1985 in South Africa

• Three guerrillas and a policeman are killed in a skirmish near Nongoma
• 31 January - 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 from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.Botha was a long-time leader of South Africa's National Party and a staunch advocate of the apartheid system...
  
  , State President of South Africa
  State President of South Africa
  State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
  
   offers a release proposal to jailed 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 April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
  
   leader Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  
  • Dr Gerrit Viljoen
    Gerrit Viljoen
    Gerrit Van Niekerk Viljoen was a South African government minister and member of the National Party....
    
    , Minister of Cooperation and Development announces that the forced removal of Blacks will be suspended

• 9 February - Explosion damages the Old Defence Force offices in Marshall Street, Johannesburg
• 10 February - Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  , 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 April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
  
   leader, rejects 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 from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.Botha was a long-time leader of South Africa's National Party and a staunch advocate of the apartheid system...
  
  's offer of conditional release

• A Limpet mine
  Limpet mine
  A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
  
   destroys a police vehicle in Mamelodi
• Two guerrillas are killed and one captured in the Eastern Transvaal
  Transvaal
  The Transvaal is the name of an area of northern South Africa. Originally the bulk of the independent Boer South African Republic, after the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 it became the Transvaal Colony, and one of the founding provinces of the Union of South Africa, with its regional capital in...
  
  
• A grenade attack on unnamed special branch policeman's home in Tembisa
  Tembisa
  Tembisa is a large township situated to the north of Kempton Park on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1957 when Africans were resettled from Alexandra and other areas in Edenvale, Kempton Park, Midrand and Germiston....
  
  
• 21 March - Seventeen people are killed when police open fire at the twenty-fifth commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre
  Sharpeville massacre
  The Sharpeville Massacre, also known as the Sharpeville shootings, occurred on March 21, 1960, when South African police began shooting on a crowd of black protesters. The confrontation occurred in the township of Sharpeville, in what is now Gauteng province.- Preceding events :Since the 1920s,...
  
   demonstration marches in Langa, Port Elizabeth
• 22 March - Two guerrillas are killed in Bosbokrand
  Bosbokrand
  Bosbokrand is a town situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The name, which means Bushbuck ridge, was given because of the large herds of antelope that were found there in the 1880s. The town grew around a trading store which opened in 1884...
  
  
• 27 March - Over 200 people are arrested for marching through Cape Town
  Cape Town
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
  
   to Pollsmoor Prison protesting for the release of Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  , including two clerics, Beyers Naudé
  Beyers Naudé
  Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé was a South African cleric, theologian and the leading Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist...
  
   and Allan Boesak
  Allan Boesak
  Reverend Allan Aubrey Boesak is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric and was a politician and anti-apartheid activist...
  
   who led the march

• 30 April - The Rand Daily Mail, a leading anti-apartheid newspaper
  Newspaper
  A newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
  
  , ceases publication

• 2 May - An explosion rocks the building housing the gold
  Gold
  Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
  
   mining companies of Anglo American and Anglovaal in Johannesburg
  Johannesburg
  Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
  
   and cause R170,000 worth of structural damage.

January

• Three guerrillas and a policeman are killed in a skirmish near Nongoma
• 31 January - 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 from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.Botha was a long-time leader of South Africa's National Party and a staunch advocate of the apartheid system...
  
  , State President of South Africa
  State President of South Africa
  State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
  
   offers a release proposal to jailed 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 April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
  
   leader Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  
  • Dr Gerrit Viljoen
    Gerrit Viljoen
    Gerrit Van Niekerk Viljoen was a South African government minister and member of the National Party....
    
    , Minister of Cooperation and Development announces that the forced removal of Blacks will be suspended

February

• 9 February - Explosion damages the Old Defence Force offices in Marshall Street, Johannesburg
• 10 February - Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  , 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 April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
  
   leader, rejects 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 from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.Botha was a long-time leader of South Africa's National Party and a staunch advocate of the apartheid system...
  
  's offer of conditional release

March

• A Limpet mine
  Limpet mine
  A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
  
   destroys a police vehicle in Mamelodi
• Two guerrillas are killed and one captured in the Eastern Transvaal
  Transvaal
  The Transvaal is the name of an area of northern South Africa. Originally the bulk of the independent Boer South African Republic, after the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 it became the Transvaal Colony, and one of the founding provinces of the Union of South Africa, with its regional capital in...
  
  
• A grenade attack on unnamed special branch policeman's home in Tembisa
  Tembisa
  Tembisa is a large township situated to the north of Kempton Park on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1957 when Africans were resettled from Alexandra and other areas in Edenvale, Kempton Park, Midrand and Germiston....
  
