1953 in South Africa

Decades:	1930s; 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s;
See also:	; List of years in South Africa;

The following lists events that happened during 1953 in South Africa.

Incumbents

29 – Santam Insurance Company is registered, following the separation of trust and insurance operations.

18–20 – The 42nd Annual Conference of the African National Congress takes place in Queenstown.

The Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), banned by the National Party government, relaunches itself underground as the South African Communist Party (SACP).
Bantu Education Act is voted, and will start 1 January 1954.

Two new Cape gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

The first of ninety Class 25 4-8-4 Northern type condensing steam locomotives.^[2]^[3]^[4]
The first of fifty Class 25NC non-condensing versions of the Class 25 Condenser.^[2]^[3]^[4]

22 November – In a friendly match the South Africa national football team loses 1–3 to the Portugal national football team at the National Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal.

^ Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 191, ref. no. 200954-13
^ ^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. 108–111. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
^ ^a ^b Durrant, AE (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott: David & Charles. pp. 107–109. ISBN 0715386387.
^ ^a ^b Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 77–78. ISBN 0869772112.