1903 in South Africa

Decades:	1880s; 1890s; 1900s; 1910s; 1920s;
See also:	; List of years in South Africa;

Events

February

Mahatma Gandhi enrolls to the Bar of the Transvaal Supreme Court.

March

12 – Andries Dreyer, an archivist of the Dutch Reformed Church, is ordained as a missionary of the congregation for the Hanover Street area in Cape Town.

May

21 – The first contingent of Chinese labourers leave China to work on the Witwatersrand gold mines.

June

4 – The Indian Opinion is started by Mahatma Gandhi with Mansukhlal Nazar as editor.

Unknown date

The County of Pembroke, a British cargo ship, is shipwrecked near Port Elizabeth.

Births

11 January – Alan Paton, author and founder of the Liberal Party of South Africa, is born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal.
21 March – John Beaver Marks, political activist and trade unionist, is born in Ventersdorp.
4 May – Louise Behrens, novelist and Afrikaans journalist, is born in the Orange Free State.
4 May – Hendrik Susan, orchestra leader and violist.
8 October – Mikro (Pseudonym for C.H. Kühn), writer and poet, is born at Van Reenens Farm in the Williston district.

Deaths

13 March – General David Johannes Joubert (Ou Kat), a South African explorer to East Africa, dies of malaria near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
8 August – Adolf Schiel, German-born officer in Boer armed forces. (b. 1858)

Railways

Railway lines opened

19 February – Cape Central – Swellendam to Riversdale, 64 miles (103.0 kilometres).^[1]
28 February – Cape Western – Kalbaskraal to Hopefield (Narrow gauge), 46 miles 79 chains (75.6 kilometres).^[2]
22 March – Free State – Sannaspos to Thaba 'Nchu, 17 miles 3 chains (27.4 kilometres).^[1]
1 April – Free State – Harrismith to Aberfeldy, 20 miles 60 chains (33.4 kilometres).^[1]
27 April – Transvaal – India Junction to Driehoek (avoiding line), 55 chains (1.1 kilometres).^[1]
17 September – Natal – Mhlatuze to Somkele, 55 miles 17 chains (88.9 kilometres).^[1]
1 November – Transvaal – India Junction to New Canada, 14 miles 31 chains (23.2 kilometres).^[1]
12 November – Natal – Talana to Lucas Meyer, 50 miles 64 chains (81.8 kilometres).^[1]
14 December – Cape Eastern – King William's Town to Middledrift, 33 miles (53.1 kilometres).^[2]
14 December – Cape Midland – Cookhouse to Adelaide, 42 miles 52 chains (68.6 kilometres).^[2]
14 December – Cape Midland – Willowmore to Le Roux, 75 miles 49 chains (121.7 kilometres).^[2]

Locomotives

Cape

Nine new Cape gauge and two narrow gauge locomotive types enter service on the Cape Government Railways (CGR):
- The last eight 3rd Class Wynberg Tender suburban locomotives in Cape Town.^[3]^[4]
- Two Karoo Class 4-6-2 Pacific passenger locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 5A on the South African Railways (SAR).^[3]^[4]
- Two 6th Class 2-6-2 Prairie locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 6Y on the SAR.^[3]^[4]
- A second batch of 38 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives, six on the Western, twenty on the Midland and twelve on the Eastern Systems. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8D on the SAR.^[3]^[4]
- Four additional 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives, built to modified specifications in order to accommodate a larger grate area. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8E on the SAR.^[3]^[4]
- Four Cape 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8Y on the SAR.^[3]^[4]^[5]
- Two 9th Class 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotives. In 1912 they will be classified Class Experimental 4 on the SAR.^[3]^[4]^[5]
- A single experimental 2-8-0 Consolidation type tandem compound steam locomotive. In 1912 it will be classified as Class Experimental 3 on the SAR.^[4]^[5]^[6]
- A single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0 Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive on the Eastern System.^[3]^[4]
- A single small Krauss 0-4-0 side-tank locomotive, for use as construction engine on the narrow gauge Avontuur branch.^[7]^[8]
- A single Krauss 0-6-0 tank locomotive, also for use as construction engine on the Avontuur branch.^[4]^[8]
Two locomotives, later named Thebus and Stormberg, enter service with the Irrigation Department of the Public Works Department of the Cape Colony.^[4]^[6]

Transvaal

Three new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the Central South African Railways (CSAR):
- Six Reid Tenwheeler 4-10-2 tank locomotives are converted to a 4-8-2T configuration. In 1912 they will be designated Class H1 on the SAR.^[4]^[6]
- Thirty Class 8-L2 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8B on the SAR.^[3]^[4]
- Thirty Class 8-L3 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 8C on the SAR.^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 184, ref. no. 200954-13
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 52–54, 56, 59–61, 63–65, 68–71, 127–128, 130–132. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 18, 32, 39, 45, 48–50, 56, 82–84, 98, 111–112, 157. ISBN 0869772112.
^ ^a ^b ^c Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15, 36 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
^ ^a ^b ^c Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 130–131, 136, 140. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
^ Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, April 1944. pp. 254-255.
^ ^a ^b Dulez, Jean A. (2012). Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years (Commemorating One Hundred and Fifty Years of Railways on the Sub-Continent – Complete Motive Power Classifications and Famous Trains – 1860–2011) (1st ed.). Garden View, Johannesburg, South Africa: Vidrail Productions. pp. 232–233. ISBN 9 780620 512282.

[SAR_Line_Dates_184-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 184, ref. no. 200954-13

[CGR_Annual_1909-2] Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909.

[Holland_1-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 52–54, 56, 59–61, 63–65, 68–71, 127–128, 130–132. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.

[Paxton-Bourne-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 18, 32, 39, 45, 48–50, 56, 82–84, 98, 111–112, 157. ISBN 0869772112.

[SAR_Renumber-5] Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15, 36 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)

[Holland_2-6] Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 130–131, 136, 140. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.

[SAR&H_Apr_1944-7] Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, April 1944. pp. 254-255.

[Dulez_150-8] Dulez, Jean A. (2012). Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years (Commemorating One Hundred and Fifty Years of Railways on the Sub-Continent – Complete Motive Power Classifications and Famous Trains – 1860–2011) (1st ed.). Garden View, Johannesburg, South Africa: Vidrail Productions. pp. 232–233. ISBN 9 780620 512282.

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v t e 1903 in Africa
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