Harrismith (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Last updated
Harrismith
Former constituency
for the South African House of Assembly
Province Orange Free State
Electorate9,845 (1970)
Former constituency
Created 1910
Abolished 1974
Number of members1
Last MHA  J. J. Rall (NP)

Harrismith was a constituency in the Orange Free State Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1974. Named after the town of Harrismith, the seat covered a large rural area in the east of the province, bordering Natal. Throughout its existence it elected one member to the House of Assembly.

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. In the Orange River Colony, and its predecessor the Orange Free State, the vote was restricted to white men, and as such, elections in the Orange Free State Province were held on a whites-only franchise from the beginning. The franchise was also restricted by property and education qualifications until the 1933 general election, following the passage of the Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930 and the Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931. From then on, the franchise was given to all white citizens aged 21 or over. Non-whites remained disenfranchised until the end of apartheid and the introduction of universal suffrage in 1994. [1]

History

Harrismith, like most of the Orange Free State, was a highly conservative seat throughout its existence and had a largely Afrikaans-speaking electorate. It was held nearly throughout its existence by the National Party, whose founding leader, J. B. M. Hertzog, was enormously popular with the Free State's Afrikaner population. The only exceptions were periods where the NP didn't exist: at the inaugural Union election in 1910, at which point Hertzog was still part of the provincial Orangia Unie party, and during the 1934–38 period, after Hertzog and Jan Smuts joined forces to create the United Party. This move was controversial with Hertzog's conservative Afrikaner base, many of whom joined the Purified National Party under D. F. Malan, and when Harrismith's pro-Hertzog MP stood down at the 1938 general election, the PNP narrowly won the seat. It returned to its position as an NP safe seat immediately afterwards, and the party never again faced a serious challenge.

Members

ElectionMemberParty
1910 I. J. Meyer Orangia Unie
1915 Z. J. de Beer National
1920
1921 A. A. Cilliers
1924
1929
1933
1934 United
1938 E. R. Strauss PNP
1943 HNP
1948
1949 byS. F. Papenfus
1953 National
1958
1961 J. J. Rall
1966
1970
1974 constituency abolished

[2] [3]

Detailed results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Harrismith
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Orangia Unie I. J. MeyerUnopposed
Orangia Unie win (new seat)
General election 1915: Harrismith
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Z. J. de Beer 999 54.6 New
South African L. P. H. Botha83245.4N/A
Majority 1679.2N/A
Turnout 1,83177.5N/A
National gain from South African Swing N/A

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Harrismith
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Z. J. de Beer 1,312 64.1 +9.5
South African J. P. G. Steyl73635.9−9.5
Majority 57628.2+19.0
Turnout 2,04869.5−8.0
National hold Swing +9.5
General election 1921: Harrismith
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National A. A. Cilliers 1,394 65.2 +1.1
South African M. J. Beukes74334.8−1.1
Majority 65130.4+2.2
Turnout 2,13768.9−0.6
National hold Swing +1.1

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. Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa (1972). "House of Assembly" (vol. 5, pp. 617–636). Cape Town: Nasionale Opvoedkundige Uitgewery (Nasou).