1922 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1922 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: King George V.
 * Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Prince Arthur of Connaught.
 * Prime Minister: Jan Smuts.
 * Chief Justice: James Rose Innes.

Events

 * March
 * 10-14 – The Rand Rebellion, a strike by white mine workers which began on 28 December 1921, becomes open rebellion against the state.
 * 15 – Samuel Long, labour pioneer and striker, is arrested.


 * April
 * 1 – The South African Railways take control of all railway operations in South West Africa.


 * October
 * 27 – Southern Rhodesians vote in a referendum and reject union with South Africa.


 * November
 * 17 – Rand Rebellion strikers Samuel Long, Herbert Hull and David Lewis are hanged for murder.


 * December
 * 6 – The prophet Nontetha is arrested by authorities fearful of a repeat of the Bulhoek Massacre

Births

 * 6 May – Elize Botha, first wife of State President P. W. Botha. (d. 1997)
 * 22 May – Looksmart Khulile Ngudle, politician, (d. 1963)
 * 13 October – Rahima Moosa, politician, (d. 1993)
 * 22 October – Thomas Nkobi, politician, (d. 1994)
 * 5 November – Sydney Kentridge, lawyer, judge and member of the English Bar.
 * 8 November – Chris Barnard, cardiac surgeon and heart transplant pioneer. (d. 2001)

South West African lines

 * 1 April – The SAR inherits five existing former German Colonial railway lines in SWA.
 * Union Border to Swakop River (at Swakopmund), 771 mi.
 * Seeheim to Lüderitz, 197 mi.
 * Karibib to Tsumeb (Narrow gauge), 259 mi.
 * Otavi to Grootfontein (Narrow gauge), 56 mi.
 * Otjiwarongo to Outjo (Narrow gauge), 45 mi.

Railway lines opened

 * 1 April – SWA – Kolmanskop to Bogenfels, 74 mi.

Locomotives



 * 1 April – The SAR inherits seven former German Colonial narrow gauge and Cape gauge steam locomotive types in SWA.
 * One narrow gauge Class Ha 0-6-2 tank locomotive, acquired in 1904 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company.
 * Six narrow gauge Class Hb 0-6-2 tank and tank-and-tender locomotives, acquired between 1905 and 1908 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company.
 * Three narrow gauge Class Hd 2-8-2 locomotives, acquired in 1912 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company for use on the line from Swakopmund to Karibib.
 * Two narrow gauge 0-6-2 Jung tank locomotives, introduced on the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in 1904.
 * One pair of narrow gauge 0-6-0 Zwillinge twin tank locomotives, introduced by the Swakopmund-Windhuk Staatsbahn in 1898.
 * Five Cape gauge Eight-Coupled Tank locomotives, introduced by the Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn in 1907.
 * Nine Cape gauge Eight-Coupled Tender locomotives, introduced by the Staatsbahn Lüderitzbucht-Keetmanshoop in 1911.
 * The SAR places six new Class NG5 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotives in service on the narrow gauge Otavi branch in SWA.