1973 in South Africa
Encyclopedia
January
- 8 January - Two South African policemen are killed and two injured in an explosion near the Zambezi River in north-western RhodesiaRhodesiaRhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now called ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
)
February
- 1 February - The Bantustans, VendaVendaVenda was a bantustan in northern South Africa, now part of Limpopo province. It was founded as a homeland for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. It bordered modern Zimbabwe and South Africa, and is now part of Limpopo in South Africa....
and GazankuluGazankuluGazankulu was a bantustan in South Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a semi-independent homeland for the Tsonga people. It was carved out of the former Transvaal Province and given self-rule in 1971, with its capital at Giyani. When Apartheid was abolished in 1994, the population...
are granted self-government
August
- 25 August - Harry SchwarzHarry SchwarzHarry Heinz Schwarz was a South African lawyer, statesman and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid, who eventually served as the South African ambassador to the United States during the country’s transition to representative democracy.Schwarz rose from the childhood poverty he...
, leader of the liberal "Young Turks", wins the leadership of the United PartyUnited PartyUnited Party is a term used various political parties:* United Party of Canada* United Party * United States United Party* United Party of National Development, Zambia* United Party * United Party * United Party...
in the TransvaalTransvaal ProvinceTransvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, replacing its long time leader Marais Steyn.
Unknown date
- The Natal Parks Board started buying up farms to form the Itala Game ReserveItala Game ReserveIthala Game Reserve, 290 km2 of rugged, mountainous thornveld in northern KwaZulu-Natal, about 400 km north of Durban. It is one of the youngest game parks in South Africa...
- Warmbad (now called Bela BelaBela Bela' is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Deriving its name from the geothermic hot springs around which the town was built, it is widely known by the name Warmbaths, officially changed to the current name in 2002. Likewise, the Afrikaans name for the town was Warmbad before the name...
) is established at the hot springs north of PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is... - Michael LapsleyMichael LapsleyMichael Lapsley, known as Fr Michael, is a South African Anglican priest and social justice activist. He was born in New Zealand on 2 June 1949, and ordained to the priesthood in Australia, where he also joined the religious order the Society of the Sacred Mission.In 1973 he arrived in Durban,...
, an Anglican priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
arrives in South Africa - African and Arab states impose an oil embargo on South Africa
Births
- March 8 — Jill BrukmanJill BrukmanJill Brukman is a former backstroke and medley swimmer from South Africa. She competed for her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, swimming a total number of four events. Brukman didn't reach the final in any of those starts.-References:*...
, backstroke and medley swimmer - November 18 — Michele MacNaughtonMichele MacNaughtonMichele MacNaughton is a retired female field hockey player from South Africa, who represented her native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. There she was a member of the women's national team that finished in tenth place.-References:*...
, field hockey player