The governor-general of the Union of South Africa (; ) was the highest state official in the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governing

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

in 1910 and the office of governor-general was established as the representative of the monarch of South Africa. Fifty-one years later, the country declared itself a republic and the office of governor-general was abolished.https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/history Some of the first holders of the post were members of the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

including Prince Arthur of Connaught between 1920 and 1924, and

Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George; born Prince Alexander of Teck; 14 April 1874 – 16 January 1957), was a member of the extended British royal family, as a great-grandson of King Georg ...

, who served between 1924 and 1931, before becoming the

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

. As in other Dominions, this would change, and from 1943 onward only South Africans (in fact, only

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Casting''. Encyclopæd ...

s) held the office. The office was established by the

South Africa Act 1909 The South Africa Act 1909 (9 Edw. 7. c. 9) was an Act of Parliament (UK), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Union of South Africa out of the former Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Orange River Colony, Orange ...

. Until the

Balfour Declaration of 1926 The Balfour Declaration of 1926 was issued by the 1926 Imperial Conference of British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent t ...

the governor-general was the representative of the British government in South Africa and was appointed by the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

in London. After the declaration and the

Statute of Westminster 1931 The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that significantly increased the autonomy of the Dominions of the British Commonwealth. Passed on 11 December 1931, the statute increased the sovereignty of t ...

the governor-general was appointed by the monarch on the advice of the South African government. Although the governor-general was nominally the country's chief executive, in practice he was bound by convention to act on the advice of the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and the cabinet of South Africa.

List of governors-general

The following is a list of people who served as governor-general of South Africa from independence in 1910 to the establishment of a republic in 1961.

Flag of the governor-general

File:Flag of the Governor-General of South Africa (1910-1931).svg, 1910–1931 File:Flag of the Governor-General of South Africa (1931-1953).svg, 1931–1953 File:Flag of the Governor-General of South Africa (1953-1961).svg, 1953–1961

Notes

References

{{British dependencies governors 1910 establishments in South Africa 1961 disestablishments in South Africa Political history of South Africa

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

South Africa and the Commonwealth of Nations

List of governors-general

Flag of the governor-general

See also

Notes

References