South African general election, 1943
Encyclopedia
The 1943 South African general election was held for the 152 seats in the parliament of the Union of South Africa
. The United Party
of Jan Smuts
won an absolute majority over its opponents in the House of Assembly
.
Although the United Party was victorious, special wartime circumstances (for example, soldier
s on active service were allowed to vote) and Smuts’s status as an international statesman
probably exaggerated the depth and level of attachment to the United Party.
The election might also have understated Afrikaner
support for nationalist
policies, as many newly urbanised Afrikaners had not registered as voters. In addition, the infighting between the various Afrikaner political factions had a negative impact on their support during the election. However, this election was the beginning of the rise of DF Malan as the dominant spokesman for Afrikanerdom, which would come to fruition in the 1948 South African general election
.
The United Party split in 1939, over the issue of South Africa's participation in the Second World War. The Prime Minister since 1924, General J. B. M. Hertzog, advocated neutrality. The then Deputy Prime Minister, General Jan Smuts, supported South African involvement in the war. The cabinet were evenly split on the issue, which had to be resolved by a Parliamentary vote.
General Smuts won the vote in the House of Assembly. He was then called upon to form a government. A wartime coalition ministry was appointed. The Smuts cabinet included pro-war members of the United Party, as well as the leaders of the Dominion and Labour parties.
General Hertzog and some of his followers left the United Party. This group merged with the Purified National Party
, to form the Reunited National Party (RNP). General Hertzog was the first leader of the new party, from January 1940. Later in the year Hertzog fell out with his new colleagues. His followers then formed the Afrikaner Party.
Another Nationalist politician and former cabinet minister, Oswald Pirow, formed the New Order. This was at first a faction within the RNP, but later became a new far right party.
The three representative seats were filled by elections on different dates in the second half of 1942 (19 August 1942, 26 October 1942 and 29 October 1942). Three Independent MPs were returned. The term of these members expired on 30 June 1948 (the first 30 June to fall after five years from the date of election).
had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division. The representation by province, under the eighth delimitation report of 1942, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1937) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.
The above table does not include the three native representative seats in Cape Province, which were not included in the delimitation of the general roll seats under the South Africa Act 1909.
The vote totals in the table below may not give a complete picture of the balance of political opinion, because of unopposed elections (where no votes were cast) and because contested seats may not have been fought by a candidate from all major parties.
The total registered electorate was 1,114,110. The votes cast were 885,623 (including 9,360 spoilt votes).
The overall composition of the House, set out by province and party and excluding the native representative seats, is as below. Seats as at the last election and after a ; at the dissolution are in brackets. The figures, for the last election, for the Reunited National Party are for its predecessor party, the Purified National Party.
Note: New Order was a far right party, led by Oswald Pirow
. It is believed that the New Order candidates in the 1943 general election are included amongst the Independent candidates in the first table above.
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...
. The United Party
United Party (South Africa)
The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
of Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
won an absolute majority over its opponents in the House of Assembly
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...
.
Although the United Party was victorious, special wartime circumstances (for example, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s on active service were allowed to vote) and Smuts’s status as an international statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
probably exaggerated the depth and level of attachment to the United Party.
The election might also have understated Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
support for nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
policies, as many newly urbanised Afrikaners had not registered as voters. In addition, the infighting between the various Afrikaner political factions had a negative impact on their support during the election. However, this election was the beginning of the rise of DF Malan as the dominant spokesman for Afrikanerdom, which would come to fruition in the 1948 South African general election
South African general election, 1948
The parliamentary election in South Africa on 26 May 1948 represented a turning point in the country's history. The United Party, which had led the government since its foundation in 1933 and its leader, incumbent Prime Minister Jan Smuts was ousted by the Reunited National Party , led by Daniel...
.
Party changes since the last general election
There were significant changes to the South African party system, during the 1938-1943 Parliament.The United Party split in 1939, over the issue of South Africa's participation in the Second World War. The Prime Minister since 1924, General J. B. M. Hertzog, advocated neutrality. The then Deputy Prime Minister, General Jan Smuts, supported South African involvement in the war. The cabinet were evenly split on the issue, which had to be resolved by a Parliamentary vote.
General Smuts won the vote in the House of Assembly. He was then called upon to form a government. A wartime coalition ministry was appointed. The Smuts cabinet included pro-war members of the United Party, as well as the leaders of the Dominion and Labour parties.
General Hertzog and some of his followers left the United Party. This group merged with the Purified National Party
Purified National Party
The Purified National Party was a break away from Hertzog's National Party which lasted from 1935 to 1948.In 1935, the United Party was formed out of the merger between Hertzog's National Party and the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts...
, to form the Reunited National Party (RNP). General Hertzog was the first leader of the new party, from January 1940. Later in the year Hertzog fell out with his new colleagues. His followers then formed the Afrikaner Party.
