1878 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1878 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Henry Barkly.
 * Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
 * State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
 * State President of the South African Republic: Thomas François Burgers.
 * Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: William Owen Lanyon.
 * Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.

Events

 * March
 * 12 – Commander R.C. Dryer takes possession of the area surrounding Walvis Bay.


 * May
 * 14 – Paul Kruger leads a second deputation to the United Kingdom to demand the freedom of the South African Republic.


 * July
 * 17 – Nqwiliso, tribal chief of western Mpondoland and eldest son of the warrior Chief Ndamase, ceded sovereign rights of Umzimvubu River mouth to the Cape Colony


 * December
 * 11 – The British present an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, triggering the Anglo-Zulu War.


 * Unknown date
 * The 9th Cape Frontier War ends.
 * The first telephones are set up in the Cape.
 * The telegraph service between Natal and Transvaal is opened.
 * The British suspend the elected Cape Government and assume direct control, after escalating disagreements on confederation and frontier policy.
 * The last confirmed Cape lion dies.

Births

 * 14 March – Alexander du Toit, geologist. (d. 1948)

Railway lines opened

 * 25 May – Natal – Umgeni to Avoca, 4 mi.
 * 1 August – Cape Midland – Glenconnor to Mount Stewart, 48 mi.
 * 15 August – Cape Eastern – Kei Road to Döhne, 20 mi.
 * 15 August – Cape Eastern – East London to Landing Jetty, 1 mi.
 * 4 September – Natal – Durban to Pinetown, 17 mi.
 * 4 November – Cape Western – Kleinstraat to Grootfontein, 86 mi.

Locomotives

 * The Cape Government Railways places a second locomotive in service on construction work on the Kowie harbour project at Port Alfred, a broad gauge 0-4-0 saddle-tank engine named Aid.