List of heads of state of South Africa: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 13:35, 19 February 2018
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of South Africa |
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This is a list of the heads of state of South Africa, from the foundation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 to the present day.
From 1910 to 1961 the head of state under the South Africa Act 1909 was the Monarch, who was the same person as the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Dominions/Commonwealth realms. The Monarch was represented in South Africa by a Governor-General. South Africa became a republic under the Constitution of 1961 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial State President. In 1984, under the Tricameral Constitution, the State President gained executive powers, becoming head of both state and government. Since 1994, under the Interim Constitution and the current Constitution, the head of state and government has been called the President.
Monarchs (1910–1961)
The succession to the throne of South Africa was the same as the succession to the British throne. During the Abdication Crisis the South African parliament passed its own act, "His Majesty King Edward the Eighth's Abdication Act, 1937", to ratify the abdication of Edward VIII.
№ | Monarch (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Reign | Royal House | Prime Minister | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | |||||
1 | King George V (1865–1936) |
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31 May 1910 | 20 January 1936 | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha until 17 July 1917, Windsor since 17 July 1917 |
Botha Smuts Hertzog |
2 | King Edward VIII (1894–1972) |
File:Edward VIII Portrait - 1936.jpg | 20 January 1936 | 11 December 1936 (abdicated.) |
Windsor | Hertzog |
3 | King George VI (1895–1952) |
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11 December 1936 | 6 February 1952 | Windsor | Hertzog Smuts Malan |
4 | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–) |
File:Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Portrait Herbert James Gunn.jpg | 6 February 1952 | 31 May 1961 | Windsor | Malan Strijdom Verwoerd |
Governor-General
The Governor-General was the representative of the monarch in South Africa and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931 and the Status of the Union Act, 1934, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of South Africa without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.
- Status
№ | Governor-General (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Monarch | Prime Minister | |
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Took office | Left office | |||||
1 | The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Gladstone (1854–1930) |
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31 May 1910 | 8 September 1914 | George V | Botha |
2 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Buxton (1853–1934) |
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8 September 1914 | 17 November 1920 | George V | Botha Smuts |
3 | HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883–1938) |
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17 November 1920 | 21 January 1924 | George V | Smuts |
4 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Athlone (1874–1957) |
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21 January 1924 | 26 January 1931 | George V | Smuts Hertzog |
5 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Clarendon (1877–1955) |
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26 January 1931 | 5 April 1937 | George V Edward VIII George VI |
Hertzog |
6 | Sir Patrick Duncan (1870–1943) |
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5 April 1937 | 17 July 1943 (died in office.) |
George VI | Hertzog Smuts |
– | Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet (1873–1960) |
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17 July 1943 | 1 January 1946 | George VI | Smuts |
7 | Gideon Brand van Zyl (1873–1956) |
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1 January 1946 | 1 January 1951 | George VI | Smuts Malan |
8 | Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959) |
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1 January 1951 | 25 November 1959 (died in office.) |
George VI Elizabeth II |
Malan Strijdom Verwoerd |
– | Lucas Cornelius Steyn (1903–1976) |
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25 November 1959 | 11 December 1959 | Elizabeth II | Verwoerd |
9 | Charles Robberts Swart (1894–1982) |
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11 December 1959 | 30 April 1961 (resigned.) |
Elizabeth II | Verwoerd |
– | Lucas Cornelius Steyn (1903–1976) |
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30 April 1961 | 31 May 1961 | Elizabeth II | Verwoerd |
Ceremonial State President of South Africa (1961–1984)
Under the 1961 Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the State President replaced the Monarch as ceremonial head of state. The State President was elected by Parliament for a seven-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Senate served as Acting State President.
