1984 in South Africa

← 1983 1982 1981 1984 in South Africa → 1985 1986 1987
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1984 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• State President:
  • Marais Viljoen (until 3 September). ^[1]
  • P.W. Botha (from 14 September). ^[1]
• Prime Minister: P.W. Botha (until 14 September).
• Chief Justice: Pieter Jacobus Rabie.

Events

January

• 8 – The South African Defence Force begins withdrawal from southern Angola.
• 16 – The South African Railways inaugurates the MetroBlitz interurban high speed train service between Pretoria and Johannesburg. ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• 30 – Patrick McCall of the Stander gang is killed by police in a raid on the gang's hide-out in Houghton, Johannesburg.

February

• 3 – A bomb destroys the offices of the Ciskei consulate in Durban.
• 23 – An Escom installation in Georgetown is slightly damaged by an explosion.
• 29 – Two bombs explode at Mandini, one at a sub-station and the other at the police station.

March

• 11 – The Mobil fuel depot in Ermelo is rocked by four explosions and five storage tanks are destroyed.
• 12 – During a skirmish with insurgents, two policemen are seriously injured.
• 16 – South Africa and Mozambique sign the Nkomati Accord, a non-aggression treaty, at Komatipoort.
• 23 – Dorothy Nyembe is released from Kroonstad Prison after serving 15 years.

April

• 3 – The African National Congress denies responsibility after a car bomb explodes on the Victoria Embankment, Durban, killing three and injuring twenty.
• 5 – The Transkei consulate in Botshabelo is destroyed by a bomb.
• An insurgent is killed at De Deur.

May

• 2 – South Africa, Mozambique and Portugal sign an agreement on electricity supply from the Cahora Bassa dam.
• 5 – Over 7,000 people attend an Afrikaner Volkswag rally in Pretoria.
• 12 – A bomb explodes at the Trust Bank in Durban.
• 13 – The Mobil Oil Refinery in Durban comes under RPG-7 attack by Umkhonto we Sizwe insurgents who are all killed afterwards in a running battle with police.
• 16 – Outside the Jabulani Police station in Soweto an explosion destroys two private vehicles belonging to policemen.
• 18 – The railway line near Lenasia is damaged by an explosion.
• 29 – Prime Minister P.W. Botha and minister of foreign affairs Pik Botha visit Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and West Germany.
• Mutineers systematically kill most camp administration members at Umkhonto we Sizwe's Pango training camp in Angola.

June

• 21 – An explosion damages a sub-station in Berea, Durban and disrupts electricity supply.
• 28 – Jeannette Schoon and her six-year-old daughter Katryn are killed by a letter bomb at Lubango, Angola.

July

• 9 – South Africa signs the amendment of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
• 12 – One policeman is killed and one is injured when their vehicle is attacked in Jabulani.
• 28 – The South African Railways Police charge office in KwaMashu, Durban is attacked with hand grenades.

August

• 3 – A guerrilla is killed in the Ellisras area.
• 7 – Tshabalala Dry Cleaners in Soweto is extensively damaged by Umkhonto we Sizwe.
• 7 – An Escom sub-station is destroyed in Glenmore, Durban.
• 12 – The Department of Internal Affairs of Johannesburg is hit by an explosion that causes minor damage.
• 16 – Two Limpet mines destroy two floors of the South African Police HQ, Soweto East in Roodepoort, injuring the District Commander, four policemen and two civilians.
• 17 – A guerrilla is killed while resisting arrest in Mapetla.
• 22 – Elections to the new House of Representatives are held.
• 23 – Explosions destroy 4th floor offices of the government in a building in Booysens, Johannesburg.
• 24 – A bomb explodes in Anchor Life Building in Johannesburg, destroying the South African Railways Police regional offices and the Department of Internal Affairs offices.
• 22 – Elections to the new House of Delegates are held.

September

• 3 – A limpet mine placed by Mo Shaik explodes at the Department of Internal Affairs in Johannesburg.
• 3 – A violent march in the Vaal Triangle inaugurates a prolonged township uprising.
• 5 – An explosion destroys an Escom sub-station at Rustenburg and disrupts power to Rustenburg and a large area of Bophutatswana.
• 13 – A Limpet mine causes damage to a Durban sub-station.
• 14 – The position of Prime Minister is abolished.
• 14 – P.W. Botha is inaugurated as the first executive State President of South Africa. ^[1]
• 14 – A bomb explodes at the Department of Community Development in Krugersdorp.

