1936 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1936 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: King George V (until 20 January), King Edward VIII (starting 20 January).
 * Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Earl of Clarendon.
 * Prime Minister: James Barry Munnik Hertzog.
 * Chief Justice: John Wessels then John Stephen Curlewis.

Events

 * February
 * Trolleybuses (trackless trams) begin to operate in Cape Town.


 * April
 * 7 – The Representation of Natives Act no 16 of 1936 is passed, the first of a series of laws to diminish the voting rights of non-Whites in the Cape Province.


 * July
 * 2 – Die Vaderland, the first Afrikaans daily newspaper in Transvaal, begins publishing in Johannesburg.


 * September
 * 15 – The Empire Exhibition, South Africa opens in Johannesburg.


 * Unknown date
 * The Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town is proclaimed a National Monument.

Births

 * 22 January – Clive Derby-Lewis, politician, played a role in the assassination of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani (d. 2016)
 * 18 March – F. W. de Klerk, 10th State President of South Africa (1989–1994).
 * 11 April – Mac Maharaj, Apartheid Activist
 * 20 June – Dick Lord, South African Air Force and Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot. (d. 2011)
 * 21 June – Lionel Davis, artist, in Cape Town.
 * 26 September – Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Apartheid Activist South Africa (d. 2018)
 * 22 October – Neville Alexander in Cradock. (d. 2012)

Deaths

 * 2 July – Lionel Phillips, mining magnate, chairman of the South African Chamber of Mines and politician, at Vergelegen, Somerset West. (b. 1855)

Railway lines opened

 * 1 May – Natal – Point to Congella, 1 mi.
 * 15 June – Cape – Palingpan to Manganore, 3 mi.
 * 30 June – Cape – Postmasburg to Lohatla, 23 mi.

Locomotives

 * The South African Railways builds the first two of 24 Class ES centre-cab electric shunting locomotives in its Pietermaritzburg shops, based on the Class 1E mainline electric locomotive.