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See also: 1955 in South Africa, other events of 1956, 1957 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history.

Events

February

• 1 February - The South African government requests the Soviet Union to withdraw its consulates

March

• 16 March - The Riotous Assemblies Act no 17 which prohibits any outside gathering that the Minister of Justice sees as a threat to public peace, is passed.
• 17 March - Mimi Coertse makes her Vienna State Opera debut as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (Mozart)

August

• 9 August - Women march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest to the pass laws

December

• Lillian Masediba Ngoyi becomes the first woman ever to be elected to the African National Congress national executive committee
• 5 December - 156 leading activists are arrested heralding the start of the Treason Trial Among Those arrested is Lillian Masediba Ngoyi
• 19 December - The Four year long Treason Trial begins at the Drill Hall in Johannesburg

Unknown date

• Lillian Masediba Ngoyi is elected president of the Federation of South African Women
• Segregation is introduced on buses
• Albert Lutuli is arrested

Births

• 31 January - Trevor Andrew Manuel, Minister of Finance from 1996, born in Kensington, Cape Town
• 1 September - Jeremy Baskin, trade unionist and labour market analyst, is born
• 2 November - Lucas Seage, artist, is born in Newclare, Johannesburg

Deaths