1863 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir Philip Wodehouse.
• Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: John Scott.
• State President of the Orange Free State:
• * Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.
• * Jacobus Johannes Venter.
• President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic: W.C. Janse van Rensburg.

  Events

• 18 - Joseph Allison becomes acting State President of the Orange Free State until 17 June during the absence of M.W. Pretorius.

• 1 - The Cape Town and Green Point Tramway Company commences with the first horse-drawn trams in Cape Town from the foot of Adderley Street and out along Somerset Road to Green Point.

• 17 - M.W. Pretorius resigns as State President of the Orange Free State.
• 20 - Jacobus Johannes Venter becomes acting State President of the Orange Free State.

• 23 - Acting President Willem Cornelis Janse van Rensburg becomes President of the Executive Council of the South African Republic.

• 4 - The Cape Town-Wellington railway is officially inaugurated.

  Births

Deaths

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 4 November - Cape Western - Stellenbosch to Wellington,.