South African referendum, 1960
Encyclopedia
In 1960, the National Party
government of South Africa
held a referendum
on whether or not the then Union of South Africa
should abandon its status as a Commonwealth realm
and become a republic
. The Afrikaner
-dominated National Party, which had come to power in 1948, was avowedly republican
, and regarded South Africa's status as a Commonwealth realm as a relic of British imperialism
.
, now Namibia
, on the electoral roll. Afrikaners, who were more likely to favour a republic than English-speaking white South Africans, were also on average younger than them, having a higher birth rate. Similarly in South West Africa, the Afrikaners and German
-speaking whites outnumbered English-speaking ones.
Whites in the former Boer republics of the Transvaal
and Orange Free State
voted decisively in favour, as did ones in South West Africa. In the Cape Province
there was a smaller majority, while Natal
, which had more English
-speaking whites than Afrikaans
-speaking ones, voted against. Some whites in Natal even called for secession from the Union, but this was never seriously considered. The opposition United Party
actively campaigned for a 'No' vote, while the smaller Progressive Party
appealed to supporters of the proposed change to 'reject this republic', arguing that South Africa's membership of the Commonwealth
, with which it had privileged trade links, would be threatened.
Is U ten gunste van 'n Republiek vir die Unie?)
The vote was "yes" by a margin of 52.3% to 47.7%.
after the country became a republic, but the Commonwealth now had new Asia
n and Africa
n members who saw the apartheid regime's membership as an affront to the organisation's democratic
principles. Consequently, South Africa
left the Commonwealth on becoming a republic.
At a Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
held after the referendum, Dr. Verwoerd raised the issue of continued membership after South Africa became a republic. This should not have caused too many problems, as India maintained its Commonwealth membership despite becoming a republic in 1950, but Dr. Verwoerd stirred up a confrontation, causing many members to threaten to withdraw if South Africa's renewal of membership application was accepted.
As a result Dr. Verwoerd's plan worked, the membership application was withdrawn, meaning that when South Africa became a republic, its Commonwealth membership simply lapsed. Many Afrikaners welcomed this as a clean break with the colonial
past. When the Republic of South Africa was declared on May 31, 1961, Queen Elizabeth II
ceased to be head of state
, and the last Governor General of the Union, Charles R. Swart
, took office as the first State President
.
Other symbolic changes also occurred:
Other references to the monarchy had been removed before the establishment of a republic; in 1952, the title
of South African Navy
vessels HMSAS (His Majesty's South African Ship) was changed to SAS (South African Ship) in 1952, and the Crown in the SAN cap badge was replaced with the Lion of Nassau
from the crest of the country's coat of arms in 1959.
The new decimalised
currency, the Rand
, which did not feature the Queen's portrait on either notes or coinage, had already been introduced before the establishment of the Republic.
However, the only notable difference between the Constitution of the Republic and that of the Union was that the State President was the ceremonial head of state, in place of the Queen and Governor-General.
The National Party decided against having an executive presidency, instead adopting a minimalist approach, as a conciliatory gesture to English-speaking whites who were opposed to a republic; the office did not become an executive post until 1984. Similarly, the Union Flag
remained a feature of the Flag of South Africa
until 1994, despite its unpopularity among many Afrikaners.
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
government of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
held a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on whether or not the then Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
should abandon its status as a Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
and become a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. The Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
-dominated National Party, which had come to power in 1948, was avowedly republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
, and regarded South Africa's status as a Commonwealth realm as a relic of British imperialism
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Background
Prior to the referendum, Verwoerd had lowered the voting age for whites to 18, and had also included the white voters of South West AfricaSouth West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
, now Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, on the electoral roll. Afrikaners, who were more likely to favour a republic than English-speaking white South Africans, were also on average younger than them, having a higher birth rate. Similarly in South West Africa, the Afrikaners and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking whites outnumbered English-speaking ones.
