This article provides a detailed strategy guide for playing as South Africa in Hearts of Iron IV. It covers various aspects of gameplay, including political paths, economic development, military focuses, and strategic objectives.
South Africa, a Dominion of the British Empire, holds a unique position as the last bastion of British influence in Africa following the 1925 Revolution in the Home Islands and the subsequent German occupation of much of the continent. Led by a Governor-General (George Herbert Hyde Villiers, the Earl of Clarendon) and a Prime Minister (Jan Smuts), the Union has existed since the 1909 South Africa Act took effect in 1910, unifying the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River Colonies. In 1922, Southern Rhodesia joined after a successful referendum. Politics centers around an elected lower chamber of parliament (the Volksrrad) and a two-party system: The South African Party (SAP, Soc Con) led by PM Jan Smuts, and the National Party (Auth Dem) led by former PM J. B. M. Hertzog.
Members of the Volksrrad are elected by the country’s white minority, though franchise as a whole differs from province to province.
Capitulating Myself to Conquer the World as South Africa!
Initial Challenges: Black Monday
Just weeks into 1936, South Africa faces a significant crisis: Black Monday. During the Great Depression of the 1920s, the then National Party government tied the South African economy to Germany's in an attempt to mitigate the financial crisis. While this produced limited results, the subsequent SAP government under Smuts was able to alleviate the worst effects of the Depression.
After taking the ‘A Response to Black Monday’ focus, a decision category of the same name activates, helping to lessen and eventually eliminate the Black Monday National Spirit. Through a series of decisions, unemployment must be reduced from 30% to below 8%. To completely remove the National Spirit, unemployment and inflation must both be below 8%, and outstanding debt must not exceed 10 million SA Pounds.
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Here's a breakdown of the requirements to overcome Black Monday:
| Condition | Target |
|---|---|
| Unemployment | Below 8% |
| Inflation | Below 8% |
| Outstanding Debt | Not exceeding 10 million SA Pounds |
Navigating Internal Politics and Labor Relations
The Industrial Conciliation Act, passed by the previous National government, legalized unions and established bargaining processes between the government and unions. However, it excluded native Africans from union membership, and during the Great Depression, white workers received guaranteed wage increases and employment.
If its demands are met, opposition will be heavy. It won’t just be from the trade unions, but also the National, and Labor Parties. Unions, such as the International Socialist League (ISL) and the South African Trades and Labor Council (SALC), will march in the streets and call for general strikes, shutting down factories and mines around the country. Choosing to do nothing and waiting it out, the government will have to do so two more times for the strikers to finally stand down. Strikebreaking on the other hand will produce the opposite effect: the strikes will snowball, becoming another Rand Revolt (the first Rand Revolt, named after its location, Witwatersrand, in the early 20s broke out under very similar situations).
Sending in the troops like during the First Rebellion will quell it. Protesters will be violently put down in what will be known as the Battle of Mayfair (a suburb of Johannesburg) and when news reaches other protests they will disperse. If the military instead dug in and waited for the protesters to come to them, the protesters will dig in as well. It will stalemate until the ICU (Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union) declares its support for the protesters. The ICU is an interracial, native led trade union, who will call for natives to rise up against the government.
Ill prepared to a massive uprising, large numbers of troops will surrender or defect, and protesters will march on the capital of Pretoria and enter without a fight. The government and National flee will flee the country. With the success of the Second Rand Rebellion, the now South African People’s Republic will leave the Entente. Canada will get word and, while it is not guaranteed but weighted so, will declare war to defeat the Rebellion. South Africa will have to defend itself for a full year without falling below a 40% surrender threshold. If it can do so the Entente will come to the table and sign the Treaty of Johannesburg, ending the war.
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The Johannesburg Convention and Constitutional Reform
A constitutional convention will be held in Johannesburg, aptly named the Johannesburg Convention. The focus may be taken during the war against the Entente, if it occurs. Groups such as the ICU, ISL, SALC, the Madeley faction of the Labor Party, African National Congress, and other appropriate groups will meet in Johannesburg to draw up a new constitution.
The ICU, fearful of the Chairman consolidating power, calls for the creation of the Transitional Revolutionary Council, which will act as a check on the executive until a legislature is created. Before it gets into actual writing the constitution, Andrews will propose ‘Parallel Union.’ This would in effect create two unions at a workplace: one for white workers and one for colored/mixed race and black workers so not as to have to desegregate. If the Transitional Revolutionary Council was formed it will veto the proposal.
Key Factions and Proposals:
- ICU vs. ISL: Struggle for dominance at the convention.
- Trade Union Congress: Delegates elected by trade unions based on geography.
- People’s Congress: Combination of the old houses of the Union’s Parliament.
- SALC: Advocates for a single, color-blind judicial system, but one that effectively preserves the old Union system.
- ISL and Madeley: Argue for maintaining the position of PM as a representative to the People’s Congress.