  
• 21 March - Seventeen people are killed when police open fire at the twenty-fifth commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre
  Sharpeville massacre
  The Sharpeville Massacre, also known as the Sharpeville shootings, occurred on March 21, 1960, when South African police began shooting on a crowd of black protesters. The confrontation occurred in the township of Sharpeville, in what is now Gauteng province.- Preceding events :Since the 1920s,...
  
   demonstration marches in Langa, Port Elizabeth
• 22 March - Two guerrillas are killed in Bosbokrand
  Bosbokrand
  Bosbokrand is a town situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The name, which means Bushbuck ridge, was given because of the large herds of antelope that were found there in the 1880s. The town grew around a trading store which opened in 1884...
  
  
• 27 March - Over 200 people are arrested for marching through Cape Town
  Cape Town
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
  
   to Pollsmoor Prison protesting for the release of Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto...
  
  , including two clerics, Beyers Naudé
  Beyers Naudé
  Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé was a South African cleric, theologian and the leading Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist...
  
   and Allan Boesak
  Allan Boesak
  Reverend Allan Aubrey Boesak is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric and was a politician and anti-apartheid activist...
  
   who led the march

April

• 30 April - The Rand Daily Mail, a leading anti-apartheid newspaper
  Newspaper
  A newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
  
  , ceases publication

May

• 2 May - An explosion rocks the building housing the gold
  Gold
  Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
  
   mining companies of Anglo American and Anglovaal in Johannesburg
  Johannesburg
  Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
  
   and cause R170,000 worth of structural damage. Both companies are engaged in mass dismissals of mine workers
• 9 May - Two grenade attacks in 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 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...
  
   townships
• 15 May - Three explosions damage the Brakpan Police barracks
  • Guerrillas attack the buildings of the Brakpan Commissioners court and offices of Messenger of the court
  • Funeral of Andries Raditsela, an 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. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government...
    
     member who had died in detention
• 28 May or 30 May - A Limpet mine causes structural damage to the Military Medical Centre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg
  Johannesburg
  Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
  
   (sources give different dates)
• 31 May - Guerrillas attack the Southern Cross Fund offices and injure 14 people

June

• Three limpet mines explode at Natalia Development Board buildings in Lamontville
• Three limpet mines explode at the Umlazi
  Umlazi
  Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban.According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza"...
  
   Police station 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
  
  
• An eskom
  Eskom
  Eskom is a South African electricity public utility, established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission by the government of South Africa in terms of the Electricity Act . It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie ...
  
   sub-station in Durban is damaged by explosion
• A bomb damages the offices of AECI
  AECI
  AECI Limited is a South African chemicals group and is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange.The AECI Group operates companies in the following market segments:* Mining solutions * Specialty fibres* Specialty chemicals...
  
   which is involved in a labour dispute
• An Explosion destroys Transkei
  Transkei
  The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
  
   Development Corporation bulk fuel depot in Umtata. It disrupts the water and power supplies to the town
• Guerrillas throw petrol bombs and hand grenades at the home of Amichand Rajbansi
  Amichand Rajbansi
  Amichand Rajbansi is a South African politician. He is a former Chief Minister of the House of Delegates Tricameral parliamentary chamber for Indian people, and leader of the Minority Front....
  
  
• A policeman who fired on a crowd is killed by alleged insurgents in Mmabatho
  Mmabatho
  Mmabatho is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. In the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was...
  
  
• 14 June - 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 commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical...
  
   raid houses and offices of 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. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government...
  
  , killing 12 activists, in what is known as Operation Plecksy

July

• Limpet mines destroy a sub-station 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
  
  
• The Soweto
  Soweto
  Soweto is an urban area of the City of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the north. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships. Formerly a separate municipality, it is now united with the city of Johannesburg. The population has...
  
   group dubbed the Suicide Squad attacks home of two Soweto policemen
• A hand grenade is thrown at a bakery in Umlazi
  Umlazi
  Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban.According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza"...
  
  , Durban where workers were on strike
• A hand grenade is thrown at the former community councillor in Gugulethu
• At a police roadblock near East London, two guerrillas and a policeman are killed in a shootout
• 2 - 6 July - 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 April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
  
   hold their second national consultative conference in Kabwe
  Kabwe
  Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000. Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902...
  
  , Zambia
  Zambia
  The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is...
  
