1903 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1903 in South Africa.

Incumbents

Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Edward McCallum.
Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal: Albert Henry Hime (until 17 August), George Morris Sutton (starting 17 August).

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.

Governor of the Transvaal and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner.
Lieutenant-Governor of the Transvaal: Arthur Lawley.

;February

;March

12 – Andries Dreyer, an archivist of the Dutch Reformed Church, is ordained as a missionary of the congregation for the Hanover Street area in Cape Town.

;May

21 – The first contingent of Chinese labourers leave China to work on the Witwatersrand gold mines.

;June

4 – The Indian Opinion is started by Mahatma Gandhi with Mansukhlal Nazar as editor.

;Unknown date

The County of Pembroke, a British cargo ship, is shipwrecked near Port Elizabeth.

11 January – Alan Paton, author and founder of the Liberal Party of South Africa, is born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal.
21 March – J. B. Marks, political activist and trade unionist, is born in Ventersdorp. (d. 1972)
4 May – Louise Behrens, novelist and Afrikaans journalist, is born in the Orange River Colony.
4 May – Hendrik Susan, orchestra leader and violist.
19 June – Wally Hammond, English first-class cricketer and South African sports administrator. (d. 1965)
8 October – Mikro (Pseudonym for C.H. Kühn), writer and poet, is born at Van Reenens Farm in the Williston district.

21 February – Kate Vaughan, British dancer and actress (born 1852)
13 March – General David Johannes Joubert (Ou Kat), a South African explorer to East Africa, dies of malaria near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
8 August – Adolf Schiel, German-born officer in Boer armed forces. (b. 1858)

thumb|[[CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903|CGR Wynberg Tender]]

thumb|[[South African Class 5A 4-6-2|CGR Karoo Class]]

thumb|[[South African Class 8D 4-8-0|SAR Class 8D]]

thumb|[[South African Class Experimental 4 2-8-2|CGR 9th Class]]

thumb|[[CGR Kitson-Meyer 0-6-0+0-6-0|CGR Kitson-Meyer]]

thumb|[[CGR NG 0-4-0T]]

thumb|[[South African Dock Shunter 0-4-0ST|Cape PWD Thebus]]

thumb|[[South African Class H1 4-8-2T|CSAR Class E 4-8-2T]]

thumb|[[South African Class 8C 4-8-0|CSAR Class 8-L3]]

19 February – Cape Central – Swellendam to Riversdale, .
28 February – Cape Western – Kalbaskraal to Hopefield (Narrow gauge), .
22 March – Free State – Sannaspos to Thaba 'Nchu, .
Two Karoo Class 4-6-2| Pacific passenger locomotives. In 1912 they will be designated Class 5A on the South African Railways (SAR).
A single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0| Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive on the Eastern System.
A single Krauss 0-6-0 tank locomotive, also for use as construction engine on the Avontuur branch.