1859 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.
• * Esaias Reynier Snijman.
• President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic: Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.

  Events

• 6 - Esaias Reynier Snijman becomes the acting State President of the Orange Free State.
• 8 - The first railway locomotive in South Africa is brought ashore in Cape Town.

  Births

• 11 January - John Tengo Jabavu, political activist and newspaper editor.
• 1 May - Willem Johannes Leyds, attorney-general of the South African Republic.

  Deaths

Railways

Railway lines

• Construction begins on the Cape Town-Wellington Railway.

  Locomotives

• 8 September - A small 0-4-0 tank steam locomotive is landed in Cape Town, to be used during construction of the first railway in South Africa.