1873 in South Africa

← 1872 1871 1870 1873 in South Africa → 1874 1875 1876
Decades:	1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

Events

May

• 1 – The use of Dutch is officially allowed in the Cape Colony's parliament.
• 14 – The Ohrigstad area in the Lydenburg district of Transvaal is proclaimed as a public gold field after the discovery of gold in the Selati River.

June

• 5 – New Rush is renamed Kimberley.

August

• 20 – Prime Minister John Molteno begins construction of the new Cape Eastern railway line from East London.

December

• 4 – The HMS Challenger, on its worldwide marine research expedition, is officially welcomed in Cape Town.

Unknown date

• Griqualand West is established as a separate British colony
• In the Cape Colony, a massive increase in public works leads to a large and sustained influx of immigrant labour over the ensuing years.
• The University of South Africa is founded in Cape Town, as the University of the Cape of Good Hope.
• The Cape Government establishes the first district boarding schools to educate children from rural areas. Education is also standardised at the Cape and moved away from purely rote learning.
• The town of East London is officially established through the proclaimed merger of the three settlements of Panmure, East London and East London East.
• Warmbad is established as Hartingsburg at the hot springs north of Pretoria.

Births

• 13 August – Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven, playwright, poet, journalist, politician and author of the South African anthem "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika", is born near Ladismith in the Cape Colony. (d. 1932)
• 20 August – William Henry Bell, musician, composer and first director of the South African College of Music, is born in St Albans, southern Hertfordshire, England. (d. 1946)
• 10 September – Daniël de Waal, judge president of the Transvaal, is born in Stellenbosch.

Deaths

• 1 May – David Livingstone is found dead on his knees beside his bed at Lake Bangweolo.

Railways

East London Harbour Board 0-4-0

Railway lines opened

• Namaqualand – Muishondfontein to Kookfontein, 15 miles (24.1 kilometres).

Locomotives

• Two Cape gauge 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotives enter service at Port Elizabeth on the Midland System of the Cape Government Railways. They are the first Cape gauge locomotives to enter service in South Africa.
• East London's first steam locomotive is landed at East London Harbour, a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge 0-4-0 vertical boiler engine acquired for work on breakwater construction.