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The following lists events that happened during 1971 in South Africa.
Incumbents
- State President: Jim Fouché
- Prime Minister: John Vorster
- Chief Justice: Lucas Cornelius Steyn, then Newton Ogilvie Thompson
Events
;February
- 27 – The oil tanker Wafra grounds near Cape Agulhas, causing considerable environmental damage.
- 12 – A Shackleton aircraft of 35 Squadron SAAF, not prescribed to by Headquarters, sinks SS Wafra in of water using depth charges.
- 21 July – Robby Brink, rugby player
- 30 July – Mzukisi Sikali, triple world champion boxer (d. 2005)
- 4 September – Lance Klusener, cricket player
- 15 September – Wayne Ferreira, tennis player
- 28 September – Braam van Straaten, rugby player
- 8 October – Krynauw Otto, rugby player
- 22 October – Amanda Coetzer, tennis player
- 26 October – Brendan Augustine, soccer player
- 12 November – Gert Thys, long-distance runner
- 14 November – Nick Boraine, actor
- 29 November – Esme Kruger, lawn bowler
- 3 December – Pieter Rossouw, rugby player
- 17 December – Alan Khan, media and radio personality
Deaths
- 27 October – Ahmed Timol, activist and political leader. (b. 1941)
Railways
Locomotives
thumb|[[South African Class 34-000|Class 34-000 (GE U26C)]]
Four new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways:
- July – The first of 125 Class 34-000 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives.
- October – The first of fifty Class 34-200 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives.
- The first of one hundred and fifty Class 6E1, Series 3 locomotives.