Graaff-Reinet (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Last updated
Graaff-Reinet
Former constituency
for the South African House of Assembly
SA-1981-GraaffReinet.png
Location of Graaff-Reinet within South Africa (1981)
Province Cape of Good Hope
Electorate9,494 (1989)
Former constituency
Created 1910
Abolished 1994
Number of members1
Last MHA  J. L. Retief (NP)
Replaced by Eastern Cape

Graaff-Reinet was a constituency in the Cape Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. It covered a rural area of the Karoo centred on the town of Graaff-Reinet. 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

Like many constituencies in the rural Cape, the electorate of Graaff-Reinet was largely Afrikaans-speaking and conservative, and with the exception of the inaugural Union election in 1910, the seat was won at every election by the National Party. When the majority of the National Party went into the United Party in 1934, Graaff-Reinet MP Karl Bremer was one of twenty MPs who broke off to form the Purified National Party. Bremer represented the seat until 1943, when he moved to Stellenbosch, but his successors continued to hold the seat by wide margins until the end of apartheid.

Members

ElectionMemberParty
1910 G. H. Maasdorp SAP
1915 J. M. Enslin National
1920
1921
1924 Karl Bremer
1925 byI. P. van Heerden
1929 Karl Bremer
1933
1934 GNP
1938
1943 G. P. Steyn HNP
1948
1953 National
1957 byH. H. van der Ahee
1958
1961
1966 A. N. Steyn
1969 byS. A. S. Hayward
1970
1974
1977
1981
1987 J. L. Retief
1989
1994 constituency abolished

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

Detailed results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Graaff-Reinet
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African G. H. Maasdorp 1,423 82.5 New
Ind. South African P. B. de Ville30217.5New
Majority 1,12165.0N/A
South African win (new seat)
General election 1915: Graaff-Reinet
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. M. Enslin 1,234 53.6 New
South African G. H. Maasdorp1,06746.4−36.1
Majority 1677.2N/A
Turnout 2,30180.0N/A
National gain from South African Swing N/A

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Graaff-Reinet
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. M. Enslin 1,480 58.9 +5.3
South African G. F. Smith1,03341.1−5.3
Majority 44717.8+10.6
Turnout 2,51372.2−0.8
National hold Swing +5.3
General election 1921: Graaff-Reinet
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National J. M. Enslin 1,457 59.0 +0.1
South African W. Rubidge1,01341.0−0.1
Majority 44418.0+0.2
Turnout 2,47068.3−3.9
National hold Swing +0.1

References

  1. "EISA South Africa: Historical franchise arrangements". Eisa.org.za. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  2. 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. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 12206. 8 December 1989. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.