1925 in South Africa
# 1925 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1925 in South Africa.

## Incumbents

* Monarch: King George V.
* Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Earl of Athlone.
* Prime Minister: J.B.M. Hertzog.
* Chief Justice: James Rose Innes.

## Events

### May

* 1 – The Prince of Wales arrives in Cape Town on a visit to South Africa.

### July

* 23 – D.F. Malan, Minister of the Interior, introduces the Areas Reservation and Immigration and Registration Bill, also known as the Asiatic Bill.

### Augustus

* 1 – The New Cape Central Railway and its 204 miles 69 chains (329.7 kilometres) long line between Worcester and Voorbaai is incorporated into the South African Railways (SAR).

### Unknown date

* Afrikaans officially replaces Dutch as the second official language after English.
* The manor house of Groot Constantia is gutted by a fire.
* The University of Pretoria begins the tradition of Jool in South Africa.
* South Africa returns to the gold standard.

## Births

* 14 April – Colin Eglin, founding member and leader of the Progressive Federal Party. (d. 2013)
* 4 May – Ruth First, journalist, academic and activist. (d. 1982)
* 6 June – Andrew Mlangeni, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 2020)
* 19 June – Alfred Nzo, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 2000)
* 28 September – Cromwell Everson, composer. (d. 1991)
* 14 October – Phillip Tobias, palaeoanthropologist. (d. 2012)

## Deaths

* 30 August – Cathcart William Methven, civil engineer and painter. (b. 1849)

## Railways

### Railway lines opened

* 21 January – Transvaal – Rustenburg to Boshoek, 15 miles 17 chains (24.5 kilometres).
* 26 May – Transvaal – Magaliesburg to Schoemansville, 33 miles 20 chains (53.5 kilometres).
* 26 June – Natal – Eshowe to Extension, 74 chains (1.5 kilometres).
* 1 September – Transvaal – Ermelo to Lothair, 30 miles 51 chains (49.3 kilometres).
* 25 September – Transvaal – Elandshoek to Solarvale (Narrow gauge), 9 miles 40 chains (15.3 kilometres).
* 1 October – Transvaal – Nylstroom to Vaalwater, 45 miles 62 chains (73.7 kilometres).
* 14 October – Free State – Senekal to Marquard, 29 miles 78 chains (48.2 kilometres).
* 19 October – Cape – Kareevlakte to Ladismith, 46 miles 38 chains (74.8 kilometres).
* 26 November – Free State – Frankfort to Villiers, 19 miles 40 chains (31.4 kilometres).
* 1 December – Cape – Fort Beaufort to Katberg (Narrow gauge), 24 miles 36 chains (39.3 kilometres).

### Locomotives

Seven new Cape gauge locomotive types, six steam and one electric, enter service on the SAR. The electric locomotive is the first non-steam mainline locomotive type to enter service in South Africa in quantity.

* A single experimental Class FC Modified Fairlie articulated steam locomotive.
* The first four Class GD branchline 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt articulated locomotives.
* The first six of eighteen Class GE 2-8-2+2-8-2 Garratt locomotives.
* A single Class GG 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt on fast mainline passenger service.
* Two American-built Class 15C 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives.
* The first two of seven Class 16D 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger locomotives.
* The first of altogether 172 Class 1E electric locomotives, spread over seven orders, the first mainline electric locomotive to be introduced in South Africa.
