17th South African Parliament

The 17th South African Parliament was the seventeenth Parliament of South Africa to convene since the unification of South Africa in 1910 and the fifth to convene since the adoption of the republican constitution in 1961. It was constituted as a bicameral parliament, consisting of the Senate elected in the 1974 Senate election and the House of Assembly elected in the 1977 general election. The Senate contained 51 senators and the House of Assembly 165 members. The Senate was abolished effective 1 January 1981, while the House of Assembly continued to sit as a unicameral parliament for another three months, until the 1981 general election.

Four parties were represented in this parliament: the National Party (NP), the Progressive Federal Party (PFP), the New Republic Party (NRP), and the South African Party (SAP). The National Party held wide majorities in both houses: 42 out of 54 seats in the Senate and 134 out of 165 seats in the House of Assembly. Senate Parties represented PartySeatsNational Party40New Republic Party9Progressive Federal Party1Independent1

Senators The following is a list of senators as of April 1980. The 10th Senate had been elected in May 1974, and served until the Senate's abolition at the end of 1980.South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, p. 164

Senators marked (C) were nominated "on the ground of thorough acquaintance, by reason of official experience or otherwise, with the interests of the Coloured population of the province for which nominated".

TypeProvince Name Party ElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNRPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNPElectedCapeNRPElectedCapeNPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalNPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalNRPElectedNatalPFPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedFree StateNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalIndElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNRPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPElectedTransvaalNPNominated (C)NPNominated (C)NPNominatedNPNominated (C)NPNominated (C)NPNominatedNPNominatedNPNominatedNP

House of Assembly Summary by province The table below gives the number of registered voters (all of whom were classified as white under the apartheid legislation) and parliamentary seats, on the day of the election, broken down by province.South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, page 162 The provinces are those which existed prior to 1994.

Province Number of seats Number of votersCape 55 677,696Natal 20 257,632Orange Free State 14 174,404Transvaal 76 1,100,393Total 165 2,210,125

Parties represented PartySeatsNational Party134Progressive Federal Party17New Republic Party10South African Party3

Members of the House of Assembly The following is a list of MPs elected in the 1977 general election to the 17th House of Assembly, which sat until the 1981 general election.South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, pp. 164-167

ConstituencyProvince Name Party AlbanyCapeNPAlbertonTransvaalNPAlgoaCapeNPAliwalCapeNPAmanzimtotiNatalNRPBarbertonTransvaalNPBeaufort WestCapeNPBellvilleCapeNPBenoniTransvaalNPBereaNatalNRPBethalTransvaalNPBethlehemFree StateNPBezuidenhoutTransvaalPFPBloemfontein EastFree StateNPBloemfontein NorthFree StateNPBloemfontein WestFree StateNPBoksburgTransvaalNPBrakpanTransvaalNPBrentwoodTransvaalNPBritsTransvaalNPBryanstonTransvaalPFPCaledonCapeNPCape Town GardensCapeNPCarletonvilleTransvaalNPCeresCapeNPConstantiaCapePFPCradockCapeNPDe AarCapeNPDelmasTransvaalNPDurban Central NatalNRPDurban North NatalNRPDurban PointNatalNRPDurbanvilleCapeNPEast London CityCapeNPEast London NorthCapeNRPEdenvaleTransvaalNPErmeloTransvaalNPEshoweNatalNPFalse BayCapeNPFauresmithFree StateNPFloridaTransvaalNPGeduldTransvaalNPGeorgeCapeNPGermistonTransvaalNPGermiston DistrictTransvaalNPGezinaTransvaalNPGordoniaCapeNPGraaff-ReinetCapeNPGreen PointCapePFPGriqualand EastCapeNPGroote SchuurCapePFPHeilbronFree StateNPHelderbergCapeNPHerculesTransvaalNPHillbrowTransvaalPFPHoughtonTransvaalPFPHumansdorpCapeNPInnesdalTransvaalNPJeppeTransvaalNPJohannesburg NorthTransvaalPFPJohannesburg WestTransvaalNPKempton ParkTransvaalNPKimberley NorthCapeNPKimberley SouthCapeNPKing William's TownCapeNPKlerksdorpTransvaalNPKlip RiverNatalNPKoedoespoortTransvaalNPKroonstadFree StateNPKrugersdorpTransvaalNPKurumanCapeNPLadybrandFree StateNPLanglaagteTransvaalNPLichtenburgTransvaalNPLosbergTransvaalNPLydenburgTransvaalNPMaitlandCapeNPMalmesburyCapeNPMaraisburgTransvaalNPMaricoTransvaalNPMeyertonTransvaalNPMiddelburgTransvaalNPMooi RiverNatalNRPMoorreesburgCapeNPMossel BayCapeNPMusgraveNatalPFPNamaqualandCapeNPNelspruitTransvaalNPNewcastleNatalNPNewton ParkCapeNPNigelTransvaalNPOudtshoornCapeNPOrange GroveTransvaalPFPOvervaalTransvaalNPPaarlCapeNPParktownTransvaalPFPParowCapeNPParysFree StateNPPietermaritzburg NorthNatalNPPietermaritzburg SouthNatalNRPPietersburgTransvaalNPPiketbergCapeNPPinelandsCapePFPPinetownNatalNPPort Elizabeth CentralCapeSAPPort Elizabeth NorthCapeNPPort NatalNatalNPPotchefstroomTransvaalNPPotgietersrusTransvaalNPPretoria CentralTransvaalNPPretoria EastTransvaalNPPretoria WestTransvaalNPPrieskaCapeNPPrimroseTransvaalNPPrinshofTransvaalNPQueenstownCapeNPRandburgTransvaalNPRandfonteinTransvaalNPRissikTransvaalNPRondeboschCapePFPRoodepoortTransvaalNPRosettenvilleTransvaalNPRustenburgTransvaalNPSandtonTransvaalPFPSasolburgFree StateNPSchweizer-RenekeTransvaalNPSea PointCapePFPSimonstownCapeSAPSmithfieldFree StateNPSomerset EastCapeNPSouth CoastNatalNPSoutpansbergTransvaalNPSpringsTransvaalNPStandertonTransvaalNPStellenboschCapeNPStilfonteinTransvaalNPSunnysideTransvaalNPSwellendamCapeNPTurffonteinTransvaalNPTygervalleiCapeNPUitenhageCapeNPUmbiloNatalNRPUmhlangaNatalNRPUmhlatuzanaNatalNPUmlaziNatalNPVanderbijlparkTransvaalNPVascoCapeNPVereenigingTransvaalNPVerwoerdburgTransvaalNPVirginiaFree StateNPVon BrandisTransvaalNPVryburgCapeNPVryheidNatalNPWalmerCapeSAPWaterbergTransvaalNPWaterkloofTransvaalNPWelkomFree StateNPWestdeneTransvaalNPWinburgFree StateNPWitbankTransvaalNPWitwatersbergTransvaalNPWonderboomTransvaalNPWorcesterCapeNPWynbergCapePFPYeovilleTransvaalPFP

References South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, (Chris van Rensburg Publications)