teamSouth African Special Forces BrigadeThe South African Special Forces Brigade is the only Special Forces unit of the South African National Defence Force ....
carry out a submarine-borne raid (using the SAS Emily Hobhouse, a Daphne class submarineDaphne class submarineThe Daphné class was a type of diesel-electric patrol submarines built in France between 1958 and 1970 for the French Navy and for export.-History:...
) on the TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n port of Dar es SalaamDar es SalaamDar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
placing limpet mines on power lines, a bridge and the Rolls-Royce car belonging to the British High Commissioner - The South African PoliceSouth African PoliceThe South African Police was the country's police force until 1994. The SAP traced its origin to the Dutch Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order...
deploy to South West AfricaSouth West AfricaSouth-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa.... - ConscriptionConscriptionConscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
for all white males is extended from 9 to 12 months and followed by a 19-day annual call-up for five years - Operation Plathond, a joint South African Defence ForceSouth African Defence ForceThe South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
and South African Bureau of State SecuritySouth African Bureau of State SecurityThe South African Bureau for State Security was established in 1969 and replaced by the National Intelligence Service in 1980. The Bureau's job was to monitor national security...
operation is launched to train dissident Zambians in the Caprivi StripCaprivi StripCaprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip , Caprivi Panhandle or the Okavango Strip and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about , between Botswana to the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and Okavango Region to the west. Caprivi is bordered by the...
, South West AfricaSouth West AfricaSouth-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa.... - 3 May - Onkgopotse Abram Tiro is expelled from University of the North and students protest the expulsion
- 4 May - South Africa and LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
decided to establish reciprocal consular representation - 12 Auguest - the Oswego-Guardian/Texanita collisionOswego-Guardian/Texanita collisionThe Oswego-Guardian/Texanita collision was a maritime accident between two supertankers near Stilbaai, South Africa on 21 August 1972. The Texanita exploded and sank with the loss of 47 men, while a further life was lost on the Oswego Guardian...
between two oil tankers near StilbaaiStilbaaiStilbaai, also known as the Bay of Sleeping Beauty, is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province...
. - 1 October - 1 Reconnaissance CommandoSouth African Special Forces BrigadeThe South African Special Forces Brigade is the only Special Forces unit of the South African National Defence Force ....
is created at Oudtshoorn
Births
- 12 March — Arno CarstensArno CarstensArno Carstens is a South African singer-songwriter.- Singer Songwriter :Arno Carstens is an award-winning South African singer-songwriter and guitarist currently based between Cape Town and London....
, lead singer of the rock group Springbok Nude GirlsSpringbok Nude GirlsThe Springbok Nude Girls is a rock band from Cape Town, South Africa.An alternative rock band, the Nude Girls introduced punk, ska, acid jazz and metal into their songs, introducing a new world of music to the youth of South Africa in the early 1990s.They played their first big gig in September...
, is born in WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the... - 25 August — Elmarie GerrytsElmarie GerrytsElmarie Gerryts is a retired pole vaulter from South Africa.She finished tenth at the 1999 World Championships and won the silver medal at the 1999 All-Africa Games...
, pole vaulter - 8 September — Os du RandtOs du RandtJacobus Petrus du Randt, better known as Os du Randt , is a former South African rugby union loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks...
, Springboks rugby player
Deaths
- 14 May - Lawrence George Green, author, dies in Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
at the age of 72 - 11 August - Max TheilerMax TheilerMax Theiler was a South African/American virologist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever.-Career development:...
, a virologistVirologyVirology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
and the first South African to receive a Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
(Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
), dies in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
at the age of 73 - 7 September - Cyprian Shilakoe, artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and sculpturer, is killed in a vehicle accident in Krugersdorp, TransvaalTransvaal ProvinceTransvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...