1938 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George VI.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir Patrick Duncan
• Prime Minister: James Barry Munnik Hertzog.
• Chief Justice: John Stephen Curlewis then James Stratford.

  Events

• 1 - The South African Press Association is established with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.

• 16 - The cornerstone of the Voortrekker Monument is laid.
• 23 - A coelacanth, a fish thought to have gone extinct prehistorically, is caught off the east coast near Chalumna River mouth.

• A contract is awarded to the Hollandse Anneming Maatschappij Eiendoms Beperk to construct a new Table Bay harbour in Cape Town by reclaiming ground on the Foreshore and building new and deeper docks.

  Births

• 17 January - Percy Qoboza, journalist, author and critic of the Nationalist government, in Sophiatown.
• 5 June - David Nthubu Koloane, artist, in Alexandra.
• 4 July - Cyril Mitchley, South African cricketer, umpire and match referee.
• 4 July - Ernie Pieterse, South African racing driver.
• 12 November - Steve Tshwete, activist and politician, in Springs.
• 18 November - Zanele Dlamini Mbeki, former First Lady of South Africa as the wife of former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, founder of Women's Development Bank

  Deaths

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 6 November - Transvaal - Midway to Bank,.

  Locomotives

• Three new locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways :
• * The first of the Class 15F 4-8-2 Mountain type, at 255 the most numerous steam locomotive class on the South African Railways.
• * One hundred and thirty-six Class 23 locomotives enter service, the last and the largest 4-8-2 Mountain type locomotive to be designed by the SAR.
• * The first of sixteen Class GM 4-8-2+2-8-4 Double Mountain type Garratt articulated steam locomotives.