1978 in South Africa
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- State President:
- Nico Diederichs (until 21 August).[1]
- Marais Viljoen (acting from 21 August until 9 October).[1]
- John Vorster (from 10 October).[1]
- Prime Minister:
- John Vorster (until 2 October).
- P.W. Botha (from 9 October).
- Chief Justice: Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff.
Events
- January
- Former African National Congress member Steve Mtshali, state witness in various trials, is shot and wounded.
- February
- 2 – Guerrillas attack the Daveyton police station.
- 2 – Kaiser Matanzima breaks all diplomatic ties with South Africa and announces that all South African Defence Force members seconded to the Transkei Army will leave Transkei by 31 March.
- 2 – The Eastern Cape Attorney-General refuses to prosecute policemen involved in the arrest and detention of Steve Biko.
- A bomb capable of destroying a 22-storey building is found in a Johannesburg office block and defused.
- March
- 10 – A bomb explodes outside the offices of the Bantu Affairs building in Port Elizabeth, killing one civilian.
- April
- 14 – Abel Mthembu, former deputy president of the ANC in the Transvaal, turns state witness at the Pretoria ANC trial.
- May
- 4 – The South African Defence Force launches an airborne attack on Cassinga in Angola during Operation Reindeer.
- 4 – Azanian People's Organisation members Ishmael Mkhabela and Lybon Mabasa are arrested in Soweto.
- August
- 21 – Marais Viljoen becomes acting State President of South Africa.[1]
- 23 – Operation Saffraan, a South African Defence Force retaliatory raid, is carried out in Zambia.
- September
- The African National Congress attempts to kill about 500 of its own cadres by poisoning their food because an infiltrated enemy agent could not be identified.[2]
- October
- 9 – P.W. Botha succeeds John Vorster as Prime Minister of South Africa.[1][3]
- 10 – John Vorster becomes State President of South Africa.[1]
- 31 – The South African Railways sets a still unbeaten world rail speed record.[4][5]
- December
- A bomb explodes at the Soweto Community Council offices.
- Unknown date
- The South African Defence Force attacks several SWAPO bases in Angola during Operation Bruilof.
- The SADF's 32 Battalion moves into southern Angola to flush out SWAPO members during Operation Seiljag.
- George Bizos becomes a senior member of the Johannesburg Bar.
- The Atomic Energy Corporation builds South Africa's first nuclear weapon device.
- South Korea ends diplomatic relations with South Africa it established in 1961, in protest of apartheid.[6][7]
Births
- 16 January – Judi van Niekerk, synchronised swimmer
- 23 February – Siyabonga Shibe, actor
- 24 February – Bolla Conradie, rugby player
- 28 February – Rowen Fernández, football player
- 22 March – Heinz Winckler, singer, winner of Idols South Africa (season 1)
- 27 March – Professor (musician), recording artist
- 30 March – Bok van Blerk, singer-songwriter
- 3 April – John Smit, Springboks, rugby captain
- 6 April – Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Springbok rugby player
- 6 May – Danie Rossouw, Jaco van der Westhuyzen
- 8 May – Nkhensani Kubayi-Ngubane, national minister
- 7 June – DuPreez Strauss, music director, TV, theatre and radio producer, composer, lyricist, writer, casting director, orchestra conductor and TV personality[8]
- 25 June – De Wet Barry, Springbok rugby player
- 30 June – Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, national minister
- 8 August – Lawrence Sephaka, Springbok rugby player
- 10 August – Karen Zoid, singer
- 23 October – Wayne Julies, Springbok rugby player
- 7 November – Katlego Danke, actress
- 20 November – Neil de Kock, Springbok rugby player
- 18 December – Lulu Dikana, singer, older sister of singer Zonke (d. 2014)
- 29 December – André Pretorius, Springbok rugby player
Deaths
- 8 January – Rick Turner, activist and academic. (b. 1941)
- 12 January – Monty Naicker, medical doctor and activist. (b. 1910)
- 27 February – Robert Sobukwe, political activist. (b. 1924)
- 6 July – Papwa Sewgolum, golfer. (b. 1930)
- 21 August – Nico Diederichs, State President of South Africa. (b. 1903)
