← 1967 1966 1965 1968 in South Africa → 1969 1970 1971
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1968 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• State President:
  • Tom Naudé (acting until 9 April).^[1]
  • Jim Fouché (from 10 April).^[1]
• Prime Minister: John Vorster.
• Chief Justice: Lucas Cornelius Steyn.

Events

January

• 1 – Magnus Malan is appointed as Officer Commanding of the Military Academy in Saldanha.^[2]

April

• 10 – Jacobus Johannes Fouché becomes the 3rd State President of South Africa.^[1]
• 20 – A South African Airways Boeing 707 crashes after take-off from Windhoek, killing 122 of the 129 on board.
• 30 – The bill establishing five universities for Blacks comes into force.

Unknown date

• The Liberal Party of South Africa is banned by the government.
• Dorothy Nyembe is arrested for the second time and charged under the Suppression of Communism Act.
• In the Villa Peri campaign, the Azanian People's Liberation Army tries to infiltrate members into South Africa via Botswana and Mozambique.
• The South African Bureau of State Security is formed independently of the South African Police, accountable to the Prime Minister.

Births

• 22 February – Camilla Waldman, actress
• 29 February – Suanne Braun, actress
• 5 March – Lindani Nkosi, actor
• 28 April – Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 17 May – Mickey Arthur, cricket player and coach
• 30 June – Rebecca Malope, gospel singer & TV host
• 4 September – Daniel Mudau, football player
• 16 September – Loren Wulfsohn, synchronized swimmer
• 23 September – Zane Moosa, football player
• 25 December – Andrew Tucker, football player

Deaths

• 7 January – J.L.B. Smith, ichthyologist (b. 1897).
• 10 January – Eben Dönges, politician and elected State President (b. 1898).
• 21 June 21 – Constance Georgina Tardrew, South African botanist (b. 1883).^[3]

Railways

Locomotives

• In July, the South African Railways places the first of 115 Class 33-400 General Electric type U20C diesel-electric locomotives in service in South West Africa.^[4][5]

Sports

• 17 September – The Marylebone Cricket Club tour of South Africa is cancelled when South Africa refuses to accept the presence of Basil D'Oliveira in the side.