Referendum in South Africa, 1960

Referendum in South Africa, 1960. The 1960 South African republic referendum was a pivotal national vote held on 5 October 1960, in which the country's white electorate decided whether to abandon the British Commonwealth and become a republic. The referendum was called by Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd following the Sharpeville massacre and the subsequent political crisis, aiming to realize long-held Afrikaner nationalist aspirations. The narrow victory for the "Yes" campaign led to the establishment of the Republic of South Africa on 31 May 1961, fundamentally altering the nation's constitutional status and deepening its international isolation.

Background and context

The drive for a republic was a central tenet of Afrikaner nationalism, deeply rooted in the historical grievances of the Second Boer War and the desire to break from British sovereignty. The National Party, which came to power in the 1948 election, had made republicanism a key policy goal, alongside the formalization of apartheid. The political landscape shifted dramatically in 1960 following the Sharpeville massacre, where police killed 69 protesters, leading to international condemnation and a state of emergency. Concurrently, Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd survived an assassination attempt, and the 1960 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference exposed stark divisions over South Africa's racial policies. These events convinced Verwoerd that a decisive move toward a republic, outside the scrutiny of the Commonwealth of Nations, was both necessary and politically opportune.

The referendum question and campaign

The referendum posed a single question: "Are you in favour of a Republic for the Union?" The campaign was intensely polarized along linguistic and political lines. The "Yes" campaign, led by Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd and the National Party, was supported by Afrikaans-language newspapers like Die Transvaler and framed the vote as a final step toward Afrikaner independence and a bulwark against perceived communism and black majority rule. The "No" campaign, championed by the United Party under Sir de Villiers Graaff, English-language press such as the Rand Daily Mail, and included figures like General Jan Smuts's successors, argued for retaining the British monarchy and the economic and strategic benefits of Commonwealth membership. The campaign took place in a climate of significant tension, with the governing party leveraging state apparatus and the recent trauma of Sharpeville to rally its base.

Results and analysis

The referendum resulted in a narrow victory for the republican side, with 850,458 votes (52.29%) in favor and 775,878 (47.71%) against, on a high turnout of over 90%. The results revealed a stark racial and geographic divide, as only the Cape and Natal provinces voted "No," while the Transvaal and Orange Free State provided strong majorities for "Yes." The voting franchise was restricted to the white electorate, which then numbered approximately 1.8 million, completely excluding the Black, Coloured, and Indian populations. Analysis shows the vote split largely along Afrikaner versus English-speaking lines, with a small but crucial number of English-speaking voters in Transvaal swinging the result.

Immediate consequences

The immediate consequence was the passage of the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act by the Parliament of South Africa, which formally created the republic on 31 May 1961, the anniversary of the Treaty of Vereeniging. Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd subsequently applied for continued membership in the Commonwealth of Nations as a republic. However, facing vehement opposition from newly independent African and Asian members like India, Ghana, and Nigeria, South Africa withdrew its application and left the Commonwealth in March 1961. Charles Robberts Swart, the last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, became the first State President. The transition solidified National Party rule and emboldened the government to intensify apartheid legislation without external institutional constraints.

Historical significance and legacy

The 1960 referendum and the creation of the republic marked a definitive break from British constitutional ties, fulfilling a core aim of Afrikaner nationalism. It catalyzed South Africa's journey toward becoming a pariah state, as its exit from the Commonwealth of Nations was a prelude to decades of deepening international isolation, diplomatic condemnation, and economic sanctions. The event entrenched white minority rule and demonstrated the apartheid state's willingness to defy world opinion. The republican constitution remained in force until the negotiations of the early 1990s, which led to the first multiracial election and the adoption of the interim constitution in 1994, establishing a new, democratic republic.

Category:1960 in South Africa Category:Referendums in South Africa Category:1960 referendums