1971 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1971 in South Africa.

Incumbents

 * State President: Jim Fouché.
 * Prime Minister: John Vorster.
 * Chief Justice: Lucas Cornelius Steyn then Newton Ogilvie Thompson.

Events

 * February
 * 27 – The oil tanker Wafra grounds near Cape Agulhas, causing considerable environmental damage.


 * March
 * 10 – Two Buccaneer aircraft of 24 Squadron SAAF, prescribed to by Headquarters, attempt to sink SS Wafra with AS-30 missiles but succeeds only in starting a fire.
 * 12 – A Shackleton aircraft of 35 Squadron SAAF, not prescribed to by Headquarters, sinks SS Wafra in 6000 ft of water using depth charges.


 * Unknown date
 * St Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland are listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR).
 * The International Court of Justice gives an advisory opinion supporting the view of the United Nations for South Africa to relinquish control of South West Africa.
 * Kamuzu Banda, president of Malawi, is the first Black President to visit South Africa.

Births

 * 20 February – Joost van der Westhuizen, rugby scrum-half (d. 2017)
 * 3 March – Jet Novuka, actor
 * 15 March – Naka Drotské, rugby player
 * 8 April – Fikile Mbalula, national minister
 * 22 April – Jannie de Beer, rugby player
 * 13 May – Fana Mokoena, actor
 * 28 June – Elon Musk, South African-born Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, inventor and investor
 * 21 July – Robby Brink, rugby player
 * 30 July – Mzukisi Sikali, triple world champion boxer (d. 2005)
 * 4 September – Lance Klusener, cricket player
 * 15 September – Wayne Ferreira, tennis player
 * 28 September – Braam van Straaten, rugby player
 * 8 October – Krynauw Otto, rugby player
 * 22 October – Amanda Coetzer, tennis player
 * 26 October – Brendan Augustine, soccer player
 * 12 November – Gert Thys, long-distance runner
 * 14 November – Nick Boraine, actor
 * 29 November – Esme Kruger, lawn bowler
 * 3 December – Pieter Rossouw, rugby player
 * 17 December – Alan Khan, media and radio personality

Deaths

 * 27 October – Ahmed Timol, activist and political leader. (b. 1941)

Locomotives
Four new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways:
 * July – The first of 125 Class 34-000 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives.
 * October – The first of fifty Class 34-200 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives.
 * Fifty Class 6E1, Series 2 electric locomotives.
 * The first of one hundred and fifty Class 6E1, Series 3 locomotives.