1919 in South Africa
# 1919 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1919 in South Africa.

## Incumbents

* Monarch: King George V.
* Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Viscount Buxton.
* Prime Minister:
   * Louis Botha (until 27 August).
   * Jan Smuts (from 3 September).
* Chief Justice: James Rose Innes

## Events

### April

* 23 – The Potchefstroom Teachers' College opens.

### August

* 27 – Prime Minister Louis Botha dies in office.

### September

* 3 – Jan Smuts becomes the 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa.
* 17 – German South West Africa is placed under South African administration.

### November

* 7 – Inspired by Cape Town's daily Noon Gun Three Minute Pause, King George V institutes the Two Minute Silence following a suggestion by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, to be observed annually at the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month.
* 7 – The first Remembrance Day is observed in the British Empire with a two-minute silence at 11:00 hours.

## Births

* 1 January – Eustace Fannin, tennis player
* 3 March – Peter Abrahams, South African-born Jamaican novelist and journalist. (d. 2017)
* 8 December – Mary Benson, activist and author. (d. 2000)

## Deaths

* 19 March – Jack Hindon, Boer soldier. (b. 1874)
* 27 August – Louis Botha, Boer general, statesman, first Prime Minister. (b. 1862)

## Railways

### Railway lines opened

* 9 January – Natal – Deviation from Umlaas Road to Pentrich, 19 miles 19 chains (31.0 kilometres).

### Locomotives

Two new Cape gauge and one narrow gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

* The first of sixty-seven Class 12A 4-8-2 Mountain type locomotives.
* The first ten Class 16C 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger steam locomotives.
* Three Class NG G11 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt locomotives on the Avontuur narrow gauge line through the Langkloof, the first Garratt locomotives to enter service in South Africa.
