The general elections held in South Africa on 26 May 1948, represented a major turning point in the country's history. Despite receiving just under half of the votes cast, the United Party (UP) and its leader, incumbent Prime Minister Jan Smuts, were ousted by the Herenigde Nasionale Party (HNP) led by D. F. Malan. The nationalist coalition subsequently formed a new government and ushered in the era of formal, legally binding apartheid.
Infographic showing some of the key apartheid laws enacted in South Africa.
The Electorate and Political Landscape
Due to a racially segregated election system and restrictive franchise requirements, the electorate consisted almost exclusively of white people (who were roughly 20% of the population). Very few Colored people and people of Asian descent were allowed to vote in this election. Indigenous Africans had been banned altogether since the late 1930s, with the limited number of Indigenous Africans meeting electoral qualifications voting for seven "own" white MPs separately.
During the election campaign, both the UP and the HNP formed coalitions with smaller parties.
How did South African Apartheid happen, and how did it finally end? - Thula Simpson
The Rise of Apartheid
The HNP capitalized on the fears of many White South Africans who felt threatened by black political aspirations, pledging to enforce strict racial segregation in all areas of life. The party called this system "apartheid" (meaning "apartness" or "separation") and promised safety and security from supposed black-on-white crime. In contrast, the United Party offered only vague ideas of gradual racial integration.
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The apartheid policy proposed by the HNP was to serve the economic interests of certain white South Africans.
As regards election tactics, the HNP was extremely adroit at exploiting white fears while campaigning in the 1948 election. Because the UP had seemed to take a fairly lukewarm stance towards both integration and segregation, the HNP was able to argue that a victory for the UP would ultimately lead to a black government in South Africa. HNP propaganda linked black political power to communism and socialism, anathema to many white South Africans at the time.
Slogans such as "Swart Gevaar" ("Black Peril"), "Rooi Gevaar" ("Red Peril"), "Die kaffer op sy plek" ("The Kaffir in his place"), and "Die koelies uit die land" ("The coolies out of the country") played upon and amplified white anxieties.
Much was made of the fact that Smuts had developed a good working relationship with Joseph Stalin during World War II, when South Africa and the USSR were allies in the fight against Nazi Germany. The Smuts government's controversial immigration program served to further inflame Afrikaner disquiet. Under this program, numerous British immigrants had moved to South Africa and were perceived to have taken homes and employment away from (white) South African citizens.
Election Results and Consequences
Together, the HNP and the Afrikaner Party won 79 seats in the House of Assembly against a combined total of 74 won by the UP and the Labour Party. As a result of the first-past-the-post system, the HNP won more seats, even though the UP received over eleven per cent more votes.
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Despite not receiving the majority vote and Smuts gaining 12% more votes, Malan benefited heavily from malapportionment. The most important reason for the National Party's (NP) election success was, arguably, its strength with rural voters in 1948.
Despite winning 140,000 fewer votes than the UP, the NP coalition gained a plurality of seats in Parliament, and was able to form a majority government in coalition with the Afrikaner Party.
The UP at the time has been characterised as cumbersome and lacking vigor while the HNP displayed energy and superior organizational skills. World War II had a bonding effect on the UP and white South Africans generally. Once this external uniting force fell away, Smuts lost a great deal of control over the UP as more and more voters considered alternatives to his tired regime; humiliatingly, the Prime Minister lost his parliamentary seat (Standerton) to an HNP challenger.
Differing Approaches to Racial Integration
Race, though, was one of the central policy issues facing the white electorate. The United Party (UP) and the NP presented voters with differing responses to racial integration in South Africa.
Smuts and his followers favored a pragmatic approach, arguing that racial integration was inevitable and that the government should thus relax regulations which sought to prevent black people from moving into urban areas. Whilst still advocating white dominance, the UP argued in favor of gradually reforming the political system so that black South Africans could, at some unspecified point in the future, exercise some sort of power in a racially integrated South Africa.
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In contrast to this nebulous position, the HNP advocated a strictly enforced racial segregation and the total disempowerment of black South Africans. There was a growing fear amongst Nationalist Afrikaners of black people taking their jobs, especially post-World War II.
