The South African SANAE 46 overwintering team celebrated the IPY launch by a ceremony with a toast of South African wine at SANAE IV in Antarctica at 19:00 UCT on 1 March with Anton Feun, the IPY Engineer on the team and the 10 other members present.
The South African Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation hosted an IPY opening ceremony on SA Agulhas polar research vessel in Cape Town harbour at 17:00 UCT on 1 March with talks by government officials and scientists