2001 in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 2001 in South Africa.

← 2000 1999 1998 2001 in South Africa → 2002 2003 2004
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	2001 in South African sport List of years in South Africa

Incumbents

• President: Thabo Mbeki.[1]
• Deputy President: Jacob Zuma.
• Chief Justice: vacant then Arthur Chaskalson.

Cabinet

The Cabinet, together with the President and the Deputy President, forms part of the Executive.

Provincial Premiers

• Eastern Cape Province: Makhenkesi Stofile
• Free State Province: Winkie Direko
• Gauteng Province: Mbhazima Shilowa
• KwaZulu-Natal Province: Lionel Mtshali
• Limpopo Province: Ngoako Ramathlodi
• Mpumalanga Province: Ndaweni Mahlangu
• North West Province: Popo Molefe
• Northern Cape Province: Manne Dipico
• Western Cape Province:
  • until 12 November: Gerald Morkel
  • 12 November-5 December: Cecil Herandien
  • since 5 December: Peter Marais

Events

March

• 18 – The Department of Health declines the offer of a large donation of HIV test kits made by Guardian Scientific Africa Incorporated.

April

• 5 – George Bizos is awarded the 2001 International Trial Lawyer Prize of the Year by the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
• 11 – Pfizer Inc. agrees to supply AIDS patients attending public hospitals with an unlimited two-year supply of Fluconazole.
• 30 – South Africa and India sign a declaration of intent on co-operation in health and medicine.

June

• 11 – The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area is signed into existence.
• 12–15 – President Thabo Mbeki undertakes a state visit to the United Kingdom.

September

• 1–8 – Durban hosts the World Conference against Racism.

October

• 4 – The first 40 of a planned 1000 elephants, including 3 breeding herds, are translocated from the over-populated Kruger National Park to the war-ravaged Limpopo National Park.
• 9 – The second South African National Census takes place.
• The name of the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park is changed to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

December

• 4 – Marike de Klerk, ex-wife of former State President Frederik Willem de Klerk, is murdered in her flat in Bloubergrant.

Unknown date

• The New National Party withdraws from the Democratic Alliance.

Births

• 11 April - Jonathan Bird, cricketer

Deaths

Govan Mbeki

• 26 April – Frederick Guy Butler, poet, academic and writer (b. 1918)
• 1 June – Nkosi Johnson, HIV/AIDS activist. (b. 1989)
• 13 August – Fanie du Plessis, athlete. (b. 1930)
• 19 August – Donald Woods, journalist and activist. (b. 1933)[2]
• 30 August – Govan Mbeki, South African political activist and the father of Thabo Mbeki. (b. 1910)
• 2 September – Christiaan Barnard, cardiac surgeon. (b. 1922)[3]
• 26 November – Joe Modise, South African political activist. (b. 1929)
• 4 December – Marike de Klerk, former first lady. (b. 1941)

Railways

Class 7E4

Locomotives

• The first of seventeen Class 7E3, Series 1 and Series 2 dual-cab electric locomotives are rebuilt by Spoornet to single-cabs and enter service reclassified to Class 7E4.[4]

Sports

Athletics

• 4 March – Ian Syster wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:13:30 in Durban.

See also

• 2001 in South African television

References

1. Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1994-2017 (Accessed on 5 June 2017)
2. Stanley Uys (20 August 2001). "Donald Woods". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
3. "Autopsy confirms asthma killed Barnard". Cyprus Mail. 5 September 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
4. Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. pp. 50, 61.