Another reason for D.F. Malan's success was the National Party's constant portrayal of Jan Smuts as similar to the British, a poisonous likening for many in the electorate. Leading the UP, Smuts proposed more liberal policies, more out of necessity than morality, to be elected. However, the NP likened him to the 'enemy' (Britain), a potent smear for Afrikaner voters who nursed a hatred of the British after the Second Boer War (a war then within the living memory of a third of white South Africans).
Post-War Hardships and Blame
Smuts and his cabinet were blamed for many of the hardships that occurred as a result of South Africa's participation in World War II. During the war, petrol was rationed by means of coupons, and bakeries were ordered not to bake white bread so as to conserve wheat. After the war, some of these measures continued, as South Africa exported food and other necessaries to Britain and the Netherlands.
South Africa even provided Britain with a loan of 4 million ounces (110 metric tons) of gold. These measures caused local shortages of meat and the unavailability of white bread. The Smuts government was blamed for this, as well as for the rate of inflation and the government's dismal housing record.
The National Party and Apartheid
The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party, NP), also known as the Nationalist Party, was a political party in South Africa from 1914 to 1997, which was responsible for the implementation of apartheid rule. The party was an Afrikaner ethnic nationalist party, which initially promoted the interests of Afrikaners but later became a stalwart promoter and enactor of white supremacy, for which it is best known.
With the National Party governing South Africa from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994, the country for the bulk of this time was only a de jure or partial democracy, as from 1958 onwards non-white people were barred from voting. In 1990, it began to style itself as simply a South African civic nationalist party, and after the fall of apartheid in 1994, attempted to become a moderate conservative one.
Following the 1948 general election, the party as the governing party of South Africa began implementing its policy of racial segregation, known as apartheid (the Afrikaans term for "separateness"). Although White-minority rule and racial segregation were already in existence in South Africa with non-Whites not having voting rights and efforts made to encourage segregation, apartheid intensified the segregation with stern penalties for non-Whites entering into areas designated for Whites-only without having a pass to permit them to do so (known as the pass laws), interracial marriage and sexual relationships were illegal and punishable offences. Black people faced significant restrictions on property rights.
Key Figures in the Apartheid Era
D. F. Malan
Former South African Prime Minister Doctor D.F. Malan was a champion of Afrikaner Nationalism and the first Prime Minister of the Apartheid government.
Hendrik Verwoerd
Verwoerd is often referred to as the "Architect of Apartheid" due to his instrumental role in expanding and legally entrenching the system. Verwoerd shared the same ideology and goals as Malan, particularly in promoting Afrikaner nationalism and racial segregation, and his contributions to apartheid included developing theoretical justifications for the system and opposing any form of limited integration, known as baasskap.
Verwoerd's own rise to power came later when he became the prime minister of South Africa from 1958 to 1966, during which he rigorously developed and applied the policy of apartheid.
The Legacy of Apartheid
The legacy of this election continues to have a profound impact on South Africa today. While apartheid officially ended 29 years ago, its effects still reverberate in various parts of South African society.
Apartheid enforced a system of racial segregation that resulted in significant socioeconomic disparities. The policies and practices of the apartheid era disproportionately disadvantaged non-white communities. Today, South Africa still grapples with high levels of income inequality, limited access to quality education and healthcare, and unequal distribution of resources.
Apartheid policies systematically marginalised and dispossessed black South Africans of their land, leading to significant land inequalities. Land ownership patterns remain highly skewed, with a small minority holding the most productive land. Efforts to address land reform and redistribution have been ongoing, but progress has been slow, and land ownership remains a contentious issue in South Africa.
Apartheid created a system of institutionalised racism that continues to impact society. Although apartheid laws have been abolished, the effects of historical discrimination and prejudice are still evident in areas such as employment, housing, and access to public services.
Apartheid entrenched divisions among different racial and ethnic groups in South Africa. Today, these divisions persist, and social cohesion remains a challenge.
The end of apartheid brought about a transition to democracy and political empowerment for previously marginalised groups. However, the legacy of apartheid is still reflected in the challenges faced by government in addressing historical injustices, managing diverse interests and ensuring inclusive governance.
Table: Key Political Parties in the 1948 South African Election
| Party Name | Leader | Ideology |
|---|---|---|
| Herenigde Nasionale Party (HNP) | D.F. Malan | Strict racial segregation (Apartheid), Afrikaner nationalism |
| United Party (UP) | Jan Smuts | Gradual racial integration, moderate approach |
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