# 1979 in South Africa

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The following lists events that happened during 1979 in South Africa.

## Incumbents

* State President:
** John Vorster (until 4 June).
** Marais Viljoen (acting from 4 June, elected from 19 June).
* Prime Minister: P.W. Botha.
* Chief Justice: Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff.

## Events
### January

* 8 – South Africa and Lesotho sign a monetary agreement.
* 14 – Police clash with Umkhonto we Sizwe guerrillas near Zeerust and arrest one while six escape into Botswana.
* 23 – A bomb explodes near the New Canada railway station in Soweto.
* 24 – A large amount of explosives is found and defused on the railway line between Fort Beaufort and King William's Town.

### February

* Sergeant Benjamin Letlako, a Police Special Branch member, is shot dead in Katlehong.

### April

* Explosives are discovered and defused on a railway line near Soweto.

### May

* 5 – Guerrillas open fire in the Moroka Police Station, killing one and wounding three more policemen and three civilians.
* 29 – Bishop Abel Muzorewa becomes the transitional Prime Minister of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

### June

* 4 – Following the Information Scandal, John Vorster resigns as State President of South Africa.
* 4 – Marais Viljoen becomes acting State President of South Africa for the second time.
* 19 – Marais Viljoen becomes State President of South Africa.
* Explosives are discovered and defused on a railway line in the Eastern Transvaal.

### September

* 22 – A Vela satellite detects a flash in the southern Atlantic Ocean, believed to be a South African-Israeli nuclear test.

### November

* Guerrillas open fire and hurl grenades in the Orlando Police Station charge office, killing two policemen and wounding two.
* Grenades are thrown into the home of Special Branch policeman Lt Magezi Ngobeni and five children are wounded.

### December

* A bomb explodes and damages the railway line near Alice.
* A bomb explodes at the Sasol Oil Refineries and cause massive structural damage.

### Unknown date

* The National Council of Lawyers for Human Rights is established.
* The African National Congress's Special Operations, reporting directly to Oliver Tambo, is established.
* The African National Congress' Nova Catengue Training Camp is attacked and destroyed by the South African Air Force.

## Births

* 8 January – Butch James, rugby player
* 10 January – Louise Carver, singer-songwriter, pianist
* 29 January – Mfuneko Ngam, cricketer
* 5 February – Steve Lekoelea, soccer player
* 14 February – Wesley Moodie, tennis player
* 23 February – Jaco van Zyl, golfer
* 25 February – Wikus van Heerden, rugby player
* 18 March – Bonnie Mbuli, actress
* 25 March – Kgomotso Christopher, actress and voice over artist best known for her time in Isidingo as Katlego Sibeko
* 6 April – Manaka Ranaka, actress
* 9 April – Ryan Cox, professional road racing cyclist. (d. 2007)
* 3 June – Deon Carstens, rugby player
* 23 June – Marilyn Agliotti, field hockey player
* 6 July – Zandile Msutwana, actress
* 10 July – Marius Joubert, rugby player
* 4 August – Robin Peterson, cricketer
* 12 September – Gcobani Bobo, rugby player
* 17 September – Neill Blomkamp, film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator.
* 22 September – Bakkies Botha, rugby player
* 9 October – Hendrik Odendaal, swimmer
* 11 October – Zonke, singer
* 21 November – Jason Hartman, singer-songwriter
* 16 December – Trevor Immelman, golfer
* 24 December – DJ Cleo, recording artist, DJ and record producer
* 28 December – Elvis Blue, singer, musician

## Deaths

* 6 April – Solomon Mahlangu, Umkhonto we Sizwe operative hanged (b. 1956)
* 12 June – David Sibeko, Pan Africanist Congress representative to the United Nations. (b. 1938)
* 8 August – Lionel Cooper, mathematician. (b. 1915)
* 10 November – Harry Hart, athlete. (b. 1905)

## Railways
### Locomotives

* The South African Railways places the first of 105 Class 6E1, Series 8 electric locomotives in mainline service.

## Sports
### Motorsport

* 3 March – The South African Grand Prix takes place at Kyalami.
* Jody Scheckter becomes Formula One World Champion.