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{{Infobox constituency {{Infobox constituency
|name = Albany |name = Albany
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|constituency_link = |constituency_link =
|parl_name = ] |parl_name = ]
|map4 = |map4 = SA-1981-Albany.png
|map_size = |map_size = 200px
|map_entity = |map_entity = South Africa (1981)
|map_year = |map_year =
|image = |image =
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|next = ] |next = ]
}} }}
'''Albany''' was a constituency in the ] of ], which existed from ] to ]. It was named after the ], which covered parts of today’s ] province, and its main population centre was Grahamstown (today known as ]). Throughout this time it elected one member to the ] and one to the ]. '''Albany''' was a constituency in the ] of ], which existed from ] to ]. It was named after the ], which covered parts of today's ] province, and its main population centre was Grahamstown (today known as ]). Throughout this time it elected one member to the ] and one to the ].

== Franchise notes == == Franchise notes ==
When the ] was formed in 1910, the electoral qualifications in use in each pre-existing colony were kept in place. The Cape Colony had implemented a “colour-blind” franchise known as the ], which included all adult literate men owning more than £75 worth of property (]), and this initially remained in effect after the colony became the Cape Province. As of 1908, 22,784 out of 152,221 electors in the Cape Colony were “] or ]”. Eligibility to serve in Parliament and the Provincial Council, however, was restricted to whites from 1910 onward. When the ] was formed in 1910, the electoral qualifications in use in each pre-existing colony were kept in place. The Cape Colony had implemented a “colour-blind” franchise known as the ], which included all adult literate men owning more than £75 worth of property (]), and this initially remained in effect after the colony became the Cape Province. As of 1908, 22,784 out of 152,221 electors in the Cape Colony were “] or ]”. Eligibility to serve in Parliament and the Provincial Council, however, was restricted to whites from 1910 onward.
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== History == == History ==
The seat was a stronghold for the ] and its predecessors, who held the seat from its creation until the party’s collapse in the 1970s. Its first MP was ], leader of the ], who won it unopposed in ], and uncontested elections were the norm throughout the seat’s early existence – the ] contested it in 1915 and the ] in 1953, but other than that the seat was only contested by independents for the first fifty years of its existence. The seat was a stronghold for the ] and its predecessors, who held the seat from its creation until the party's collapse in the 1970s. Its first MP was ], leader of the ], who won it unopposed in ], and uncontested elections were the norm throughout the seat's early existence – the ] contested it in 1915 and the ] in 1953, but other than that the seat was only contested by independents for the first fifty years of its existence.


Starting from 1966, the National Party began contesting Albany regularly, but the UP maintained enough of a hold on the seat that it only ever became marginal. ], Albany’s final MP, first won the seat in 1981, initially representing the ] and later joining the ]. He was defeated by the National Party's J. H. van de Vyver in 1987, but returned in 1989. In this, the last election held under apartheid and with a first-past-the-post electoral system, it was the only rural seat in the Cape to be won by the DP. Starting from 1966, the National Party began contesting Albany regularly, but the UP maintained enough of a hold on the seat that it only ever became marginal. ], Albany's final MP, first won the seat in 1981, initially representing the ] and later joining the ]. He was defeated by the National Party's J. H. van de Vyver in 1987, but returned in 1989. In this, the last election held under apartheid and with a first-past-the-post electoral system, it was the only rural seat in the Cape to be won by the DP.


== Members == == Members ==
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|style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" |
|| ] || ]
| ] | ]
|- |-
|style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" |
|| ] || ]
|rowspan="3" | ] |rowspan="3" | ]
|- |-
|style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|United Party (South Africa)}}" |
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|| ] || ]
|- |-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Progressive Federal Party}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|National Party (South Africa)}}" |
|| ] || ]
| ]
| ''member unknown''
| ]
⚫ |rowspan="2" | ]
|- |-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Progressive Federal Party}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|Progressive Federal Party}}" |
|| ] || ]
| ] | ]
⚫ | ]
|- |-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Party (South Africa)}}" | |style="background-color: {{party color|National Party (South Africa)}}" |
|| ] || ]
| ]
| ''member unknown''
| ] | ]
|- |-
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|- |-


|}
|}<ref name="schoeman1977">Schoeman, B.M. (1977). ''Parlementêre verkiesings in Suid-Afrika 1910-1976''. Pretoria: Aktuele Publikasies.</ref> <ref name="schoeman1977">Schoeman, B.M. (1977). ''Parlementêre verkiesings in Suid-Afrika 1910-1976''. Pretoria: Aktuele Publikasies.</ref>
<ref name="yb80">''South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa''. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.</ref>
<ref name="yb83">''South Africa 1983: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa''. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.</ref>
<ref name="gazette87">''Government Gazette of South Africa'', No. 10751. 22 May 1987. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.</ref>
<ref name="gazette89">''Government Gazette of South Africa'', No. 12109. 20 September 1989. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.</ref>


