South African general election, 1966
Encyclopedia
The 1966 South African general election, on 30 March 1966, resulted in yet another comprehensive victory for the National Party
under Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
.
The number of House of Assembly
seats for White voters in South Africa had been increased from 150 to 160 by the Constitution Amendment Act of 1965. In addition, there were 6 seats for White voters from South-West Africa (now Namibia
). There were also four seats reserved for Coloured
representatives, who did not have to stand for re-election during 1966.
The Progressive Party (PP) won the two seats representing coloured voters on the Cape Provincial Council
, at an election in 1965. The National Party (NP) government became concerned at the prospect of four additional Progressive MPs being elected. The opposition United Party (UP) also feared the loss of support, if the existing four UP supported independent members were defeated.
Parliament passed the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act 1965. This legislation extended the term of the existing coloured representatives until October 1966. Further Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Acts, in 1966 and 1968, extended the term until the dissolution of what turned out to be the 1966-1970 Parliament. The coloured representation in Parliament would then be abolished.
had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division, for general roll voters in the four provinces. The republican constitution continued the arrangements for a commission. The representation by province, under the twelfth delimitation report of 1965, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1958) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.
South-West Africa (with six seats) and the coloured representatives (4 seats), were unaffected by the general delimitation provisions.
The general election only affected the representatives of white voters. The other members were elected on a different date (see above).
Since the previous elected the United Party had absorbed the National Union, with which it had had an electotal alliance in 1961.
The representation by party and province, at the dissolution was:-
since her defection from the UP, with a bare 117 votes.
356 candidates were nominated. These represented the following parties: National 154, United 141, Progressive 26, Republican 22, the Front 10, Independents 2, and Conservative National Party 1. The Republican, Front and Conservative National groups were new right-wing parties, which had not contested previous general elections.
The total registered electorate was 1,901,479. The votes cast were 1,302,151 (including 7,494 spoilt votes).
The overall composition of the House, after the general election, by province and party is set out in the table below..
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...
under Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd , commonly identified as H.F. Verwoerd, was Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966...
.
The number of 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...
seats for White voters in South Africa had been increased from 150 to 160 by the Constitution Amendment Act of 1965. In addition, there were 6 seats for White voters from South-West Africa (now Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
). There were also four seats reserved for Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
representatives, who did not have to stand for re-election during 1966.
Coloured Representative Members
The second election for the four coloured representative members had taken place on 4 October 1961, before the (white voters only) general election on 8 October 1961. Under the Separate Representation of Voters Act 1951, the members were originally elected to serve until the dissolution of the 1961-1966 Parliament.The Progressive Party (PP) won the two seats representing coloured voters on the Cape Provincial Council
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...
, at an election in 1965. The National Party (NP) government became concerned at the prospect of four additional Progressive MPs being elected. The opposition United Party (UP) also feared the loss of support, if the existing four UP supported independent members were defeated.
Parliament passed the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act 1965. This legislation extended the term of the existing coloured representatives until October 1966. Further Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Acts, in 1966 and 1968, extended the term until the dissolution of what turned out to be the 1966-1970 Parliament. The coloured representation in Parliament would then be abolished.
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, for general roll voters in the four provinces. The republican constitution continued the arrangements for a commission. The representation by province, under the twelfth delimitation report of 1965, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1958) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.
| Provinces | Cape | Natal | Orange Free State | Transvaal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisions | 54 (52) | 18 (16) | 15 (14) | 73 (68) | 160 (150) |
South-West Africa (with six seats) and the coloured representatives (4 seats), were unaffected by the general delimitation provisions.
Composition at the dissolution
The 13th Parliament since the Union of 1910 and the 1st elected after the Republic was proclaimed in 1961, was dissolved in 1966. At the time the House of Assembly consisted of two groups of members. White voters were represented by 156 general roll members and coloured voters in Cape Province by four white MPs known at the time as Coloured Representative Members (CRM).The general election only affected the representatives of white voters. The other members were elected on a different date (see above).
Since the previous elected the United Party had absorbed the National Union, with which it had had an electotal alliance in 1961.
The representation by party and province, at the dissolution was:-
| Province | National | United | Progressive | Independents | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape (general) | 34 | 18 | - | - | 52 |
| Cape (CRM) | - | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| Natal | 3 | 13 | - | - | 16 |
| Orange Free State | 14 | - | - | - | 14 |
| South-West Africa | 6 | - | - | - | 6 |
| Transvaal | 49 | 18 | 1 | - | 68 |
| Total | 106 | 49 | 1 | 4 | 160 |
Election Results
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. In all, eighteen candidates were returned unopposed, seventeen representing the National Party and one the United Party. The Progressive Party barely kept its Houghton seat, held by Helen SuzmanHelen Suzman
Helen Suzman, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician.-Biography:Helen Suzman, a life-long citizen of South Africa, was born as Helen Gavronsky in 1917 to Jewish immigrants....
since her defection from the UP, with a bare 117 votes.
356 candidates were nominated. These represented the following parties: National 154, United 141, Progressive 26, Republican 22, the Front 10, Independents 2, and Conservative National Party 1. The Republican, Front and Conservative National groups were new right-wing parties, which had not contested previous general elections.
The total registered electorate was 1,901,479. The votes cast were 1,302,151 (including 7,494 spoilt votes).
| Party | Seats | Seats % | Votes | Votes % | Leader | |
| 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... |
126 | 75.90 | 759,331 | 58.31 | Hendrik Verwoerd | |
| 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... |
39 | 23.49 | 486,629 | 37.37 | Sir de Villiers Graaff | |
| Progressive Party Progressive Party (South Africa) The Progressive Party was a liberal party in South Africa that opposed the ruling National Party's policies of apartheid, and championed the Rule of Law. For years its only member of parliament was Helen Suzman... |
1 Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician.-Biography:Helen Suzman, a life-long citizen of South Africa, was born as Helen Gavronsky in 1917 to Jewish immigrants.... |
0.60 | 39,717 | 3.05 | Jan Steytler Jan Steytler Jan van Aswegen Steytler was a liberal South African politician and the first leader of the Progressive Party . He was born in Burgersdorp, in the then Cape Province now Eastern Cape Province.-Background:... |
|
| Independents and Others | - | - | 16,474 | 1.27 | - | |
| Total | 166 |
The overall composition of the House, after the general election, by province and party is set out in the table below..
| Province | National | United | Progressive | Independents | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape (general) | 38 | 16 | - | - | 54 |
| Cape (CRM) | - | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| Natal | 5 | 13 | - | - | 18 |
| Orange Free State | 15 | - | - | - | 15 |
| South-West Africa | 6 | - | - | - | 6 |
| Transvaal | 62 | 10 | 1 | - | 73 |
| Total | 126 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 170 |