Monarchy of South Africa
Monarchy of South Africa | |
---|---|
Details | |
Style | His Majesty (1910–1952) Her Majesty (1952–1961) |
First monarch | George V |
Last monarch | Elizabeth II |
Formation | 31 May 1910 |
Abolition | 31 May 1961 |
From 1910 to 1961 the
The
South Africa became a republic and left the Commonwealth on 31 May 1961. On 31 May 1994, South Africa rejoined the
Origin
In the aftermath of the
These political forces resulted in the 1908 National Convention, which met on 12 October 1908 and completed its work on 11 May 1909. This convention settled on the terms and constitution of a governmental, legislative, and economic Union. These proposals were transmitted to the British government, which duly prepared a bill to give effect to these wishes. The bill was approved by the four colonial parliaments in June 1909, and was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 20 September 1909, and the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910.[3]
The
The Balfour Declaration of 1926 provided the dominions the right to be considered equal to Britain, rather than subordinate; an agreement that had the result of, in theory, a shared Crown that operated independently in South Africa rather than a unitary British Crown under which all the dominions were secondary. The monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution, and henceforth became a "domesticated" establishment.[5] The Statute of Westminster 1931 further increased the sovereignty of the self-governing Dominions, and also bound them all to seek each other's approval for changes to monarchical titles and the common line of succession. As the statute removed nearly all of the British parliament's authority to legislate for the Dominions, it had the effect of making the Dominions largely sovereign nations in their own right.[6]
Although the Union of South Africa was not among the Dominions that needed to adopt the Statute of Westminster for it to take effect, the Status of the Union Act, 1934 was passed to confirm South Africa's status as a fully sovereign state.[7] It declared the Union of South Africa to be a "sovereign independent state" and explicitly adopted the Statute of Westminster into South African law.
Title
Until the early part of the 20th century, the monarch's title throughout the British Empire was determined exclusively by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The preamble to the Statute of Westminster 1931 established the convention requiring the consent of all the Dominions' parliaments, as well as that of the United Kingdom, to any alterations to the monarch's style and title. It had been decided among the realms in 1949 that each should have its own monarchical title, but with common elements. At the 1952 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Economic Conference, Commonwealth prime ministers agreed that each member of the Commonwealth "should use for its own purposes a form of the Royal Style and Titles which suits its own particular circumstances but retains a substantial element which is common to all".[8][9] It was decided that the monarch's title in all her realms have, as their common element, the description of the Sovereign as "Queen of Her Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth". The parliament of each realm passed its own Royal Style and Titles Act before Elizabeth's coronation in June of the following year.[8]
The Royal Style and Titles Act 1953, passed by the Parliament of South Africa, rendered the Queen's South African style and title in three languages:
- In English: Elizabeth II, Queen of South Africa and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth[10][11]
- In Afrikaans: Elizabeth II, Koningin van Suid-Afrika en van Haar ander Koninkryke en Gebiede, Hoof van die Statebond[10][11]
- In Latin: Elizabeth II, Africae Australis regnorumque suo rum ceterorum Regina, consortionis populorum Princeps[10]
Succession
By
Upon a demise of the Crown (the death or abdication of a sovereign), it was customary for the accession of the new monarch to be publicly proclaimed by the governor-general after the accession.[13] Regardless of any proclamations, the late sovereign's heir immediately and automatically succeeded, without any need for confirmation or further ceremony. An appropriate period of mourning also followed, after which the new monarch was crowned in an ancient ritual in the United Kingdom.
Constitutional role
Like all nations, you have hard problems to solve in the aftermath of war; but statesmanship has not failed you in the past 100 years, and I am confident it will guide you steadily towards a just and contented relationship between all dwellers in your many-people land. By achieving such a relationship you can show to the troubled world how peoples of different race and colour may live and work together for the common good.
The structure of the government of the Union of South Africa was similar to the government of other dominions. The monarch was represented in the Union by the governor-general of South Africa.
