1937 in South Africa

Decades:	1910s; 1920s; 1930s; 1940s; 1950s;
See also:	; List of years in South Africa;

The following lists events that happened during 1937 in South Africa.

Incumbents

1 – The Aliens Act No. 1 is promulgated, restricting and regulating the entry of certain aliens into the Union of South Africa and regulating the right of any person to assume a surname.

5 – Sir Patrick Duncan is appointed the 6th Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the first South African to hold the position.

Eric Bhamuza Sono, captain of Orlando Pirates F.C. and was the father of soccer player & coach Jomo Sono (d. 1964)
29 March – Marike de Klerk, politician, First Lady of South Africa, wife of F. W. de Klerk (d. 2001)
5 May – Ray Ntlokwana, actor, affectionately known as "Velaphi" following his lead role in the SABC Xhosa play, Velaphi
1 July – Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, political activist (d. 2021)
4 July – Clive Scott (actor), actor
6 July – Bessie Head, writer (d. 1986)
4 August – Koos van der Merwe, politician (d. 2024)
18 September – Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, politician, in Kroonstad. (d. 2009)
19 October – Jonas Gwangwa, jazz musician, songwriter and producer

Four new locomotive types, three steam and one electric, enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

The first of 235 Class 19D 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives.^[2]^[3]^[4]
A single Class 21 2-10-4 Texas type steam locomotive.^[3]^[4]^[5]
The first of thirty-four Class NG G16 narrow gauge 2-6-2 2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt locomotives.^[4]^[5]
Three German-built 3 kV DC Class 2E electric locomotives.^[6]

^ "Empire Exhibition". Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^ South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
^ ^a ^b Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 73–76, 93–96. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 72–75, 107, 109–110. ISBN 0869772112.
^ ^a ^b Durrant, AE (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott: David & Charles. pp. 37, 126–127. ISBN 0715386387.
^ South African Railways Index and Diagrams Electric and Diesel Locomotives, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge, circa 1940, as amended