1882 in South Africa
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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: Triumviate of Paul Kruger, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius and Piet Joubert.
- Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Thomas Charles Scanlen.
Events
- May
- 9 â Paul Kruger becomes President of the South African Republic.
- 28 â Two ships, the Agnes (94 tonne) and the Christina (196 tonne), run ashore at Plettenberg Bay.
- July
- 26 â The Stellaland Republic is declared, founding Vryburg as capital.
- September
- 2 â Kimberley becomes the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to install electric street lighting.
- 7 â W.H. Finlay of Cape Town's Royal Observatory is first to record observations of the Great Comet of 1882.[1][2]
- 29 â 229 Norwegians settle at the mouth of the Umzimkulu River, founding Port Shepstone.
- November
- 21 â The Goshen Republic is established with its capital Rooigrond near Mafeking.
- Unknown date
- Zulu king Cetshwayo returns to South Africa.
- In the Cape Colony, the Dutch language is once again admitted as an official language alongside English.
Births
- 24 February â Jan Gysbert Hugo Bosman aka Bosman di Ravelli, concert pianist and composer, is born in Piketberg.
Railways
Railway lines opened
- 15 December â Cape Western â Wynberg to Muizenberg, 7 miles 31 chains (11.9 kilometres).[3]
Locomotives
- Three new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the Cape Government Railways (CGR):
- Six 2nd Class 4-4-0 Wynberg Tank locomotives on suburban passenger trains out of Cape Town.[4]
- The first of 33 4th Class 4-6-0 tank-and-tender locomotives with Stephenson valve gear on the mainlines of all three systems.[4][5]
- The first of 35 4th Class 4-6-0 tank-and-tender locomotives with Joy valve gear on the mainlines of all three systems.[4][5]
- Two new 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the private Kowie Railway which is under construction from Port Alfred to Grahamstown:
- Two 0-6-0 tank locomotives in goods service.[4]
- Two 4-4-0 tank locomotives in passenger service.[4]