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The following lists events that happened during 1956 in South Africa.

Incumbents

  • [Queen of South Africa|Monarch]: Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Ernest George Jansen.
  • Prime Minister: Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom.
  • Chief Justice: Albert van der Sandt Centlivres.

Events

;February

  • 1 &ndash; The South African government severs diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union as a result of its support for the South African Communist Party.

;March

  • 16 &ndash; The Riotous Assemblies Act no. 17 is passed, prohibiting any outside gathering that the Minister of Justice deems a threat to public peace.
  • 17 &ndash; Mimi Coertse makes her Vienna State Opera debut as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (Mozart).

;August

  • 9 &ndash; Women's march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest against the pass laws.

;December

  • 5 &ndash; 156 leading activists are arrested, heralding the start of the Treason Trial. Among those arrested is Lillian Masediba Ngoyi.
  • 19 &ndash; The Four year long Treason Trial begins at the Drill Hall in Johannesburg.

;Unknown date

  • Lillian Masediba Ngoyi is elected president of the Federation of South African Women.
  • Lillian Masediba Ngoyi becomes the first woman to be elected to the African National Congress National Executive Committee.
  • Segregation is introduced on buses.
  • Albert Lutuli is arrested.

Births

  • 31 January &ndash; Trevor Manuel, politician.
  • 2 February &ndash; Zweli Mkhize, politician, national minister
  • 17 April &ndash; Jerry Mofokeng, actor.
  • 29 May &ndash; Anant Singh, film producer, and businessman.
  • 10 July &ndash; Solomon Mahlangu, Umkhonto we Sizwe operative
  • 26 July &ndash; Gordon Igesund, football coach.
  • 1 September &ndash; Jeremy Baskin, trade unionist and labour market analyst.
  • 30 October &ndash; Nick Mallett, Springboks player & Springboks coach.
  • 13 November &ndash; Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, politician, national minister
  • 15 December &ndash; Tony Leon, politician.
  • 16 December &ndash; Duncan Faure, musician, member of Rabbitt.
  • 23 December &ndash; Andre Markgraaff, Springboks coach.

Deaths

  • 5 April - Manilal Gandhi, editor, activist, and second son of Mahatma Gandhi, (b. 1892)

Sports

  • South Africa at the 1956 Summer Olympics

References