  

August

• A hand grenade is thrown into the home of MP Barend Andrews
• A hand grenade is thrown into the home of a Mamelodi policeman
• Three limpet mines explode in department stores 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
  
  , causing limited damage and no injuries
• A bomb explodes in a night club at an Umlazi
  Umlazi
  Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban.According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza"...
  
   hotel, Durban and 30 children are injured
• 2 August - At a roadblock near Mount Ruth, two guerrillas and a policeman is killed
• 10 August - Police defuse a limpet mine found on a petrol/gas bowser at a fuel depot in East London

September

• Trevor Manuel
  Trevor Manuel
  Trevor Andrew Manuel is a South African politician, currently serving in the Cabinet of South Africa as Minister in the Presidency in charge of the National Planning Commission...
  
   is detained by police, he is then banned until 1990
  1990 in South Africa
  See also:1989 in South Africa,other events of 1990,1991 in South Africa and theTimeline of South African history.-----February:* 2 February - President FW de Klerk scraps apartheid and states that Nelson Mandela will be released...
  
  , but it was lifted 1986
  1986 in South Africa
  See also:1985 in South Africa,other events of 1986,1987 in South Africa and theTimeline of South African history.-----January:* A Soweto man throws a grenade at 3 policemen, police retaliate and kill the man...
  
  
• 27-28 September - Limpet mines damages the basement of OK Bazaars in Smith Street, Game Stores and Checkers, all supermarkets in central 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
  
  . A Limpet mine is defused in Spar, central Durban

October

• The home of a Umlazi
  Umlazi
  Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban.According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza"...
  
   school headmaster is attacked with a hand grenade
• Limpet mine detonates whilst being armed killing Zinto Cele, Mandlenkosi Ndimande and injuring Sibusiso Mazibuko - Grosvener Girls School, Bluff, Durban on 24 October 1985

November

• Four people killed in 20 hand grenade attacks in the Cape Town
  Cape Town
  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
  
   region
• A bomb damages a central Johannesburg
  Johannesburg
  Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
  
   building housing Institute of Bankers
• Sasol
  Sasol
  Sasol is a South African company involved in mining, energy, chemicals and synfuels. In particular, they produce petrol and diesel profitably from coal and natural gas using Fischer-Tropsch process...
  
   2 and 3 come under rocket attack and three guerrillas are killed by police
• An anti-tank mine explodes in the Soutpansberg
  Soutpansberg
  The Soutpansberg meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans, is a range of mountains in the far north of South Africa. It is named for the salt pan located at its western end. The mountain reaches the opposite extremity in the Matikwa Nature Reserve, some due east...
  
   area and four defence force members and four others injured
• Four guerrillas are killed and two injured by Bophutatswana Police
• A building housing the Institute of Bankers in central Johannesburg is damaged in a blast
• A hand grenade explodes at a Barclays National Bank branch in Woodstock, Cape Town

December

• A limpet mine explodes at 18h00 and causes structural damage to the Chatsworth
  Chatsworth
  -Communities:Australia* Chatsworth, QueenslandCanada* Chatsworth, Ontario, a township* Chatsworth, Ontario , located within above townshipSouth Africa* Chatsworth, DurbanUnited Kingdom* Chatsworth, Derbyshire...
  
   Magistrates Court outside 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
  
  
• A grenade is thrown at a tourist kombi in central Durban
• 8 December - The Chesterville home of a policeman is bombed
• 13 December - A 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 commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical...
  
   anti-mine troop carrier detonates an anti-tank mine in Messina, one soldier injured
• 14 December - A guerrilla is killed in Chiawelo
• 15 December - Five people are killed and five injured (three of the dead were children aged two, eight and ten) when their vehicle detonates an anti-tank mine on the Chatsworth farm near Messina. A one-year-old boy survived the blast
• 17 December - A limpet mine explodes at 03h00 and damages eight buses belonging to PUTCO
  PUTCO
  The Public Utility Transport Corporation provides commuter bus services in Gauteng, Limpopo and the western parts of Mpumalanga. PUTCO was established in 1945 after the dramatic bus strike of 1944...
  
   at their Fleetline depot in Umlazi
  Umlazi
  Umlazi is a township on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The wider Umlazi area has a population of 750,000. The township is located south-west of Durban.According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza"...
  
  , Durban
• 19 December - A farmer is injured when his vehicle hits an anti-tank mine in the Weipe area
• 20 December - The 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 commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical...
  
   carries out a raid into 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 . The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the...
  
  , Lesotho
  Lesotho
  Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave — entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km² in size with an estimated population of almost 1,800,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is the southernmost...
  
