1989 in South Africa
Appearance
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Incumbents
- State President: P. W. Botha (until 15 August), F. W. de Klerk (starting 15 August)
Events
- January
- 8 – The African National Congress announces that it will start dismantling its guerrilla camps in Angola in support of the peace process.
- 18 – State President of South Africa P.W. Botha has a mild stroke.
- 19 – Chris Heunis, Minister of Constitutional Development and Planning, is appointed Acting State President.
- An Eskom sub-station in Glenwood, Durban is damaged by an explosion and police later defuses a second bomb found nearby.
- An explosion occurs at the home in Benoni of the chair of the Ministers Council in the House of Delegates.
- An explosion occurs at an aircraft factory in Ciskei.
- Two municipal police members are killed in a grenade attack on Katlehong's Municipal Police Station.
- February
- 2 – An ailing State President Pieter Willem Botha steps down from the leadership of the National Party, but remains state president.
- Trevor Manuel is released from detention under stringent restriction orders.
- An explosion at a municipal police barracks in Soweto injures four policemen.
- An explosion next to a police parade in Katlehong kills a municipal constable and injures nine others.
- A limpet mine explodes at the home of the commander of the Katlehong Police Station, Col. D. Dlamini.
- March
- 15–21 – A conference of African National Congress chief representatives and regional treasurers takes place in Gran, Norway.
- An explosion occurs outside the Natal Command HQ on Durban's beachfront.
- May
- 5 – Three South African Embassy staff are ordered to leave Britain within 7 days because of the attempted smuggling of a Blowpipe missile.
- 17 – Tumelo Faith Sindane is born at Zebediela.
- The South African Air Force's Klippan Radar Station in the Western Transvaal comes under mortar attack.
- June
- Four bystanders are injured when a limpet mine explodes under a police vehicle in Duduza.
- A limpet mine explodes under a vehicle parked outside a policeman's home in Tsakane.
- A grenade is thrown at a police patrol in Tsakane.
- A limpet mine explodes in a rubbish bin outside the home of a policeman in Soweto.
- A bomb shatters the windows of KwaThema Police station's dining hall.
- A limpet mine explodes at the Police single quarters in Ratanda.
- A limpet mine explodes at the home of Boetie Abramjee, a National Party MP.
- July
- 5 – PW Botha, State President of South Africa, and Nelson Mandela, in prison at the time, meet for the first time.
- 23 – A explosive device planted at Athlone Magistrate's Court and police complex, detonated prematurely killing two African National Congress members [1]
- August
- 10 – The Cabinet prevails on P.W. Botha to resign as state president and FW de Klerk becomes acting State President of South Africa.
- A grenade is thrown into a Labour Party polling station in Bishop Lavis.
- The Brixton Flying Squad HQ is attacked with hand grenades and AK-47s.
- Lt-Col. Frank Zwane, a former liaison officer for the police, and his two sons are injured in a grenade attack in Soweto.
- An explosion occurs at the Athlone Police Station.
- September
- 2 – "Purple Rain Protest" rioters in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town are sprayed with a purple dye. The resulting graffiti, "The purple shall govern" graces the pages of newspapers worldwide.
- 20 – Acting state president FW de Klerk becomes the 9th State President of South Africa.
![]() | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, Cadre is an ambiguous word which is unclear in this context. (January 2015) |
- A police patrol is ambushed by cadres[disambiguation needed] in Katlehong.
- A mini-limpet mine explodes outside the Mamelodi Police station.
- Parliamentary elections are held and the National Party wins again.
- 100,000 people attend a peace march called by Cape Town city mayor Gordon Oliver in conjunction with religious leaders.
- October
- A bomb explodes outside the BP centre in Cape Town and at Woodstock minutes later.
- November
- 27 – The Hex River Tunnels system is officially opened. The system's longest tunnel is 13.5 kilometres (8.4 miles) long, the longest railway tunnel in Africa.[2][3]
- Unknown date
- The Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves are joined through the Corridor Reserve as the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve.
- The government starts dismantling its six nuclear fission devices.
Births
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2011) |
Deaths
- 1 May – David Webster, an academic at the University of the Witwatersrand and an anti-apartheid activist, is shot dead outside his home in Eleanor Street, Troyeville, Johannesburg.
- 12 September – Anton Lubowski, advocate and secretary-general of the South West Africa People's Organization, is shot dead outside his home in Windhoek, South West Africa.
Railways
Locomotives
- A Class NG G16 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt articulated steam locomotive is rebuilt to Class NG G16A by the Alfred County Railway.[4][5]: 109–110
- The South African Railways places the first of twenty-five Class 10E2 electric locomotives with a Co-Co wheel arrangement in mainline service.[6][7]
Sports
Athletics
- 25 February – Willie Mtolo wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:13:13 in Port Elizabeth.
References
- ^ http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/blast-opposite-athlone-magistrate039s-court-and-police-complex-kills-two-people
- ^ South African Panorama, October 1989, p. 25
- ^ The World's longest Railway Tunnels
- ^ Information supplied by Phil Girdlestone
- ^ Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. ISBN 0869772112.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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. 49–52, 60.