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The following lists events that happened during 1905 in South Africa.

Incumbents

  • Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:Walter Hely-Hutchinson.
  • Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Edward McCallum.
  • Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Leander Starr Jameson.
  • Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony: Alfred Milner (until 7 June), William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne (starting 7 June).
  • Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal: George Morris Sutton (until 16 May), Charles John Smythe (starting 16 May).

Events

;January

  • 26 &ndash; The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond in the world at , is discovered by Captain Frederick Wells at Cullinan.

;Unknown date

  • Non-whites are not given voting rights, except in the Cape Colony.
  • The Cape Town City Hall in Darling Street is built.

Births

  • 3 February &ndash; Herman Charles Bosman, writer and journalist, is born at Kuilsrivier, Cape Town. (d. 1951)
  • 8 April &ndash; Helen Joseph, activist, is born in Sussex, England. (d. 1992)
  • 5 July &ndash; Jock Cameron, cricketer. (d. 1935)
  • 9 August &ndash; Moses Kotane, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 1978)
  • 2 September &ndash; Harry Hart, athlete. (d. 1979)
  • 4 September &ndash; Eileen Mary Challans, writer is born in Essex, England. (d. 1983)

Deaths

  • 18 April &ndash; Enoch Sontonga, composer of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, dies at age 32.

Railways

Railway lines opened

  • 1 February &ndash; Free State &ndash; Springfontein to Jagersfontein, .
  • 1 March &ndash; Free State &ndash; Aberfeldy to Bethlehem, .
  • 18 May &ndash; Cape Eastern &ndash; Xalanga to Elliot, .

;Natal

  • The Natal Government Railways places two Class A 4-6-2| Pacific locomotives in service, designed by Locomotive Superintendent D.A. Hendrie for passenger traffic on the mainline between Ladysmith and Charlestown. In 1912 they will be designated Class 2 on the South African Railways (SAR).

;Transvaal

  • The Central South African Railways places two four-cylinder rack tank steam locomotives in service on the section between Waterval Onder and Waterval Boven, but they are underpowered and prove to be failures in rack service.

References