← 1921 1920 1919 1922 in South Africa → 1923 1924 1925
Decades:	1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1922 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George V.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Prince Arthur of Connaught.^[1]
• Prime Minister: Jan Smuts.
• Chief Justice: James Rose Innes.

Events

March

• 10-14 – The Rand Rebellion, a strike by white mine workers which began on 28 December 1921, becomes open rebellion against the state.
• 15 – Samuel Long, labour pioneer and striker, is arrested.

April

• 1 – The South African Railways take control of all railway operations in South West Africa.^[2][3]

October

• 27 – Southern Rhodesians vote in a referendum and reject union with South Africa.

November

• 17 – Rand Rebellion strikers Samuel Long, Herbert Hull and David Lewis are hanged for murder.

December

• 6 – The prophet Nontetha is arrested by authorities fearful of a repeat of the Bulhoek Massacre

Births

• 6 May – Elize Botha, first wife of State President P. W. Botha. (d. 1997)
• 22 May – Looksmart Khulile Ngudle, politician, (d. 1963)
• 13 October – Rahima Moosa, politician, (d. 1993)
• 22 October – Thomas Nkobi, politician, (d. 1994)
• 5 November – Sydney Kentridge, lawyer, judge and member of the English Bar.
• 8 November – Chris Barnard, cardiac surgeon and heart transplant pioneer. (d. 2001)

Deaths

Railways

South West African lines

• 1 April – The SAR inherits five existing former German Colonial railway lines in SWA.
  • Union Border to Swakop River (at Swakopmund), 771 miles 73 chains (1,242.3 kilometres).^[3]
  • Seeheim to Lüderitz, 197 miles 69 chains (318.4 kilometres).^[3]
  • Karibib to Tsumeb (Narrow gauge), 259 miles 28 chains (417.4 kilometres).^[3]
  • Otavi to Grootfontein (Narrow gauge), 56 miles 73 chains (91.6 kilometres).^[3]
  • Otjiwarongo to Outjo (Narrow gauge), 45 miles 37 chains (73.2 kilometres).^[3]

Railway lines opened

• 1 April – SWA – Kolmanskop to Bogenfels, 74 miles (119.1 kilometres).^[3]

Locomotives

• 1 April – The SAR inherits seven former German Colonial narrow gauge and Cape gauge steam locomotive types in SWA.^[2]
  • One narrow gauge Class Ha 0-6-2 tank locomotive, acquired in 1904 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company.^[2]
  • Six narrow gauge Class Hb 0-6-2 tank and tank-and-tender locomotives, acquired between 1905 and 1908 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company.^[2]
  • Three narrow gauge Class Hd 2-8-2 locomotives, acquired in 1912 for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company for use on the line from Swakopmund to Karibib.^[2]
  • Two narrow gauge 0-6-2 Jung tank locomotives, introduced on the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in 1904.^[2][4]
  • One pair of narrow gauge 0-6-0 Zwillinge twin tank locomotives, introduced by the Swakopmund-Windhuk Staatsbahn in 1898.^[2]
  • Five Cape gauge Eight-Coupled Tank locomotives, introduced by the Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn in 1907.^[2][4]
  • Nine Cape gauge Eight-Coupled Tender locomotives, introduced by the Staatsbahn Lüderitzbucht-Keetmanshoop in 1911.^[2][4]
• The SAR places six new Class NG5 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotives in service on the narrow gauge Otavi branch in SWA.^[2]