1916 in South Africa

	1916 in South Africa
1913 1914 1915 « 1916 » 1917 1918 1919
List of years in South Africa

Events

July

• 15–19 – During the Battle of Delville Wood 766 men from the South African Brigade are killed in South Africa's biggest loss in World War I.

Births

• 12 January – Pieter Willem Botha, prime minister and state president of South Africa, is born on the farm Telegraaf in Paul Roux district, Orange Free State.
• 28 March – Abraham Manie Adelstein, United Kingdom's Chief Medical Statistician.

Deaths

• 5 June – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener drowns when the HMS Hampshire sinks after being hit by a German mine near the Orkney Islands. Fritz Joubert Duquesne, a confirmed Boer and German spy, claims to have sabotaged the HMS Hampshire and becomes known as The man who killed Kitchener, also the title of a book by Clement Wood.
• 28 November – Martinus Theunis Steyn, last State President of the Orange Free State, dies at 59 at Bloemfontein while addressing a meeting.

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 18 February – Transvaal – Morgenzon to Amersfoort, 27 miles 72 chains (44.9 kilometres).^[1]
• 25 May – Natal – Boughton to Cedara deviation, 11 miles 65 chains (19.0 kilometres).^[1]
• 5 June – Transvaal – Volksrust to Amersfoort, 50 miles 37 chains (81.2 kilometres).^[1]
• 30 June – Free State – Aliwal North (Cape) to Zastron, 55 miles 33 chains (89.2 kilometres).^[1]
• 31 July – Free State – Vierfontein to Bothaville, 23 miles 6 chains (37.1 kilometres).^[1]
• 18 September – Cape – Idutywa to Umtata, 71 miles 13 chains (114.5 kilometres).^[1]
• 2 October – Cape – Williston to Kootjieskolk, 38 miles 57 chains (62.3 kilometres).^[1]
• 18 October – Transvaal – Delareyville to Pudimoe (Cape), 79 miles 2 chains (127.2 kilometres).^[1]
• November – Cape – Ascot to Tygerberg, 1 mile (1.6 kilometres).^[1]
• 24 November – Natal – Donnybrook to Underberg, 38 miles 69 chains (62.5 kilometres).^[1]

Locomotives

• The South African Railways places six Class NG10 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives in service on the Langkloof narrow gauge line.^[2]

References

1. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 188, ref. no. 200954-13
2. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 104–105. ISBN 0869772112.