1982 in South Africa

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Events

January

• 7 January - A bomb damages the office of the West Rand Administration Board in Soweto
  Soweto
  
  Soweto is an urban area in Regions of Johannesburg, in Gauteng, South Africa. Its name is an English language Abbreviation#Syllabic_abbreviation, short for South Western Township....
  
• 8 January - Umkhonto we Sizwe
  Umkhonto we Sizwe
  
  Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the active military wing of the African National Congress in cooperation with the South African Communist Party in their fight against the South African apartheid government....
   guerrillas
  Guerrilla warfare
  
  Guerrilla warfare is the Irregular warfare warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile Military tactics to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
   attack Koeberg nuclear power plant in Cape Town
  Cape Town
  
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
  
• 11 January - The United Nations
  United Nations
  
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
   Special Committee against Apartheid launches the International Year of Mobilisation for Sanctions against South Africa

February

• South Africa and Swaziland
  Swaziland
  
  The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique....
   sign a non-aggression pact

• 15 February - Four COSAS-Members were bombed by the Security Branch under orders of Brigadier Schoon at nearby mine dumb outside Kagiso. Three died and one was injured.
• 18 February - The South African Navy
  South African Navy
  
  The South African Navy is the navy of South Africa....
   frigate SAS President Kruger sinks with the loss of 16 lives after colliding with SAS Tafelberg
  SAS Tafelberg
  
  SAS Tafelberg was replishment ship of the South African Navy. The ship started life as the Danish tanker Annam before undergoing various conversions into her final configuration....
  .

March

• 6 March - Frederik Willem de Klerk
  Frederik Willem de Klerk
  
  Frederik Willem de Klerk was the last State President of History of South Africa in the apartheid era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994....
   replaces AP Treurnicht as leader of the National Party
  National Party (South Africa)
  
  The National Party was the governing party of South Africa from June 4, 1948 until May 9, 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture....
   in the Transvaal
  Transvaal
  
  File:Flag of Transvaal.svgFile:Transvaal map.pngFile:Spelterini Transvaal.jpgThe Transvaal is the name of an area of northern South Africa....
  
• 14 March - A bomb explodes at the African National Congress
  African National Congress
  
  The African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in May 1994....
  ' headquarters in London, UK. General Johann Coetzee and seven other policemen (Craig Williamson, John McPherson, Roger Raven, Wybrand du Toit, John Adam, James Taylor and Eugene de Kock
  Eugene de Kock
  
  Eugene de Kock is a former assassin for the History of South Africa in the Apartheid era in South Africa. Dubbed "Prime Evil" by the media, he was the commander of the Vlakplaas unit of the South African Police counter insurgency group, well known for killing dozens of anti-apartheid activists....
  ) later claimed responsibility in retailation to the 11 August 1981 attack on the military base at Voortrekkerhoogte outside Pretoria
  Pretoria
  
  Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three Capital , serving as the Executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislature capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital....
   in which two British citizens, Nicholas Heath and Bonnie Lou Muller, were involved
• 20 March - A bomb explodes at the Langa Commissioners Court

April

• 30 April - The President of South Africa
  President of South Africa
  
  The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution of South Africa. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President of South Africa....
  , Pieter Willem Botha
  Pieter Willem Botha
  
  Pieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the Prime Minister of South Africa of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive State President of South Africa from 1984 to 1989....
   and President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda
  Kenneth Kaunda
  
  File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F031748-0006, Frankfurt-Main, Kenneth Kaunda bei Hoechst.jpgKenneth David Kaunda, commonly known as KK served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991....
   met on the Botswana
  Botswana
  
  The Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland Protectorate, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth of Nations on 30 September 1966....
   border to discuss the political situation in South West Africa
  South West Africa
  
  South-West Africa was the name of what is today the Republic of Namibia....
   and South Africa

May

• 12 May - Another bomb damages the office of the West Rand Administration Board in Soweto for the second time
• 21 May - Bomb explodes at the offices of Department of Coloured Affairs in Pinetown near Durban
  Durban
  
  Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
  
• 28 May - A fuel depot and power transformer in Hectorspruit
  Hectorspruit
  
  Hectorspruit is a small farming town situated between Kaapmuiden and Komatipoort on a southern tributary of the Crocodile River in Mpumalanga, South Africa....
   is damaged by a limpet mine

June

• 3 June - A bomb damages the railway near Dube in Soweto
• 4 June - One person is killed when a bomb explodes in a lift (elevator) at the offices of Presidents Council in Cape Town
  Cape Town
  
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
  
• 28 June - The railway depot at Vryheid is damaged in explosion

- In Scheepersnek, two bombs cause extensive damage to railway depot, pump station, stores, vehicles

- The Durban

Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
-Witwatersrand

Witwatersrand

The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700-1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa....
 oil

Oil

An oil is a chemical substance that is in a viscosity liquid state at room temperature or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic and lipophilic ....
 pipeline is damaged by a bomb

