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• 7 – All charges against Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thint over the South African arms deal are officially withdrawn in the Durban High Court.^[11]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

1. Zuma's first court date set
2. "SA official gunned down". BBC. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
3. "2010 World Cup whistle-blower shot dead". Sowetan. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
4. "ANC in stadium cover-up". Mail & Guardian online. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
5. "Dladla report-Jimmy Mohlala vindicated". ziwaphi.com. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
6. Manuel to Avoid Spending Surge in His Last South African Budget
7. Rural court set to make history.
8. New SA passport too late for UK News 24
9. Shaik released on medical parole News 24
10. Expats will be allowed to vote News 24
11. "Zuma's five minutes to freedom". Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
12. South Africa’s official election results The Times
13. Calls for global 'Mandela Day' News 24
14. MEDIA RELEASE: ACCIDENT – AIRLINK FLIGHT Update #2 at 16h30 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
15. Mathe smiles after sentencing
16. SA jazz legend dies News 24 19 September 2009
17. Struggle veteran Nkondo dies
18. "Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has died", Times, 16 December 2000.
19. Railways Africa, 12 Dec 2008: The Class 39 Diesels
20. Final 39-200 Rolls Out Railways Africa, 6 April 2010
21. Railways Africa, 29 Aug 2008: First 19E Loco
22. TFR Class 19E Test Train / Information South African Railway News, 9 April 2009
23. Information gathered from the rebuild files of individual locomotives at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Koedoespoort shops