Ceres (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

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Ceres
Former constituency
for the South African House of Assembly
SA-1981-Ceres.png
Location of Ceres within South Africa (1981)
Province Cape of Good Hope
Electorate10,691 (1989 by)
Former constituency
Created 1910
Abolished 1994
Number of members1
Last MHA  M. van S. Hamman (NP)
Replaced by Western Cape

Ceres was a constituency in the Cape Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. It covered a large rural area centred on the town of Ceres. Throughout its existence it elected one member to the House of Assembly and one to the Cape Provincial Council.

Contents

Franchise notes

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, the electoral qualifications in use in each pre-existing colony were kept in place. The Cape Colony had implemented a “colour-blind” franchise known as the Cape Qualified Franchise, which included all adult literate men owning more than £75 worth of property (controversially raised from £25 in 1892), and this initially remained in effect after the colony became the Cape Province. As of 1908, 22,784 out of 152,221 electors in the Cape Colony were “Native or Coloured”. Eligibility to serve in Parliament and the Provincial Council, however, was restricted to whites from 1910 onward.

The first challenge to the Cape Qualified Franchise came with the Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930 and the Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931, which extended the vote to women and removed property qualifications for the white population only – non-white voters remained subject to the earlier restrictions. In 1936, the Representation of Natives Act removed all black voters from the common electoral roll and introduced three “Native Representative Members”, white MPs elected by the black voters of the province and meant to represent their interests in particular. A similar provision was made for Coloured voters with the Separate Representation of Voters Act, 1951, and although this law was challenged by the courts, it went into effect in time for the 1958 general election, which was thus held with all-white voter rolls for the first time in South African history. The all-white franchise would continue until the end of apartheid and the introduction of universal suffrage in 1994. [1]

History

As with most of the Karoo, the electorate of Ceres was largely Afrikaans-speaking, and the seat was a stronghold of the National Party and its predecessors. With the exception of the 1910 and 1915 elections, in which it was held by the South African Party, the NP won Ceres every time it was contested. Its first MP, James Tennant Molteno, had been a leading anti-imperialist politician in the Cape Colony, and served as the inaugural Speaker of the House of Assembly before retiring to become South Africa’s High Commissioner in London. For some time after Molteno’s departure, Ceres maintained a strong presence from both the SAP and the Nationalists, with most elections being closely fought. The exception was 1933, in which the two parties were in coalition and incumbent Nationalist MP J. W. J. W. Roux faced only an independent opponent. After 1948, the seat became considerably safer for the NP, who held it unopposed at several elections in the 1960s and 70s and faced only Conservative Party opponents in the seat’s last few elections.

Members

ElectionMemberParty
1910 James Tennant Molteno SAP
1915 J. G. du Toit
1920 J. W. J. W. Roux National
1921
1924
1929
1933
1934 United
1938 J. J. M. van Zyl GNP
1943 A. J. Stals HNP
1948
1951 by Karl Bremer National
1953 P. J. H. Luttig
1958
1961 Lourens Muller
1966
1970
1974
1977
1979 byP. B. B. Hugo
1981
1987 Willie van Niekerk
1989
1989 byM. van S. Hamman
1994 constituency abolished

[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Detailed results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Ceres
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African James Tennant Molteno Unopposed
South African win (new seat)
General election 1915: Ceres
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African J. G. du Toit 1,388 55.8 N/A
National J. W. J. W. Roux1,09944.2New
Majority 28911.6N/A
Turnout 2,48782.0N/A
South African hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Ceres
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. W. J. W. Roux 1,681 55.8 +11.6
South African E. W. Krige1,32944.2−11.6
Majority 35211.6N/A
Turnout 3,01084.9+2.9
National gain from South African Swing +11.6
General election 1921: Ceres
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. W. J. W. Roux 1,651 55.8 +−0
South African D. P. S. Brink1,30844.2+−0
Majority 34311.6+−0
Turnout 2,95980.0−4.9
National hold Swing +-0
General election 1924: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. W. J. W. Roux 1,683 53.3 −2.5
South African J. G. du Toit1,47446.7+2.5
Majority 2096.6−5.0
Turnout 3,15786.0+6.0
National hold Swing -2.5
General election 1929: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. W. J. W. Roux 1,620 57.9 +4.6
South African E. H. Nellmapius1,17942.1−4.6
Majority 44115.8+9.2
Turnout 2,79986.6+0.6
National hold Swing +4.6

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1933: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. W. J. W. Roux 2,514 58.5 +0.6
Independent E. H. Nellmapius1,78641.5−0.6
Majority 72817.0+1.2
Turnout 4,30067.8−18.8
National hold Swing +0.6
General election 1938: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Purified National J. J. M. van Zyl 3,082 50.5 New
United E. M. Krige3,01749.5New
Majority 651.0N/A
Turnout 6,09990.9+23.1
Purified National gain from United Swing N/A

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1943: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reunited National A. J. Stats 3,760 50.5 +−0
United J. H. Loock3,67749.5+−0
Majority 931.0+−0
Turnout 7,43788.4−2.5
Reunited National hold Swing +-0
General election 1948: Ceres [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reunited National A. J. Stats 4,949 62.2 +11.7
United C. Brink3,00337.8−11.7
Majority 1,94624.4+23.4
Turnout 7,95286.4−2.0
Reunited National hold Swing +11.7

Elections in the 1980s

Vasco by-election, 29 November 1989 [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National M. van S. Hamman 4,514 60.3 −4.9
Conservative N. S. Burnett2,94439.3+4.6
Rejected ballots290.4N/A
Majority 1,57021.0−9.4
Turnout 7,48770.0−7.3
National hold Swing -4.7

References

  1. "EISA South Africa: Historical franchise arrangements". Eisa.org.za. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schoeman, B.M. (1977). Parlementêre verkiesings in Suid-Afrika 1910-1976. Pretoria: Aktuele Publikasies.
  3. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 6705. 19 October 1979. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.
  4. South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.
  5. South Africa 1983: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.
  6. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 10751. 22 May 1987. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.
  7. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 12109. 20 September 1989. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.
  8. 1 2 Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 12206. 8 December 1989. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.