# List of wars involving South Africa

This is a list of wars involving the Union of South Africa and its successor, the Republic of South Africa.
| Conflict | South Africa and allies | Opponents | Results | Prime Minister (1912–94) President (1994–) | Losses |
| World War I (1914–1918 A.D.) | France United Kingdom  Canada  Australia  New Zealand  India  South Africa  Newfoundland Russia Italy United States Serbia Montenegro Belgium Japan China Romania Portugal Brazil Hejaz Greece Armenia Nejd and Hasa Siam | Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Transvaal | Victory End of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires Formation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East Establishment of the League of Nations | Louis Botha | 9,726 dead |
| Maritz Rebellion (1914–1915) | South Africa | South African Republic | Government victory Rebellion suppressed | Louis Botha | 9,726 dead |
| Russian Civil War (1918–1920) | White Movement United Kingdom United States France Japan Italy China Canada Australia India South Africa Czechoslovakia Poland Greece Romania Yugoslavia Estonia | Russian SFSR Far Eastern Republic Latvian SSR Ukrainian SSR Commune of Estonia Mongolian Communists | Defeat (limited involvement) Allied withdrawal from Russia Defeat of the White Movement | Louis Botha | Unknown |
| Rand Rebellion (1921–1922) | South Africa | CPSA | Government victory Rebellion suppressed | Jan Smuts | 153 dead (both sides) |
| Bondelswarts Rebellion (1922) | South Africa South West Africa | Bondelswarts | Government victory Rebellion suppressed | Jan Smuts | 100 dead, 468 wounded (Bondelswarts) |
| World War II (1939–1945) | Soviet Union United States United Kingdom China France Poland Yugoslavia Greece Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg Denmark Norway Czechoslovakia Canada Australia New Zealand India South Africa Philippines Ethiopia Brazil Mexico Mongolia | Germany Japan Italy Romania Hungary Bulgaria Slovakia Croatia Finland Thailand Iraq | Victory Collapse of the German Reich Fall of Japanese and Italian Empires Creation of the United Nations Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers Beginning of the Cold War | Jan Smuts | 6,840 dead 1,841 missing 14,589 prisoners |
| Greek Civil War (1944–1945) | Cairo Government United Kingdom South Africa | ELAS | Victory Treaty of Varkiza | Jan Smuts | None |
| Korean War (1950–1953) | South Korea United States United Kingdom Canada Turkey Australia Ethiopia Philippines New Zealand Thailand Greece France Colombia Belgium South Africa Netherlands Luxembourg | North Korea China Soviet Union | Stalemate The Korean Armistice Agreement North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled UN invasion of North Korea repelled Chinese invasion of South Korea repelled Korean Demilitarized Zone established Little territorial change at the 38th parallel border | D. F. Malan | 34 dead 9 prisoners |
| Rhodesian Bush War (1965–1979) | Rhodesia South Africa | ZANU FRELIMO ZAPU ANC | Stalemate Lancaster House Agreement, internationally recognised independence for the Zimbabwe | B. J. Vorster | Unknown |
| Mozambican Civil War (1979–1985) | RENAMO Zimbabwe Rhodesia South Africa | FRELIMO ANC | Stalemate (limited involvement) Non-aggression pact (Nkomati Accord) | P. W. Botha | Unknown |
| South African Border War (1966–1989) | South Africa Portugal UNITA FNLA | SWAPO SWANU MPLA Cuba ANC Zambia | Stalemate Withdrawal of foreign forces from Angola Namibian independence from South African rule | P. W. Botha | 2,038 dead |
| Natal Civil War (1987–1994) | IFP | ANC | Stalemate Violence subsided following 1994 elections | P. W. Botha | Unknown |
| Operation Boleas (1998) | South Africa Botswana | LDF rebels | Victory Suspected coup d'état in Lesotho quelled | Nelson Mandela | 11 dead |
| Battle of Bangui (2013) | South Africa Central African Republic | Séléka | Disputed François Bozizé successfully escorted to safety,Rebel advance towards South African base repelled | Jacob Zuma | 15 dead |
| M23 Rebellion (2012-2013) | Democratic Republic of the Congo MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade  South Africa  Tanzania  Malawi | March 23 Movement Alleged support:  Uganda Rwanda | Victory M23 disarms and demobilises | Jacob Zuma | None |
| ADF Insurgency (2014–present) | DR Congo Uganda South Africa Tanzania Malawi | ADF | Ongoing UNF Intervention Brigade intervention from 2014 | Jacob Zuma | 1 dead |
| Insurgency in Cabo Delgado (2017–present) | SADC South Africa Mozambique Tanzania Angola Botswana Rwanda Malawi Lesotho | Ansar al-Sunna Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | Ongoing involvement of South African Special forces from July 2021 | Cyril Ramaphosa | 1 |