1989 in South Africa

← 1988 1987 1986 1989 in South Africa → 1990 1991 1992
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1989 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• State President:
  • P.W. Botha (until 15 August).^[1]
  • F.W. de Klerk (acting from 15 August, incumbent from 20 September).^[1]
• Chief Justice: Pieter Jacobus Rabie.

Events

January

• 8 – The African National Congress announces that it will start dismantling its guerrilla camps in Angola in support of the peace process.
• 18 – State President P.W. Botha has a mild stroke.
• 19 – Chris Heunis, Minister of Constitutional Development and Planning, is appointed Acting State President.
• An Eskom sub-station in Glenwood, Durban is damaged by an explosion and police later defuses a second bomb found nearby.
• An explosion occurs at the home in Benoni of the chair of the Ministers Council in the House of Delegates.
• An explosion occurs at an aircraft factory in Ciskei.
• Two municipal police members are killed in a grenade attack on Katlehong's Municipal Police Station.

February

• 2 – An ailing State President Pieter Willem Botha steps down from the leadership of the National Party, but remains state president.
• Trevor Manuel is released from detention under stringent restriction orders.
• An explosion at a municipal police barracks in Soweto injures four policemen.
• An explosion next to a police parade in Katlehong kills a municipal constable and injures nine others.
• A limpet mine explodes at the home of the commander of the Katlehong Police Station, Col. D. Dlamini.

March

• 15–21 – A conference of African National Congress chief representatives and regional treasurers takes place in Gran, Norway.
• An explosion occurs outside the Natal Command HQ on Durban's beachfront.

April

• 2 – SWAPO violates the border war cease-fire by invading South West Africa from Angola and nearly 300 are killed.

May

• 5 – Three South African Embassy staff are ordered to leave Britain within 7 days because of the attempted smuggling of a Blowpipe missile.
• The South African Air Force's Klippan Radar Station in the Western Transvaal comes under mortar attack^[2].

June

• Four bystanders are injured when a limpet mine explodes under a police vehicle in Duduza.
• A limpet mine explodes under a vehicle parked outside a policeman's home in Tsakane.
• A grenade is thrown at a police patrol in Tsakane.
• A limpet mine explodes in a rubbish bin outside the home of a policeman in Soweto.
• A bomb shatters the windows of KwaThema Police station's dining hall.
• A limpet mine explodes at the Police single quarters in Ratanda.
• A limpet mine explodes at the home of Boetie Abramjee, a National Party MP.

July

• 5 – State President P.W. Botha and Nelson Mandela, in prison at the time, meet for the first time.
• 23 – A explosive device planted at Athlone Magistrate's Court and police complex detonates prematurely, killing two African National Congress members.^[3]

August

• 15 – P.W. Botha resigns and F.W. de Klerk succeeds him as acting State President.^[1]
• A grenade is thrown into a Labour Party polling station in Bishop Lavis.
• The Brixton Flying Squad HQ is attacked with hand grenades and AK-47s.
• Lt-Col. Frank Zwane, a former liaison officer for the police, and his two sons are injured in a grenade attack in Soweto.
• An explosion occurs at the Athlone Police Station.

September

• 2 – "Purple Rain Protest" rioters in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town are sprayed with a purple dye. The resulting graffiti, "The purple shall govern" graces the pages of newspapers worldwide.
• 20 – F.W. de Klerk becomes the 9th State President of South Africa.^[1]
• A police patrol is ambushed by cadres (terrorists) in Katlehong.
• A mini-limpet mine explodes outside the Mamelodi Police station.
• Parliamentary elections are held and the National Party wins again.
• 100,000 people attend a peace march called by Cape Town city mayor Gordon Oliver in conjunction with religious leaders.

October

• A bomb explodes outside the BP centre in Cape Town and another at Woodstock minutes later.^[4]

November

• 27 – The Hex River Tunnels system is officially opened. The system's longest tunnel at 13.5 kilometres (8.4 miles) long is the longest railway tunnel in Africa.^[5][6]

Unknown date

• The Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves are joined through the Corridor Reserve as the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve.
• The government starts dismantling its six nuclear fission devices.

Births

• 15 January – Kylie Louw, footballer
• 21 January – Brady Barends, cricketer
• 10 February – Simon Harmer, cricketer
• 9 March – Carina Horn, sprinter
• 24 March – Jennifer Fry, badminton player
• 4 April – Dane Paterson, cricketer
• 13 April – Gerhard van den Heever, rugby union player
• 28 April – Alistair Vermaak, rugby union player
• 11 May – Ashleigh Buhai, golfer
• 14 May – Melinda Bam, beauty pageant contestant and model
• 2 June – Dean Burmester, golfer
• 10 June – David Miller, cricketer
• 25 July – Victor Hogan, discus thrower
• 26 July – Ross Cronjé, rugby union player
• 30 July – Wayne Parnell, cricketer
• 2 August – Vanes-Mari Du Toit, netball player
• 5 August – Darren Keet, footballer
• 13 September – Jurgen Visser, rugby union player
• 4 October – Madoda Yako, rugby union player
• 25 October – Lejeanne Marais, figure skater
• 6 November – Cheriese Taylor, road cyclist
• 25 December – Pat O'Brien, rugby union player

Deaths

• 1 May – David Webster, academic and activist. (b. 1944)
• 22 May – Steven De Groote, classical pianist. (b. 1953)
• 12 September – Anton Lubowski, advocate and secretary-general of SWAPO. (b. 1952)

Railways

Class NG G16A

Sports

References