1887 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Hercules Robinson.
• Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
• State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
• State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
• Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: John Gordon Sprigg.

  Events

• 21 - The Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij is floated.
• 21 - Zululand becomes a British colony.

• The town of Boksburg is laid out to serve the surrounding gold mines.
• The Stellenbosch Gymnasium, later to become the Stellenbosch University, changes its name to Victoria College, after Queen Victoria.

  Births

Deaths

• 29 May - Xhosa chief Sandile is killed in Denge Forest in a skirmish with the Fingos under the command of Captain J. Lonsdale.

  Railways

New lines

• Construction begins on the Delagoa Bay-Pretoria line.

  Railway lines opened

• October - Cape Central - Worcester to Roodewal,.

  Locomotives

• The Lourenco Marques, Delagoa Bay and East Africa Railway in Mozambique places two 4-6-0 tank locomotives in service, one of which will become the Portuguese Tank on the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway in 1897.