The ISL (Rad Soc) will be led by a compromise candidate, Chairman David Ivon Jones, with John Stephen Gomas as his Deputy. Jones won’t be in office too long. The ICU and ISL will balk at the vote, claiming that SALC Is hijacking the revolution when not everyone is at the Convention to vote yet.
One of the proposals to come out of the SALC meetings is the creation of a Constitutional Advisory Committee, which will hold influence over both the convention and the future South African constitution. Membership of the Committee will be elected by currently registered unions, meaning the white SALC will have an enormous advantage, giving it a veto power.
After leaked reports that the rouge SALC members want to keep a number of segregationists policies in place, Chairman Andrews and possibly even PM Madeley will resign due to the Government and SALC’s inability to combat the racist left. The National Liberation League militia under James La Guma will rise up around the country and declare itself a rival government to the one being formed in Johannesburg. With more revolt across the country, the NLL occupy Johannesburg and arrest the Provisional Government with La Guma declaring himself the new Chairman under an ICU (Totalist) government. Albert Nzula will be named Deputy-Chairman, and J. T.
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Alternative Political Paths
Instead of repealing the Industrial Conciliation Act, the government can choose to Establish Work Programs. The Unionist wing of the SAP, angry at the government’s decision, will break away and become independents. Coming to an agreement with National or Labor will see the SAP stay in office until the next elections in 1938. National will want the Premiership from Smuts in exchange for the coalition (the ruling party switching to National (Auth Dem)) while Labor will be happy with cabinet positions (so no party change).
If the SAP and National came to an agreement, in September of 1937, seven months before the scheduled election, the cooperation of the two parties can be taken a step further: fusion. Agreeing will see the parties become the United South African National Party. The hardliners of National won’t take to union with the SAP too kindly and will break away and form the Purified National Party. The Labor Party, plagued by infighting for years, will resolve their differences with Walter Medeley’s National Labor Council becoming the dominate faction (the Soc Dems becoming plainly the Labor Party).
The fusion will last until the Reclamation of the Home Islands / Homecoming, when the Entente goes to war with the Internationale. PM Hertzog wants to stay out of the European conflict, advocating armed neutrality, while Smuts wants South Africa to get directly involved. The cabinet will be split on the issue, with a bare majority supporting Smuts. Undeterred, Hertzog takes the issue to the Volksrrad and again will be defeated. He will then ask the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament and call elections in six weeks’ time.
If Parliament was not dissolved, Smuts will be asked to form a war cabinet, with the United government becoming Soc Con. If Parliament was dissolved, elections will be held in six weeks. Smuts’ United (Soc Con) will contest, and if he wins will be free to participate in the Homecoming. But if Hertzog’s Volksparty wins, it will reunite with the Purified National Party to become the Reunited National Party.
Here's an overview of South Africa's non-specific elections and the parties involved:
| Election Type | Parties Involved |
|---|---|
| Regular Elections | Various parties depending on political choices |
The Union Affairs tree unlocks after an election is held, so the earliest it will unlock is May 1936 if the SAP lost their Volksrrad majority and early elections were called. The tree is one of two main content paths, the other being the Protectorates Tree which is discussed below.
A Pat Aut National Government can go down Proclaim a Republic and The Native Representation Act. If National did not win early elections if called, or joined the SAP in a coalition, in Dec 1937 it will swing further to the right and in any future elections the Pat Aut wing will be on the election roll. It can also become Pat Aut after Hertzog dies and Malan is chosen to take over.
The path for the SAP is the Colored Enfranchisement Act, along with the Asiastic Land Tenure Act. Once the Enfranchisement Act is taken the liberal wing of the SAP, the Soc Libs, will become the ruling party. If it is passed it will shakeup South African politics, putting a nail in the coffin of National. The first election after the Act is passed will always be won by the SAP. The next election five years later, will see a challenge from the Labor Party, but could also end in a SAP-Volksparty coalition.
The bill will strand if conservative members cross the floor and vote against the bill with National. Conservative SAP members under J G. N Strauss will break away and form the National Conservative Party, taking the place of the conservative wing of the SAF. The SAF will be reduced to just the Soc Lib spot, and will no longer be able to outright win any future elections.
With the failure of the Act, Smuts will ask the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament, and elections will be held in six weeks which National will win overwhelmingly. The National Party under Daniël François Malan (Pat Aut), can declare South Africa a Republic in one of two ways. To gain control, National must not come to power in 1936 (through a coalition or an election). In December 1937, National will hold a Party Congress where Malan will challenge and defeat Hertzog for Party Leader. In the next election (whether in 1938 or 1941) if no steps were taken to change the makeup of those elections, if National is elected Malan will become PM.
If Malan wins the 1938 elections he will automatically declare a Republic after a short event chain. 1938 is the 100th anniversary of the Great Trek, a migration of original Dutch settlers of South Africa to the interior to escape British influence. Ox-drawn wagons will follow the routes taken by the voortrekkers (or pioneers), passing through cities such as Port Elizabeth, Bulhoek, Bloemfontein, Vegkop, Johannesburg, before ending in Pretoria.
