South African general election, 1910
Encyclopedia
The 1910 South African general election was held for the 121 seats in the House of Assembly
of the Union
of South Africa, on 15 September 1910. This was the first general election, after the Union came into force on 31 May 1910.
In addition to the general election, the first election to the provincial councils of Cape Province
and Transvaal
took place on the same day. Those councils used the same electoral districts as those for the House of Assembly seats in the province. The first election for the provincial councils of Natal
and Orange Free State
, which did not use the same constituency boundaries as the House of Assembly, took place on a later date.
The South African National Party (known as the South African Party from 1911) of General Louis Botha won a slim majority. The Unionist Party became the official opposition.
provided that the franchise in each province should be the same as that in the corresponding colony before the Union, until altered by the Union Parliament. The Act included entrenching clauses, providing that black and coloured voters could only be removed from the common voters roll in the Cape of Good Hope, by legislation passed by a two-thirds majority by both houses of Parliament in joint session.
The franchise, in all parts of the Union, was limited to men over the age of 21. There were some additional qualifications and disqualifications which varied between provinces.
The franchise in the Orange Free State and Transvaal was limited to white men.
The Cape of Good Hope had a franchise based on property and wage qualifications, open to people of all races. At the time of the National Convention in 1908, which drafted the terms of what became the South Africa Act, “22,784 Native and Coloured persons out of a total of 152,221 electors” were entitled to vote in Cape elections.
Natal had a theoretically non-racial franchise, but in practice few non-white electors ever qualified. It was estimated, in 1908, that “200 non-Europeans out of a total of 22,786 electors had secured franchise rights”.
(which did not have a pre-Union party system). The colonial parties involved were the South African Party of Cape Colony
(itself largely based on the Afrikaner Bond
), Het Volk
from the Transvaal
and Orangia Unie from the Orange River Colony (which was restored to its pre-1902 name of Orange Free State
as a province of the Union).
The alliance was known, in 1910, as the South African National Party (which should not be confused with the National Party
formed in 1914, following a split in the South African Party). It subsequently formalised itself as the South African Party, in 1911.
The parties merged into the Unionist Party were the Unionist Party of Cape Colony (formerly known as the Cape Progressive Party), the Constitutional Party of the Orange River Colony and the Progressives of Transvaal.
The party was a pro-British conservative party. It favoured the maintenance of a pro-British political culture in South Africa similar to that present in the other 'white dominions'.
.
House of Assembly of South Africa
The House of Assembly was the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa from 1910 to 1984, and latterly the white representative house of the Tricameral Parliament from 1984 to 1994, when it was replaced by the current National Assembly...
of the Union
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
of South Africa, on 15 September 1910. This was the first general election, after the Union came into force on 31 May 1910.
In addition to the general election, the first election to the provincial councils of Cape Province
Cape Provincial Council
The Cape Provincial Council was the legislature of the Cape Province of South Africa. It was created by the South Africa Act 1909, with effect from the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910...
and Transvaal
Transvaal Provincial Council
The Transvaal Provincial Council was the Transvaal's legislature. It was created by the South Africa Act 1909, from the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910...
took place on the same day. Those councils used the same electoral districts as those for the House of Assembly seats in the province. The first election for the provincial councils of Natal
Natal Provincial Council
The Natal Provincial Council was the Natal legislature. It was created by the South Africa Act 1909, with effect from the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910....
and Orange Free State
Orange Free State Provincial Council
The Orange Free State Provincial Council was the Orange Free State legislature. It was created by the South Africa Act 1909, with effect from the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910....
, which did not use the same constituency boundaries as the House of Assembly, took place on a later date.
The South African National Party (known as the South African Party from 1911) of General Louis Botha won a slim majority. The Unionist Party became the official opposition.
Franchise
The South Africa Act 1909South Africa Act 1909
The South Africa Act 1909 was an Act of the British Parliament which created the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal Colony. The Act also made provisions for admitting Rhodesia as a fifth province of the Union in...
provided that the franchise in each province should be the same as that in the corresponding colony before the Union, until altered by the Union Parliament. The Act included entrenching clauses, providing that black and coloured voters could only be removed from the common voters roll in the Cape of Good Hope, by legislation passed by a two-thirds majority by both houses of Parliament in joint session.
The franchise, in all parts of the Union, was limited to men over the age of 21. There were some additional qualifications and disqualifications which varied between provinces.
