Father Frans Claerhout, acclaimed South African painter of Belgian descent, dies in his sleep at a Bloemfontein hospital after being admitted with pneumonia two weeks prior. Claerhout (87) continued to paint daily during the last few years of his life at a home for retired Catholic priests.

Philip Rabinowitz, Polish born South African centenarian, sets a new world record by running the 100m in 28.7 seconds. Owing to a power failure the time is not electronically recorded and it is not acknowledged as a world record.

John Muafangejo was born in Etunda lo Ghandi in the area of Ovamboland, in Southern Angola. He studied art at the College of Art in Rorke’s Drift from 1967 to 1969. After completing his studies he began teaching at the Lutheran Centre for Arts and Crafts in Odibo, Ovamboland. By the age of 25 Muafangejo was represented by works in the exhibition “Contemporary African Art” in the Camden Arts Centre in London. As an artist he was more recognised for his graphics than his paintings. His motifs were drawn from his everyday life, history, his surroundings and politics.

South Africa enjoyed a clean sweep of the International Rugby Board (IRB) awards in 2004. The awards were held on 29 November 2004 in London's Royal Lancaster Hotel. South African flanker, Schalk Burger, was named IRB 'Player of the Year', South African coach Jake White was named 'Coach of the Year' and South Africa won 'Team of the year' after their Tri Nations success. The IRB was founded in 1886, with its headquarters in Dublin. The organization is the international governing and law making body for the Rugby Union.

Former Zimbabwean president and minister of the Methodist church, Canaan Banana, was found guilty by the Harare High Court on eleven charges of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault. Banana was not present when the guilty verdict was given as he had fled a week earlier to Botswana. Judge Godfrey Chidyausiku immediately issued a warrant for Banana's arrest. His bail was also revoked and the title deed to his Harare mansion was impounded. The Botswana Police promised to launch a manhunt to find and extradite the former president, but his whereabouts remained unclear.

The signing of the investment incentive agreement between South Africa and the US in 1993 ensured that the two countries would develop cordial relations. Since the signing of the agreement the USA and South Africa have maintained good relations despite developments with a potential to throw the two countries on a collusion course. South Africa's ambivalent position in relation to Robert Mugabe's obstinacy has not alienated the country from the USA.

National People's Party leader, Amichand Rajbansi, threatens that he would not co-operate with the James Commission, which was appointed by President P.W. Botha to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in the Tricameral Parliament chamber, the House of Delegates.

A dissatisfied faction of the Bophuthatswana Defence Force and some members of the National Executive Committee of the People's Progressive Party, led by Rocky Malebane-Metsing, attempted to overthrow the government of Chief Lucas Manyane Mangope. Mangope was held hostage for at least fifteen hours in Kemonosi Stadium. Metsing issued an instruction not to spill unnecessary blood while executing the coup. He further requested the then S.A. State President P.W. Botha and the S.A. ambassador in Bophuthatswana not to interfere. His request was not granted as the S.A.

The South African Airways Helderberg 747 jet aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean near Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board. A fire, which started from the main deck cargo hold, caused the crash of the jet. The board of enquiry, headed by Mr Justice Margo, reported that the fire was fuelled by plastic and cardboard packing materials, but the actual source of ignition could not be determined. Sabotage was unlikely to have been the cause. According to Margo the smoke and fire detector systems as well as the fire fighting facilities were in poor working condition.

Two strategic acts of sabotage, supposedly by the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK ), against the oil-from-coal plants based in Secunda failed to successfully hit their target. Though the African National Congress (ANC) military wing, (MK), did not claim responsibility for these acts, the South African Defence Force argued that it was the ANC who had planned and executed the sabotage attempts. Furthermore, the South African government blamed the Zimbabwean government for allowing MK to use Zimbabwe as a base to launch these attacks.