title: 1874 in South Africa
text: # 1874 in South Africa
  
  The following lists events that happened during 1874 in South Africa.
  
  ## Incumbents
  
  * Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Sir Henry Barkly.
  * Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Natal: Sir Benjamin Pine.
  * State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
  * State President of the South African Republic: Thomas François Burgers.
  * Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West: Sir Richard Southey.
  * Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Sir John Molteno.
  
  ## Events
  
  ### May
  
  * 27 – The first group of Dorsland Trekkers departs from Pretoria to settle in Angola, led by Gert Alberts.
  
  ### Unknown date
  
  * Work begins on the Cape Parliamentary buildings (the current South African houses of Parliament).
  * The Cape Government passes legislation to begin government funding of education and colleges.
  * The South African Teachers' Association is established in the Cape.
  * The railway line from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage is partially opened.
  * Work is begun on the Verlatenkloof pass, connecting the town of Sutherland with the southern Cape.
  * The Molteno Government of the Cape passes a parliamentary act to redraw the provincial boundaries of the Cape Colony, from two provinces (Eastern and Western Cape) to seven.
  * The Molteno Regulations establish the South African public library system.
  * The Burgerspond, the South African Republic's first coin, is introduced.
  
  ## Births
  
  * 4 July? – Moloko Temo, South African supercentenarian. (d. 2009)
  
  ## Railways
  
  ### Locomotives
  
  * A single 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive is placed in railway construction service on the Midland System of the Cape Government Railways.
  * A third locomotive enters service on breakwater construction work at Table Bay Harbour, a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge 0-4-0 side-tank engine built by Fletcher, Jennings & $Co.^{:115–117}$
  