17th South African Parliament

January 2026 January 2026January 2026 17th South African Parliament Houses of Parliament (Cape Town).jpg Houses of Parliament, Cape Town South Africa Cape Town Senate of South Africa South African Senate after the 1974 election.svg Composition of the Senate 51 President of the Senate of South Africa Marais Viljoen (until 18 June 1979) Jimmy Kruger (18 June 1979-31 December 1980) Leader of the Opposition H. F. B. Oelrich House of Assembly of South Africa House of Assembly of South Africa 1977 composition.svg Composition of the House of Assembly 165 Speaker of the House of Assembly of South Africa Jannie Loots Leader of the Opposition Colin Eglin (until 1979) Frederik van Zyl Slabbert (from 1979) 16th 18th 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 ElectedCapeH. J. Basson 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeM. C. Botma 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeD. M. Carr 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeW. C. Dempsey 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeJ. F. Dippenaar 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeJ. P. Gous 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeJ. L. Horak 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeP. L. la Grange 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeG. H. O'Connell 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeP. J. Swanepoel 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedCapeP. H. S. van Zijl 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalA. Bozas 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalW. M. Crook 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalC. C. Henderson 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalH. B. Klopper 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalJ. C. Moll 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalH. F. B. Oelrich 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalW. T. Webber 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedNatalL. E. D. Winchester 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyElectedFree StateW. J. Gouws 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateW. Groenewald 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateJ. N. le Roux 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateP. J. L. Odendaal 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateJ. M. Slabbert 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateD. J. Uys 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateD. G. J. van Rensburg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedFree StateJ. A. J. Vermeulen 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalD. F. de Jager 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalP. R. de Jager 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalP. W. de Villiers 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalJ. H. D. E. du Toit 1IndIndependent politicianElectedTransvaalJ. J. Fick 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalJ. L. D. Havenga 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalJ. H. Loock 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalB. Muller 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalL. F. Poorter 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalM. P. Prinsloo 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalA. E. P. Scheepers 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalJ. M. Scholtz 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalG. P. van den Berg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalL. J. van den Berg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalA. M. van Schoor 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ElectedTransvaalA. J. Visser 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Nominated (C)B. S. de Kok 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Nominated (C)O. P. F. Horwood 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NominatedJ. A. Jordaan 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Nominated (C)A. J. Koch 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Nominated (C)J. T. Kruger 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NominatedA. J. V. Marais 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NominatedJ. H. Steyl 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NominatedJ. W. van Staden 1NPNational Party (South Africa) 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 AlbanyCapeReinhard de Villiers Olckers 1NPNational Party (South Africa)AlbertonTransvaalChristiaan Johannes Ligthelm 1NPNational Party (South Africa)AlgoaCapeFrancois Daniel Conradie 1NPNational Party (South Africa)AliwalCapeJohannes Wessel Greeff 1NPNational Party (South Africa)AmanzimtotiNatalGeorge Shepstone Bartlett 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)BarbertonTransvaalCasper Uys 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Beaufort WestCapeJan Hendrik Nortje 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BellvilleCapeAndries Tjaart van der Walt 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BenoniTransvaalChristopher Robert Eduard Rencken 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BereaNatalNigel Buckley Wood 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)BethalTransvaalGreyling Wentzel 