State President: Jim Fouché. Prime Minister: John Vorster. Chief Justice: Lucas Cornelius Steyn.

May21 – Prime Minister John Vorster and Prime Minister of Rhodesia Ian Smith hold private talks.June12 – Mangosuthu Buthelezi is elected first Chief Executive Officer of the black homeland of KwaZulu.December7 – The U.N. General Assembly supports the isolation of South Africa for its apartheid policies.

4 January – Marc Batchelor, soccer player (d. 2019) 7 January – Sizwe Motaung, soccer player (d. 2001) 30 January – Hans Vonk (footballer), soccer goalkeeper 30 March – Ruben Kruger, rugby player (d. 2010) 19 February – Kurt Darren, singer 2 March – Nicolene Neal, lawn bowler 30 March – Leleti Khumalo, actress 12 May – Steve Palframan, cricketer 22 May – Pollen Ndlanya soccer player 3 June – Johan Ackermann, rugby player & coach 10 June – Connie Ferguson, Botswana-born South African actress 20 June – Athol Williams (AE Ballakisten), poet and social philosopher 3 July – Deon Kayser, rugby player 30 July – Eric Tinkler, soccer player 8 August – Chester Williams, rugby player (d. 2019) 10 September – Phaswane Mpe, poet and novelist (d. 2004) 28 September – Vatiswa Ndara, actress 27 October – Tina Jaxa, actress 14 November – André Venter, rugby player 5 December – Sibusiso Vilane, adventurer, motivational speaker & author, first black African to summit Mount Everest

The South African Railways places the first of eighty Class 6E mainline electric locomotives in service. Two are also built for Iscor for use at the Sishen iron ore mine.

10 January – The South African Springboks draw 8–8 with Ireland at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland.