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← 1884 1883 1882 1885 in South Africa → 1886 1887 1888
Decades:	1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s
See also:	List of years in South Africa

The following lists events that happened during 1885 in South Africa.

Incumbents

• Governor of the Cape of Good Hope and High Commissioner for Southern Africa: Hercules Robinson.
• Governor of the Colony of Natal: Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer.
• State President of the Orange Free State: Jan Brand.
• State President of the South African Republic: Paul Kruger.
• Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope: Thomas Upington.

Events

February

• 26 – The Berlin Conference ends and the Scramble for Africa begins.

September

• 30 – A British force abolishes the Boer republic of Stellaland and adds it to British Bechuanaland.

November

• 28 – The railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley is completed.

Births

• 31 January – Marthinus Johannes de Jong, landscape painter, is born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Deaths

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 2 September – Cape Eastern – Molteno to Aliwal North, 69 miles 35 chains (111.7 kilometres).
• 28 November – Cape Western – Oranjerivier to Kimberley, 76 miles 70 chains (123.7 kilometres).<
• 21 December – Natal – Merrivale to Estcourt, 61 miles 50 chains (99.2 kilometres).

References

1. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 13.
2. ^ Report for year ending 31 December 1909, Cape Government Railways, Section VIII - Dates of Opening and the Length of the different Sections in the Cape Colony, from the Year 1873 to 31st December, 1909.
3. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 182, ref. no. 200954-13

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