1912 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George V.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: The Viscount Gladstone.
• Prime Minister: Louis Botha.
• Chief Justice: John de Villiers, 1st Baron de Villiers

  Events

• 1 - The South African Railways implements the reclassification and renumbering of the rolling stock of its three constituent Colonial railways, the Cape Government Railways, the Natal Government Railways and the Central South African Railways.
• 4 - The outbreak of smallpox is reported in the Malay Location, Johannesburg.
• 8 - The South African Native National Congress is formed in Bloemfontein and John Langalibalele Dube becomes the first president.
• 16 - Cases of smallpox are discovered in Durban.

• 15 - The Mkuze Game Reserve is proclaimed a protected area.

• The shield of the coat of arms on the Red Ensign used in South Africa is redesigned to include a white roundel.
• The town of Hobhouse is established and named after Emily Hobhouse.

  Births

• 12 March - John Fairbairn, naval officer,
• 18 May - Walter Sisulu, anti-apartheid activist.

  Deaths

• 21 May - Julius Wernher, financier and mine magnate.

  Railways

Railway lines opened

• 7 February - Free State - Jammerdrif to Wepener,.
• 15 April - Transvaal - Buhrmannsdrif to Ottoshoop,.
• 1 May - Free State - Firham to Vrede,.
• 20 May - Cape - Wolseley to Ceres,.
• 1 August - Cape - Malenge to Franklin,.
• 4 November - Transvaal - Zeerust to Ottoshoop,.
• 9 November - Transvaal - Newington to Tzaneen,.
• 2 December - Cape - Schoombee to Hofmeyr,.
• 2 December - Cape - Ottery to Dieprivier,.
• 16 December - Cape - Bergrivier to Vredenburg,.
• 20 December - Cape - Melk to Motkop,.

  Locomotives

• January - A single Class ME 2-6-6-2 simple expansion Mallet articulated locomotive.
• Ten Class MC 2-6-6-0 Mallet articulated compound steam locomotives.
• Ten Class 3B 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives that had been ordered by the Natal Government Railways the year before.
• Four "Enlarged Karoo Class" 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger locomotives that had been ordered by the Cape Government Railways in 1911, designated Class 5.
• April - The first eight of forty-six Class 12 4-8-2 Mountain type goods locomotives.

  Sports

Rugby

• 30 November - The South African Springboks beat Ireland 38–0 in Ireland.