2009 in South Africa
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Incumbents
- President:
- Kgalema Motlanthe (until 8 May).[1]
- Jacob Zuma (from 9 May).[1]
- Deputy President: Baleka Mbete (until 9 May), Kgalema Motlanthe (starting 9 May).
- Chief Justice: Pius Langa then Sandile Ngcobo.
Cabinet
The Cabinet, together with the President and the Deputy President, forms part of the Executive.
National Assembly
Provincial Premiers
- Eastern Cape Province: Mbulelo Sogoni (until 6 May), Noxolo Kiviet (since 6 May)
- Free State Province: Beatrice Marshoff (until 6 May), Ace Magashule (since 6 May)
- Gauteng Province: Paul Mashatile (until 6 May), Nomvula Mokonyane (since 6 May)
- KwaZulu-Natal Province: S'bu Ndebele (until 6 May), Zweli Mkhize (since 6 May)
- Limpopo Province: Sello Moloto (until 3 March), Cassel Mathale (since 3 March)
- Mpumalanga Province: Thabang Makwetla (until 10 May), David Mabuza (since 10 May)
- North West Province: Edna Molewa (until 6 May), Maureen Modiselle (since 6 May)
- Northern Cape Province: Elizabeth Dipuo Peters (until 6 May), Hazel Jenkins (since 6 May)
- Western Cape Province: Lynne Brown (until 6 May), Helen Zille (since 6 May)
Events
- January
- 8 – The 97th Anniversary of the ANC is celebrated.
- February
- 4 – Jacob Zuma appears in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.[2]
- 4 – Jimmy Mohlala, Mbombela Local Council Municipality speaker who had been asked to resign by the ANC following a whistle-blower act which saw Municipal manager Jacob Dladla suspended, is shot dead in his Nelspruit home. His 19-year-old son is wounded in the attack.[3][4][5][6]
- 11 – Trevor Manuel presents the 2009–2010 budget.[7]
- 11 – For the first time in South Africa, court proceedings in a trial are conducted entirely in isiZulu in the municipality of Msinga. The proceedings are part of a pilot project to offer "access to justice for all".[8]
- March
- 3 – South African holidaymakers need visas to enter the United Kingdom.[9]
- 3 – Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik is released from prison on medical parole.[10]
- 4 – The 14th Dalai Lama's visa application to enter South Africa is refused.
- 12 – The Constitutional Court rules that registered voters living overseas can vote for the National Assembly in the 22 April elections.[11]
- April
- 7 – All charges against Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thint over the South African arms deal are officially withdrawn in the Durban High Court.[12]
- 22 – The 2009 national and provincial elections are held.
- 25 – The Independent Electoral Commission publishes the elections results. The ANC won 65.9% of the vote, The DA won 16.66%.[13]
- May
- 6 – Jacob Zuma is elected president in the South African presidential election.
- June
14 to 28 – The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup takes place in South Africa and is won by Brazil, with the United States as the runner-up.
- July
- 18 – The first Mandela Day is organised on Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday.[14]
- 19 – Gill Marcus is appointed Governor of the South African Reserve Bank by Jacob Zuma, to replace Tito Mboweni on 9 November.
- September
- 22 – President Jacob Zuma meets with the Paramount leader of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao in New York.
- 22–24 – The United States Embassy and other US government facilities in South Africa are closed because of unspecified security concerns.[15]
- 24 – Airlink Flight 8911 crashes shortly after take-off, killing one and injuring three.[16]
- December
- 8 – Serial killer, serial rapist and criminal Ananias Mathe is sentenced to an effective 54 years in prison for various crimes.[17]
- 12 – The Miss World 2009 pageant takes place Johannesburg.
- 13 – The Miss South Africa 2009 pageant takes place at Sun City.
Deaths
- 1 January – Helen Suzman, activist and politician. (b. 1917)
- 11 January – Ludumo Galada, boxer. (b. 1982)
- 6 April – Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, politician. (b. 1937)
- 13 October – Winston Mankunku Ngozi, musician. (b. 1943)[18]
- 3 December – Curtis Nkondo, activist, educator, politician and ambassador. (b. 1928)[19]
- 16 December – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, politician. (b. 1940)[20]
- 31 December – Masego Kgomo, murder victim. (b. c. 1999)
Railways
Locomotives
- Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on Transnet Freight Rail (TFR):
- The first of fifty Class 39-200 Electro-Motive Diesel type GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives, built at the Transnet Rail Engineering shops in Koedoespoort.[21][22]
- The first of 110 new Class 19E dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC electric locomotives on the Coalink line from Ermelo to Richards Bay.[23][24]
- TFR begins rebuilding Class 6E1, Series 2 to 8 locomotives to Class 18E, Series 2 locomotives.[25]