1956 in South Africa

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

The following lists events that happened during 1956 in South Africa.

Incumbents

1 – The South African government severs diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union as a result of its support for the South African Communist Party.^[1]

16 – The Riotous Assemblies Act no. 17 is passed, prohibiting any outside gathering that the Minister of Justice deems a threat to public peace.
17 – Mimi Coertse makes her Vienna State Opera debut as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (Mozart).

9 – Women's march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest against the pass laws.

5 – 156 leading activists are arrested, heralding the start of the Treason Trial. Among those arrested is Lillian Masediba Ngoyi.
19 – The Four year long Treason Trial begins at the Drill Hall in Johannesburg.

Lillian Masediba Ngoyi is elected president of the Federation of South African Women.
Lillian Masediba Ngoyi becomes the first woman to be elected to the African National Congress National Executive Committee.
Segregation is introduced on buses.
Albert Lutuli is arrested.

5 April - Manilal Gandhi, editor, activist, and second son of Mahatma Gandhi, (b. 1892)