Executive
All executive authority was vested in the monarch, and was exercised by the governor-general on the monarch's behalf. The governor-general appointed an Executive Council, to advise him on how to execute the executive powers in the government of the Union. All executive councillors held office during the viceroy's pleasure.[4]
Though not explicitly provided for by the South Africa Act, the office of Prime Minister of South Africa was also established as the head of government and, like other government ministers, the prime minister was required to be a member of either house of Parliament. As in other British Dominions, the governor-general appointed the leader of the largest political party in the lower house of Parliament as prime minister.
The governor-general additionally appointed members of the Executive Council as ministers to administer departments of State of the Union.[4]
Parliament
The legislative power of the Union was vested in the Parliament, which consisted of the monarch, a Senate, and a House of Assembly.[16]
The monarch and the governor-general did not, however, participate in the legislative process; they only took part in the granting of royal assent. The viceroy could return any bill presented to him by the House, with certain amendments he might recommend. The viceroy could also withhold assent, or reserve the bill for the signification of the monarch's pleasure. The monarch also had the power to disallow any act within one year after it was assented by the governor-general. After the granting of royal assent, the Clerk of the House of Assembly was responsible for enrolling two copies of the act, one in English and the other in Dutch, in the records of the office of the Registrar of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa.[16]
Further, the constitution outlined that the governor-general alone was responsible for appointing senators. Every senator and every member of the House of Assembly was required to make an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the monarch before taking office.[16]
I, (name), do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His [or Her] Majesty [specify the name of the reigning Sovereign], His [or Her] heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.[16]
— Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign of South Africa
The governor-general was also responsible for summoning, proroguing, and dissolving parliament.[16]
Courts
The South Africa Act established a Supreme Court for the Union. The Chief Justice of South Africa, the ordinary judges of appeal, and all other judges of the Supreme Court were appointed by the governor-general.[17]
In case of incapacity of any judge, the governor-general could appoint any other judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa to temporarily discharge the required duties as the case may be.[17]
Cultural role
The
The Crown and Honours
The monarch, as the fount of honour, conferred awards and honours in South Africa in his or her name. Most of them were awarded on the advice of South African ministers.[19][20]
Depictions of the Royal Crown, the Royal Cypher or the sovereign's likeness, appeared on various medals and decorations.
The Crown and the Armed Forces
The command-in-chief of the naval and military forces of the Union of South Africa was vested in the monarch, and was exercised by the governor-general as their representative.[21]
References to the Royal Crown appeared on various regimental badges and rank insignia, which illustrated the monarchy as the locus of authority. In 1957, due to growing republicanism, the Crown was either removed from the badges of the
Until 1952, South African Naval vessels bore the prefix HMSAS, i.e., His Majesty's South African Ship, and it was thereafter replaced by SAS, i.e., South African Ship.[25]
Royal visits
In 1860,
In 1947, King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, visited the country, during a three-month tour of Southern Africa.[26] On 21 February 1947, King George VI, accompanied by Queen Elizabeth, opened a new session of the South African Parliament, the first state opening of a Dominion parliament by a reigning monarch. In his speech, the King spoke in both English and Afrikaans, and thanked South Africa for its support during the Second World War.[27][28] It was in South Africa that Princess Elizabeth notably celebrated her 21st birthday and delivered the famous broadcast to the Empire on 21 April, in which she said, "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong".[26]
