The following lists events that happened during 1884 in South Africa.
Incumbents Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Hercules Robinson. 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: Paul Kruger. Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Thomas Charles Scanlen (until 12 May), Thomas Upington (starting 12 May).
Events
April 24 – Germany occupies German South-West Africa.
July 24 – Barberton is declared a town.
August 5 – The Republic of Vryheid is established in northern Natal. 7 – Walvisbaai is occupied by the Cape Colony.
November 3 – Imvo Zabantsundu (Xhosa: The Native People's Opinion of South Africa), South Africa's first newspaper by and for Black people, is founded by John Tengo Jabavu in King William's Town. 15 – The Berlin Conference commences when 14 countries (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway, Turkey, and United States of America) meet in Berlin to each claim their part of Africa.
December 1 – The private Kowie Railway line between Grahamstown and Port Alfred is opened to traffic.The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 12–13.
Births Rolland Beaumont cricketer
Deaths 8 February – Zulu king Cetshwayo. (b. 1826)
Railways
Railway lines opened
31 March – Cape Midland – Noupoort to De Aar, to link up with the Cape Western System, .Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909. May – Natal – Pietermaritzburg to Merrivale, .Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 182, ref. no. 200954-13 16 September – Cape Eastern – Sterkstroom to Molteno, . 3 November – Cape Western – Victoria West Road to Oranjerivier, . 1 December – Kowie – Port Alfred to Grahamstown, .
Locomotives The Cape Government Railways places two experimental 3rd Class 4-4-0 tender and four experimental 4th Class 4-6-0 tank-and-tender locomotives in service, designed by the Cape Eastern System to be able to use the low-grade local coal with its high content of incombustible matter.C.G.R. Numbering Revised, Article by Dave Littley, SA Rail May–June 1993, pp. 94–95.
References