1973 in South Africa

← 1972 1971 1970 1973 in South Africa → 1974 1975 1976
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1973 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• State President: Jim Fouché.
• Prime Minister: John Vorster.
• Chief Justice: Newton Ogilvie Thompson.

Events

January

• 8 – Two South African policemen are killed and two injured in an explosion near the Zambezi River in north-western Rhodesia.
• 9 – the first strike of the 1973 Durban strikes occurs

February

• 1 – Venda and Gazankulu are granted self-government.

March

• Steve Biko is banned by the government.

August

• 25 – Harry Schwarz wins the leadership of the United Party in the Transvaal, replacing Marais Steyn.

Unknown date

• The Natal Parks Board starts buying up farms to form the Itala Game Reserve.
• Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest, arrives in South Africa.
• African and Arab states impose an oil embargo on South Africa.

Births

• 22 January – Brandon Silent, football player & coach.
• 13 February – Dino Quattrocecere, figure skater.
• 1 March – Robert Marawa, sports journalist, sports commentator, television presenter and radio host.
• 5 March – Dumisa Ngobe, football player
• 8 March – Jill Brukman, backstroke and medley swimmer.
• 20 March – Nicky Boje, cricketer.
• 15 April – Werner Swanepoel, rugby player.
• 10 May – Ollie Le Roux, rugby player.
• 31 May – Amanda Taylor, synchronized swimmer.
• 16 July – Shaun Pollock, former cricketer & commentator.
• 19 July – Nathalie Boltt, actress.
• 29 July – AJ Venter, rugby player.
• 25 August – Nico Panagio, actor & tv presenter.
• 18 September – Mark Shuttleworth, entrepreneur and space tourist.
• 29 October – Adam Bacher, cricketer.
• 31 October – Cobus Visagie, rugby player.
• 18 November – Michele MacNaughton, field hockey player.
• 27 November – Sharlto Copley, producer, actor, and director.
• 29 November – Raphael Smith, screenwriter and songwriter.
• 16 December – Themba Mnguni, football player.

Deaths

• 21 February – Cecil Kellaway, actor. (b. 1890)

Railways

Class 91-000 (GE UM6B)

Locomotives

Two new Cape gauge and one narrow gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways:

• April – The first of one hundred Class 34-400 General Electric (GE) type U26C diesel-electric locomotives.
• The first of one hundred Class 6E1, Series 4 electric locomotives.
• September–December – Twenty Class 91-000 GE type UM6B narrow gauge diesel-electric locomotives on the Avontuur Railway.