1924 South African general election

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1924 South African general election
Red Ensign of South Africa (1912-1951).svg
  1921 17 June 1924 (1924-06-17) 1929  

All 135 seats in the House of Assembly
68 seats needed for a majority
Turnout77.23% (Increase2.svg 21.63pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  JBM Hertzog - SA (cropped).jpg Genl JC Smuts (cropped).jpg Kolonel Cresswell (cropped).jpg
Leader J. B. M. Hertzog Jan Smuts F. H. P. Creswell
Party National South African Labour
Leader's seatSmithfieldWonderboomDenver
Last election38.17%, 44 seats49.92%, 77 seats10.68%, 10 seats
Seats won635318
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 19Decrease2.svg 24Increase2.svg 8
Popular vote111,483148,76945,380
Percentage35.25%47.04%14.35%
SwingDecrease2.svg 2.90ppDecrease2.svg 2.86ppIncrease2.svg 3.67pp

1924 South African general election map - results by province.svg
Results by province

Prime Minister before election

Jan Smuts
South African

Elected Prime Minister

J. B. M. Hertzog
National

General elections were held in South Africa on 17 June 1924, [1] electing 135 members of the House of Assembly. Considered a realigning election, rising discontent with the government of Jan Smuts led to the defeat of his government by a coalition of the pro-Afrikaner National Party and the South African Labour Party, a socialist party representing the interests of the white proletariat. [2]

Contents

Smuts had angered South African nationalists by his moderate stance on South African independence from the British Empire. The worldwide depression after the end of the First World War had led to a strike in South Africa, known as the Rand Rebellion, which had been defused through a combination of military force and negotiation with the outgunned unions, earning Smuts the enmity of the labour vote. As a consequence Smuts's SAP was defeated by a Nationalist–Labour Pact, James Hertzog formed the government and became Prime Minister – a position he was to hold until 1939.

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, under the fourth delimitation report of 1923, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1919) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged. [3]

ProvincesCapeNatalOrange Free StateTransvaalTotal
Divisions51171750 (49)135 (134)

Results

South African House of Assembly 1924.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
South African Party 148,76947.0453–24
National Party 111,48335.2563+19
Labour Party 45,38014.3518+8
Independents10,6103.3610
Total316,242100.00135+1
Valid votes316,24299.12
Invalid/blank votes2,8050.88
Total votes319,047100.00
Registered voters/turnout413,13677.23
Source: South Africa 1982 [4]

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References

  1. "Smuts Is Certain of Victory Today— Dramatic Turn Throughout Country Towards Premier— Hertzog Distrusted", Montreal Gazette, 17 June 1924, p.1
  2. "Smuts Loses Seat; Party May Be Beaten; Returns From Urban Districts Show Defeats for His Supporters in Many Instances", The New York Times, 18 June 1924, p.11
  3. South Africa 1982, page 129
  4. South Africa 1982, pp. 174, 176