1980 in South Africa

Incumbents

• State President: Marais Viljoen.
• Prime Minister: P.W. Botha.
• Chief Justice: Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff.

  Events

• 12 - The British Sports Council begins a fact-finding tour to investigate racial discrimination in South African sport.
• 14 - The local community at Soekmekaar resists forced removal and damages the police station.
• 25 - Four Umkhonto we Sizwe terrorists kill two civilians and hold bank staff and customers hostage in Silverton.

• 12 - The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk and its three sister churches announce that they have no objection to reconsideration of the Immorality- and Mixed Marriages Acts.
• 12 - Nine people are sentenced to imprisonment for training as guerrillas and recruiting others.
• 26 - A mine lift cage at the Vaal Reefs gold mine falls, killing 23.
• Two insurgents are killed by police in Bophuthatswana while another escapes.

• 4 - Umkhonto we Sizwe attacks the Booysens Police Station in Johannesburg with grenades, rocket launchers and AK47s.
• 21 - Over 60 coloured high schools, teacher training colleges and the University of the Western Cape begin class boycotts.
• 29 - In Johannesburg hundreds of coloured school children are arrested in terms of the Riotous Assemblies Act, 1956.

• 2 - Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall is banned for fear that it may become a song of liberty by black pupils.
• 6 - Thozamile Botha, a Port Elizabeth activist, breaks his banning order and escapes to Maseru, Lesotho.
• 25 - The South African Defence Force attacks the town of Chifufua in Angola during Operation Sceptic.

• 1 - Bombs explode at Sasol One and Two and Natref Eight at Sasolburg and Secunda, with no injuries and RM58 damage.
• 4 - Patrick Makau, Umkhonto weSizwe member, and his child die in a bomb attack in Manzini, Swaziland.
• Expelled African National Congress official Tennyson Makiwane is shot dead.

• Special Branch policeman Detective-Sergeant T.G. Zondi is shot at in Sobantu Village.

• 3 - Zimbabwe breaks diplomatic and consular relations with South Africa but maintains a commercial mission in Johannesburg.

• 14 - The Soweto community calls for a stayaway to protest against rent increases.
• 15 - A bomb damages a railway line in Dube, Soweto and Minister Piet Koornhof visits the scene.
• 29 - Umkhonto we Sizwe insurgents throw grenades into the West Rand Administration Board buildings, injuring two.
• 30 - A bomb explodes at the Transkei consul's residence in Port Elizabeth, with no injuries.

• 21 - A terrorist is killed in Chiawelo and a child is injured by police in the process.

  Births

• 1 January - Megan McKenzie, model, voted South Africa's sexiest woman by readers of FHM in 2003, ranking behind only Halle Berry, sister of cricketer, Neil McKenzie.
• 4 January - Justin Ontong, cricketer
• 4 January - B. J. Botha, rugby player
• 10 February - Gabriel Temudzani, actor
• 5 March - Brent Russell, rugby player
• 20 March - Surprise Moriri, football player
• 24 March - Conrad Jantjes, rugby player
• 14 May - Joe Van Niekerk, rugby player
• 19 May - Moeneeb Josephs, football player
• 6 June - Mmusi Maimane, politician and former Democratic Alliance leader
• 20 June - Kim Engelbrecht, actress best known for her portrayal of Lolly de Klerk on the SABC 3 soap opera; Isidingo
• 3 July - Roland Schoeman, swimmer
• 11 July - Jabu Mahlangu, football player
• 27 August - CJ van der Linde, rugby player
• 8 September - Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, olympics middle distance runner silver medalist
• 14 September - Hip Hop Pantsula, motswako rapper
• 16 September - Mbulelo Mabizela, football player
• 24 September - Tanit Phoenix, model, actress, and makeup artist
• 12 August - Karin Kortje, singer
• 9 October - Thami Tsolekile, cricketer
• 3 November - René Kalmer, long-distance runner
• 9 November- Benson Mhlongo, football player
• 11 November - Shashi Naidoo, TV presenter & actress
• 15 November - Kabamba Floors, rugby player
• 25 November - Aaron Mokoena, football player
• 25 November - Alviro Petersen, cricketer

  Deaths

• 24 February - Clement Martyn Doke, linguist.
• 13 March - Lilian Ngoyi, dressmaker, activist and trade unionist.
• 9 May - Kate Molale, activist.
• 12 June - Billy Butlin, South African–born Canadian holiday camp entrepreneur.
• 7 July - Johannes Meintjes, artist and writer.
• 23 September - Jim Fouché, second State President.

  Railways

Locomotives

• August - The first of 101 Class 36-200 General Motors Electro-Motive Division SW1002 diesel-electric locomotives.
• The first of thirty South African Class 34-900| General Electric type U26C diesel-electric locomotives.
• The first of fifty 25 kV AC Class 7E1 electric locomotives on the Richards Bay coal line.

  Sports

Athletics

• 11 October - Thompson Magawana wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:12:50 in Faure.

  Motorsport

• 1 March - The South African Grand Prix takes place at Kyalami.

  Rugby

• 10 May - The British and Irish Lions begin an 18-match tour of South Africa despite protests from anti-apartheid groups. The tourists lose three of the four Tests.