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The following lists events that happened during 1897 in South Africa.

Incumbents

  • Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:Hercules Robinson then Alfred Milner.
  • Governor of the Colony of Natal: Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell.
  • State President of the Orange Free State: Martinus Theunis Steyn.
  • State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
  • Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.
  • Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal:
  • until 14 February: John Robinson.
  • 15 February – 4 October: Harry Escombe.
  • starting 4 October: Henry Binns.

Events

;April

  • 21 &ndash; Sir Alfred Milner becomes High Commissioner of South Africa and Governor of the Cape Colony.

;May

  • 5 &ndash; Port Elizabeth is flooded.

;December

  • 30 &ndash; The Colony of Natal annexes Zululand.

;Unknown date

  • Bergville is established in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains in Natal.
  • "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" ("God Bless Africa") is composed as a Xhosa hymn by South African teacher Enoch Sontonga.

Births

  • 3 July &ndash; Ludwig Wybren Hiemstra, Afrikaans linguist and editor of the Bilingual Dictionary, is born in Lydenburg.
  • 26 October &ndash; James Leonard Brierley Smith, ichthyologist, is born in Graaff Reinet.

Railways

Railway lines opened

thumb|[[CGR 4th Class 4-4-2|CGR 4th Class]]

thumb|[[South African Class 6B 4-6-0|SAR Class 6B]]

thumb|[[PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese|PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese]]

  • 13 March &ndash; Cape Western &ndash; Mafeking to Ramatlabama at the Bechuanaland border, .
  • 3 August &ndash; Transvaal &ndash; Frederikstad to Klerksdorp, .
  • 1 December &ndash; Natal &ndash; Isipingo to Park Rynie, .
  • Arthur Koppel, acting as agent, imports a number of Dickson-built 0-4-2ST narrow gauge saddle tank steam locomotives to mines on the Witwatersrand.

References