Heidelberg (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Last updated
Heidelberg
Former constituency
for the South African House of Assembly
Province Transvaal
Electorate13,208 (1970)
Former constituency
Created 1910
Abolished 1974
Number of members1
Last MHA  W. L. van der Merwe (NP)
Replaced byMeyerton

Heidelberg was a constituency in the Transvaal Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1974. Named after the town of Heidelberg, it covered a rural area in the southern Transvaal. Throughout its existence it elected one member to the House of Assembly and one to the Transvaal 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. In the Transvaal Colony, and its predecessor the South African Republic, the vote was restricted to white men, and as such, elections in the Transvaal 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

Like most of the rural Transvaal, Heidelberg had a largely Afrikaans-speaking electorate. It was a marginal seat early in its history, but as with most of rural South Africa, it became more and more safe for the National Party over time. Its most famous MP by far, representing the seat from 1958 until his assassination in 1966, was Hendrik Verwoerd, "architect of apartheid" and Prime Minister for nearly his entire time in parliament. His replacement, Willem Lodewicus van der Merwe, only represented Heidelberg for two terms before it was abolished, moving to the new seat of Meyerton in 1974.

Members

ElectionMemberParty
1910 Andries Stockenström Het Volk
1912 byW. W. J. J. Bezuidenhout South African
1915
1920
1921
1924 S. D. de Wet National
1929
1933
1934 United
1937 byD. A. S. de Bruyn
1938
1943 H. J. L. van Niekerk
1948 S. H. Eyssen HNP
1953 National
1958 Hendrik Verwoerd
1961
1966
1966 byW. L. van der Merwe
1970
1974 Constituency abolished

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

Detailed results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Heidelberg
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Het Volk Andries Stockenström 1,061 61.8 New
Independent F. J. Bezuidenhout65738.2New
Majority 40423.6N/A
Het Volk win (new seat)
Heidelberg by-election, 30 September 1912 [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African W. W. J. J. BezuidenhoutUnopposed
South African hold
General election 1915: Heidelberg
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African W. W. J. J. Bezuidenhout 1,459 67.3 +5.5
National J. H. Gey van Pittius70932.7New
Majority 75034.6N/A
Turnout 2,16872.1N/A
South African hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Heidelberg
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African W. W. J. J. Bezuidenhout 940 51.1 −16.2
National M. J. Bekker68437.2+4.5
Labour A. D. Berkowitz21411.6New
Majority 75013.9−20.7
Turnout 1,83864.2−7.9
South African hold Swing -10.4
General election 1921: Heidelberg
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
South African W. W. J. J. Bezuidenhout 1,073 52.8 +1.7
National S. D. de Wet95947.2+10.0
Majority 7505.6−8.3
Turnout 2,03262.5−1.7
South African hold Swing -4.2

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 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).
  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.