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The following lists events that happened during 1878 in South Africa.
Incumbents
- Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Henry Barkly.
- Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
- State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
- Administrator of the Government of the Transvaal: Sir Theophilus Shepstone.
- Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: William Owen Lanyon.
- Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.
Events
;March
- 12 – Commander R.C. Dryer takes possession of the area surrounding Walvis Bay.
;May
- 14 – Paul Kruger leads a second deputation to the United Kingdom to demand the freedom of the South African Republic.
;July
- 17 – Nqwiliso, tribal chief of western Mpondoland and eldest son of the warrior Chief Ndamase, ceded sovereign rights of Umzimvubu River mouth to the Cape Colony
;December
- 11 – The British present an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, triggering the Anglo-Zulu War.
;Unknown date
- The 9th Cape Frontier War ends.
- The first telephones are set up in the Cape.
- The telegraph service between Natal and Transvaal is opened.
- The British suspend the elected Cape Government and assume direct control, after escalating disagreements on confederation and frontier policy.
- The last confirmed Cape lion dies.
Births
- 14 March – Alexander du Toit, geologist. (d. 1948)
Railways
Railway lines opened
- 25 May – Natal – Umgeni to Avoca, .
- 1 August – Cape Midland – Glenconnor to Mount Stewart, .
- 15 August – Cape Eastern – Kei Road to Döhne, .
thumb|[[CGR 0-4-0ST 1878 Aid|CGR 0-4-0ST Aid]]
- 4 November – Cape Western – Kleinstraat to Grootfontein, .