1862 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1862 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:
 * Sir Robert Wynyard (acting until 14 January).
 * Sir Philip Wodehouse (from 15 January).
 * Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
 * State President of the Orange Free State: Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.
 * President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic:
 * Stephanus Schoeman (acting until 17 April).
 * Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg (acting from 18 April).

Events

 * January
 * 15 – Sir Philip Wodehouse becomes Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa.


 * April
 * 18 – W. C. Janse van Rensburg becomes acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.


 * October
 * 2 – A breakwater construction locomotive for Table Bay Harbour arrives on the ship Navarino.
 * 9 – The Transvaal Civil War breaks out following Stephanus Schoeman's unconstitutional ousting of the acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic on 6 December 1860.


 * Unknown date
 * Standard Bank of British South Africa Limited is established in London.

Railway lines opened

 * 1 May – Cape Western – Cape Town to Stellenbosch, 30 mi.

Locomotives

 * The Table Bay Harbour Board acquires a single broad-gauge locomotive, builder or appearance unknown, for excavation and breakwater construction work.

Births

 * 24 July - Percy FitzPatrick, author, politician, mining financier and fruit industry pioneer. (d. 1931)
 * 27 September – Louis Botha, Boer general and politician. (d. 1919)