However, due to the South African Government's apartheid regime soon after the 1947 visit, royal visits to South Africa came to a halt, despite Elizabeth II being Queen of South Africa until 1961. Nearly half a century later, the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh undertook a state visit to South Africa in 1995, in support of reconciliation with the new South African government, and were hosted by President Nelson Mandela. The Queen returned to South Africa for the 16th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban in 1999.[26][29]
Republicanism
In 1940,
In 1948, the
Referendum and abolition
On becoming Prime Minister in 1958, Hendrik Verwoerd gave a speech to Parliament in which he declared: "We stand unequivocally and clearly for the establishment of the republic in the correct manner and at the appropriate time".[37] In 1960, Verwoerd announced plans to hold a whites-only referendum on the establishment of a republic, with a bill to that effect being introduced in Parliament on 23 April of that year.[38] The Referendum Act received assent on 3 June 1960.[39] In hopes of winning the support of those opposed to a republic, not only English-speaking whites but Afrikaners still supporting the United Party, Verwoerd proposed that constitutional changes would be minimal, with the Queen simply being replaced as head of state by a State President, the office of which would be a ceremonial post rather than an executive one.[40][41]
In
The National Party government subsequently organised the referendum on 5 October 1960. The vote, which was restricted to
The
Commonwealth membership
Originally every independent country in the Commonwealth was a Dominion – sharing a monarch with the United Kingdom and the other dominions. The 1949 London Declaration prior to India becoming a republic allowed countries with a different head of state to join or remain in the Commonwealth, but only by unanimous consent of the other members. The governments of Pakistan (in 1956) and, later, Ghana (in 1960) availed themselves of this principle, and the National Party had not ruled out South Africa's continued membership of the Commonwealth were there a vote in favour of a republic.[48]
However, the Commonwealth by 1960 included new
Following the end of apartheid, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth in 1994, thirty-three years to the day the republic was established.[51]
List of South African monarchs
No. | Portrait | Regnal name (Birth–Death) |
Reign over South Africa | Full name | Consort | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | |||||
1 | George V (1865–1936) |
31 May 1910 | 20 January 1936 | George Frederick Ernest Albert | Mary of Teck | |
Governors-general: Jan Christian Smuts, J. B. M. Hertzog
| ||||||
2 | Edward VIII (1894–1972) |
20 January 1936 | 10 December 1936[52] | Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David | None | |
Governors-general: George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon Prime ministers: J. B. M. Hertzog | ||||||
3 | George VI (1895–1952) |
10 December 1936 | 6 February 1952 | Albert Frederick Arthur George | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
| |
Governors-general: Jan Christian Smuts, D. F. Malan
| ||||||
4 | Elizabeth II (1926–2022) |
6 February 1952 | 31 May 1961 | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | Philip Mountbatten
| |
Governors-general: Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom, Hendrik Verwoerd
|
See also
References
- ^ "The Boer War ends in South Africa". History. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "The Rise and Fall of the Orange Free State and Transvaal in Southern Africa". Library of Congress Blogs. 28 June 2018.
- ^ "South Africa Act". Britannica. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b c See part 3 of South Africa Act, 1909.
- ^ "Balfour Report | United Kingdom [1926]". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ "Statute of Westminster". Britannica. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-7021-7121-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-86287-629-3.
- ISBN 978-1-55002-586-6.
- ^ a b c Act 6 of 1953 "Royal Style and Titles Act, 1953". The Union of South Africa Government Gazette Extraordinary, vol. CLXXI, 4 March 1953, pages 12-13 Archived
- ^ a b "South Africa: Heads of State: 1910-1961". archontology.org. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ Constitutional Law: An Outline of the Law and Practice of the Constitution, Including Central and Local Government, the Citizen and the State and Administrative Law, Longmans, 1965, p. 441
- ^ Government of South Africa (7 February 1952). "Proclamation No. 12 of 1952". Government Gazette Extraordinary. CLXVII (4781). Queen's Printer.
- ^ "24-Carat Safari: Queen Elizabeth II's first southern African tour". Medium. 11 September 2022.
- ^ Hilary Sapire (2011), African Loyalism and Its Discontents: The Royal Tour of South Africa, 1947, p. 224 – via JSTOR
- ^ a b c d e See part 4 of South Africa Act, 1909.
- ^ a b See part 6 of South Africa Act, 1909.
