See also: 1987 in South Africa, other events of 1988, 1989 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history.
Events
January
February
March
- An electrical sub-station in Fort Jackson is damaged when three limpet mines explode
- 1 March - An explosion in Benoni causes extensive damage to bus transporting South African Air Force personnel
- 7 March - A guerrilla and a civilian is killed by police during a raid in Queenstown, six policemen are wounded in the raid
- 8 March - An attack by guerrillas on Phiri Hall police mess kills one policemen and wounds 10 others
- 12 March - A church-led opposition group headed by Desmond Tutu is banned
- 14 March - A bomb explodes at Johannesburg City Hall with no injuries
- 17 March - Mohammed Ichbahl and Aboobaker Ismail set up two bombs at the Krugersdorp magistrate’s court adjacent to the local police station, the first to serve as a decoy and the second, a car bomb, directed at security force personnel but, "unfortunately the decoy failed to explode, due to some malfunction". The car bomb explodes killing two South African Defence Force personnel and a civilian. Twenty other people were injured. South African police accused Hein Grosskopf of the attack, and acknowledged later that he had not been responsible.
- 18 March - Guerrillas attack a tavern in Atteridgeville frequented by policemen; three policemen are killed in the attack
- 25 March - Three guerrillas are killed at Batavia in the far northern Transvaal, by the South African Army
- 27 March - The Antheas Club in Polokwane (previously known as Pietersburg) is slightly damaged by a limpet mine which exploded in the back garden
- 28 March - Four guerrillas are killed and one injured by the South African Army on an island on Mutale river
April
May
- 1 May - A special guard unit vehicle is attacked in Cape Town with no injuries
- 3-6 May - An ILO tripartite Conference on Action Against Apartheid is held in Harare, Zimbabwe
- 10 May - A child is killed when a grenade is thrown at a policeman's home in Mamelodi by guerrillas
- 14 May - A guerrilla is killed when police raids his home in Newcastle
- 24 May - At the Germiston railway station, a guerrilla opens fire policemen and is killed when the police returned fire; three civilians were injured in crossfire
- 25 May - Two people are killed and 38 injured when a Sofasonke Party rally in Soweto comes under a grenade attack. The African National Congress denies knowledge and blames "armed political renegades"
- 26 May - A limpet mine detonates during lunch hour outside African Eagle Building in Pretoria, injuring four people from the Ruth Arndt Early Learning Centre
- 28 May - An explosive device explodes at the bottom of platform staircase at the Johannesburg railway station and injures 1 person
June
- A bomb explodes near Soweto's Inhlanzani station with no injuries
- A mini-limpet mine explodes at a Pretoria snack bar injuring 18 people
- 3 June - An explosion occurs at the South African Irish Regiment HQ in Anderson Street, Johannesburg
- A bomb explodes during lunch hour outside Standard Bank in Roodepoort, killing four and injuring eighteen civilians. According to an African National Congress guerrilla the target had not been civilians but a police station nearby and refuses to give details on what operational difficulties caused this incident.
- 5 June - A bomb is detonated while a train was standing at Saulsville railway station
- 20 June - A Ciskei policeman, W/O Swelindawo is injured in explosion at his home in Mdanstane
- 22 June - Ten people are killed when a limpet mine explodes at an amusement arcade in Winning Side Arcade in Johannesburg
- 26 June - A limpet mine is discovered and defused at Papagallo Restaurant in East London
- 27 June - Cuban MiG 23 jet fighters attack the Calueque Water Scheme - twelve South African soldiers die after a direct hit by bomb.