October

• 8 – South Africa, Mozambique and Renamo hold talks in Pretoria to end the civil war in Mozambique.
• 16 – Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

December

• 11 – A section of railway line near Durban and a goods train are damaged by an explosion.
• 14 – A guerrilla is killed and a policeman is injured in a skirmish in Ingwavuma.
• 18 – Foreign minister Pik Botha and President of Somalia Siad Barre hold talks in Mogadishu.
• 25 – Another guerrilla is killed in Ingwavuma.

Births

• 21 January – Aaron Phangiso, cricketer
• 24 January – Senzo Meyiwa, South Africa national football team captain (d. 2014)
• 29 January – Natalie du Toit, amputee swimmer
• 2 February – Thembinkosi Fanteni, football player
• 17 February – AB de Villiers, cricketer
• 20 February – Trevor Noah, comedian, actor and television personality
• 26 February – Minki van der Westhuizen, model and television presenter
• 4 March – Jeremy Loops, singer
• 5 March – Lindani Nkosi, actor
• 7 March – Lonwabo Tsotsobe, cricketer
• 10 March – Ruan Pienaar, rugby player
• 6 April – Siboniso Gaxa, football player
• 6 April – Mario Morgan, philosopher
• 14 April – JP Duminy, cricketer
• 11 May – Willem Alberts, rugby player
• 20 May – Duduzane Zuma, businessman, son of the former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma
• 22 May – Bismarck du Plessis, rugby player
• 6 June – Atandwa Kani, actor, son of actor John Kani
• 16 June – Zane Kirchner, rugby player
• 11 July – Morné Steyn, rugby player
• 13 July – Faf du Plessis, South Africa national cricket team captain
• 15 August – Peter Grant (rugby union), rugby player
• 28 August – Darian Townsend, swimmer, Olympic gold medalist
• 31 August – Charl Schwartzel, golfer
• 7 September – Letoya Makhene, singer & actress
• 25 September – Siphiwe Tshabalala, football player
• 1 October – Abigail Pietersen, figure skater
• 3 October – Thabo Nthethe, football player
• 6 October – Morné Morkel, cricketer
• 8 October – Tansey Coetzee, Miss South Africa 2007
• 14 October – Amalia Uys, actress
• 19 October – Presley Chweneyagae, actor, lead actor in the film Tsotsi, which won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards.
• 11 November – Kelly Khumalo, singer, actress and dancer
• 24 November – Kagisho Dikgacoi, football player
• 29 November – Katlego Mphela, football player
• 1 December – Yolandi Visser, rapper, female vocalist in the rap-rave group Die Antwoord
• 2 December – Sjava, singer, rapper, actor
• 27 December – Gail Mabalane, actress

Deaths

• March – John Fairbairn, naval officer, (b. 1912)

Railways

Class 6E1, Series 11 no. E2185

Class 7E3, Series 2

Locomotives

Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways:

• The first of forty-five Class 6E1, Series 11 electric locomotives. These are the last of altogether 960 Class 6E1 locomotives to be built. ^{[5] [6]}
• The first of twenty-five 25 kV AC Class 7E3, Series 2 electric locomotives. ^{[5] [7] [8]}

Sports

Athletics

• 31 March – Ernest Seleke wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:09:41 in Port Elizabeth.
• 11 August – Barefoot runner Zola Budd and Mary Decker of the United States collide in the Olympic 3,000 meters final and neither finish as medallist. ^[9]

Motorsport

• 7 April – The South African Grand Prix takes place at Kyalami.

References

1. Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1961-1994 (Accessed on 14 April 2017)
2. Soul of A Railway, System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 17: Northwards to just short of the home signal at Pretoria by Les Pivnic. Introduction, Captions 43-46. (Accessed on 27 April 2017)
3. Soul of A Railway, System 7, Western Transvaal, based in Johannesburg, Part 27: Braamfontein West to Klerksdorp (home signal) by Les Pivnic, Part 2. Introduction, Captions 33, 42, 53. (Accessed on 7 May 2017)
4. Die Vaderland, Donderdag 12 Januarie 1984, p. 3
5. 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
6. "UCW - Electric locomotives" (PDF). The UCW Partnership. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
7. Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 50, 61.
8. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 129–131. ISBN   0869772112.
9. "1984: Zola Budd in race trip controversy". On This Day. BBC. 11 August 1984. Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2013.