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Division, Stellenbosch and Paarl; (b) the North
Western province consisting of Worcester, Malmesbury, Piquetberg, Namaqualand and Clanwilliam; (c) the South Western province consisting of Swellendam, Caledon, Riversdale, Oudtshoorn and George; (d) the Midland province consisting of Graaff-Reinet, Richmond, Beaufort West and Victoria West; (e) the South Eastern province consisting of Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Grahamstown, Albany and Victoria East; (f) the North Eastern province consisting of Somerset East, Fort Beaufort, Craddock, Colesberg and Albert and (g) the Eastern electoral province consisting of King Williamstown, East London, Queenstown, Aliwal North and Wodehouse.
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202:) put forward the Seven Circles Bill for the first time. His government's declared policy of fighting racial and regional divisions in the country led it to believe that the only way to dilute the two-way regional polarisation was to re-draw the country's electoral divisions. The inadequacy of the current system was widely acknowledged and the act passed in the Legislative Assembly with a large majority. However in the upper house the Council's president used his casting vote to throw the bill out.
98:, however the electoral system gave the two entities near equal political power. (The Western province had only two more seats than the Eastern, though its voting population was very much larger.) The result was political competition, which gradually evolved into growing regional political parties, and then into severe polarisation between the two provinces. The instability of the system often paralyzed government.
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economic stagnation. Distrust of the
Governor also led to a deadlock between the elected parliament and the unelected executive. Popular distrust also scuppered Governor Wodehouse's prior attempt (1869) to redraw the electoral districts (this was to be done by abolishing the lower house and establishing a system of alternating councils with 6 electoral districts and greater British control of nominations).
152:" was opposed by the Eastern leaders who feared Western Province domination (as well as by conservatives in the West). However, the split in the Eastern Province party between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth, together with the mobilisation of small but growing electoral minorities such as Black African voters (who generally supported the Western Province party), allowed the Western-based leader
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much power to be out of touch with the people." It was therefore necessary to build a connection with the electorate "…so real as to excite the interest of the masses of the people." For "…the greater the interest of the people in their representatives and the closer they are in touch with them, the more valuable are the results of representative institutions likely to prove."
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model. The government's response was that the Cape did not possess, nor should it strive to possess, Lords or any other form of hereditary aristocracy. Molteno himself argued that the
Council had a very real authority and power over the country, and that "...it is a serious danger for a body with so
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Previously, the country had been divided into two large provinces, the
Western and the Eastern Provinces, which had led to decades of polarisation and competition. The act was important in that it ended the bitter political schism that had divided the Cape for much of the 19th century. It formed part
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The Cape at the time ran a system of representative government, whereby the legislature was elected, but executive power remained firmly in the hands of an unelected
British Governor, who was appointed by the British Colonial Office. A resulting lack of accountability led to budget mismanagement and
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From the outset, a serious problem was that the two constituencies were geographically so enormous, that it was practically impossible for any candidate to canvas the electorate across a significant area of their province. Such impracticalities, as well as irregularities that caused just two cities
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In subdividing the country, Molteno had decided that seven was a sufficiently high number to allow for stable disagreement between the divisions, without causing lasting polarisation. He had insisted on an uneven number so as to avoid political deadlock, and had rejected an earlier suggestion of
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The change, together with the overall rising prosperity of the country, finally ended the regional rivalry between East & West, and put an end to the ongoing
Separatist movement of the Eastern Province. In effect, it also ended the Western Province's political hegemony over the country, by
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The act divided the Cape of Good Hope into seven electoral provinces (or "circles"), with each being entitled to elect three representatives to the
Legislative Council. The seven electoral divisions were (a) the Western electoral province consisting of the electoral divisions of Gape Town, Cape
118:. The Western Province was dominated by liberals who were less expansionist and were accused by Eastern leaders of favouring the Xhosa in their frontier policy. The deadlock and regional polarisation was complicated by the division between the Eastern towns of
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The effects were also to eliminate the previous disproportionate advantage which the towns of Cape Town and
Grahamstown had wielded under the previous system, whereby they had secured an unfairly large proportion of the votes, relative to their population.