Whites in the former Boer republics of the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
and Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
voted decisively in favour, as did ones in South West Africa. In the Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
there was a smaller majority, while Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
, which had more English
South African English
The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
-speaking whites than Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking ones, voted against. Some whites in Natal even called for secession from the Union, but this was never seriously considered. The opposition United Party
United Party (South Africa)
The United Party was South Africa's ruling political party between 1934 and 1948. It was formed by a merger of most of Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's National Party with the rival South African Party of Jan Smuts, plus the remnants of the Unionist Party...
actively campaigned for a 'No' vote, while the smaller Progressive Party
Progressive Party (South Africa)
The Progressive Party was a liberal party in South Africa that opposed the ruling National Party's policies of apartheid, and championed the Rule of Law. For years its only member of parliament was Helen Suzman...
appealed to supporters of the proposed change to 'reject this republic', arguing that South Africa's membership of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, with which it had privileged trade links, would be threatened.
Result
The referendum was held during 1960 on request of the Prime Minister, Hendrik Verwoerd. On October 5, 1960, white South Africans were asked: Are you in favour of a Republic for the Union? (in AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
Is U ten gunste van 'n Republiek vir die Unie?)
The vote was "yes" by a margin of 52.3% to 47.7%.
Aftermath
The National Party had not ruled out continued membership in the CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
after the country became a republic, but the Commonwealth now had new Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n members who saw the apartheid regime's membership as an affront to the organisation's democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
principles. Consequently, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
left the Commonwealth on becoming a republic.
At a Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
For conferences held since 1969 see Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingCommonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference were biennial meetings of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominion members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Seventeen Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences...
held after the referendum, Dr. Verwoerd raised the issue of continued membership after South Africa became a republic. This should not have caused too many problems, as India maintained its Commonwealth membership despite becoming a republic in 1950, but Dr. Verwoerd stirred up a confrontation, causing many members to threaten to withdraw if South Africa's renewal of membership application was accepted.
As a result Dr. Verwoerd's plan worked, the membership application was withdrawn, meaning that when South Africa became a republic, its Commonwealth membership simply lapsed. Many Afrikaners welcomed this as a clean break with the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
past. When the Republic of South Africa was declared on May 31, 1961, Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
ceased to be head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, and the last Governor General of the Union, Charles R. Swart
Charles Robberts Swart
Charles Robberts Swart served as the last Governor-General of Union of South Africa from 1960 to 1961 and the first State President of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967.-Early life:...
, took office as the first State President
State President of South Africa
State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was the title of South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
.
Other symbolic changes also occurred:
- Legal references to the Crown were replaced by those to the State.
- Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
s became known as Senior CounselSenior CounselThe title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
s. - The Crown was removed from the badges of the military and police.
- The Royal title was dropped from the names of some South African ArmySouth African ArmyThe South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
regiments, such as the Natal CarbineersNatal CarbineersThe Natal Carbineers Regiment is an Infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit.- South Africa, 1879 :...
. However, some institutions retained the Royal title, such as the Royal Natal National ParkRoyal Natal National ParkThe Royal Natal National Park is located in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa and forms part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site...
and the Royal Society of South Africa.
Other references to the monarchy had been removed before the establishment of a republic; in 1952, the title
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
of South African Navy
South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
vessels HMSAS (His Majesty's South African Ship) was changed to SAS (South African Ship) in 1952, and the Crown in the SAN cap badge was replaced with the Lion of Nassau
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...
from the crest of the country's coat of arms in 1959.
The new decimalised
Decimalisation
Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100....
currency, the Rand
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
, which did not feature the Queen's portrait on either notes or coinage, had already been introduced before the establishment of the Republic.
However, the only notable difference between the Constitution of the Republic and that of the Union was that the State President was the ceremonial head of state, in place of the Queen and Governor-General.
The National Party decided against having an executive presidency, instead adopting a minimalist approach, as a conciliatory gesture to English-speaking whites who were opposed to a republic; the office did not become an executive post until 1984. Similarly, the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
remained a feature of the Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa
The current flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted on 27 April 1994, at the beginning of the 1994 general election, to replace the flag that had been used since 1928...
until 1994, despite its unpopularity among many Afrikaners.