July

• July - In Port Elizabeth the Police Station Commanders office and New Law Courts are damaged in an attack

August

• 28 August - The Umvoti Mounted Rifles Army Camp in Red Hill, Durban
  Durban
  
  Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
   is attacked

September

• 24 September - Umkhonto we Sizwe
  Umkhonto we Sizwe
  
  Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the active military wing of the African National Congress in cooperation with the South African Communist Party in their fight against the South African apartheid government....
   place explosives on a railway bridge near Upington but they don't go off
• Two terrorists are killed by police in Boksburg

October

• 26 October - Three bombs explode at the Drakensberg
  Drakensberg
  
  The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu language, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti ....
   Administration offices in Pietermaritzburg
  Pietermaritzburg
  
  Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was founded in 1838. Popularly called Maritzburg, and abbreviated PMB, it is home to a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is a major producer of aluminium as well as timber and dairy products....
  
• A special branch policeman and a terrorist or freedom fighter are killed in a skirmish in KwaZulu-Natal
  KwaZulu-Natal
  
  KwaZulu-Natal , often referred to as "KZN", is a Provinces of South Africa of South Africa. Prior to 1994 the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the Natal Province and all pieces of territory that made up the homeland of KwaZulu....
  

November

• 8 November - A bomb causes severe damage at Mobil
  Mobil
  
  Mobil was a major United States Petroleum company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company....
   fuel storage depot in Mkuze
• 20-21 November - Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres use RPG-7
  RPG-7
  
  The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, Shoulder-launched missile weapon, anti-tank rocket propelled grenade weapon. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company....
  s to attack a rural Police station and temporary South African Army
  South African Army
  
  The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by popular militias and small irregular military commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaner historical distrust of large standing armies....
   garrison at Tonga
  Tonga
  
  The Kingdom of Tonga in the south Pacific Ocean comprises an archipelago of 171 islands, 48 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres in a north-south line....
  

December

• One person is killed and 70 injured in a bomb blast at the Southern Free State Administration Board in Bloemfontein
  Bloemfontein
  
  Bloemfontein The city is situated on dry grassland at , at an altitude of 1,395 metres above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455....
  
• 9 December - The South African Defence Force
  South African Defence Force
  
  The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957....
   stage a pre-dawn raid on houses inhabited by the banned African National Congress
  African National Congress
  
  The African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in May 1994....
   in Maseru
  Maseru
  
  Maseru is the Capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Mohokare River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 ....
  , Lesotho
  Lesotho
  
  Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave ? entirely surrounded by the South Africa. Formerly Basutoland, it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations....
  
• 18-19 December - Four explosions cause massive damage at the Koeberg nuclear power station just north of Cape Town
  Cape Town
  
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
  
• 31 December - A boxing day bomb damages the Johannesburg
  Johannesburg
  
  Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
   Magistrates court (200 m from John Vorster Square)

Unknown date

• Bulelani Ngcuka
  Bulelani Ngcuka
  
  Bulelani T Ngcuka was the first national Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka....
   is jailed for three years for refusing to give evidence in the political trial of Patrick Maqubele and others
• South African Defence Force
  South African Defence Force
  
  The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957....
  's Operation Super
  Operation Super
  
  Operation Super was a military confrontation during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War in March 1982 to prevent SWAPO guerrillas infiltrating into South West Africa through the Kaokoveld from a location near the abandoned Portuguese town of Iona in the Angolan province of Namibe....
  

Sport

Athletics

• 16 October – Gabashane Rakabaele wins his third national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:36 in Durban
  Durban
  
  Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
  .

Motorsport

• 23 January – The South African Grand Prix
  1982 South African Grand Prix
  
  Results from the 1982 Formula One South African Grand Prix held at Kyalami on January 23, 1982....
   is held at Kyalami
  Kyalami
  
  Kyalami is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix motor racing and Formula One races and has hosted the South African Grand Prix many times....
  

Births

Deaths

• 5 February - Neil Aggett
  Neil Aggett
  
  Neil Aggett , was a South African trade union leader and labour activist either murdered by the Apartheid regime's 'security forces', or driven to suicide by torture....
  , trade union leader and labour activist, dies in police detention
• 29 March - Henry Selby Msimang, journalist
  Journalist
  
  A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that aren't biased....
   and political activist dies in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg
  Pietermaritzburg
  
  Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was founded in 1838. Popularly called Maritzburg, and abbreviated PMB, it is home to a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is a major producer of aluminium as well as timber and dairy products....
   at the age of 95
• 4 June - P. Nyaose, senior African National Congress
  African National Congress
  
  The African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in May 1994....
   member, and his wife, are killed by a car bomb in Swaziland
  Swaziland
  
  The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south, and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique....
  
• November - Policeman W/O P. Selepe, who gave evidence in many trials is killed in Mamelodi