Another Nationalist politician and former cabinet minister, Oswald Pirow, formed the New Order. This was at first a faction within the RNP, but later became a new far right party.
Native representative members
The first term of the (white MPs) elected to represent black voters, from special electoral districts in Cape Province under the Representation of Natives Act 1936, expired on 30 June 1942. These seats were not vacated by a dissolution of Parliament, so they were not contested at the 1943 general election for the 150 general roll seats.The three representative seats were filled by elections on different dates in the second half of 1942 (19 August 1942, 26 October 1942 and 29 October 1942). Three Independent MPs were returned. The term of these members expired on 30 June 1948 (the first 30 June to fall after five years from the date of election).
Delimitation of electoral divisions
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...
had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division. The representation by province, under the eighth delimitation report of 1942, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1937) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.
| Provinces | Cape | Natal | Orange Free State | Transvaal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisions | 56 (59) | 16 | 14 (15) | 64 (60) | 150 |
The above table does not include the three native representative seats in Cape Province, which were not included in the delimitation of the general roll seats under the South Africa Act 1909.
Results
Groups supporting the war-time coalition government have (g) after the party name, opponents have (o). As Independent candidates may have had varying views, (g) is placed after the elected members, as they were both coalition supporters.The vote totals in the table below may not give a complete picture of the balance of political opinion, because of unopposed elections (where no votes were cast) and because contested seats may not have been fought by a candidate from all major parties.
The total registered electorate was 1,114,110. The votes cast were 885,623 (including 9,360 spoilt votes).
| Party | Seats | Seats % | Votes | Votes % | Leader | |
| United Party United Party (South Africa) The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party... (g) |
89 | 59.33 | 435,297 | 49.68 | Field Marshal Jan Smuts Jan Smuts Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948... |
|
| Reunited National Party Herenigde Nasionale Party The Herenigde Nasionale Party was a political party in South Africa during the 1940s. It was the product of the reunion of Daniel François Malan's Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party and J.B.M. Hertzog's breakaway Afrikaner nationalist faction of the United Party in 1940.In 1934, J.B.M... (o) |
43 | 28.67 | 321,601 | 36.70 | Dr D. F. Malan Daniel François Malan Daniel François Malan , more commonly known as D.F. Malan, was the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. He is seen as a champion of Afrikaner nationalism. His National Party government came to power on the program of apartheid and began its comprehensive implementation.- Biography... |
|
| 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:... (g) |
9 | 6.00 | 38,206 | 4.36 | Walter Madeley | |
| Dominion Party (g) | 7 | 4.67 | 29,023 | 3.31 | Colonel C. F. Stallard Charles Stallard Colonel the Hon. Charles Frampton Stallard QC, DSO and MC was a South African lawyer, soldier and politician.... |
|
| Independents | 2 (g) | 1.33 | 30,185 | 3.45 | - | |
| Afrikaner Party Afrikaner Party The Afrikaner Party was a South African political party from 1941 to 1951.-Origins:The roots of the party can be traced back September 1939, when South Africa declared war on Germany at the start of World War II. General J.B.M... (o) |
- | - | 15,607 | 1.78 | N. C. Havenga Nicolaas Havenga Nicolaas Christiaan Havenga was a South African politician who served as Finance Minister in the governments of J. B. M... |
|
| Socialist Party | - | - | 6,350 | 0.72 | - | |
| Total | 150 |
The overall composition of the House, set out by province and party and excluding the native representative seats, is as below. Seats as at the last election and after a ; at the dissolution are in brackets. The figures, for the last election, for the Reunited National Party are for its predecessor party, the Purified National Party.
| Party | Cape | Natal | Orange FS | Transvaal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United (g) | 35 (38;30) | 6 (7;6) | 1 (9,2) | 47 (57;32) | 89 (111;70) |
| Labour (g) | 1 (-;-) | 2 (1;2) | - (-;-) | 6 (2;2) | 9 (3;4) |
| Dominion (g) | 1 (1;1) | 6 (7;7) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | 7 (8;8) |
| Independent (g) | - (-;-) | 2 (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;2) | 2 (-;2) |
| Socialist | - (-;-) | - (1;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (1;-) |
| Reunited National (o) | 19 (20;26) | - (-;1) | 13 (6;8) | 11 (1;6) | 43 (27;41) |
| New Order (o) | - (-;2) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;14) | - (-16) |
| Afrikaner (o) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;5) | - (-;3) | - (-;8) |
| Independent (o) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;-) | - (-;1) | - (-;1) |
| Total | 56 (59;59) | 16 (16;16) | 14 (15;15) | 64 (60;60) | 150 (150;150) |
Note: New Order was a far right party, led by Oswald Pirow
Oswald Pirow
Oswald Pirow was a South African lawyer and far right politician, who held office as minister of Justice and Defence.-Early life:...
. It is believed that the New Order candidates in the 1943 general election are included amongst the Independent candidates in the first table above.