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BethlehemFree StateLouis Johannes Botha 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BezuidenhoutTransvaalJapie BassonPFPProgressive Federal PartyBloemfontein EastFree StateLouis van der Walt 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Bloemfontein NorthFree StateGert Pretorius Delarose Terblanche 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Bloemfontein WestFree StateKobie CoetseeNPNational Party (South Africa)BoksburgTransvaalJosias Petrus Albertus Reyneke 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BrakpanTransvaalFrancois Jacobus le Roux 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BrentwoodTransvaalWilhelm Laubscher Vosloo 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BritsTransvaalJohannes Petrus Grobler 1NPNational Party (South Africa)BryanstonTransvaalHoratio Erlank Janse van Rensburg 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyCaledonCapeJacob Daniel de Villiers 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Cape Town GardensCapeDenis WorrallNPNational Party (South Africa)CarletonvilleTransvaalBenjamin Hugh Wilkens 1NPNational Party (South Africa)CeresCapeLourens MullerNPNational Party (South Africa)ConstantiaCapeIzak Frederik Albert de Villiers 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyCradockCapeGeorge de Villiers Morrison 1NPNational Party (South Africa)De AarCapeRoelof Ferdinand van Heerden 1NPNational Party (South Africa)DelmasTransvaalHendrik Schoeman 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Durban Central NatalPeter Andrew Pyper 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)Durban North NatalRonald Blaikie Miller 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)Durban PointNatalVause RawNRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)DurbanvilleCapeGene LouwNPNational Party (South Africa)East London CityCapeGert MyburghNPNational Party (South Africa)East London NorthCapeDouglas John Norton Malcomess 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)EdenvaleTransvaalPieter Zacharias Jansen van Vuuren 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ErmeloTransvaalHendrik Jan Tempel 1NPNational Party (South Africa)EshoweNatalStoffel BothaNPNational Party (South Africa)False BayCapeJacobus AlbertynNPNational Party (South Africa)FauresmithFree StateCornelius Visser van der Merwe 1NPNational Party (South Africa)FloridaTransvaalBarend du PlessisNPNational Party (South Africa)GeduldTransvaalSam de BeerNPNational Party (South Africa)GeorgeCapeP. W. BothaNPNational Party (South Africa)GermistonTransvaalWillem Adriaan Cruywagen 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Germiston DistrictTransvaalJan Antonie van Tonder 1NPNational Party (South Africa)GezinaTransvaalKarel David Swanepoel 1NPNational Party (South Africa)GordoniaCapeSchalk Willem van der Merwe 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Graaff-ReinetCapeSarel Antonie Strydom Hayward 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Green PointCapeStephanus Sebastian van der Merwe 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyGriqualand EastCapeJan Hendrik Jordaan 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Groote SchuurCapeBrian Reginald Bamford 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyHeilbronFree StateJan Johannes Marthinus Jansen van Vuuren 1NPNational Party (South Africa)HelderbergCapeChris HeunisNPNational Party (South Africa)HerculesTransvaalFrederick Jacobus le Roux 1NPNational Party (South Africa)HillbrowTransvaalAlfred Bernard Widman 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyHoughtonTransvaalHelen SuzmanPFPProgressive Federal PartyHumansdorpCapeGeorge Frederick Malan 1NPNational Party (South Africa)InnesdalTransvaalAlbertus Erik Nothnagel 1NPNational Party (South Africa)JeppeTransvaalKoos van der MerweNPNational Party (South Africa)Johannesburg NorthTransvaalJacobus Francois Marais 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyJohannesburg WestTransvaalDawie de VilliersNPNational Party (South Africa)Kempton ParkTransvaalGert Cornelius du Plessis 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Kimberley NorthCapeAbraham Matthys van Aarde Jager 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Kimberley SouthCapeKeppies NiemannNPNational Party (South Africa)King William's TownCapeHendrik Stephanus Coetzer 1NPNational Party (South Africa)KlerksdorpTransvaalAbraham Adriaan Venter 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Klip RiverNatalValentin Albert Volker 1NPNational Party (South Africa)KoedoespoortTransvaalPieter Hendrik Johannes Krijnauw 1NPNational Party (South Africa)KroonstadFree StateAlwyn SchlebuschNPNational Party (South Africa)KrugersdorpTransvaalLeon WesselsNPNational Party (South Africa)KurumanCapeJan Hendrik Hoon 1NPNational Party (South Africa)LadybrandFree StateJan Christoffel van den Berg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)LanglaagteTransvaalSalmon Petrus Barnard 1NPNational Party (South Africa)LichtenburgTransvaalFerdi HartzenbergNPNational Party (South Africa)LosbergTransvaalJohannes Janson 1NPNational Party (South Africa)LydenburgTransvaalPieter Theunis Christiaan du Plessis 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MaitlandCapeKent DurrNPNational Party (South Africa)MalmesburyCapeGert Jeremias Kotzé 