- Status
№ | State President (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Elected | Political affiliation (at time of appointment) |
Prime Minister | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | |||||||
1 | Charles Robberts Swart (1894–1982) |
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31 May 1961 | 1 June 1967 (resigned.) |
– | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Verwoerd Vorster |
– | Eben Dönges (1898–1968) |
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Elected but did not take office because of illness | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | |||
– | Jozua François Naudé (1889–1969) |
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1 June 1967 | 10 April 1968 | – | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Vorster |
2 | Jacobus Johannes Fouché (1898–1980) |
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10 April 1968 | 9 April 1975 | – | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Vorster |
– | Johannes de Klerk (1903–1979) |
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9 April 1975 | 19 April 1975 | – | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Vorster |
3 | Nico Diederichs (1903–1978) |
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19 April 1975 | 21 August 1978 (died in office.) |
– | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Vorster |
– | Marais Viljoen (1915–2007) |
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21 August 1978 | 10 October 1978 | – | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Vorster Botha |
4 | B. J. Vorster (1915–1983) |
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10 October 1978 | 4 June 1979 (resigned.) |
– | style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Botha |
5 | Marais Viljoen (1915–2007) |
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4 June 1979 | 19 June 1979 | – | rowspan=2 style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party | Botha |
19 June 1979 | 3 September 1984 |
Executive State President of South Africa (1984–1994)
Under the 1983 Constitution the State President was head of both state and government. The State President was elected by an electoral college chosen by Parliament and served until the next general election, but was eligible for re-election. In the event of a vacancy the Cabinet would nominate a member to serve as Acting State President.
- Status
№ | State President (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Elected | Political affiliation (at time of appointment) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | ||||||
1[1] | P. W. Botha (1916–2006) |
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3 September 1984 | 14 September 1984 | 1987 | rowspan=2 style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party |
14 September 1984 | 15 August 1989 (resigned.) | ||||||
2 | F. W. de Klerk (1936–) |
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15 August 1989 | 20 September 1989 | 1989 | rowspan=2 style="background: Template:National Party (South Africa)/meta/color;" | | National Party |
20 September 1989 | 10 May 1994 |
President of South Africa (1994–present)
Under the Interim Constitution and the current Constitution the President is head of both state and government. The President is elected by the National Assembly and serves a term that expires at the next general election; a President may serve a maximum of two terms. In the event of a vacancy the Deputy President serves as Acting President.
№ | President (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Tenure | Elected | Political affiliation (at time of appointment) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | ||||||
1 | Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) |
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10 May 1994 | 16 June 1999 | 1994 | style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
2 | Thabo Mbeki (1942–) |
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16 June 1999 | 24 September 2008 (resigned) |
1999 2004 |
style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
– [2] | Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri (1937–2009) |
File:Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri.jpg | 24 September 2008[3] | 25 September 2008 | – | style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
3 | Kgalema Motlanthe (1949–) |
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25 September 2008 | 9 May 2009 | 2008 | style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
4 | Jacob Zuma (1942–) |
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9 May 2009 | 14 February 2018 (resigned) |
2009 2014 |
style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
5 | Cyril Ramaphosa (1952–) |
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14 February 2018 | 15 February 2018 | 2018 | rowspan=2 style="background: Template:African National Congress/meta/color;" | | African National Congress |
15 February 2018 | Incumbent |
Standards
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Governor-General's Standard (1910–1931)
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Governor-General's Standard (1931–1952)
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Governor-General's Standard (1952–1961)
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State Presidential Standard (1961–1984)
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State Presidential Standard (1984–1994)
Living former heads of state
There are five living former South African Heads of State:
-
Elizabeth II (age 98)
1952-1961 -
Frederik de Klerk (age 88)
1989-1994 -
Thabo Mbeki (age 82)
1999-2008 -
Kgalema Motlanthe (age 75)
2008-2009 -
Jacob Zuma (age 82)
2009-2018
See also
- State President of South Africa
- Prime Minister of South Africa
- Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
- State President of the South African Republic (1857–1902)
- State President of the Orange Free State
- Freedom Day
References
- ^ Chris Heunis was Acting State President from 19 January 1989 – 15 March 1989
- ^ Matsepe-Casaburri was Minister of Communications not Deputy President
- ^ Chikane, Frank (28 April 2012). "Emotional farewell as Mbeki holds last cabinet meeting". Daily Nation. Retrieved 26 August 2016.