The 1981 South African Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held on 7 February 1981 at Kyalami.

The race was originally scheduled to be the opening round of the 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship.

(Toleman was experiencing troubles with its overweight car and would not debut until the San Marino Grand Prix).

[1] The absence of the manufacturer teams meant that all 19 cars in the race were powered by Ford Cosworth engines.

[2] The race was eventually won by Carlos Reutemann, driving a Williams, with Nelson Piquet second in a Brabham and Elio de Angelis third in a Lotus.