1878 in South Africa
# 1878 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1878 in South Africa.

## Incumbents

* Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Henry Barkly.
* Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
* State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
* State President of the South African Republic: Thomas François Burgers.
* Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: William Owen Lanyon.
* Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.

## Events

### March

* 12 – Commander R.C. Dryer takes possession of the area surrounding Walvis Bay.

### May

* 14 – Paul Kruger leads a second deputation to the United Kingdom to demand the freedom of the South African Republic.

### July

* 17 – Nqwiliso, tribal chief of western Mpondoland and eldest son of the warrior Chief Ndamase, ceded sovereign rights of Umzimvubu River mouth to the Cape Colony

### December

* 11 – The British present an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, triggering the Anglo-Zulu War.

### Unknown date

* The 9th Cape Frontier War ends.
* The first telephones are set up in the Cape.
* The telegraph service between Natal and Transvaal is opened.
* The British suspend the elected Cape Government and assume direct control, after escalating disagreements on confederation and frontier policy.
* The last confirmed Cape lion dies.

## Births

* 14 March – Alexander du Toit, geologist. (d. 1948)

## Railways

### Railway lines opened

* 25 May – Natal – Umgeni to Avoca, 4 miles 21 chains (6.9 kilometres).
* 1 August – Cape Midland – Glenconnor to Mount Stewart, 48 miles 70 chains (78.7 kilometres).
* 15 August – Cape Eastern – Kei Road to Döhne, 20 miles 45 chains (33.1 kilometres).
* 15 August – Cape Eastern – East London to Landing Jetty, 1 mile 58 chains (2.8 kilometres).
* 4 September – Natal – Durban to Pinetown, 17 miles 15 chains (27.7 kilometres).
* 4 November – Cape Western – Kleinstraat to Grootfontein, 86 miles 49 chains (139.4 kilometres).

### Locomotives

* The Cape Government Railways places a second locomotive in service on construction work on the Kowie harbour project at Port Alfred, a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) broad gauge 0-4-0 saddle-tank engine named Aid.
