1925 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1925 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George V.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Earl of Athlone.
• Prime Minister: J.B.M. Hertzog.
• Chief Justice: James Rose Innes.

Events

May

• 1 – The Prince of Wales arrives in Cape Town on a visit to South Africa.

July

• 23 – D.F. Malan, Minister of the Interior, introduces the Areas Reservation and Immigration and Registration Bill, also known as the Asiatic Bill.

Augustus

• 1 – The New Cape Central Railway and its long line between Worcester and Voorbaai is incorporated into the South African Railways (SAR).

Unknown date

• Afrikaans officially replaces Dutch as the second official language after English.
• The manor house of Groot Constantia is gutted by a fire.
• The University of Pretoria begins the tradition of Jool in South Africa.
• South Africa returns to the gold standard.

Births

• 14 April – Colin Eglin, founding member and leader of the Progressive Federal Party. (d. 2013)
• 4 May – Ruth First, journalist, academic and activist. (d. 1982)
• 6 June – Andrew Mlangeni, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 2020)
• 19 June – Alfred Nzo, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 2000)
• 28 September – Cromwell Everson, composer. (d. 1991)
• 5 October – Herbert Kretzmer, journalist and lyricist (d. 2020)
• 14 October – Phillip Tobias, palaeoanthropologist. (d. 2012)

Deaths

• 30 August – Cathcart William Methven, civil engineer and painter. (b. 1849)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 21 January – Transvaal – Rustenburg to Boshoek, .
• 26 May – Transvaal – Magaliesburg to Schoemansville, .
• 26 June – Natal – Eshowe to Extension, .
• 1 September – Transvaal – Ermelo to Lothair, .
• 25 September – Transvaal – Elandshoek to Solarvale (Narrow gauge), .
• 1 October – Transvaal – Nylstroom to Vaalwater, .
• 14 October – Free State – Senekal to Marquard, .
• 19 October – Cape – Kareevlakte to Ladismith, .
• 26 November – Free State – Frankfort to Villiers, .
• 1 December – Cape – Fort Beaufort to Katberg (Narrow gauge), .

Locomotives

Seven new Cape gauge locomotive types, six steam and one electric, enter service on the SAR. The electric locomotive is the first non-steam mainline locomotive type to enter service in South Africa in quantity.

• A single experimental Class FC Modified Fairlie articulated steam locomotive.
• The first four Class GD branchline 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt articulated locomotives.
• The first six of eighteen Class GE 2-8-2+2-8-2 Garratt locomotives.
• A single Class GG 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt on fast mainline passenger service.
• Two American-built Class 15C 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives.
• The first two of seven Class 16D Pacific type passenger locomotives.
• The first of altogether 172 Class 1E electric locomotives, spread over seven orders, the first mainline electric locomotive to be introduced in South Africa.

References