1925 in South Africa

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

← 1924 1923 1922 1925 in South Africa → 1926 1927 1928
Decades:	1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George V.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Earl of Athlone.^[1]
• 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.^[2]

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).^[3]

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.^[4]
• South Africa returns to the gold standard.

Births

• 14 April – Colin Eglin, founding member and leader of the Progressive Federal Party. (d. 2013)^[5]
• 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)
• 5 October – Herbert Kretzmer, journalist and lyricist (d. 2020)
• 14 October – Phillip Tobias, palaeoanthropologist. (d. 2012)

Deaths

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

Railways

Class FC Modified Fairlie

Class GD Garratt

Class GG Garratt

Class 16D

Class 1E

Railway lines opened

• 21 January – Transvaal – Rustenburg to Boshoek, 15 miles 17 chains (24.5 kilometres).^[3]
• 26 May – Transvaal – Magaliesburg to Schoemansville, 33 miles 20 chains (53.5 kilometres).^[3]
• 26 June – Natal – Eshowe to Extension, 74 chains (1.5 kilometres).^[3]
• 1 September – Transvaal – Ermelo to Lothair, 30 miles 51 chains (49.3 kilometres).^[3]
• 25 September – Transvaal – Elandshoek to Solarvale (Narrow gauge), 9 miles 40 chains (15.3 kilometres).^[3]
• 1 October – Transvaal – Nylstroom to Vaalwater, 45 miles 62 chains (73.7 kilometres).^[3]
• 14 October – Free State – Senekal to Marquard, 29 miles 78 chains (48.2 kilometres).^[3]
• 19 October – Cape – Kareevlakte to Ladismith, 46 miles 38 chains (74.8 kilometres).^[3]
• 26 November – Free State – Frankfort to Villiers, 19 miles 40 chains (31.4 kilometres).^[3]
• 1 December – Cape – Fort Beaufort to Katberg (Narrow gauge), 24 miles 36 chains (39.3 kilometres).^[3]

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.^[6][7][8]
• The first four Class GD branchline 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt articulated locomotives.^[6][7][9]
• The first six of eighteen Class GE 2-8-2+2-8-2 Garratt locomotives.^[6][7][9]
• A single Class GG 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt on fast mainline passenger service.^[6][7][9]
• Two American-built Class 15C 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives.^[6]
• The first two of seven Class 16D 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger locomotives.^[7]
• The first of altogether 172 Class 1E electric locomotives, spread over seven orders, the first mainline electric locomotive to be introduced in South Africa.^[6][10][11]