Governor-General of South Africa

Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
Goewerneur-generaal van die Unie van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans); Goeverneur-generaal van de Unie van Zuid-Afrika (Dutch)
	Charles Robberts Swart
Abolished	31 May 1961

The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (

British monarchy

was broken. The office of governor-general was abolished.

Some of the first holders of the post were members of the

Afrikaners

) held the office.

The office was established by the South Africa Act 1909. Although the governor-general was nominally the country's chief executive, in practice he was bound by convention to act on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet of South Africa.

Republicanism

The Afrikaner-dominated

Charles Robberts Swart, chose not to wear the traditional court uniform

nor even to take an oath of allegiance to the monarch.

In 1957,

God Save the Queen ceased to have equal status with Die Stem van Suid-Afrika as a national anthem, and the Union Flag similarly ceased to have equal status with the South African flag

.

However, it was not until 1960 that Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd advised Governor-General Swart to hold a referendum on the issue. After several protests regarding the lowering of the voting age to 18, and the inclusion of white voters in South West Africa, on 5 October 1960 white South Africans were asked: Are you in favour of a Republic for the Union? The result was 52 per cent in favour of the change.

Swart, the last governor-general, asked Queen

Officer Administering the Government under a transitional arrangement until 31 May 1961, when the Republic of South Africa was declared and Swart became the first state president of South Africa

.

List of governors-general of South Africa

The following is a list of people who served as governor-general of South Africa from independence in 1910 to the establishment of a republic in 1961.

Symbols

^† Died in office.

Denotes Officer Administering the Government

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Monarch (Reign)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Monarch (Reign)
1		The Viscount Gladstone (1854–1930)	31 May 1910	8 September 1914	4 years, 100 days	George V (1910–1936)
2		The Viscount Buxton (1853–1934)	8 September 1914	17 November 1920	6 years, 70 days
3		Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883–1938)	17 November 1920	21 January 1924	3 years, 65 days
4		The Earl of Athlone (1874–1957)	21 January 1924	26 January 1931	7 years, 5 days
5		The Earl of Clarendon (1877–1955)	26 January 1931	5 April 1937	6 years, 69 days
6		Sir Patrick Duncan (1870–1943)	5 April 1937	17 July 1943^[†]	6 years, 103 days	George VI (1936–1952)
—		Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet (1873–1960) Officer Administering the Government	17 July 1943	1 January 1946	2 years, 168 days
7		Gideon Brand van Zyl (1873–1956)	1 January 1946	1 January 1951	5 years
8		Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959)	1 January 1951	25 November 1959^[†]	8 years, 328 days
—		Lucas Cornelius Steyn (1903–1976) Officer Administering the Government	26 November 1959	11 December 1959	15 days	Elizabeth II (1952–1961)
9		Charles Robberts Swart (1894–1982)	11 December 1959	30 April 1961	1 year, 140 days
—		Lucas Cornelius Steyn (1903–1976) Officer Administering the Government	30 April 1961	31 May 1961	31 days