List of battles in South Africa is a list of all military conflicts, wars or battles fought within the borders of South Africa.^[1]

• First Khoikhoi–Dutch War 1659 – 1660
• Second Khoikhoi–Dutch War 1673 – 1677

Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese navigator, discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. The Dutch settlement in the area began in March 1647. A Dutch expedition of 90 Calvinist settlers, under the command of Jan van Riebeeck, founded the first permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Cape Colony established in 1652. 31 December 1687 a community of Huguenots arrived at the Cape from the Netherlands. See also Huguenots in South Africa.

• Occupation of Simon's Town by the British 14 June 1795
• Capture of Cape Town by the British 14–16 June 1795
• First Occupation of Cape Colony by the British 1795, relinquished control of the territory in 1803
• Second Occupation of Cape Colony by the British from 19 January 1806 until incorporated into the independent Union of South Africa in 1910

• Battle of Muizenberg 1795
• Battle of Blaauwberg, also known as the Battle of Cape Town 8 January 1806

Also known as the Kaffir Wars or Cape Frontier Wars or Dispossession Wars

• First war (1779–81)
• Second war (1789–93)
• Third war (1799–1803)
• Fourth War (1811–12)
• Fifth War (1818–19)
• Sixth War (1834–36)
• Seventh War (1846–1847)
• Eighth War (1850–53)
• Cattle Killings (1856–58)
• Ninth War, Ngcayechibi's War or Fengu-Gcaleka War (1877–79)

Also known as the Zulu Civil War. The fallout from this war led to the catastrophe known as the Mfecane (Difaqane, Lifaqane, Mfeqane).

• Battle of Gqokli Hill (1818)
• Battle of Mhlatuze River (1819)

• Voortrekkers under Andries Potgieter defeat the Ndebele at the Battle of Vegkop 1836
• Voortrekkers under Andries Potgieter, Piet Uys and Gerrit Maritz, helped by Rolong and Griqua tribes, defeat Ndebele at Mosega 17 January 1837

• Battle of Italeni 9 April 1838
• Battle of Blood River 16 December 1838
• Battle of Maqongqe January 1840

• Wars of Resistance (1838)
• Sekhukhune Wars (1876–1879)

• Battle of Congella 1842

• Battle of Zwartkoppies between local Boer farmers and the Griqua people 1845^[2]
• Battle of Boomplaats 1848

• The Boers defeat the Ndebele under chief Makopane at Makapansgat 1854^[3]
• Campaign against Batlhaping (Batlapin) Bantu people under Gasibone and Mahura in West Transvaal 1858^[3]
• Campaign against Bampelas in North Transvaal 1858^[3]
• Campaign against Mabhogo and Maleo 1863^[3]
• Campaign against people of Katlagter, Makopane, Mapela and Matshem 1865 – 1868^[3]
• Campaign against Bantu chief Sekhukhune (Afrikaans: Sekoekoeni) 1876 – 1877^[3]

• Battle of Ndondakusuka 2 December 1856

• Senekal's War 1858
• Seqiti War which included two conflicts, in 1865−1866 and 1867−1868

• The Koranna War breaks out along the Orange River. 1868

• Battle of Isandlwana 22 January 1879
• Battle of Rorke's Drift 22–23 January 1879
• Battle of Intombe (also Intombi or Intombi River Drift) 12 March 1879
• Battle of Hlobane 28 March 1879
• Battle of Kambula 29 March 1879
• Battle of Gingindlovu (uMgungundlovu) 2 April 1879
• Siege of Eshowe 22 January – 3 April 1879
• Battle of Ulundi 4 July 1879

• Basuto Gun War between the British Cape Colony and the Sotho people 13 September 1880 – 29 April 1881

The British recognised the two Boer Republics in 1852 (Sand River Convention) and 1854 (Orange River Convention, or Bloemfontein Convention), but the annexation of the Transvaal in 1877 led to the First Boer War in 1880 and 1881. After British defeats, most heavily at the Battle of Majuba Hill, Transvaal independence was restored subject to certain conditions, but relations were uneasy.

• Action at Bronkhorstspruit 20 December 1880
• Battle of Laing's Nek 28 January 1881
• Battle of Rooihuiskraal 12 February 1881
• Battle of Schuinshoogte also known as Ingogo 8 February 1881
• Battle of Majuba Hill 27 February 1881

• Wars of the South African Republic (Transvaal) with black peoples:
  • Campaign against Mampoer (Mampuru) and Mabhogo 1882 – 1883^[3]
  • Campaign against Oesibeboe 1884^[3]
  • Campaign against Massouw and Moshette 1885 – 1886^[3]
  • Campaign against Masalanabo Modjadji of the Balobedu 1890 – 1891^[3]
  • Malaboch War 1894^[3]
  • Campaign against Chief Makgoba (Magoeba) 1895^[3]
  • Campaign against Bantu chief M'pefu (Mpefu) of the Venda people, 1898^[3][4]
• Jameson Raid (British-Boer conflict) 29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896
• Second Matabele War (British-Matabele conflict) also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion March 1896 – October 1897

between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State.^[5]

• South West Africa campaign, including the ousting of occupying German troops from Walvis Bay (Walvisbaai) in 1915 by the South African Union Defence Force, 1914 – 1915.^[10]
• Maritz rebellion 15 September 1914 – 4 February 1915
• Battle of Kakamas 4 February 1915

• Military history of South Africa
• List of conflicts in Africa