2005 in South Africa

Incumbents

13 – Mark Thatcher pleads guilty to unwittingly bankrolling an alleged coup d'état plot in Equatorial Guinea.
31 – Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, is nearly hit by a car shortly after the African Union heads-of-state summit in Abuja, Nigeria.

15 – The South African Air Force grounds its seven C-130BZ Hercules transport aircraft because of cracks in the wing structure. This leaves the Air Force with only two ex USAF C-130Bs.

8 – Pretoria's council votes to change the city's name to Tshwane. The renaming is yet to be ratified.
9 – An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale occurs at Stilfontein's Hartebeestfontein gold mine.
18 – A South African Air Force Alouette III helicopter crashes next to the N3 highway in Harrismith.
25–27 – The Griqua people gather in Philippolis, Free State to celebrate their heritage.

9 – A South African Air Force Pilatus PC-7 Mk 2 Astra training aircraft crashes near Lichtenburg, killing trainee pilot Oupa Ramaiti during his second solo flight.
28 – South Africa becomes a partner in the Airbus A400M airlifter programme and signs for 8 aircraft, with another six on option.

23 – A seismic event measuring about 3.5 on the Richter scale occurs at 08:10 with its epicentre at Carletonville and causes rockfalls at East Driefontein gold mine, injuring 19 miners, 3 seriously.
26 – The South African Geographical Names Council approves the name change of Pretoria to Tshwane.
29 May – Hamilton Naki (78), laboratory assistant to cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard

7–10 – The second national AIDS conference takes place in Durban.
8 – Schabir Shaik is found guilty and is sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on two counts of corruption and 3 years on a count of fraud.
14 – Jacob Zuma is relieved of his post as Deputy President of South Africa, following the verdict in Schabir Shaik's trial on the 8th, and is to stand trial in 2006.
22 – Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is appointed as the new Deputy President of South Africa.
22 – Four of the South African Air Force C-130BZ Hercules transport aircraft are released for flying operations, but under flying and maintenance restrictions.
27 – The Congress of South African Trade Unions holds a one-day nationwide strike over unemployment and poverty.
28 – Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, and Laurent Gbagbo, President of Côte d'Ivoire, hold talks in Pretoria to advance peace in Côte d'Ivoire.

4 – A South African Air Force MB-326K Impala Mk II jet crashes just after take-off from Hoedspruit after striking two vultures. Pilot Captain Colin Sparke ejects safely.
12 – The South African Municipal Workers Union holds a one-day strike during wage negotiations.
22–28 – South African Airways cabin crew workers go on strike over a wage dispute.
22–2 August – Workers of Pick 'n Pay, a large supermarket chain store, go on strike over a wage dispute.
27–29 – The South African Municipal Workers Union holds a three-day strike as a threat during wage negotiations.

7–11 – The National Union of Mineworkers goes on strike to demand better pay.
8–14 – The South African Municipal Workers Union goes on strike over a wage dispute.

10 – A Sasol Tigers Aero L-29 Delfin jet crashes during an aerobatic display at an airshow in Vereeniging, killing pilots Gabriel Siyabonga Ndabandaba and Johnny "Jet" Hattingh.

South Africa announces a R140 million (USD $22 million) donation to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to alleviate food shortages in southern Africa.
Jacob Zuma, former Deputy President of South Africa, is charged with corruption by the National Prosecuting Authority.

10 – The Southern African Large Telescope (Salt) in Sutherland, the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, is inaugurated.
11 – A fault at Koeberg nuclear power station results in a shutdown of the reactor, cutting the power supply to much of the Western Cape. Power is restored to most areas within 2 hours.
11 – The first South African Air Force JAS 39D Gripen makes its maiden flight at Saab's Flight Test Centre in Linköping, Sweden.
16 – A fire under a 400 kV transmission line results in a second power trip at Koeberg, causing another blackout across the Western Cape.
23 – A routine inspection at Koeberg reveals a diminished chemical level in the backup safety system, resulting in a controlled shutdown. Backup generation is used to avert power loss until Friday 25 November, when major cuts take place throughout the day in the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape. Power is restored to normal by Saturday 26 November.
27 – Karin Kortje is voted as South Africa's third Idols winner, beating Gift Gwe in the final, and becomes the first non-white to win the competition.
The Advertising Standards Authority finds that advertising proclaiming Tshwane, rather than Pretoria, as the capital of South Africa is misleading as the name Tshwane has not yet been approved by the Arts and Culture Minister.

1 – The Constitutional Court orders parliament to amend the marriage laws to allow homosexual weddings within a year.
6 – Jacob Zuma, former Deputy President of South Africa, is charged with rape.

6 January – Makgatho Mandela, Nelson Mandela's eldest son, dies of AIDS at the age of 54.
19 January – K. Sello Duiker, novelist.
20 February – Dalene Matthee, novelist.
16 March – Allan Hendrickse, politician and former Labour Party leader, dies at the age of 77.
21 April – Bavumile Vilakazi, the South African High Commissioner to Uganda, dies of a heart attack in Kampala.
12 June – Rain Queen Makobo Modjadji VI of the Balobedu people in the Limpopo Province dies in Polokwane.
30 June – King Ingwenyama Mayitjha III of the Ndzundza-Mabhoko people (Ndebele).
August – Howard Watt, rugby player.
7 September – Ettienne Botha, Blue Bulls Rugby union player, is killed in a car accident.
16 September – Mzukisi Sikali, boxer.
29 November – Deon van der Walt, tenor.
4 December – Sophie Mgcina, actress and musician, dies from heart failure at the age of 67.
31 December – Xolilizwe Mzikayise Sigcawu dies at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria.

20 February – Johannes Kekana wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:19:16 in Durban.

2005 in Africa

Sovereign states	Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe

States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland

Dependencies and other territories	Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla / Plazas de soberanía (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) Mayotte / Réunion (France) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) Western Sahara

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