1878 in South Africa
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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.
- Administrator of the Government of the Transvaal: Sir Theophilus Shepstone.
- Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: William Owen Lanyon.
- Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.
Events
- March
- 12 â Commander R.C. Dryer takes possession of the area surrounding Walvis Bay.
- May
- 14 â Paul Kruger leads a second deputation to the United Kingdom to demand the freedom of the South African Republic.
- July
- 17 â 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[1][2]
- December
- 11 â 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.[3]
Births
- 14 March â Alexander du Toit, geologist. (d. 1948)
Railways
Railway lines opened
- 25 May â Natal â Umgeni to Avoca, 4 miles 21 chains (6.9 kilometres).[4]
- 1 August â Cape Midland â Glenconnor to Mount Stewart, 48 miles 70 chains (78.7 kilometres).[5]
- 15 August â Cape Eastern â Kei Road to Döhne, 20 miles 45 chains (33.1 kilometres).[5]
- 15 August â Cape Eastern â East London to Landing Jetty, 1 mile 58 chains (2.8 kilometres).[5]
- 4 September â Natal â Durban to Pinetown, 17 miles 15 chains (27.7 kilometres).[6]
- 4 November â Cape Western â Kleinstraat to Grootfontein, 86 miles 49 chains (139.4 kilometres).[5]
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+1â2 in (1,435 mm) broad gauge 0-4-0 saddle-tank engine named Aid.[7]