1857 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir George Grey.
• Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
• State President of the Orange Free State: Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff.
• President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic: Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.

  Events

• 6 - Marthinus Wessel Pretorius becomes the first President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.

• 29 - Act no. 10 of 29 June 1857 grants the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company approval to construct a railway between Cape Town and Wellington.

• Robert Moffat completes Old Testament Bible translation into Setswana.
• About 157 Irish women arrive on the ship Lady Kennaway and settle in British Kaffraria.
• The first Legislative Council is selected in the Natal Colony.
• The Union Steam Ship Company wins the first mail contract for regular mail service between Great Britain and South Africa.
• The Cape Point Lighthouse at Cape Point is built.
• Building of the Roman Rock Lighthouse at the entrance to Simon's Town starts and only completed in 1861.

  Births

• 2 October - Martinus Theunis Steyn, lawyer, politician and statesman, last president of the independent Orange Free State.

  Deaths

• 15 December - Anna Maria Truter, Cape Colony botanical artist and wife of Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet.