The following lists events that happened during 1979 in South Africa.

• State President:
  • John Vorster (until 4 June).^[1]
  • Marais Viljoen (acting from 4 June, elected from 19 June).^[1]
• Prime Minister: P.W. Botha.
• Chief Justice: Frans Lourens Herman Rumpff.

January

• 8 – South Africa and Lesotho sign a monetary agreement.
• 14 – Police clash with Umkhonto we Sizwe guerrillas near Zeerust and arrest one while six escape into Botswana.
• 23 – A bomb explodes near the New Canada railway station in Soweto.
• 24 – A large amount of explosives is found and defused on the railway line between Fort Beaufort and King William's Town.

February

• Sergeant Benjamin Letlako, a Police Special Branch member, is shot dead in Katlehong.

April

• Explosives are discovered and defused on a railway line near Soweto.

May

• 5 – Guerrillas open fire in the Moroka Police Station, killing one and wounding three more policemen and three civilians.
• 29 – Bishop Abel Muzorewa becomes the transitional Prime Minister of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

June

• 4 – Following the Information Scandal, John Vorster resigns as State President of South Africa.^[1]
• 4 – Marais Viljoen becomes acting State President of South Africa for the second time.^[1]
• 19 – Marais Viljoen becomes State President of South Africa.^[1]
• Explosives are discovered and defused on a railway line in the Eastern Transvaal.

September

• 22 – A Vela satellite detects a flash in the southern Atlantic Ocean, believed to be a South African-Israeli nuclear test.

November

• Guerrillas open fire and hurl grenades in the Orlando Police Station charge office, killing two policemen and wounding two.
• Grenades are thrown into the home of Special Branch policeman Lt Magezi Ngobeni and five children are wounded.

December

• A bomb explodes and damages the railway line near Alice.
• A bomb explodes at the Sasol Oil Refineries and cause massive structural damage.

Unknown date

• The National Council of Lawyers for Human Rights is established.
• The African National Congress's Special Operations, reporting directly to Oliver Tambo, is established.
• The African National Congress' Nova Catengue Training Camp is attacked and destroyed by the South African Air Force.

• 8 January – Butch James, rugby player
• 10 January – Louise Carver, singer-songwriter, pianist
• 29 January – Mfuneko Ngam, cricketer
• 5 February – Steve Lekoelea, soccer player
• 14 February – Wesley Moodie, tennis player
• 23 February – Jaco van Zyl, golfer
• 25 February – Wikus van Heerden, rugby player
• 18 March – Bonnie Mbuli, actress
• 25 March – Kgomotso Christopher, actress and voice over artist best known for her time in Isidingo as Katlego Sibeko
• 6 April – Manaka Ranaka, actress
• 9 April – Ryan Cox, professional road racing cyclist. (d. 2007)
• 3 June – Deon Carstens, rugby player
• 23 June – Marilyn Agliotti, field hockey player
• 6 July – Zandile Msutwana, actress
• 10 July – Marius Joubert, rugby player
• 4 August – Robin Peterson, cricketer
• 12 September – Gcobani Bobo, rugby player
• 17 September – Neill Blomkamp, film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator.
• 22 September – Bakkies Botha, rugby player
• 9 October – Hendrik Odendaal, swimmer
• 11 October – Zonke, singer
• 21 November – Jason Hartman, singer-songwriter
• 16 December – Trevor Immelman, golfer
• 24 December – DJ Cleo, recording artist, DJ and record producer
• 28 December – Elvis Blue, singer, musician

• 6 April – Solomon Mahlangu, Umkhonto we Sizwe operative hanged (b. 1956)
• 12 June – David Sibeko, Pan Africanist Congress representative to the United Nations. (b. 1938)
• 8 August – Lionel Cooper, mathematician. (b. 1915)
• 10 November – Harry Hart, athlete. (b. 1905)