State President of South Africa

(Redirected from State President) Head of state of South Africa between 1961 and 1994 This article is about the position of South African head of state from 1961 to 1994. For the position of South African head of state and head of government from 1994, see President of South Africa. For head of government from 1910 to 1984, see Prime Minister of South Africa.

State President of the Republic of South Africa
Staatspresident van Republiek van Suid-Afrika
Standard of the State President (1984–1994)
Longest serving Jim Fouché 10 April 1968 – 9 April 1975
Style	The Honourable (until 1985)
Abbreviation	SP – the same abbreviation in both English (State President) and Afrikaans (Staatspresident)
Residence	Tuynhuys, Cape Town
Appointer	Parliament of South Africa as an electoral college – House of Assembly of South Africa and the Senate of South Africa meeting jointly for this purpose.
Term length	Seven years, nonrenewable (until 1984) Duration of Parliament (normally five years) (1984–94)
Precursor	Monarch of South Africa
Formation	31 May 1961 (ceremonial) 3 September 1984 (executive)
First holder	Charles Robberts Swart
Final holder	Frederik Willem de Klerk
Abolished	10 May 1994
Succession	President of South Africa
Deputy	Vice State President of South Africa (1981–1984)

The State President of the Republic of South Africa (Afrikaans: Staatspresident van Republiek van Suid-Afrika) was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic on 31 May 1961, outside the Commonwealth of Nations, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be Queen of South Africa. The position of Governor-General of South Africa was accordingly abolished. From 1961 to 1984, the post was largely ceremonial. After constitutional reforms enacted in 1983 and taking effect in 1984, the State President became an executive post, and its holder was both head of state and head of government.

The State President was appointed by both Houses of the Parliament of South Africa (Senate of South Africa and the House of Assembly of South Africa) meeting jointly in the form of an electoral college for this purpose.

The office was abolished in 1994, with the end of Apartheid and the transition to democratic majority rule. Since then, the head of state and head of government is known simply as the President of South Africa.

Prior to 1981, the President of the Senate of South Africa had a dormant commission to act as State President whenever the State Presidency was vacant. This was often the case from 1967 to 1979.

Ceremonial post

Republicanism had long been a plank in the platform of the ruling National Party. However, it was not until 1960, 12 years after it took power, that it was able to hold a referendum on the issue. A narrow majority — 52 percent — of the minority white electorate voted in favour of abolishing the monarchy and declaring South Africa a republic.

The Republic of South Africa was proclaimed on 31 May 1961. Charles Robberts Swart, the last Governor-General, was sworn in as the first State President. The title 'State President' was originally used for the head of state of the Boer Republics, and like them, the holder of the office wore a sash with the Republic's coat of arms. He was elected to a seven-year term by the Parliament of South Africa, and was not eligible for re-election.

The National Party decided against having an executive presidency, instead adopting a minimalist approach as a conciliatory gesture to those in the English-speaking community who were opposed to a republic. As such, like the Governor-General of South Africa, the State President performed mostly ceremonial duties, and was bound by convention to act on the advice of the Prime Minister and the cabinet.

In practice, the post of State President was a sinecure for retired National Party ministers, as the Governor-General's post had been since 1948. Consequently, all State Presidents from 1961 to 1984 were white, Afrikaner, male, and over 60.

Executive post

Following constitutional reforms, in 1984, the office of State President became an executive post, as in the United States. The Prime Minister's post was abolished, and its powers were de facto merged with those of the State President. He was elected by an electoral college of 88 members – 50 Whites, 25 Coloureds, and 13 Indians – from among the members of the Tricameral Parliament. The members of the electoral college were elected by the respective racial groups of the Tricameral Parliament – the white House of Assembly, Coloured House of Representatives and Indian House of Delegates. He held office for the Parliament's duration — in practice, five years. The last Prime Minister, P. W. Botha, was elected as the first executive State President. He succeeded the last ceremonial and non-executive State President, Marais Viljoen.

