Death of Robert Sobukwe
Death of Robert Sobukwe
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1978 in South Africa
Explore 14 historical events and records for South Africa in 1978.
Historical records for South Africa in 1978
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 14 of 14 unique records.
14Unique records
1 of 1Page
11Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
2Places on this page
February
September
Botha Government Begins
Takes control of government during the Information Scandal.
Governing Party Leadership
Takes control of the governing party during the Information Scandal.
National Party Leadership
Becomes leader of the National Party alongside the premiership.
National Party Leadership
Wins the National Party leadership contest after Vorster resigns.
National Party Leadership Victory
Defeats rival candidates during the National Party leadership contest.
Party Caucus Victory
Takes control of both the governing party and premiership.
Prime Minister Appointment
Is elected prime minister after John Vorster resigns.
Prime Minister Appointment
Becomes prime minister after John Vorster resigns.
Election
The United Nations passes another resolution for free & open elections in South West Africa
Rule of Namibia
The United Nations passes another resolution for free & open elections in South West Africa
Other events (month unknown)
President of South Africa
Appointed Prime Minister of South Africa
President of South Africa
Appointed President of South Africa
Secretary
Appointed Political Secretary to President Oliver Tambo of the ANC
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.