1859 in South Africa

List of events

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1859
in
South Africa

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Decades:

Incumbents

Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir George Grey.^[1]^[2]
Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
State President of the Orange Free State:
- Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff (until 5 September).^[3]
- Esaias Reynier Snijman (acting from 6 September).^[3]
President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic: Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.^[4]

6 – Esaias Reynier Snijman becomes the acting State President of the Orange Free State.^[3]
8 – The first railway locomotive in South Africa is brought ashore in Cape Town.^[5]

11 January – John Tengo Jabavu, political activist and newspaper editor. (d. 1921)
1 May – Willem Johannes Leyds, attorney-general of the South African Republic. (d. 1940)

8 September – A small 0-4-0 tank steam locomotive is landed in Cape Town, to be used during construction of the first railway in South Africa.^[5]

^ "Grey, Sir George (1812–1898)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
^ World Statesmen: Botswana (Accessed on 14 April 2017)
^ ^a ^b ^c Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices, Orange Free State: Heads of State: 1854-1902 (Accessed on 14 April 2017)^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices, South African Republic (Transvaal): Heads of State: 1857-1877 (Accessed on 14 April 2017)
^ ^a ^b Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 11–15, 18, 23. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
^ "Caroline Simpson Collection". first.mhnsw.au. Museum of History NSW. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
^ The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978.