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1933 South African general election
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| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| country | South Africa |
| flag_year | 1928 |
| type | Parliamentary |
| previous_election | 1929 South African general election |
| previous_year | 1929 |
| election_date | 17 May 1933 |
| next_election | 1938 South African general election |
| next_year | 1938 |
| seats_for_election | All 150 seats in the House of Assembly |
| majority_seats | 76 |
| registered | 957,636 |
| turnout | 33.77% ( 41.57pp) |
| image1 | |
| leader1 | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| party1 | National Party (South Africa) |
| leaders_seat1 | Smithfield |
| last_election1 | 41.17%, 78 seats |
| seats1 | **75** |
| seat_change1 | 3 |
| popular_vote1 | **101,159** |
| percentage1 | **31.61%** |
| swing1 | 9.55pp |
| image2 | |
| leader2 | Jan Smuts |
| party2 | South African Party |
| leaders_seat2 | Standerton |
| last_election2 | 46.50%, 61 seats |
| seats2 | 61 |
| seat_change2 | |
| popular_vote2 | 71,486 |
| percentage2 | 22.34% |
| swing2 | 24.16pp |
| image4 | |
| leader4 | Tielman Roos |
| party4 | Roos Party |
| leaders_seat4 | *stood in Rustenburg* |
| last_election4 | *Did not exist* |
| seats4 | 2 |
| seat_change4 | *New party* |
| popular_vote4 | 27,441 |
| percentage4 | 8.58% |
| swing4 | *New party* |
| image5 | |
| leader5 | Walter Madeley |
| party5 | Labour Party (South Africa) |
| leaders_seat5 | Benoni |
| last_election5 | 9.86%, 8 seats |
| seats5 | 2 |
| seat_change5 | 6 |
| popular_vote5 | 20,276 |
| percentage5 | 6.34% |
| swing5 | 3.52pp |
| title | Prime Minister |
| before_election | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| before_party | National Party (South Africa) |
| after_election | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| after_party | National Party (South Africa) |
| map_image | 1933 South African general election map - results by province.svg |
| map_caption | Results by province |
General elections were held in South Africa on 17 May 1933 to elect the 150 members of the House of Assembly. The National Party won half the seats in the House, but the coalition with the South African Party continued.
Changes to the franchise
Since the 1929 election several changes had been made to the franchise laws. Adult white women were enfranchised in 1930. In 1931 all European males over the age of 21 were enfranchised (eliminating property and wage qualifications for that section of the population).
One effect of these changes, which were not extended to the non-white population of the Union, was to dilute the influence of the non-white electors in Cape Province and Natal.
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 sixth delimitation report of 1932, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1928) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.
| Provinces | Cape | Natal | Orange Free State | Transvaal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisions | 61 (58) | 16 (17) | 16 (18) | 57 (55) | **150 (148)** |
Results
Main article: Results of the 1933 South African general election
The vote totals in the table below may not give a complete picture of the balance of political opinion, because of unopposed elections (where no votes were cast) and because contested seats may not have been fought by a candidate from all major parties.
As the two largest parties were in coalition together, the opposition to the government was weaker and more fragmented than in any other election in South African history.
An alternative breakdown of members, distinguishing between supporters and opponents of the coalition, was (pro Coalition) NP 75, SAP 61, Creswell Labour 2, Roos 2; (opposition) National Council Labour 2, Natal Home Rule 2, Independents 6. Another interpretation is NP 75, SAP 61, Labour 4, Roos Party 2, Home Rule group 2 and Independents 6.
References
- Keesing's Contemporary Archives
- The Rise of the South African Reich, by Brian Bunting, (first published by Penguin Africa Library in 1964 and revised in 1969) accessed on an ANC website 3 August 2010
- Smuts: A Reappraisal, by Bernard Friedman (George, Allen & Unwin 1975)
- South Africa 1982 Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, published by Chris van Rensburg Publications
- The South African Constitution, by H.J. May (3rd edition 1955, Juta & Co)
References
- ''Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 1931-1934'', page 747
- ‘'The South African Constitution'’, by H.J. May (3rd edition 1955, Juta & Co) pp. 92–93
- ''South Africa 1982'', page 129
- ''South Africa 1982'', pp174–176
- ''The South African Constitution'', page 135
- ''The Rise of the South African Reich'', chapter 2: The First Nationalist Government
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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