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The following lists events that happened during 1902 in South Africa.
Incumbents
Cape Colony
- Governor of the Cape of Good Hope: Walter Hely-Hutchinson.
- Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.
Natal
- Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Edward McCallum.
- Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal: Albert Henry Hime.
Orange Free State / Orange River Colony
- State President of the Orange Free State: Martinus Theunis Steyn (until 31 May).
- Governor of the Orange River Colony and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner.
- Lieutenant-Governor of the Orange River Colony: Hamilton Goold-Adams.
South African Republic / Transvaal
- State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger (until 31 May) (in exile); Schalk Willem Burger (acting until 31 May).
- Governor of the Transvaal and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner.
- Lieutenant-Governor of the Transvaal: Sir Arthur Lawley.
Events
;February
- 27 – Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock are executed in Pretoria for the murder of Boer prisoners of war near Louis Trichardt.
;March
- 7 – The Burghers win their last battle over British forces, with the capture of a British general and 200 of his men.
;April
- 4 – The town Concordia in Namaqualand surrenders to Boer forces.
- 8 – O'okiep is besieged by Boer forces under General Jan Smuts.
;May
- 1 – Boer commandos use the locomotive Pioneer to propel a truck-load of dynamite into the besieged O'okiep.
- 18 July – Natal – Tugela to Mhlatuze, .
- 1 August – Cape Midland – Klipplaat to Willowmore, .
- The last ten 7th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives on the Eastern System. In 1912 they will be designated Class 7C on the SAR.
- Three Type A 2-6-0 Mogul type steam locomotives, later to become Class NG7 on the SAR, on the Hopefield narrow gauge branchline that is being constructed from Kalbaskraal.
- Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service with the East London and Table Bay Harbour Boards:
- Two 0-6-0 saddle-tank locomotives enter shunting service at the East London Harbour.