- ^ State of South Africa; Economic, Financial and Statistical Yearbook for the Union of South Africa, Closer Union Society, Da Gama Publishers, 1961, page 127
- ^ "No. 37409". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1945. pp. 153–156.
- ^ "No. 36546". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1944. pp. 2663–2665.
- ^ See section 17 of South Africa Act, 1909.
- Toledo Blade, 30 January 1958
- ^ The South African flag book: the history of South African flags from Dias to Mandela, A. P. Burgers, Protea Book House, 2008, page 166
- ^ Web of Experience: An Autobiography, Jack Vincent, J. Vincent, 1988, page 38
- ^ Scientiae Militaria, Volume 27, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), University of Stellenbosch, 1997, page 71
- ^ a b c d "History of the Royal Family's relationship with South Africa, as King Charles III welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa". Tatler. 22 November 2022.
- ^ "King Opens Parliament In S. Africa". Trove. 22 February 1947.
- ^ The Illustrated London News: Volume 210, Issues 5620-5632, 1947, p. 221
- ^ South Africa Prepares For Queen Elizabeth's Visit, PanaPress, 9 November 1999
- ^ Christian Nationalism and the Rise of the Afrikaner Broederbond in South Africa, 1918-48, Charles Bloomberg, Macmillan, page 159
- ^ Afrikaner Politics in South Africa, 1934-1948, Newell M Stultz, University of California Press, 1974, page 82
- ^ The Diplomacy of Isolation: South African Foreign Policy Making, Deon Geldenhuys, South African Institute of International Affairs, Macmillan, 1984, page 31
- ^ Turning Points in History, Book 4, Bill Nasson, Rob Siebörger, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, 2004
- ^ STRIJDOM ABATES ZEAL FOR REPUBLIC; Premier Says He Will Not Try to Change South Africa's Status Before 1958, The New York Times, 15 September 1955
- ^ South Africa and the World: The Foreign Policy of Apartheid, Amry Vandenbosch, University Press of Kentucky, 2015, page 180
- Toledo Blade, 30 January 1958
- ^ The Rise of Afrikanerdom: Power, Apartheid, and the Afrikaner Civil Religion, T. Dunbar Moodie, University of California Press, 1975, page 283
- ^ White Laager: The Rise of Afrikaner Nationalism, William Henry Vatcher, Praeger, 1965, pages 171-172
- ^ Statutes of the Union of South Africa, Government Print. and Stationery Office, 1960, page xi
- ^ The White Tribe of Africa, David Harrison, University of California Press, 1983, pp. 160-161
- ^ Parliaments of South Africa, J J N Cloete, J.L. van Schaik, 1985, page 49
- ^ Natalians First: Separatism in South Africa, 1909-1961, Paul Singer Thompson, Southern Book Publishers, 1990, pages 154-156
- ISBN 9780719038730.
- ^ Whirlwind, Hurricane, Howling Tempest: The Wind of Change and the British World, Stuart Ward, in The Wind of Change: Harold Macmillan and British Decolonization, L. Butler, S. Stockwell, Springer, 2013, page 55
- ^ The Statesman's Year-Book 1975-76, J. Paxton, 1976, Macmillan, page 1289
- ^ "Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd". South African History Online. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
On 5 October 1960 a referendum was held in which White voters were asked "Do you support a republic for the Union?" — 52 percent voted 'Yes'.
- ^ South African Government, Anthony Hocking, Macdonald South Africa, 1977, page 8
- ^ The Conservative Government and the End of Empire 1957-1964: Economics, international relations, and the Commonwealth, Ronald Hyam, Stationery Office, 2000, page 409
- ISBN 9780199214235.
- Toledo Blade, 6 October 1960
- ^ South Africa returns to the Commonwealth fold, The Independent, 31 May 1994
- ^ His Majesty King Edward the Eighth's Abdication Act, 1937 (Act No. 2 of 1937)