== Detailed results == == Detailed results ==

Latest revision as of 16:21, 3 January 2025

Albany
Albanie
Former constituency
for the South African House of Assembly
Outline mapLocation of Albany within South Africa (1981)
ProvinceCape of Good Hope
Electorate16,609 (1989)
Former constituency
Created1910
Abolished1994
Number of members1
Last MHA  Errol Moorcroft (DP)
Replaced byEastern Cape

Albany was a constituency in the Cape Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. It was named after the district of Albany, which covered parts of today's Eastern Cape province, and its main population centre was Grahamstown (today known as Makhanda). Throughout this time it elected one member to the House of Assembly and one to the Cape Provincial Council.

Franchise notes

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, the electoral qualifications in use in each pre-existing colony were kept in place. The Cape Colony had implemented a “colour-blind” franchise known as the Cape Qualified Franchise, which included all adult literate men owning more than £75 worth of property (controversially raised from £25 in 1892), and this initially remained in effect after the colony became the Cape Province. As of 1908, 22,784 out of 152,221 electors in the Cape Colony were “Native or Coloured”. Eligibility to serve in Parliament and the Provincial Council, however, was restricted to whites from 1910 onward.

The first challenge to the Cape Qualified Franchise came with the Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930 and the Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931, which extended the vote to women and removed property qualifications for the white population only – non-white voters remained subject to the earlier restrictions. In 1936, the Representation of Natives Act removed all black voters from the common electoral roll and introduced three “Native Representative Members”, white MPs elected by the black voters of the province and meant to represent their interests in particular. A similar provision was made for Coloured voters with the Separate Representation of Voters Act, 1951, and although this law was challenged by the courts, it went into effect in time for the 1958 general election, which was thus held with all-white voter rolls for the first time in South African history. The all-white franchise would continue until the end of apartheid and the introduction of universal suffrage in 1994.

History

The seat was a stronghold for the United Party and its predecessors, who held the seat from its creation until the party's collapse in the 1970s. Its first MP was Leander Starr Jameson, leader of the Unionist Party, who won it unopposed in the first general election, and uncontested elections were the norm throughout the seat's early existence – the South African Party contested it in 1915 and the National Party in 1953, but other than that the seat was only contested by independents for the first fifty years of its existence.

Starting from 1966, the National Party began contesting Albany regularly, but the UP maintained enough of a hold on the seat that it only ever became marginal. Errol Moorcroft, Albany's final MP, first won the seat in 1981, initially representing the Progressive Federal Party and later joining the Democratic Party. He was defeated by the National Party's J. H. van de Vyver in 1987, but returned in 1989. In this, the last election held under apartheid and with a first-past-the-post electoral system, it was the only rural seat in the Cape to be won by the DP.

Members

Election Member Party
1910 Leander Starr Jameson Unionist
1915 Frederick van der Riet
1920
1921 South African
1924 R. H. Struben
1929
1933
1938 T. B. Bowker United Party
1943
1948
1953
1958
1961 Colin Bennett
1966 William Deacon
1970
1974
1977 R. de V. Olckers National
1981 Errol Moorcroft PFP
1987 J. H. van de Wyver National
1989 Errol Moorcroft National

Detailed results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leander Starr Jameson Unopposed
Unionist win (new seat)
General election 1915: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Frederick van der Riet 1,196 51.8 N/A
South African W. M. Espin 1,111 48.2 New
Majority 85 3.6 N/A
Turnout 2,307 69.8 N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Frederick van der Riet Unopposed
Unionist hold
General election 1921: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
South African Frederick van der Riet Unopposed
South African hold
General election 1924: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
South African R. H. Struben 1,744 58.7 N/A
Independent F. G. Reynolds 1,225 41.3 New
Majority 519 17.4 N/A
Turnout 2,969 81.3 N/A
South African hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
South African R. H. Struben Unopposed
South African hold

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1933: Albany
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
South African R. H. Struben Unopposed
South African hold

References

  1. "EISA South Africa: Historical franchise arrangements". Eisa.org.za. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  2. ^ Schoeman, B.M. (1977). Parlementêre verkiesings in Suid-Afrika 1910-1976. Pretoria: Aktuele Publikasies.
  3. South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.
  4. South Africa 1983: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications.
  5. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 10751. 22 May 1987. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.
  6. Government Gazette of South Africa, No. 12109. 20 September 1989. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.
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