Cape Province


The Province of the Cape of Good Hope, commonly referred to as "the Cape Province" and colloquially as "The Cape", was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Colony, as well as Walvis Bay, and had Cape Town as its capital. In 1994, the Cape Province was divided into the new Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces, along with part of the North West.

History

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, the original Cape Colony was renamed the Cape Province.
It was by far the largest of South Africa's four provinces, as it contained regions it had previously annexed, such as British Bechuanaland, Griqualand East and Griqualand West. As a result, it encompassed two-thirds of South Africa's territory, and covered an area of approximately.
At the time of the formation of the Union of South Africa, South Africa consisted of four provinces: Transvaal, Natal, Orange Free State and the Cape Province.

Cape Franchise

Before union, the Cape Colony had traditionally implemented a system of non-racial franchise, whereby qualifications for suffrage were applied equally to all males, regardless of race. During the union negotiations, the Cape Prime Minister, John X. Merriman fought unsuccessfully to extend this multi-racial franchise system to the rest of South Africa. This failed, as it was strongly opposed by the former Boer Republics which were determined to entrench white rule.
After union, the Cape Province was permitted to keep a restricted version of its multi-racial qualified franchise, and thus became the only province where Coloureds and Black Africans could vote.
Over the following years, successive acts were passed to erode this colour-blind voters roll.
In 1931, the restricting franchise qualifications were removed for white voters, but kept for Black and Coloured voters. In 1956, the Apartheid government removed all remaining suffrage rights for "non-whites". The government had to appoint many extra senators in parliament to force through this change.

Partitioning under Apartheid

During the apartheid era, so-called "bantustans" or homelands for the different Bantu nations were carved out of the existing provinces as part of the policy of perpetuating white control over South Africa. These became known as the four independent TBVC States and the six Non-Independent Homelands.
In the Cape Province, the Transkei and Ciskei regions were declared independent of South Africa. Griqualand East was transferred to Natal Province after Transkei was declared independent, since it was cut off from the rest of the province. With the 1994 adoption of the Interim Constitution, these homelands were re-incorporated into South Africa, both part of the new Eastern Cape province.

Post-apartheid

After the first fully democratic elections in April 1994, the Transkei and Ciskei bantustans were reunited with Cape Province, then the country was divided into what are now the current nine provinces of South Africa. Cape Province was broken up into three smaller provinces: the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape. Parts of it were also absorbed into the North West. Walvis Bay, a territory of the original Cape Colony, had been ceded to Namibia two months earlier.

Districts in 1991

Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.
DistrictPopulation
Aberdeen8,009
Adelaide15,220
Albany 69,705
Albert 16,995
Alexandria26,651
Aliwal North27,486
Barkly East12,821
Barkly West35,012
Bathurst32,419
Beaufort West31,726
Bedford16,074
Bellville269,995
Bredasdorp23,076
Britstown6,523
Caledon79,052
Calitzdorp6,759
Calvinia18,430
Cape179,537
Carnarvon9,728
Cathcart14,815
Ceres47,052
Clanwilliam28,144
Colesberg15,446
Cradock37,144
De Aar25,438
East London240,474
Elliot14,159
Fort Beaufort22,793
Fraserburg4,367
George95,597
Goodwood259,620
Gordonia 118,623
Graaff-Reinet34,440
Hankey24,548
Hanover4,399
Hartswater29,146
Hay 11,104
Heidelberg11,519
Herbert 26,316
Hermanus21,610
Hofmeyr4,995
Hopefield8,822
Hopetown11,175
Humansdorp43,799
Indwe9,483
Jansenville9,797
Joubertina13,385
Kenhardt11,353
Kimberley167,060
King William's Town29,653
Kirkwood30,766
Knysna50,420
Komga14,142
Kuils River133,577
Kuruman24,817
Ladismith12,705
Lady Grey7,530
Laingsburg5,781
Maclear16,653
Malmesbury113,450
Middelburg21,737
Molteno11,702
Montagu21,674
Moorreesburg11,159
Mossel Bay59,170
Murraysburg5,960
Namaqualand 62,536
Noupoort8,348
Oudtshoorn68,093
Paarl136,121
Pearston4,983
Philipstown8,799
Piketberg34,152
Port Elizabeth670,653
Postmasburg54,790
Prieska19,185
Prince Albert8,567
Queenstown44,469
Richmond6,326
Riversdal25,021
Robertson32,331
Simonstad58,323
Somerset East29,758
Somerset West59,947
Stellenbosch73,839
Sterkstroom7,687
Steynsburg10,593
Steytlerville5,341
Strand40,096
Stutterheim40,119
Sutherland3,596
Swellendam32,147
Tarka9,538
Tulbagh25,334
Uitenhage182,551
Uniondale9,354
Vanrhynsdorp12,815
Venterstad5,777
Victoria West11,910
Vredenburg39,908
Vredendal28,962
Vryburg98,551
Walvis Bay 22,999
Warrenton22,368
Wellington37,432
Williston4,177
Willowmore10,734
Wodehouse 15,540
Worcester117,159
Wynberg1,101,668

Administrators