1874 in South Africa
# 1874 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1874 in South Africa.

## Incumbents

* Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir Henry Barkly.
* Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: Sir Benjamin Pine.
* State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
* State President of the South African Republic: Thomas François Burgers.
* Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: Sir Richard Southey.
* Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Sir John Molteno.

## Events

### May

* 27 – The first group of Dorsland Trekkers departs from Pretoria to settle in Angola, led by Gert Alberts.

### Unknown date

* Work begins on the Cape Parliamentary buildings (the current South African houses of Parliament).
* The Cape Government passes legislation to begin government funding of education and colleges.
* The South African Teachers' Association is established in the Cape.
* The railway line from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage is partially opened.
* Work is begun on the Verlatenkloof pass, connecting the town of Sutherland with the southern Cape.
* The Molteno Government of the Cape passes a parliamentary act to redraw the provincial boundaries of the Cape Colony, from two provinces (Eastern and Western Cape) to seven.
* The Molteno Regulations establish the South African public library system.
* The Burgerspond, the South African Republic's first coin, is introduced.

## Births

* 4 July? – Moloko Temo, South African supercentenarian. (d. 2009)

## Railways

### Locomotives

* A single 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive is placed in railway construction service on the Midland System of the Cape Government Railways.
* A third locomotive enters service on breakwater construction work at Table Bay Harbour, a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge 0-4-0 side-tank engine built by Fletcher, Jennings & $Co.^{:115–117}$