If Malan is PM at the time, he will meet a part of the delegation which split off at Vegkop, at Blood River to commemorate the 1838 Battle of Blood River. But with the advent of the declaration, the province of Southern Rhodesia, strongarmed into joining South Africa in 1922 and long distrustful of the Union will vote to secede. Since joining South Africa, it has looked for a way out but would never take the step for leaving would be like leaving the British Empire. Now that South Africa has severed that link South Rhodesia will feel free to leave.
With Southern Rhodesia to the north and Natal to the south east, the new Republic will have 180 days to defeat both rebellious provinces or face defeat. Days after the provinces vote to secede and the Third Boer War starts, Southern Rhodesia and Natal will petition the Entente leader for membership, which will be given.
Further down the Union Affairs tree, there are mutually exclusive foci concerning the extremist wing of National. As Pat Aut, National can be reorganized, wherein the extremist leader Johannes van Rensburg will lead a coup against the Malan government. Or, he can be expelled from National shoring up Malan’s position.
Natal and Rhodesia: Alternative Scenarios
Content for Natal will differ on how the war with South Africa ended. If Natal is able to annex South Africa, the starting Dominion Tree will be kept and available. The rest of the focus tree is shared with that of South Africa, the Dominion tree simply replacing the Union Affairs tree.
Elections for this path are very simple. Initiated by focus and then every five years, it will be a contest between the Afrikaner supported SAP Liberal Wing (Soc Libs) and the Union Federal Party (Mar Lib), the pro-secession offshoot of the SAP in the days before Natal ceded from the Republic of South Africa.
But if the SAP wins, the fringe Dominion Party (Pat Aut), angry that the Afrikaners are back in power rather than British South Africans, will occupy Parliament House and demand the Governor-General dissolve Parliament, take emergency powers (ala Australasia) and appoint a caretaker Dominion Government.
If Natal was able to hold out for one year, it will annex South Africa and load a whole brand-new tree, the Natal Trees. Elections in this scenario are also rather simple.
Rhodesia is led by Governor-General Herbert Stanley under a Reform Party (Soc Lib) government. Elections are likewise initiated by focus and then every five years. Unlike Natal’s it is a little more complicated. If the Reform Party wins, Godfrey Huggins, leader of the conservative wing of the Party, will be set to become PM. But the questions remains if he will allow the left faction of the Party into government. If he does not, Reform will turn Auth Dem, but the growing factionalism of the Party will hinder the government’s ability to do its job. Huggins extends an invitation to the conservative wing of the Rhodesia Party to create the United Rhodesia Party. Though the new government does hav...
Military and Economic Strategy
The following information contains tips and strategies for players new to the game who want to play South Africa.
South Africa's job is to help the allies by holding El-Alamein and then pushing it to take Africa and then after you have taken Africa you have 2 choices. Do your allies need more help for a fast D-Day? Then put your tanks in the UK. Is Japan rushing down Singapore and closing on India? Then go help out there. What is important as South Africa is that you have your fully stocked tanks ready next to El-Alamein by 39!!!
Strategic positioning is key to success as South Africa.
Focus Order:
- Special Service Battalion
- Q Services Corps
- SA Engineer Corps
- South African Special Forces
- Armor Effort
- South African Railways
- Expand the Mining Industry
- Infrastructure Effort
- Armament Effort
- South African Steel
- Pretoria Arms
- Fund the University of South Africa
- War Measures Act
- Emergency Workers
- South African Military College
- Support the Policy of Appeasement
- Police Windhoek
- CSIR
- Joint Air Training Scheme
- Suppress the Stormjaers
- Desert Equipment
- Secure Interests in Africa
- Cape Garrison Artillery
- Reconstitute the Cape Corps
Tech:
- Silent Workhorse
- Armor Designer
- Military Theorist Save up for Spanish Civil War and then 250 PP then get an attache to Republican Spain and get the Partial Mobilization
- Partial Mobilization
- Industry Focus Save up 100 PP for China War
- Free Trade
- Tank Expert
- Army Defense
This is super straightforward but if you ♥♥♥♥ it up then you aren't going to be able to get your tanks out for El-Alamein.
Economic Development:
- ONLY BUILD 3 CIVS!!!
- 1 on Infantry Equipment
- 1 on Support Equipment
- 1 on Artillery
- Rest on heavies when they are done building.
When your heavy 2s are done you are going to MAX GUNS to 5 and then the rest into reliability. Put everything on your new and improved heavies when you're done upgrading them.
Division Template:
- 7 Motorized
- 13 Heavies with Shovels, Recon, Radio, Engineer, and Logistics
Make sure to 1 division train a 50 width division from the start of the game for maximum experience gain.
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tags: #Africa
