1971 in South Africa

Incumbents

• State President: Jim Fouché.
• Prime Minister: John Vorster.
• Chief Justice: Lucas Cornelius Steyn then Newton Ogilvie Thompson.

  Events

• 27 - The oil tanker Wafra grounds near Cape Agulhas, causing considerable environmental damage.

• 10 - Two Buccaneer aircraft of 24 Squadron SAAF, prescribed to by Headquarters, attempt to sink SS Wafra with missiles but succeeds only in starting a fire.
• 12 - A Shackleton aircraft of 35 Squadron SAAF, not prescribed to by Headquarters, sinks SS Wafra in of water using depth charges.

• St Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland are listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
• The International Court of Justice gives an advisory opinion supporting the view of the United Nations for South Africa to relinquish control of South West Africa.
• Kamuzu Banda, president of Malawi, is the first Black President to visit South Africa.

  Births

• 20 February - Joost van der Westhuizen, rugby scrum-half
• 3 March - Jet Novuka, actor
• 15 March - Naka Drotské, rugby player
• 8 April - Fikile Mbalula, national minister
• 22 April - Jannie de Beer, rugby player
• 13 May - Fana Mokoena, actor
• 28 June - Elon Musk, South African-born Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer, inventor and investor
• 21 July - Robby Brink, rugby player
• 30 July - Mzukisi Sikali, triple world champion boxer
• 4 September - Lance Klusener, cricket player
• 15 September - Wayne Ferreira, tennis player
• 28 September - Braam van Straaten, rugby player
• 8 October - Krynauw Otto, rugby player
• 22 October - Amanda Coetzer, tennis player
• 26 October - Brendan Augustine, soccer player
• 12 November - Gert Thys, long-distance runner
• 14 November - Nick Boraine, actor
• 3 December - Pieter Rossouw, rugby player
• 17 December - Alan Khan, media and radio personality

  Deaths

• 27 October - Ahmed Timol, activist and political leader.

  Railways

Locomotives

• July - The first of 125 Class 34-000 General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives.
• October - The first of fifty Class 34-200 General Motors Electro-Motive Division type GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives.
• Fifty Class 6E1, Series 2 electric locomotives.
• The first of one hundred and fifty Class 6E1, Series 3 locomotives.