The State President was vested with sweeping executive powers – in most respects, even greater than those of comparative offices like the President of the United States. He had sole jurisdiction over matters of "national" concern, such as foreign policy and race relations. He was chairman of the President's Council, which resolved disputes between the three chambers regarding "general affairs" legislation. This body consisted of 60 members – 20 members appointed by the House of Assembly, 10 by the House of Representatives, five by the House of Delegates and 25 directly by the State President.

Although the reforms were billed as a power-sharing arrangement, the composition of the electoral college and President's Council made it all but impossible for the white chamber to be outvoted on any substantive matter. Thus, the real power remained in white hands – and in practice, in the hands of the National Party, which had a large majority in the white chamber. As Botha was leader of the National Party, the system placed nearly all governing power in his hands.

Botha resigned in 1989 and was succeeded by F. W. de Klerk, who oversaw the transition to majority rule in 1994.

End of white minority rule

Under South Africa's first non-racial constitution, adopted in 1994, the head of state (and of government) has been known simply as the President. However, since the declaration of the republic in 1961, most non-South African sources had referred to the State President as simply the "President". The leader of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, was sworn in as President of South Africa on 10 May 1994.

List of state presidents of South Africa

Political parties

National Party

Symbols

and "acting" denotes acting president

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party		Elected
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party		Elected
State presidents as head of state (Ceremonial, 1961–1984)
1		Charles Robberts Swart (1894–1982)	31 May 1961	31 May 1967	6 years		National Party	1961
—		Theophilus Ebenhaezer Dönges (1898–1968)	Elected, but did not take office because of illness				National Party	1967
—		Jozua François Naudé (1889–1969) acting	1 June 1967	10 April 1968	314 days		National Party	—
2		Jacobus Johannes Fouché (1898–1980)	10 April 1968	9 April 1975	6 years, 364 days		National Party	1968
—		Johannes de Klerk (1903–1979) acting	9 April 1975	19 April 1975	10 days		National Party	—
3		Nicolaas Johannes Diederichs (1903–1978)	19 April 1975	21 August 1978 (died in office)	3 years, 124 days		National Party	1975
—		Marais Viljoen (1915–2007) acting	21 August 1978	10 October 1978	50 days		National Party	—
4		Balthazar Johannes Vorster (1915–1983)	10 October 1978	4 June 1979 (resigned)	237 days		National Party	1978
—		Marais Viljoen (1915–2007)	4 June 1979	19 June 1979	15 days		National Party	–
5		Marais Viljoen (1915–2007)	19 June 1979	3 September 1984	5 years, 91 days		National Party	1979
State presidents as head of state and government (Executive, 1984–1994)
—		Pieter Willem Botha (1916–2006)	3 September 1984	14 September 1984	11 days		National Party	–
1		Pieter Willem Botha (1916–2006)	14 September 1984	14 August 1989 (resigned)	4 years, 334 days		National Party	1984
—		Jan Christiaan Heunis (1927–2006) acting	19 January 1989	15 March 1989	55 days		National Party	–
—		Frederik Willem de Klerk (1936–2021)	14 August 1989	20 September 1989	37 days		National Party	–
2		Frederik Willem de Klerk (1936–2021)	20 September 1989	10 May 1994	4 years, 232 days		National Party	1989

Timeline

References

Sketch of the Orange Free State of South Africa, Orange Free State. Commission at the International Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876, pages 10–12
The White Tribe of Africa, David Harrison, University of California Press, 1983, page 161
South Africa: A War Won, Time, 9 June 1961
John Vorster, former South African Prime Minister, Dies At 67, The New York Times, 11 September 1983

External links

v t e Heads of state of South Africa
Monarch (1910–1961)	George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II
State President (1961–1994) (under Apartheid)	Charles Robberts Swart Eben Dönges† Tom Naudé* Jim Fouché Jan de Klerk* Nico Diederichs† Marais Viljoen* John Vorster Marais Viljoen P. W. Botha F. W. de Klerk
President (from 1994) (post-Apartheid)	Nelson Mandela (1994-1999) Thabo Mbeki (1999-2008) Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri* Kgalema Motlanthe (2008-2009) Jacob Zuma (2009-2018) Cyril Ramaphosa (2018-present)
†Died in office *Acting president