The franchise in the Orange Free State and Transvaal was limited to white men.
The Cape of Good Hope had a franchise based on property and wage qualifications, open to people of all races. At the time of the National Convention in 1908, which drafted the terms of what became the South Africa Act, “22,784 Native and Coloured persons out of a total of 152,221 electors” were entitled to vote in Cape elections.
Natal had a theoretically non-racial franchise, but in practice few non-white electors ever qualified. It was estimated, in 1908, that “200 non-Europeans out of a total of 22,786 electors had secured franchise rights”.
Electoral system
The South Africa Act 1909 provided for single member electoral divisions, with members of the House of Assembly being elected using the relative majority (also known as first past the post) electoral system.South African National Party
The first Union Prime Minister (and former Transvaal Prime Minister), General Botha, assembled an electoral alliance before the first Union election. This grouping was composed of the governing parties of three of the colonies being united and some individual politicians from NatalNatal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
(which did not have a pre-Union party system). The colonial parties involved were the South African Party of Cape Colony
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
(itself largely based on the Afrikaner Bond
Afrikaner Bond
The Afrikaner Bond was a political party in the Cape Colony. It was formed by the union in 1881 of the Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners of Rev S.J...
), Het Volk
Het Volk
Het Volk may refer to:*Het Volk , Flanders, Belgium*Het Volk, also called Omloop Het Volk, a semi-classic one-day bicycle race in Flanders, Belgium, sponsored by the newspaper*Het Volk , Transvaal political party...
from the Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
and Orangia Unie from the Orange River Colony (which was restored to its pre-1902 name of Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
as a province of the Union).
The alliance was known, in 1910, as the South African National Party (which should not be confused with the National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
formed in 1914, following a split in the South African Party). It subsequently formalised itself as the South African Party, in 1911.
Unionist Party of South Africa
The Unionist Party of South Africa was formed, in May 1910, under the leadership of Leander Starr Jameson (a former Prime Minister of Cape Colony), by the merger of the three colonial opposition parties joined by some individual politicians from Natal.The parties merged into the Unionist Party were the Unionist Party of Cape Colony (formerly known as the Cape Progressive Party), the Constitutional Party of the Orange River Colony and the Progressives of Transvaal.
The party was a pro-British conservative party. It favoured the maintenance of a pro-British political culture in South Africa similar to that present in the other 'white dominions'.
South African Labour Party
The South African Labour Party, formed in March 1910 following discussions between trade unions and the Independent Labour Party of Transvaal, was a professedly socialist party representing the interests of the white working class. The party leader was Colonel F. H. P. CreswellFrederic Creswell
Colonel Frederic Hugh Page Creswell was a British-born Labour Party politician in South Africa. He was Minister of Defence from 1924 to March 1933.-Early life:...
.
Delimitation of electoral divisions
The South Africa Act 1909 had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division. The representation by province is set out in the table below.| Provinces | Cape | Natal | Orange Free State | Transvaal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 51 | 17 | 17 | 36 | 121 |
Results
The votes, by party, are not available.| Party | Seats | Seats % | Leader | |
| South African National Party South African Party The South African Party was a political party that existed in the Union of South Africa from 1911 to 1934.-History:The outline and foundation for the party was realized after the election of a 'South African party' in the 1910 South African general election under the leadership of Louis Botha... |
67 | 55.37 | General Louis Botha Louis Botha Louis Botha was an Afrikaner and first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state... |
|
| Unionist Party Unionist Party (South Africa) The Unionist Party of South Africa was a pre-apartheid South African political party, which contested elections to the Union of South Africa parliament from the 1910 South African general election until its merger into the South African Party just before the 1921 South African general... |
39 | 32.23 | Dr L. S. Jameson Leander Starr Jameson Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, KCMG, CB, , also known as "Doctor Jim", "The Doctor" or "Lanner", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid.... |
|
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
11 | 9.09 | - | |
| Labour Party Labour Party (South Africa) The South African Labour Party, formed in March 1910 following discussions between trade unions and the Independent Labour Party of Transvaal, was a professedly democratic socialist party representing the interests of the white working class.-History:... |
4 | 3.31 | Colonel F. H. P. Creswell Frederic Creswell Colonel Frederic Hugh Page Creswell was a British-born Labour Party politician in South Africa. He was Minister of Defence from 1924 to March 1933.-Early life:... |
|
| Total | 121 | 100 |