1951 in South Africa explained

The following lists events that happened during 1951 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George VI.
• Governor-General: Ernest George Jansen (starting 1 January).
• Prime Minister: Daniel François Malan.
• Chief Justice: Albert van der Sandt Centlivres.

Events

March

• 30  - The Group Areas Act, passed in 1950, becomes law.

May

• 14  - Cabinet votes for the removal of Coloured people from the voters roll.
• 24  - The first part of the Afrikaans Dictionary Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT) is published, a project which was begun in 1926 by Prof. J.J. Smith of Stellenbosch University.

July

• 29  - Blacks, Coloureds and Indians meet for the first time to discuss a plan of action against race discrimination laws.

August

• 31  - The first Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the plant in Uitenhage.

Unknown date

• Max Theiler, virologist, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing a vaccine for yellow fever, the first South African to receive a Nobel Prize.

Births

• 3 January  - Frank Chikane, civil servant, writer and cleric
• 17 February  - Patricia De Lille, current Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (South Africa) and leader of the political party Good
• 9 March  - Helen Zille, federal council chairperson of the Democratic Alliance (South Africa)
• 26 July  - Pieter Mulder, politician and the former leader of the Freedom Front Plus
• 1 December  - Nozipho Schroeder, lawn bowler^[1]

Deaths

• 6 April  - Robert Broom, the Scottish paleontologist who discovered Mrs Ples. (b. 1866)
• 23 May  - Sefako Makgatho, the 2nd African National Congress president. (b. 1861)
• 14 October  - Herman Charles Bosman, writer and journalist. (b. 1905)
• 5 November  - Reggie Walker, athlete (b. 1889)
• 28 November  - Clements Kadalie, trade unionist. (b. 1896)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 13 June  - Transvaal: Grootvlei to Redan, 39miles.^[2]
• 21 December  - Transvaal: Springs to Welgedag, 5miles.^[2]

Sports

Canoeing

• 22 December  - The first 200 kilometre Dusi Marathon, with four pairs of canoeists taking part, starts on the Umsindusi River which joins the Umgeni River in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Since only Ian Player stays the course and finishes, it is declared that there is no winner.

Rugby

• 8 December  - The Springboks beat Ireland 17–5 in Ireland.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lawn Bowls Athlete Profile: Nozipho SCHROEDER - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games . results.gc2018.com . 13 December 2020.
2. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 191, ref. no. 200954-13