1873 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1873 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir Henry Barkly.
 * Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal:
 * Sir Anthony Musgrave (until 29 April).
 * Thomas Milles (acting from 30 April to 21 July).
 * Sir Benjamin Pine (from 22 July).
 * State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
 * State President of the South African Republic: Thomas François Burgers.
 * Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: Sir Richard Southey (from 17 July).
 * Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Sir John Molteno.

Events

 * April
 * 30 – Thomas Milles becomes acting Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal.

May

 * 1 – The use of Dutch is officially allowed in the Cape of Good Hope's parliament.
 * 14 – The Ohrigstad area is proclaimed a public gold field after gold is discovered in the Selati River.

July

 * 5 – New Rush in Griqualand West is renamed Kimberley after John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley.
 * 17 – Sir Richard Southey becomes the first Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West.
 * 22 – Sir Benjamin Pine becomes Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal.

August

 * 20 – Prime Minister John Molteno authorises construction of the new Cape Eastern railway line from East London.

December

 * 4 – HMS Challenger (1858), on its worldwide marine research expedition, is officially welcomed in Cape Town.
 * 26 – HMS Challenger arrives at Prince Edward Islands and contacts survey and charts the islands

Unknown date

 * The University of South Africa is founded in Cape Town as the University of the Cape of Good Hope.
 * The Cape Government establishes the first district boarding schools to educate children from rural areas while education is standardised at the Cape.
 * The town of East London is officially established through the proclaimed merger of the three settlements of Panmure, East London and East London East.
 * Warmbad is established as Hartingsburg at the hot springs north of Pretoria.

Births

 * 13 August – C.J. Langenhoven, playwright, poet, journalist, politician and author of Die Stem van Suid-Afrika. (d. 1932)
 * 20 August – William Henry Bell, musician, composer and first director of the South African College of Music. (d. 1946)

Deaths

 * 1 May – David Livingstone is found dead on his knees beside his bed at Lake Bangweolo. (b. 1813)

Railway lines opened

 * Namaqualand – Muishondfontein to Kookfontein, 15 mi.

Locomotives

 * Two Cape gauge 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotives enter service at Port Elizabeth on the Midland System of the Cape Government Railways. They are the first Cape gauge locomotives to enter service in South Africa.
 * East London's first steam locomotive is landed at East London Harbour, a 7 ft Brunel gauge 0-4-0 vertical boiler engine acquired for work on breakwater construction.