SOUTH AFRICA ACT

(1909), act that unified the British colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River and thereby established the nation of South Africa. It was the work of white delegates to a national convention at Durban, Natal, in 1908, who represented white electorates, less than one-fifth of the population of South Africa. The constitution agreed upon at Durban was largely the work of Jan Smuts, colonial secretary of the Transvaal (and of his English secretary, R.H. Brand), and was modeled upon the Australian constitution of 1900. Most power was to be concentrated in the all-white union Parliament. Before the convention Smuts and John X. Merriman, prime minister of the Cape Colony, had agreed that a colour-blind franchise (i.e., one not excluding nonwhites) should be confined to the Cape Province and, even there, should be subject to constitutional amendment. The amendment proceduretwo-thirds majority of both houses sitting togetheralso applied to the clause guaranteeing equal status to whites of either English or Dutch descent. Cape African and Coloured voters also lost their right (never exercised) of electing people of their own colour to Parliament. The political colour bar was thus enshrined in the constitution. One of the political issues that most vexed the delegates was that of the capital of the new union; finally a compromise was reached, with Pretoria becoming the administrative, Cape Town the legislative, and Bloemfontein the judicial capital. The draft constitution was passed as an act of the British Parliament in 1909, and the union was inaugurated on May 31, 1910, with Louis Botha as the first prime minister. Many British members of Parliament and some white South African politicians were aware of the discriminatory nature of the new act, but it was argued that the political and economic advantages of union would outweigh the disadvantages. Additional reading Harold D. Nelson (ed.), South Africa, a Country Study (1981), surveys South African society, economy, politics, and geography. South African Review (irregular); and Race Relations Survey (annual) document developments in politics, economy, and society. Monica Cole, South Africa, 2nd ed. (1966), is a basic, comprehensive physical and human geography. South Africa Directorate of Surveys and Mapping, Reader's Digest Atlas of Southern Africa (1984), despite its title, covers only South Africa in maps, photographs, and diagrams. An introduction to the social structure and politics of the country is Bernard Magubane, The Political Economy of Race and Class in South Africa (1978). David M. Smith (ed.), The Apartheid City and Beyond (1992); and Mark Swilling, Richard Humphries, and Khehla Shubane (eds.), Apartheid City in Transition (1991), are collections of essays on urbanization, social change, urban politics, and development. Historical studies of the economy include Robert H. Davies, Capital, State, and White Labour in South Africa, 19001960 (1979); and Belinda Bozzoli, The Political Nature of a Ruling Class: Capital and Ideology in South Africa, 18901933 (1981). Contemporary economic conditions are treated in Jill Nattrass, The South African Economy: Its Growth and Change, 2nd ed. (1988); Nicoli Nattrass and Elisabeth Ardington (eds.), The Political Economy of South Africa (1990); Francis Wilson and Mamphela Ramphele, Uprooting Poverty: The South African Challenge (1989), a study of income distribution and aspects of poverty and unemployment; Stephen R. Lewis, Jr., The Economics of Apartheid (1990), an excellent review; and Merle Lipton and David Hauck (eds.), The Impact of Sanctions on South Africa, 2 vol. (1990). Deon Geldenhuys, The Diplomacy of Isolation: South African Foreign Policy Making (1984), outlines government policies. Alan S. Mabin Administration and social conditions National government The republic's original constitution, the South Africa Act of 1909, formed a parliamentary system with the British monarch as head of state. The constitution was revised by the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act of 1961, which transformed South Africa from a dominion within the Commonwealth to an independent republic. South Africa's political development has been shaped by the implementation of apartheid policies by the white minority, the ensuing widespread protest and social unrest, and the adoption in 1993 of a nonracial interim constitution that took effect in 1994. A new, permanent constitution, mandated by the interim document and drafted by Parliament, entered force in 1997. Government under apartheid Until 1994 the three officially designated nonwhite groupsAfricans, Coloureds (those of mixed race), and Asians (primarily Indians)were systematically deprived of political participation in the conduct of national and provincial affairs. With few exceptions, the nonwhite population was prohibited from voting. In 1959 African representation in Parliament, which had been provided by three elected whites, was abolished. The 1984 constitution extended the franchise to Coloureds and Asians, although it introduced a distinction between general affairs (those pertaining to all racial groups) and own affairs (those particular to a racial group) and established separate legislative chambers for whites, Coloureds, and Asians. Africans continued to be excluded from the national government.