2009 in South Africa

Decades:	1980s; 1990s; 2000s; 2010s; 2020s;
See also:	; List of years in South Africa;

The following lists events that happened during 2009 in South Africa.

Incumbents

President:
- Kgalema Motlanthe (until 8 May).^[1]
- Jacob Zuma (from 9 May).^[1]
Deputy President: Baleka Mbete (until 9 May), Kgalema Motlanthe (starting 9 May).
Chief Justice: Pius Langa then Sandile Ngcobo.

Cabinet

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

National Assembly

Provincial Premiers

Eastern Cape Province: Mbulelo Sogoni (until 6 May), Noxolo Kiviet (since 6 May)
Free State Province: Beatrice Marshoff (until 6 May), Ace Magashule (since 6 May)
Gauteng Province: Paul Mashatile (until 6 May), Nomvula Mokonyane (since 6 May)
KwaZulu-Natal Province: S'bu Ndebele (until 6 May), Zweli Mkhize (since 6 May)
Limpopo Province: Sello Moloto (until 3 March), Cassel Mathale (since 3 March)
Mpumalanga Province: Thabang Makwetla (until 10 May), David Mabuza (since 10 May)
North West Province: Edna Molewa (until 6 May), Maureen Modiselle (since 6 May)
Northern Cape Province: Elizabeth Dipuo Peters (until 6 May), Hazel Jenkins (since 6 May)
Western Cape Province: Lynne Brown (until 6 May), Helen Zille (since 6 May)

Events

January

8 – The 97th Anniversary of the ANC is celebrated.

February

4 – Jacob Zuma appears in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.^[2]
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.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]
11 – Trevor Manuel presents the 2009–2010 budget.^[7]
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".^[8]

March

3 – South African holidaymakers need visas to enter the United Kingdom.^[9]
3 – Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik is released from prison on medical parole.^[10]
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.^[11]

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7 – All charges against Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thint over the South African arms deal are officially withdrawn in the Durban High Court.^[12]
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%.^[13]

May

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

June

14 to 28 – The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup takes place in South Africa and is won by Brazil, with the United States as the runner-up.

July

18 – The first Mandela Day is organised on Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday.^[14]
19 – Gill Marcus is appointed Governor of the South African Reserve Bank by Jacob Zuma, to replace Tito Mboweni on 9 November.

September

22 – President Jacob Zuma meets with the Paramount leader of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao in New York.
22–24 – The United States Embassy and other US government facilities in South Africa are closed because of unspecified security concerns.^[15]
24 – Airlink Flight 8911 crashes shortly after take-off, killing one and injuring three.^[16]

December

8 – Serial killer, serial rapist and criminal Ananias Mathe is sentenced to an effective 54 years in prison for various crimes.^[17]
12 – The Miss World 2009 pageant takes place Johannesburg.
13 – The Miss South Africa 2009 pageant takes place at Sun City.

Deaths

1 January – Helen Suzman, activist and politician. (b. 1917)
11 January – Ludumo Galada, boxer. (b. 1982)
6 April – Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, politician. (b. 1937)
13 October – Winston Mankunku Ngozi, musician. (b. 1943)^[18]
3 December – Curtis Nkondo, activist, educator, politician and ambassador. (b. 1928)^[19]
16 December – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, politician. (b. 1940)^[20]
31 December – Masego Kgomo, murder victim. (b. c. 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.^[21]^[22]
- 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.^[23]^[24]
TFR begins rebuilding Class 6E1, Series 2 to 8 locomotives to Class 18E, Series 2 locomotives.^[25]

References

^ ^a ^b Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1994-2017 (Accessed on 5 June 2017)
^ "Zuma's first court date set". Archived from the original on 27 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
^ "SA official gunned down". BBC. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
^ "2010 World Cup whistle-blower shot dead". Sowetan. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "ANC in stadium cover-up". Mail & Guardian online. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
^ "Dladla report-Jimmy Mohlala vindicated". ziwaphi.com. 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
^ Manuel to Avoid Spending Surge in His Last South African Budget
^ Rural court set to make history.
^ New SA passport too late for UK Archived 13 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24
^ Shaik released on medical parole Archived 6 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24
^ Expats will be allowed to vote Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24
^ "Zuma's five minutes to freedom". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
^ South Africa’s official election results Archived 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Times
^ Calls for global 'Mandela Day' Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24
^ Bearak, Barry (23 September 2009). "South Africa: Security Threat Close U.S. Embassy". New York Times.
^ MEDIA RELEASE: ACCIDENT – AIRLINK FLIGHT Update #2 at 16h30 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Mathe smiles after sentencing". Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
^ SA jazz legend dies Archived 16 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24 19 September 2009
^ Struggle veteran Nkondo dies
^ "Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has died", Times, 16 December 2000.
^ Railways Africa, 12 Dec 2008: The Class 39 Diesels
^ Final 39-200 Rolls Out Railways Africa, 6 April 2010
^ Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
^ TFR Class 19E Test Train / Information South African Railway News, 9 April 2009
^ Information gathered from the rebuild files of individual locomotives at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Koedoespoort shops

[FSA-1] Archontology.org: A Guide for Study of Historical Offices: South Africa: Heads of State: 1994-2017 (Accessed on 5 June 2017)

[2] "Zuma's first court date set". Archived from the original on 27 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.

[3] "SA official gunned down". BBC. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.

[4] "2010 World Cup whistle-blower shot dead". Sowetan. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}

[5] "ANC in stadium cover-up". Mail & Guardian online. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2010.

[6] "Dladla report-Jimmy Mohlala vindicated". ziwaphi.com. 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2010.

[7] Manuel to Avoid Spending Surge in His Last South African Budget

[8] Rural court set to make history.

[9] New SA passport too late for UK Archived 13 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24

[10] Shaik released on medical parole Archived 6 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24

[11] Expats will be allowed to vote Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24

[12] "Zuma's five minutes to freedom". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2009.

[13] South Africa’s official election results Archived 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Times

[14] Calls for global 'Mandela Day' Archived 30 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24

[15] Bearak, Barry (23 September 2009). "South Africa: Security Threat Close U.S. Embassy". New York Times.

[16] MEDIA RELEASE: ACCIDENT – AIRLINK FLIGHT Update #2 at 16h30 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine

[17] "Mathe smiles after sentencing". Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2009.

[18] SA jazz legend dies Archived 16 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine News 24 19 September 2009

[19] Struggle veteran Nkondo dies

[20] "Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has died", Times, 16 December 2000.

[Class_39_Diesels-21] Railways Africa, 12 Dec 2008: The Class 39 Diesels

[Rolls_out-22] Final 39-200 Rolls Out Railways Africa, 6 April 2010

[23] Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco

[SAR_News-24] TFR Class 19E Test Train / Information South African Railway News, 9 April 2009

[Koedoes-25] Information gathered from the rebuild files of individual locomotives at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Koedoespoort shops

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v t e 2009 in Africa
Sovereign states	Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
States with limited recognition	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland
Dependencies and other territories	Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) Mayotte / Réunion (France) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)