2011 in South Africa

• President – Jacob Zuma
• Deputy President – Kgalema Motlanthe
• Chief Justice – Sandile Ngcobo then Mogoeng Mogoeng

The Cabinet, together with the President and the Deputy President, forms part of the Executive.

• Eastern Cape Province: Noxolo Kiviet
• Free State Province: Ace Magashule
• Gauteng Province: Nomvula Mokonyane
• KwaZulu-Natal Province: Zweli Mkhize
• Limpopo Province: Cassel Mathale
• Mpumalanga Province: David Mabuza
• North West Province: Thandi Modise
• Northern Cape Province: Hazel Jenkins
• Western Cape Province: Helen Zille

February

• 9 – A generator fails catastrophically while performing overspeed testing at Duvha Power Station.^{[citation needed]}

May

• 18 – Municipal elections take place.

October

• 7 – The 14th Dalai Lama is unable to attend the 80th birthday celebration of fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, having again been refused a visa to enter South Africa.^[1][2]

• 29 January – Fanus Rautenbach, Afrikaans radio and media personality. (b. 1928)
• 18 February – Lucas Maree, South African singer. (b. 1952)
• 12 March – Hubert du Plessis, South African composer and pianist. (b. 1922)
• 16 March – Carel Boshoff, South African politician, founder of Orania. (b. 1927)
• 24 March – Henry Gordon Makgothi, teacher, defiance campaigner and 1956 treason trialist. (b. 1928)^[3]
• 2 June – Albertina Sisulu, anti–apartheid activist, widow of Walter Sisulu. (b. 1918)
• 15 June – Zack du Plessis, Afrikaans actor. (b. 1949)
• 22 June – Kader Asmal, politician. (b. 1934)
• 11 July – King Maxhob'ayakhawuleza Sandile, Rarabe King. (b. 1956)
• 13 July – Al Debbo, South African actor, comedian and singer. (b. 1924)
• 18 July – Magnus Malan, Minister of Defence. (b. 1930)
• 11 September – Deon du Plessis, newsman. (b. 1952)^[4]
• 26 October – Dick Lord, South African Air Force and Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot. (b. 1936)
• 22 December – Zithulele Sinqe, long distance athlete. (b, 1963)^[5]
• 25 December – John Christoffel Kannemeyer, writer, authority on Afrikaans literature. (b. 1939).^[6]
• 29 December – Amichand Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front in the South African Parliament. (b. 1942).

• January – Transnet Rail Engineering at Koedoespoort takes delivery of the first two of ten imported Class 43-000 General Electric type C30ACi diesel-electric locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail.^[7]
• July – The first of the 133 locally built Class 43-000 locomotives rolls out at the Koedoespoort shops in Pretoria.^[8]