1940 in South Africa

← 1939 1938 1937 1940 in South Africa → 1941 1942 1943
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1940 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George VI.
• Governor-General  : Sir Patrick Duncan
• Prime Minister: Jan Christiaan Smuts.
• Chief Justice: James Stratford.

Events

January

• 27 – A peace resolution introduced in the Parliament of South Africa is defeated 81–59.
• 29 – The Herenigde Nasionale Party is established.

June

• 11 – The Union of South Africa declares war on Italy.

December

• 3 – The Royal Navy battle cruiser HMS Renown and aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal arrive at Cape Town.

Births

Flag of South Africa

• 19 January – Barend du Plessis, government minister
• 31 January – Kitch Christie, Springbok rugby coach. (d. 1998)
• 9 February – J. M. Coetzee, writer and 2003 Nobel Prize laureate.
• 18 February – Prue Leith, restaurateur and broadcaster.
• 22 February – Johnson Mlambo, Pan Africanist Congress politician.
• 8 March – Fred Brownell, herald, designer of the Flag of South Africa. ^[1]
• 6 June – Tiger Lance, cricketer. (d. 2010)
• 28 August – Joseph Shabalala, choral director (d. 2020)
• 9 October – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, politician. (d. 2009)
• 21 October – Manfred Mann, South African-British rock musician.
• 25 December – Aziz Pahad, politician (d. 2023) ^[2]

Deaths

• 1 June – Jan F. E. Celliers, poet, writer and dramatist. (b. 1865)
• 10 August – Abe Bailey, diamond tycoon, politician, financier and cricketer. (b. 1864)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 12 January – Transvaal: Crown to Langlaagte, 3 miles 18 chains (5.2 kilometres). ^[3]
• 2 December – Transvaal: Germiston to Jupiter, 2 miles 68 chains (4.6 kilometres). ^[3]

Sports

Main article: 1940 in sports

References

1. "Fred Brownell: The man who made South Africa's flag". BBC News. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
2. President mourns passing of former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad
3. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 191, ref. no. 200954-13

Sources

• Faulkner, Donna (2014). Mandela. New Word City. ISBN   978-1-61230-749-7.