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The following events happened in South Africa during the year 1887.
Incumbents
- Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Hercules Robinson.
- Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
- State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
- State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
- Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.
Events
;June
- 21 – The Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM) is floated.
- 21 – Zululand becomes a British colony.
;Unknown date
- The town of Boksburg is laid out to serve the surrounding gold mines.
- The Stellenbosch Gymnasium, later to become the Stellenbosch University, changes its name to Victoria College, after Queen Victoria.
Deaths
- 29 May – Xhosa chief Sandile is killed in Denge Forest in a skirmish with the Fingos under the command of Captain J. Lonsdale.
Railways
New lines
thumb|[[PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese|Lourenco Marques, Delagoa Bay and East Africa Railway 4-6-0T]]
- Construction begins on the Delagoa Bay-Pretoria line.
Locomotives
- The Lourenco Marques, Delagoa Bay and East Africa Railway in Mozambique places two 4-6-0 tank locomotives in service, one of which will become the Portuguese Tank on the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway in 1897.
