1860 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1860 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir George Grey.
 * Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
 * State President of the Orange Free State:
 * Esaias Reynier Snijman (acting until 7 February).
 * Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (from 8 February).
 * President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic:
 * Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (until 14 September).
 * Johannes Hermanus Grobler (acting from 15 September until 5 December).
 * Stephanus Schoeman (acting from 6 December).

Events

 * February
 * 8 – Marthinus Wessel Pretorius becomes State President of the Orange Free State.


 * May
 * 1 – The seat of the South African Republic (ZAR) government is officially transferred from Potchefstroom to Pretoria.
 * 4 – The Orange Free State signs a peace treaty with Moshoeshoe I at Wittebergen, near Winburg, ending the first Basuto War.


 * June
 * 26 – The Natal Railway Company officially opens the first revenue-earning railway line in South Africa, a 2 mi line from Market Square in Durban to the newly built Point station at Durban Harbour.


 * September
 * 15 – Johannes Hermanus Grobler becomes acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.
 * 17 – The Alfred Dock in Table Bay, Cape Town is officially opened by sixteen-year-old Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria.


 * December
 * 6 – Stephanus Schoeman unconstitutionally ousts J.H. Grobler as acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.


 * Unknown date
 * The first indenture of Indian workers arrive in Natal to work in the sugar industry.
 * The first telegraph service in South Africa starts operating between Cape Town and Simonstown.
 * The penny post is started in Cape Town.

Births

 * 29 April – John Robinson Royston, soldier and farmer, is born in Durban.

Railway lines opened

 * 26 June – Natal – Durban to Point, 2 mi.

Locomotives

 * 20 March – The Cape Town Railway and Dock Company takes delivery of eight broad gauge 0-4-2 tender locomotives for service on the Cape Town-Wellington line, which is still under construction.
 * 13 May – The Natal Railway Company's first locomotive, the broad gauge engine "Natal", is landed at Durban.