The following lists events that happened during 1989 in South Africa.
Quick Facts Decades:, See also: ...
Close
- January
- 8 – The African National Congress announces that it will start dismantling its guerrilla camps in Angola in support of the peace process.
- 18 – State President P.W. Botha has a mild stroke.
- 19 – Chris Heunis, Minister of Constitutional Development and Planning, is appointed Acting State President.
- An Eskom sub-station in Glenwood, Durban is damaged by an explosion and police later defuses a second bomb found nearby.
- An explosion occurs at the home in Benoni of the chair of the Ministers Council in the House of Delegates.
- An explosion occurs at an aircraft factory in Ciskei.
- Two municipal police members are killed in a grenade attack on Katlehong's Municipal Police Station.
- February
- 2 – An ailing State President Pieter Willem Botha steps down from the leadership of the National Party, but remains state president.
- Trevor Manuel is released from detention under stringent restriction orders.
- An explosion at a municipal police barracks in Soweto injures four policemen.
- An explosion next to a police parade in Katlehong kills a municipal constable and injures nine others.
- A limpet mine explodes at the home of the commander of the Katlehong Police Station, Col. D. Dlamini.
- March
- April
- 2 – SWAPO violates the border war cease-fire by invading South West Africa from Angola and nearly 300 are killed.
- May
- June
- Four bystanders are injured when a limpet mine explodes under a police vehicle in Duduza.
- A limpet mine explodes under a vehicle parked outside a policeman's home in Tsakane.
- A grenade is thrown at a police patrol in Tsakane.
- A limpet mine explodes in a rubbish bin outside the home of a policeman in Soweto.
- A bomb shatters the windows of KwaThema Police station's dining hall.
- A limpet mine explodes at the Police single quarters in Ratanda.
- A limpet mine explodes at the home of Boetie Abramjee, a National Party MP.
- July
- August
- 15 – P.W. Botha resigns and F.W. de Klerk succeeds him as acting State President.[1]
- A grenade is thrown into a Labour Party polling station in Bishop Lavis.
- The Brixton Flying Squad HQ is attacked with hand grenades and AK-47s.
- Lt-Col. Frank Zwane, a former liaison officer for the police, and his two sons are injured in a grenade attack in Soweto.
- An explosion occurs at the Athlone Police Station.
- September
- 2 – "Purple Rain Protest" rioters in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town are sprayed with a purple dye. The resulting graffiti, "The purple shall govern" graces the pages of newspapers worldwide.
- 20 – F.W. de Klerk becomes the 9th State President of South Africa.[1]
- A police patrol is ambushed by cadres (terrorists) in Katlehong.
- A mini-limpet mine explodes outside the Mamelodi Police station.
- Parliamentary elections are held and the National Party wins again.
- 100,000 people attend a peace march called by Cape Town city mayor Gordon Oliver in conjunction with religious leaders.
- October
- November
- Unknown date
- 15 January – Akhumzi Jezile, actor, television presenter and producer (d. 2018)
- 15 January – Kylie Louw, footballer
- 21 January – Brady Barends, cricketer
- 4 February – Nkosi Johnson, HIV/AIDS (d. 2001)
- 10 February – Simon Harmer, cricketer
- 22 February – JJ Engelbrecht, rugby player
- 24 February – Lauren Brant; Australian entertainer
- 9 March – Carina Horn, sprinter
- 9 March – Luthando Shosha, tv presenter & radio personality
- 22 March – Coenie Oosthuizen, rugby player
- 24 March – Jennifer Fry, badminton player
- 4 April – Dane Paterson, cricketer
- 13 April – Gerhard van den Heever, rugby union player
- 28 April – Alistair Vermaak, rugby union player
- 4 May – Trevor Nyakane, rugby player
- 11 May – Ashleigh Buhai, golfer
- 14 May – Melinda Bam, beauty pageant contestant and model
- 2 June – Dean Burmester, golfer
- 10 June – David Miller, cricketer
- 18 July – Mandla Masango, football player
- 25 July – Victor Hogan, discus thrower
- 26 July – Ross Cronjé, rugby union player
- 30 July – Wayne Parnell, cricketer
- 2 August – Vanes-Mari Du Toit, netball player
- 2 August – Rudy Paige, rugby player
- 3 August – Themba Zwane, football player
- 5 August – Darren Keet, footballer
- 9 August – Lunga Shabalala, actor & tv personality.
- 18 August – Willie le Roux, rugby player
- 13 September – Jurgen Visser, rugby union player
- 15 September – Nandipha Magudumana, celebrity doctor
- 4 October – Madoda Yako, rugby union player
- 9 October – Rilee Rossouw, cricketer
- 25 October – Lejeanne Marais, figure skater
- 6 November – Cherise Taylor, road cyclist
- 18 December – Thulani Hlatshwayo, South africa national football team captain
- 25 December – Pat O'Brien, rugby union player
- 29 December – Sibusiso Vilakazi, football player
South African Panorama, October 1989, p. 25
Information supplied by Phil Girdlestone
Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 109–110. ISBN 0869772112.
South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 610mm and 1065mm Gauges, Ref LXD 14/1/100/20, 28 January 1975, as amended
Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 49–52, 60.