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three, as it would allow for a persistent marginalisation of one of the three. A proposal for five was worked out in details but more minor objections were raised, and in the end it was decided that seven was the ideal number so as to ensure stability.
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In addition, the demographics of the country had substantially changed since the original provinces were constituted, in size, in economic development, and in distribution. The two provinces were therefore even more impractical as electoral districts.
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Representatives were elected for seven years (as opposed to the ten years under the previous system) and were to be voted in simultaneously at one time. The
Presidency of the Legislative Council was still to be taken by the country's Chief Justice.
72:, with a lower house (Legislative Assembly) and an upper house (Legislative Council). The latter had considerable power and influence on the lower house, and was elected according to two large provinces:
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in the
Council. Both fought the bill unsuccessfully. It was once again carried by a large majority in the Assembly and, on reaching the upper house, was passed with a comfortable majority this time.
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In electing members, the voter was given three votes, which could be all given to one candidate, or distributed to three candidates. This was intended to secure the representation of minorities.
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Therefore, while the Council wielded significant power in the country, it was correctly perceived to be remote and far-removed from the electorate. It was also widely seen as unaccountable.
169:(Cape Town and Grahamstown) to account for over 50% of the electoral strength in their respective provinces, meant that interest in the Council elections was minimal.
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arose. Persistent disputes included frontier issues, with the Eastern Province leaders favouring a far harsher and more expansionist policy towards the neighbouring
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However the primary reason that the change was proposed, was the aforementioned polarisation which resulted from having only two provinces of near equal power.
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A movement began in the Western Province to make the Executive elected and therefore accountable (or "responsible") to the local electorate. This movement for "
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The final objection raised by the remaining Eastern Province leaders was that the resulting upper house would in no way resemble the British Westminster
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The Life and Times of John Charles Molteno. Comprising a History of Representative Institutions and Responsible Government at the Cape, Volume II
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Though the act passed into law in 1874, the first election to take place under the new system was only in November 1878.
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Settler Self-government, 1840–1900: The Development of Representative and Responsible Government
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In fear of dominance by Cape Town, the Eastern Province leaders came to demand greater
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The Western Province was larger, and was the seat of the country's capital city,
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into seven provinces (or "circles") for the Legislative Council elections.
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The Old Cape House, being pages from the history of a legislative assembly
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In May 1874, the act was reintroduced. The Easterners were led by
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History of South Africa, from 1873 to 1884, twelve eventful years
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Constitution Ordinance Amendment Act No.18 of 1874, Section 2
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The History of our own Times in South Africa, Volume 2
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345:The politics of eastern Cape separatism, 1820–1854
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198:In April 1873, Molteno (now the country's first
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321:, Clarendon Press, Oxford pp. 23 & 109
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135:Representative government (1854–1872)
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399:Repealed South African legislation
82:The Eastern Province, centred on
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414:Political history of South Africa
424:Former provinces of South Africa
404:Governance of the British Empire
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319:The Cape Parliament, 1854–1910
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183:Passing of the bill (1873–74)
144:Responsible government (1872)
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334:. J.C. Juta & co., 1899.
272:Madden; et al. (1990).
164:Factors favouring the change
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439:Politics of the Cape Colony
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60:The Cape Parliament, 1854.
308:Maskew Miller, Cape Town
209:in the Assembly, and by
191:The new Prime Minister,
108:British Imperial control
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429:1873 in the Cape Colony
444:Law of the Cape Colony
317:J.L. McCracken (1967)
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158:Responsible Government
150:Responsible Government
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211:"Moral Bob" Godlonton
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393:Categories
291:2013-10-08
256:References
228:Provisions
52:Background
160:in 1872.
96:Cape Town
78:Cape Town
70:bicameral
36:of the
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64:The
28:The
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