2009 in South Africa

	2009 in South Africa
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List of years in South Africa

Incumbents

• President – Kgalema Motlanthe (until 9 May), Jacob Zuma (starting 9 May)
• Deputy President – Baleka Mbete (until 9 May), Kgalema Motlanthe (starting 9 May)

Events

January

• 8 – The 97th Anniversary of the ANC.

February

• 4 – Jacob Zuma appears in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.^[1]
• 4 – Jimmy Mohlala, Mbombela Local Council Municipality speaker who had been asked to resign by the ANC following a whistle-blower act which saw Municipal manager Jacob Dladla suspended, is shot dead in his Nelspruit home. His 19-year-old son is wounded in the attack.^[2][3][4][5]
• 11 – Trevor Manuel releases the 2009–2010 budget.^[6]
• 11 – For the first time in South Africa, court proceedings in a trial are conducted entirely in isiZulu in the municipality of Msinga. The proceedings are part of a pilot project to offer "access to justice for all".^[7]

March

• 3 – South African holidaymakers need visas to enter the United Kingdom.^[8]
• 3 – Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik is released from prison on medical parole.^[9]
• 4 – The 14th Dalai Lama's visa application to enter South Africa is refused.
• 12 – The Constitutional Court rules that registered voters living overseas can vote for the National Assembly in the 22 April elections.^[10]

April

• 7 – All charges against Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thint over the South African arms deal are officially withdrawn in the Durban High Court.^[11]
• 22 – The 2009 national and provincial elections are held.
• 25 – The Independent Electoral Commission publishes the elections results. The ANC won 65.9% of the vote, The DA won 16.66%.^[12]

May

• 6 – Jacob Zuma is elected President in the South African presidential election.

July

• 18 – The first Mandela Day is organised on Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday.^[13]
• 19 – Gill Marcus is appointed Governor of the South African Reserve Bank by Jacob Zuma, to replace Tito Mboweni on 9 November.

September

• 22 – Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, meets with the Paramount leaderof the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao in New York to deepen bilateral relations.
• 22–24 – The United States Embassy and other US government facilities in South Africa are closed because of unspecified security concerns.
• 24 – Airlink Flight 8911 crashes shortly after take-off, killing one and injuring three.^[14]

December

• 8 – Serial killer, serial rapist and criminal Ananias Mathe is sentenced to an effective 54 years in prison for various crimes.^[15]
• 12 – The Miss World 2009 pageant takes place Johannesburg.
• 13 – The Miss South Africa 2009 pageant takes place at Sun City.

Deaths

January

• 1 – Helen Suzman, Anti-apartheid activist and politician. (born 1917)
• 11 – Ludumo Galada, Olympic boxer. (born 1982),

April

• 6 – Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, South African politician, Minister of Communications.

October

• 13 – Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Musician. (born 1943)^[16]

December

• 3 – Curtis Nkondo, activist, educator, politician and ambassador.^[17] (born 1928)
• 16 – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, politician, former health Minister.^[18]
• 31 – Masego Kgomo, murder victim. (born 1999)

Railways

Locomotives

• Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on Transnet Freight Rail (TFR):
  • The first of fifty Class 39-200 Electro-Motive Diesel type GT26CU-3 diesel-electric locomotives, built at the Transnet Rail Engineering shops in Koedoespoort.^[19][20]
  • The first of 110 new Class 19E dual voltage 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC electric locomotives on the Coalink line from Ermelo to Richards Bay.^[21][22]
• TFR commences with the rebuilding of Class 6E1, Series 2 to 8 locomotives to Class 18E, Series 2 locomotives.^[23]

References