  
• 21 December - A limpet mine attached to minibus injures 8 or 13 people
• 23 December - A bomb explodes in an Amanzimtoti shopping centre which kills five people and injures 40 others. Andrew Zondo, is later arrested for the bomb, claims that he attempted to warn the mall but failed. He was later hanged.
• 29 December - the police defuse a pamphlet bomb in Durban

Unknown date

• George Bizos
  George Bizos
  George Bizos is a distinguished human rights advocate who fought against apartheid in South Africa.-Early life:Bizos was the son of Antonios Bizos, the mayor of the small village of Vasilitsi, south of Koroni and Kalamata on the Messinian peninsula of the Peloponese, Greece...
  
   becomes a judge on 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, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
  
  's Court of Appeal
• The Delmas Treason Trial
  Delmas Treason Trial
  The Delmas Treason Trial in South Africa was the prosecution of 22 anti-apartheid activists under security laws. Eleven of the accused were found guilty in the same courtroom as Mandela was found guilty. Just before the verdict a terrorist started to shoot people in the square outside the court...
  
   starts with the State vs Patrick Lekota and Popo Molefe
  Popo Molefe
  Popo Simon Molefe is a South African politician, and the former Premier of the North West Province....
  
  
• Mimi Coertse
  Mimi Coertse
  Mimi Coertse , is a South African soprano.-Early life:Coertse, born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, matriculated at the Helpmekaar Girls High School in Johannesburg. She began vocal studies in South Africa in 1949. In July 1953 she married the broadcaster and composer Dawid Engela. She left South Africa...
  
   receives the Decoration for Meritorious Service in recognition of the contribution to the Arts
• 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.-Early life and legal career:...
  
   is released from jail
• Bulelani Ngcuka joins the human rights branch of International Labour Organisation in Geneva
  Geneva
  Geneva, is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie...
  
  , Switzerland

Athletics

• 4 May – Mark Plaatjes
  Mark Plaatjes
  Mark Plaatjes was the marathon champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart.Born in South Africa under apartheid, Plaatjes won two national titles at the marathon and two at cross country...
  
   wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:08:58 in Port Elizabeth.

Motorsport

• 19 October – The South African Grand Prix
  1985 South African Grand Prix
  Results from the 1985 Formula One South African Grand Prix held at Kyalami on October 19, 1985.The event was boycotted by several Formula One teams, namely Zakspeed, Ligier and Renault due to the country's growing problems with apartheid...
  
   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 and Formula One races and has hosted the South African Grand Prix many times. In recent years, the area surrounding the circuit has developed into a residential and commercial...
  
  

Deaths

• 3 May - Cythna Lindenberg Letty, a botanical artist
  Artist
  The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. the worlds best artist is a man named mitchell peter lay who is often loved by the ladies. The common useage in both everyday speech and...
  
   and author, dies in 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 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...
  
  
• 5 May - Sipho Mutsi (20), a Congress of South African Students member, dies in police custody
• 6 May - Andries Raditsela (29), Congress of South African Trade Unions
  Congress of South African Trade Unions
  The Congress of South African Trade Unions is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the biggest of the country’s three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions, altogether organising 1.8 million workers.-Establishment:COSATU was established in...
  
   and Chemical Workers' Industrial Union member, dies of head injuries after being violently confronted by police
• 14 May - Vernon Nkadimeng
  Vernon Nkadimeng
  Vernon Nkadimeng was a member of the African National Congress who was killed while in exile in Botswana by the apartheid secret police.-Life:...
  
  , is killed by a car bomb
  Car bomb
  A car bomb is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle, people near the blast site, or to damage buildings or other property...
  
   in Gaborone
  Gaborone
  Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 186,007 based on the 2001 census. It is the administrative capital of the South-East District as well as the sub-district of Gaborone...
  
  , 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, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
  
  
• 14 June - Thamsanga Mnyele
  Thamsanga Mnyele
  Thamsanqa Mnyele was a South African artist associated with the anti-apartheid politics of the African National Congress and the Black Consciousness Movement. His artistic career took off in the 1970s when he produced works dealing with the emotional and human consequences of oppression...
  
  , artist
  Artist
  The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. the worlds best artist is a man named mitchell peter lay who is often loved by the ladies. The common useage in both everyday speech and...
  
   and activist, is killed during a 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 commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical...
  
   in Gaborone
• August - Bill Mentoor, becomes the first person to be necklaced (a car tire filled with petrol and placed over a person's neck and set alight) in Queenstown, Eastern Cape
  Queenstown, Eastern Cape
  Queenstown, named after Queen Victoria, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly half way in between the towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom. It is currently the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of the prosperous surrounding farming district...
  
  
• 15 December - Ruben Xulu, artist
  Artist
  The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. the worlds best artist is a man named mitchell peter lay who is often loved by the ladies. The common useage in both everyday speech and...
  
  , dies at Mariannhill
  Mariannhill
  Mariannhill is a little suburb near Pinetown in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa....
  
   outside 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. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...