- 29 June - A bomb kills two South African Defence Force, two Prisons personnel and 13 civilians when it explodes at a cafe in Poynton building
July
August
- A mini-limpet mine explodes at the Westville Post Office near Durban
- 3 August - A car bomb explodes outside the Wits Command, Johannesburg with no injuries
- Five guerrillas are killed in two incidents in the Bridgewater area
- 4 August - A guerrilla is killed and one escapes in a police raid near the Wild Coast Sun hotel in Transkei
- 5 August - A limpet mine is discovered and safely detonated at the Morula Sun Casino
- 13 August - An explosion at the Hyde Park Shopping Centre, Johannesburg injures three people
- 19 August - A mini-limpet mine explodes within the Castle grounds in Cape Town
- 20 August - A grenade is thrown at the home of mayor, Eddie Makeba in Duncan Village
- 23 August - An explosion at lunch hour injures 23 people at the Wimpy (restaurant) on Oxford Street, East London
- 24 August - A limpet mine is discovered outside the Wimpy in Standerton and safely detonated
September
- Trevor Manuel is detained for the third time and this time he is released only in 1989
- A bomb goes off at the Laudium home of a Pretoria municipal election candidate
- Three limpet mines in Lenasia explode at the offices of the Lenasia bus service, at the home of the Lenasia Management Committee and the offices of the House of Delegates
- A bomb explodes at the King Williamstown Magistrates Court
- A mini-limpet mine explodes at the Woodstock Police Station
- A child is injured when the home of a municipal policeman attacked in Soweto
- A bomb explodes at a discotheque in Hillbrow injuring 19 people
- A limpet mine explosion at Vinderbijl Square bus terminus in Johannesburg injures 19 people
- A hand grenade is thrown from a moving car at home of Allan Hendrickse, leader of the Labour Party
- A bomb under a car in parking lot of an East London hotel explodes after area cleared
- 2 September - Limpet mines are discovered and defused at the Standerton post office
- Two people are injured when a limpet mine explodes at 17h30 outside a shop on the corner of Smith and Fenton Streets in Durban
- 3 September - A guerrilla is killed and four policemen are injured in Molweni, Durban
- 7 September - An explosion in the basement of North Park Plaza Shopping Centre kills one person
- 8 September - A grenade is thrown into the home of couple who did not join a strike (Mr and Mrs Modiko) and injures a child
- 10 September - An explosion at the Moroka Police Station barracks
- A mini-limpet placed under basin next to back door of a Lenasia HOD candidate, Mrs Ebrahim; explodes
- 19 September - A car bomb explodes outside flats in Benoni, 100 m from the Police station; two civilians are injured
- 21 September - An explosion after 17h00 injures 14 people at the Vanderbijlpark bus terminal
- 22 September - An explosion at the home of a municipal election candidate SD Goolam injures four policemen, two guards and a civilian
October
- A bomb explodes at the Redhill Post Office in Durban with no injuries
- A bomb damages the campaign HQ of a Wentworth municipal candidate in Durban
- Municipal councillor and assistant escape injury when hand grenades are thrown at them in Thokoza
- An explosion at KwaThema civic centre which is used as polling point in municipal elections kills a baby killed and injures four people
- Explosions occur at three magistrates courts, Wynberg (Johannesburg), Bishop Lavis, and Stellenbosch with no injuries reported at all three
- A bomb causes damage to Woodstock Police Station
- Four policemen are injured when a limpet mine explodes at Tembisa police barracks
- A limpet mine which explodes near the Alexandra Municipal Police offices in Johannesburg causes extensive damage
- The homes of municipal candidates in Wattville and Thokoza are attacked with hand grenades
- A mini-limpet mine explodes at the Katlehong Municipal Police barracks
- A bomb explodes in a building housing the Police Security Branch in Potchefstroom
- A limpet mine explodes at a Sandton sub-station belonging to Eskom
- A mini-limpet mine damages offices in Diepmeadow
- A limpet mine explodes at central Johannesburg bus terminus injuring four people
- A car bomb explosion outside a Witbank shopping centre kills two people and injures 42
November
December
Unknown date
Sport
Athletics
Births
Deaths
- Queen Nolitha of Ixhiba, the 4th wife of Xolilizwe Mzikayise Sigcawu dies
- 8 January - Jacob Molokwane, an activist, is shot dead in his car in Francistown, Botswana
- 17 January - Percy Qoboza, journalist, author and critic of the apartheid government, dies on his 50th birthday after a short illness
- 29 January - Linda Brakvis, a United Democratic Front member, is found stabbed 3 days after her release from detention
- 29 March - Dulcie September, is assassinated in Paris
- 12 April - Alan Paton dies in his home near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
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