← 1889 1888 1887 1890 in South Africa → 1891 1892 1893
Decades:	1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1890 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:Henry Brougham Loch.
• Governor of the Colony of Natal: Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell.
• State President of the Orange Free State: Francis William Reitz.
• State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
• Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg (until 16 July), Cecil John Rhodes (starting 16 July).

Events

March

• 17 – The first railway line in the Transvaal, known as the Randtram, is opened for service between Boksburg and Braamfontein in Johannesburg.^{[1]: 19 [2]}

June

• 6 – Magadu Bhambada becomes chief of the AmaZondi people at the age of 25 after the death of his father and uncle.
• 23 June – President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic institutes a Second Volksraad which is responsible for controlling local matters.^[3]

July

• 17 – Cecil Rhodes becomes Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.

Births

• 26 October – Percy Hansen, Danish soldier in British service, recipient of the Victoria Cross. (d. 1951)

Deaths

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 1 February – Cape Western – Somerset West to Sir Lowry's Pass Village, 5 miles 20 chains (8.4 kilometres).^[4]
• 28 March – Natal – Glencoe Junction to Talana, 8 miles 35 chains (13.6 kilometres).^[2]
• 15 May – Natal – Glencoe Junction to Newcastle, 36 miles 33 chains (58.6 kilometres).^[2]
• 13 October – Transvaal – Braamfontein to Springs, 30 miles (48.3 kilometres).^[2]
• 17 November – Transvaal – Braamfontein to Roodepoort, 11 miles (17.7 kilometres).^[2]
• 1 December – Cape Western – Kalkbaai to Simon's Town, 5 miles 37 chains (8.8 kilometres).^[4]

• 1 December – Cape Western – Kimberley to Vryburg, 126 miles 61 chains (204.0 kilometres).^[4]
• 17 December – Cape Midland – Colesberg Junction to Norvalspont bridge, 23 miles 43 chains (37.9 kilometres).^[4]
• 17 December – Free State – Norvalspont bridge to Bloemfontein, 120 miles 67 chains (194.5 kilometres).^[2]

Locomotives

Cape

• The Cape Government Railways places twenty 5th Class 4-6-0 tender locomotives in mainline service on its Midland and Western Systems.^{[5]: 39–41 [6]: 20}
• The first of four Clara Class 0-6-2 tender locomotives are placed in service by the Cape Copper Company on its 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge Namaqualand Railway between Port Nolloth and O'okiep.^[7]

Transvaal

• The Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorwegmaatschappij (NZASM) of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal Republic) places six 18 Tonner saddle-tank locomotives in service on construction work on the Delagoa Bay line.^{[5]: 110–112}