1977 in South Africa
Encyclopedia
February
- 1 February - The BantustanBantustanA bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
of KwaZuluKwaZuluKwaZulu was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government as a semi-independent homeland for the Zulu people. The capital, formerly at Nongoma, was moved in 1980 to Ulundi....
is granted self-governance - 24 February - A bomb explodes at the DaveytonDaveyton, GautengDaveyton is a township in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Gauteng in South Africa. It borders Etwatwa to the north, Springs to the east, Benoni to the south, and Boksburg to the West. The nearest town is Benoni, which is 18 kilometres away...
Police Station, causing only superficial damage
April
- 1 April - Pik BothaPik BothaRoelof Frederik "Pik" Botha is a former South African politician who served as the country's foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era...
, South Africa's ambassador in the United States of America is appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs
May
- 17 May - A referendum is held in 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....
to vote on the draft Turnhalle constitution
June
- 4 June - Father Smangaliso MkhatshwaSmangaliso MkhatshwaSmangaliso Mkhatshwa is a Catholic priest who was persecuted by the South African apartheid state. He later became a member of the first post-apartheid parliament and then mayor of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality...
, Secretary of the South African CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Bishops' Conference, is served a 5 year restriction order - 15 June - Monty Motlaung and Solomon Mahlangu, two Umkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we SizweUmkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
cadres are arrested by police in warehouse in Goch Street, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. Two bystanders are killed during the arrest. Later Motlaung is beaten so badly in police custody that he ends up brain damaged and Mahlangu was tried and hanged - 29 June - The United PartyUnited Party (South Africa)The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
is renamed the New Republic PartyNew Republic PartyThe New Republic Party was a South African political party. It was formed as the successor to the disbanded United Party in 1977. After the UP wound up, initially the last UP leader, Sir de Villiers Graaff served as the interim national leader of the new party, with Radclyffe Cadman as...
July
- 15 July - The railway line at UmlaziUmlaziUmlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban....
in DurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
is maliciously damaged - 29 July - The "Antipolis", a Greek oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
tanker, rans aground on the rocks near Victoria Road in Oudekraal, Cape ProvinceCape ProvinceThe Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
while being towed to a wreckers yard
August
- A Soviet surveillance satellite detects South Africa's nuclearNuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
test preparationsVastrapVastrap is a small military airfield situated in the Kalahari Desert north east of Upington inside a 700 square kilometre weapons test range of the same name belonging to the South African National Defence Force...
and alerts the United States
September
- 6 September - Steve BikoSteve BikoStephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
is arrested at a police roadblock under the Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967The Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967 was a law of the South African Apartheid regime until all except section 7 was repealed under the Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act 138 of 1991.-Detention without trial:... - 23 September - The Netherlands suspends its cultural agreement with South Africa
November
- The railway at between Dunswart (Boksburg) and Apex (BenoniBenoni, GautengBenoni is a city with 654,509 inhabitants on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng. Since 2000, it has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.- History :...
) is maliciously damaged and a train driver is slightly injured - 4 November - United Nations Security Council Resolution 418United Nations Security Council Resolution 418United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary...
, placing a mandatory arms embargoArms embargoAn arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
against South Africa, is passed. - 25 November - 14 people are injured when a bomb explodes at the Carlton Centre
- 30 November - A bomb explodes on a Pretoria bound train
- 30 November - Whites only general electionSouth African general election, 1977The 1977 South African general election was held on 30 November 1977. The National Party, led by John Vorster won a landslide victory in the House of Assembly. The newly formed Progressive Federal Party, led by Colin Eglin became the official opposition. The New Republic Party, successor to the...
is held. The National PartyNational Party (South Africa)The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
wins.
December
- 12 December - Guerrillas attack the GermistonGermiston, GautengGermiston is a city in the East Rand of Gauteng in South Africa. Germiston is now the seat of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality which includes much of the East Rand, and is also considered part of Greater Johannesburg.-History:...
police station - 14 December - A bomb explodes at BenoniBenoni, GautengBenoni is a city with 654,509 inhabitants on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng. Since 2000, it has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.- History :...
's railway station - 16 December - The Venpet-Venoil collisionVenpet-Venoil CollisionThe Venpet-Venoil collision was a maritime accident involving sister supertankers; the Liberian-registered Venoil and Venpet, in dense fog off the coast of South Africa on 16 December 1977...
between two supertankers off the coast of Cape St. FrancisCape St. FrancisCape St. Francis is a town in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location.The town is home to a Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Center as well as the Seal Point Lighthouse.... - 22 December - An unexploded bomb is found in OK bazaars (a nationwide supermarket) in Roodepoort
Unknown date
- Former members of the United PartyUnited Party (South Africa)The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
leave and join the Progressive Reform PartyProgressive Reform PartyThe Progressive Reform Party was a South African party that was formed on 26 July 1975 by the fusion of the Reform Party led by Harry Schwarz and Progressive Party led by Colin Eglin...
, which is renamed the Progressive Federal PartyProgressive Federal PartyThe Progressive Federal Party was a South African political party formed in 1977. It advocated power-sharing in South Africa through a federal constitution, in place of apartheid... - Cedric Mayson, a Methodist minister, is banned for 5 years
Motorsport
- 5 March - The South African Grand Prix1977 South African Grand PrixThe 1977 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 5 March 1977. The race is principally remembered for the fatal accident that claimed the lives of race marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren and driver Tom Pryce...
, is held at KyalamiKyalamiKyalami is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng province, South Africa. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix and Formula One races and has hosted the South African Grand Prix many times. In recent years, the area surrounding the circuit has developed into a residential and...
Births
- May 11 — Victor MatfieldVictor MatfieldVictor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...
, SpringbokSouth Africa national rugby union teamThe South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
rugbyRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player - November 12 — Benni McCarthyBenni McCarthyBenedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy is a South African footballer who is currently contracted to Orlando Pirates in South Africa.McCarthy holds the record of international goals for a South African...
, football (soccer) striker - November 12 — Susan WesselsSusan Wessels-WebberSusan Wessels-Webber is a field hockey player from South Africa who represented her country at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. She captained the women's national team at the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, where South Africa won the title by defeating Nigeria 10-0.-References:*...
, field hockey player - November 17 — Ryk NeethlingRyk NeethlingRyk Neethling is a South African swimmer. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the former joint owner of the 4×100 m freestyle relay world record and holds several South African records...
, swimmer
Deaths
- 5 March - British Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing driver Tom PryceTom PryceThomas Maldwyn Pryce was a Welsh racing driver, famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death...
dies in a freak accident during the South African Grand PrixSouth African Grand PrixThe South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Eastern Cape Province...
at Kyalami when his car hits a marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren - 8 March - Moses Kottler, sculptor, dies in JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
at the age of 81 - 29 April - Marimuthu Pragalathan Naicker, journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, anti-apartheid activist, dies, at the age of 56, from a suspected heart failure on a flight from London to Berlin - 9 September - Leonard Mandla Nkosi, special branch policeman who was a former African National CongressAfrican National CongressThe African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
member, is killed - 12 September - Steve BikoSteve BikoStephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
dies in police detention