← 1952 1951 1950 1953 in South Africa → 1954 1955 1956
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1953 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.
• Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Ernest George Jansen.
• Prime Minister: Daniel François Malan.
• Chief Justice: Albert van der Sandt Centlivres.

Events

May

• 9 – The Liberal Party of South Africa is formed in Cape Town by Alan Paton.

July

• 29 – Santam Insurance Company is registered, following the separation of trust and insurance operations.

September

• Mimi Coertse leaves South Africa for London.

December

• 18–20 – The 42nd Annual Conference of the African National Congress takes place in Queenstown.

Unknown date

• The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), banned by the National Party government, relaunches itself underground as the South African Communist Party (SACP).
• Bantu Education Act is voted, and will start 1 January 1954.

Births

• 12 January – Steven De Groote, classical pianist. (d. 1989)
• 13 January – Derek Hanekom, activist and politician.
• 15 February – Mantfombi Dlamini, Queen Consort of the Zulu Nation. (d. 2021)
• 5 March – Tokyo Sexwale, businessman, politician and activist.
• 29 April – Bill Drummond, British musician
• 22 October – Loyiso Nongxa, mathematician.
• 7 December – Naledi Pandor, national minister

Deaths

• 1 July – Totius, Afrikaans poet. (b. 1877)

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 14 October – Cape – Lohatla to Sishen, 17 miles 3 chains (27.4 kilometres).^[1]

Locomotives

Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

• The first of ninety Class 25 4-8-4 Northern type condensing steam locomotives.^[2][3][4]
• The first of fifty Class 25NC non-condensing versions of the Class 25 Condenser.^[2][3][4]

Sports

Football

• 22 November – In a friendly match the South Africa national football team loses 1–3 to the Portugal national football team at the National Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal.