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The following lists events that happened during 1859 in South Africa.
Incumbents
- Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir George Grey.
- Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
- State President of the Orange Free State:
- Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff (until 5 September).
- Esaias Reynier Snijman (acting from 6 September).
Events
September
- 6 – Esaias Reynier Snijman becomes the acting State President of the Orange Free State.
Births
- 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)
Deaths
May
- 31 May – Henry Clifford de Meillon, painter (born c. 1800)
Railways
thumb|[[Cape Town Railway & Dock 0-4-0T]]
Railway lines
- Construction begins on the Cape Town-Wellington Railway.
Locomotives
- 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.