1950 in South Africa

Incumbents

• Monarch: King George VI.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Gideon Brand van Zyl.
• Prime Minister: Daniel François Malan.
• Chief Justice: Ernest Frederick Watermeyer then Albert van der Sandt Centlivres.

  Events

• 18 - The University of the Free State is established.

• 27 - The Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating the races.

• 1 - 18 blacks are killed by police and more than 30 are injured on the Witwatersrand in a massive stay-away from work, called for by the African National Congress.
• 1 - Springbok Radio, the SABC's first commercial service, is launched.

• 26 - The Suppression of Communism Act is passed.

• 5 - 2 Squadron SAAF departs for the Korean War.
• 6 - The municipality of East London decides not to approve prospecting for oil off the city's seafront.

• 26 - Sasol is registered as a company.

• 23 - Ernest George Jansen is appointed the 9th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa.

• 2 - South African Airways inaugurates daily services between Johannesburg and Bulawayo and between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

• 13 - South Africa refuses to place South-West Africa under UN trusteeship.
• 21 - The gold town of Allanridge in the Free State Province is established.

• Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve is proclaimed a protected state forest.
• Hendrik Verwoerd becomes Minister of Native Affairs.
• The government passes the Immorality Amendment Act, the Group Areas Act, the Suppression of Communism Act, and the Population Registration Act which officially divides South Africans into 'White', 'Coloured', 'Asian' or 'Native' population groups.
• The United States and United Kingdom sign a purchasing agreement with South Africa to supply uranium for their nuclear weapons programmes.
• The Parliament of South Africa passes the Privy Council Appeals Act, 1950 to terminate appeals from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.

  Births

• 29 January - Jody Scheckter, 1979 Formula One World Drivers' Champion.
• 1 June - Johann Rupert, billionaire businessman, son of billionaire Remembrandt Group founder Anton Rupert.
• 18 August - Nandi Nyembe, actress.

  Deaths

• 11 September - Jan Smuts, soldier and international statesman.

  Railways

Railway lines opened

• 2 October - Transvaal: Vandyksdrif to Broodsnyersplaas,.

  Sports

Boxing

• 31 May - Vic Toweel defeats World Bantamweight Champion Manuel Ortiz on points over 15 rounds at Wembley Stadium and becomes the first South African world boxing champion.

  British Empire Games

• Neville Price - Gold, long jump, distance 7.31 m
• Syd Luyt - Silver, marathon, time 2.37.03
• Tom Lavery - Bronze, 120 yards hurdles, time 14.6 s
• Daphne Robb ; Bronze, 220 yards, time 24.7 s

• Johnny van Rensburg - Gold, bantamweight
• Theunis van Schalkwyk - Gold, middleweight
• Marcus Temple - Bronze, flyweight

• Alfred Blumberg, H.Currer, Harry Atkinson and Norman Walker - Gold, fours
• W. Gibb and H.J. van Zyl - Silver, pairs

• Ian Stephen - Bronze, single sculls

• Graham Johnston - Silver, 440 yards freestyle
• Graham Johnston - Gold, 1650 yards freestyle
• Jackie Wild - Gold, 110 yards backstroke
• Joan Harrison - Bronze, 110 yards freestyle
• Joan Harrison - Gold, 440 yards freestyle

• Barrie Engelbrecht - Bronze, featherweight
• Issy Bloomberg - Silver, light-heavyweight

• Patrick Morton - Gold, light-heavyweight
• Martin Jooste - Bronze, welterweight
• Carel Reitz - Bronze, middleweight

  Comrades Marathon

• Wally Hayward, at age 42 and after a twenty-year gap, wins the Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in a time of 6h 46m 25s. Twenty runners of the 29 who start finish in the allotted time.

  Football

• 24 June - South Africa wins 3–2 at Kingsmead, Durban.
• 1 July - South Africa wins 2–1 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg.
• 8 July - Australia wins 2–1 at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth.
• 23 July - Australia wins 2–0 at Hartley Vale, Cape Town.