1860 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:
• * Esaias Reynier Snijman.
• * Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.
• President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic:
• * Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.
• * Johannes Hermanus Grobler.
• * Stephanus Schoeman.

  Events

• 8 - Marthinus Wessel Pretorius becomes State President of the Orange Free State.

• 1 - The seat of the South African Republic government is officially transferred from Potchefstroom to Pretoria.
• 4 - The Orange Free State signs a peace treaty with Moshoeshoe I at Wittebergen, near Winburg, ending the first Basuto War.

• 26 - The Natal Railway Company officially opens the first revenue-earning railway line in South Africa, a line from Market Square in Durban to the newly built Point station at Durban Harbour.

• 15 - Johannes Hermanus Grobler becomes acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.
• 17 - The Alfred Dock in Table Bay, Cape Town is officially opened by sixteen-year-old Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria.

• 6 - Stephanus Schoeman unconstitutionally ousts J.H. Grobler as acting President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.

• The first indenture of Indian workers arrive in Natal to work in the sugar industry.
• The first telegraph service in South Africa starts operating between Cape Town and Simonstown.
• The penny post is started in Cape Town.

  Births

• 29 April - John Robinson Royston, soldier and farmer, is born in Durban.

  Deaths

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 26 June - Natal - Durban to Point,.

  Locomotives

• 20 March - The Cape Town Railway and Dock Company takes delivery of eight broad gauge 0-4-2 tender locomotives for service on the Cape Town-Wellington line, which is still under construction.
• 13 May - The Natal Railway Company's first locomotive, the broad gauge engine "Natal", is landed at Durban.