Liberalism in South Africa has encompassed various traditions and parties. Various South Africans have contributed prominently to liberalism in the country. Cape liberalism played a key role in the politics of the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

, which enjoyed the non-racial

Cape Qualified Franchise The Cape Qualified Franchise was the system of multi-racial Suffrage, franchise that was adhered to in the Cape Colony, and in the Cape Province in the early years of the Union of South Africa. Qualifications for the right to vote at parliamenta ...

. From the foundation of 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 ...

, liberal ideas played a key role in ensuring certain political freedoms – including of speech and political participation – for the white population, whose own multiculturalism (particularly

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 ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

parity) it had guaranteed. Another key facet of liberalism in South Africa was advocacy for the reform or total abolition of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. In the democratic era, liberalism lives on through the country's

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

, which features a far-reaching bill of rights, some separation of powers and checks and balances. It continues to be championed by some political parties, while the country's economic policy has features of liberalism despite being a mixed economy. The moderate South African Party and its successor, the United Party, formed government several times between the formation of the Union and the election of the National Party in 1948. In 1959, members of the United Party formed the Progressive Party, a precursor to the present-day Democratic Alliance. Separately, in 1953, the anti-Apartheid and multi-racial Liberal Party of South Africa was formed, before disbanding in 1968. Following the 2024 general elections, the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) entered into a coalition with the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

(ANC) and various other parties, breaking the ANC's dominance of national government since the end of apartheid.

History

Timeline

Progressive Party to Unionist Party

*1890: The Progressive Party was formed. *1910: PP merged with the Constitutional Party from the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

and the Progressives from the

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

to form the Unionist Party. *1920: The Unionist Party merged into the ⇒ South African Party.

South African Party

* 1911: The South African Party was formed of various pre-Union parties. Led by the moderate Louis Botha, it formed the first government of a united South Africa. The party's support base included English-speaking white South Africans who developed a pattern of supporting the most moderate Afrikaner politicians to avoid domination. The party's own 'liberal' wing was led by Jan Hofmeyr. * 1934: SAP merged into the United Party.

United Party

* 1934: The United Party was formed in response to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, combining

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...

' South African Party and most of Barry Hertzog's National Party. * 1939: Hertzog left the party and a split formed following South Africa's entry into the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The party increasingly resembled the former South African Party. * 1948: The United Party, led by Jan Smuts, lost in the 1948 election to the Reunited National Party. The United Party based its platform on the recommendations of the Fagan Commission, which determined total segregation to be impossible, and advocated a relaxation of restrictions on black African migration into urban areas. The Reunited National Party, conversely, had campaigned on total racial separation. * 1960: Moderate National Party members formed the National Union. * 1962: NU merged into the UP. * 1973: Democratic Party broke away from the National Party. * 1977: DP and UP formed the New Republic Party. * 1987: NRP dissolved, many of their members went to the Independent Party. * 1988: IP and NRP merged into the Democratic Party.

Liberal Party of South Africa

*1953: The Liberal Party of South Africa was formed by Alan Paton. *1968: The SALP decided to disband rather than obey legislation outlawing multiracial political parties. The decision was also influenced by the fact that the leadership of the SALP had been decimated by banning orders and other restrictive measures, and by the fact that many stalwarts had been forced into exile.

Progressive Party to Democratic Alliance

*1959: Liberal members of the United Party seceded and formed the liberal Progressive Party. The parliamentary party is led by

Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (née Gavronsky; 7 November 1917 – 1 January 2009) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and p ...

. *1975: The party merged with the Reform Party led by Harry Schwarz, a faction of the United Party, and became the Progressive Reform Party. *1977: After the dissolution of the United Party, former members merged into the PRP, which is renamed the Progressive Federal Party. *1987: National Party MP Wynand Malan quit the governing party to protest PW Botha's policies. South African Ambassador to the UK Denis Worrall quit his post in order to return to South Africa and fight apartheid. The two formed and led the liberal Independent Party. *1988: The PFP merged with the newly founded National Democratic Movement and the Independent Party into the Democratic Party. *2000: The DP merged with the conservative New National Party into an alliance, the Democratic Alliance. *2001: The NNP left the alliance and the DP continues as the present-day Democratic Alliance. *2024: The Democratic Alliance joins a Government of National Unity, forming a coalition with the

and other parties.

Mahlabatini Declaration

On 4 January 1974, Transvaal United Party leader Harry Schwarz met with

Mangosuthu Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (; 27 August 1928 – 9 September 2023) was a South African politician and Zulu people, Zulu prince who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family from 1954 until his death in 2023. He ...

and signed a five-point plan for racial peace in South Africa, which came to be known as the

Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith The Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith was a statement of core principles laid down by South African political leaders Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz on 4 January 1974. It was signed in Mahlabatini, KwaZulu-Natal, hence its name. Its purpos ...

. Its purpose was to provide a blueprint for the government of South Africa by consent and racial peace in a multi-racial society, stressing opportunity for all, consultation, the federal concept, and a

bill of rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...

. It also affirmed that political change must take place though non-violent means, at a time when neither the National Party nor the African National Congress were looking to peaceful solutions or dialogue. The declaration enshrined the principles of

peaceful transition of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democracy, democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly elected leadership. This may be after elections o ...

and equality for all, the first of such agreements by acknowledged black and white political leaders in South Africa and was heralded by many as a breakthrough in race relations in South Africa. Liberal figures and others such as Alan Paton praised the declaration. The declaration drew much media interest both inside and outside South Africa. Schwarz, leader of the liberal 'Young Turks' in the UP, would be expelled with other liberals from the party the following year.

Prominent individuals

Politics

*South African Party: Louis Botha,

, Jan Hofmeyr. Botha and Smuts were the first and second prime ministers of South Africa respectively *United Party: Harry Schwarz, Jan Smuts *Liberal Party of South Africa: Alan Paton *Progressive Party: Jan Steytler, Colin Eglin, Bernard Friedman,

*Reform Party: Harry Schwarz *Progressive Reform and Progressive Federal Party: Colin Eglin, Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, Harry Schwarz, Zach de Beer *Independent Party: Denis Worrall, Wynand Malan *Democratic Party: Denis Worrall, Harry Schwarz Wynand Malan, Zach de Beer, Tony Leon, Sipho Moganedi (first black Democratic Party Youth national president, 1995 to 1998) *Democratic Alliance: Tony Leon, Helen Zille, Mmusi Maimane, John Steenhuisen

Academia

* Donald Barkly Molteno (1908–1972) *

Edgar Brookes Professor Edgar Harry Brookes (4 February 1897 – 22 April 1979) was a British-born South African Liberal Party (South Africa), Liberal senator and South African representative to the League of Nations. He initially supported apartheid but his ...

(1897–1979)

Media and literature

*Author Alan Paton (1903–1988) * Laurence GandarThe Independent (UK)
/ref> (1915–1998), editor of the liberal daily the ''Rand Daily Mail'' in Johannesburg from 1957 to 1969 * Barry StreekMail & Guardian
(1948–2006), political journalist.

Religion

* South African Council of Churches (SACC): Beyers Naudé

Liberal organisations

* Helen Suzman Foundation *

South African Institute of Race Relations The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is a research and policy organisation in South Africa. The IRR was founded in 1929 to improve and report upon race relations in South Africa between the politically dominant White South Africa ...

* Black Sash * Free Market Foundation