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MaraisburgTransvaalAbraham Christoffel van Wyk 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MaricoTransvaalLouis Mostert Theunissen 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MeyertonTransvaalWillem Lodewickus van der Merwe 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MiddelburgTransvaalNicolaas Willem Ligthelm 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Mooi RiverNatalWilliam Morris Sutton 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)MoorreesburgCapePieter Sarel Marais 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Mossel BayCapeHelgard Michael Janse van Rensburg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)MusgraveNatalRay SwartPFPProgressive Federal PartyNamaqualandCapeEli van der Merwe Louw 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NelspruitTransvaalAbraham Jacobus Raubenheimer 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NewcastleNatalPaulus Johannes van Breda Viljoen 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Newton ParkCapeWillem Hendrik Delport 1NPNational Party (South Africa)NigelTransvaalJohn VorsterNPNational Party (South Africa)OudtshoornCapePetrus Johannes Badenhorst 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Orange GroveTransvaalRupert LorimerPFPProgressive Federal PartyOvervaalTransvaalGeorge Christopher Ballot 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PaarlCapeWynand Charl Malan 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ParktownTransvaalZach de BeerPFPProgressive Federal PartyParowCapeStephanus Francois Kotzé 1NPNational Party (South Africa)ParysFree StateWillem Daniel Kotzé 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Pietermaritzburg NorthNatalDaniel Pieter Antonie Schutte 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Pietermaritzburg SouthNatalGerard de Jong 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)PietersburgTransvaalWillem Jacobus Snyman 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PiketbergCapeNicolaas Franciscus Treurnicht 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PinelandsCapeAlex BorainePFPProgressive Federal PartyPinetownNatalJohannes Stephanus Marais 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Port Elizabeth CentralCapeDaniel Hendrik Rossouw 1SAPSouth African Party (1977)Port Elizabeth NorthCapeStephanus Petrus Potgieter 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Port NatalNatalPierre Cronjé 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PotchefstroomTransvaalLouis le GrangeNPNational Party (South Africa)PotgietersrusTransvaalFanie Herman 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Pretoria CentralTransvaalDaniel Jacobus Louis Nel 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Pretoria EastTransvaalJacobus Johannes Lloyd 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Pretoria WestTransvaalZacharias Petrus le Roux 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PrieskaCapeJacobus Wynand Louw Horn 1NPNational Party (South Africa)PrimroseTransvaalPiet KoornhofNPNational Party (South Africa)PrinshofTransvaalJimmy KrugerNPNational Party (South Africa)QueenstownCapeJan Jurie Loots 1NPNational Party (South Africa)RandburgTransvaalWynand MalanNPNational Party (South Africa)RandfonteinTransvaalConnie MulderNPNational Party (South Africa)RissikTransvaalDaniël Klopper van der Merwe 1NPNational Party (South Africa)RondeboschCapeFrederik van Zyl SlabbertPFPProgressive Federal PartyRoodepoortTransvaalWillem Jacobus Cuyler 1NPNational Party (South Africa)RosettenvilleTransvaalHelgard Michal Janse van Rensburg 1NPNational Party (South Africa)RustenburgTransvaalPaul Bodenstein 1NPNational Party (South Africa)SandtonTransvaalDavid DallingPFPProgressive Federal PartySasolburgFree StateJohannes Hendrik Bruwer Ungerer 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Schweizer-RenekeTransvaalHendrik Johannes Douw van der Walt 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Sea PointCapeColin EglinPFPProgressive Federal PartySimonstownCapeJohn Wiley politicianSAPSouth African Party (1977)SmithfieldFree StateCharles Henry Whellan Simkin 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Somerset EastCapeStephanus Johannes Hofmeyr van der Spuy 1NPNational Party (South Africa)South CoastNatalJeremias Jacobus Nel van der Westhuizen 1NPNational Party (South Africa)SoutpansbergTransvaalStephanus Petrus Botha 1NPNational Party (South Africa)SpringsTransvaalG. T. Geldenhuys 1NPNational Party (South Africa)StandertonTransvaalWillem Jozef Hefer 1NPNational Party (South Africa)StellenboschCapeHendrik Hanekom Smit 1NPNational Party (South Africa)StilfonteinTransvaalWillem Johannes Christiaan Rossouw 1NPNational Party (South Africa)SunnysideTransvaalJan Johannes Benjamin van Zyl 1NPNational Party (South Africa)SwellendamCapeJacobus Johannes Malan 1NPNational Party (South Africa)TurffonteinTransvaalMarais Steyn 1NPNational Party (South Africa)TygervalleiCapeAlexander van Breda 1NPNational Party (South Africa)UitenhageCapeJan Gideon Swiegers 1NPNational Party (South Africa)UmbiloNatalGeoffrey Norman Oldfield 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)UmhlangaNatalBrian William Bromley Page 1NRPNew Republic Party (South Africa)UmhlatuzanaNatalNicolaas Jacobus Pretorius 1NPNational Party (South Africa)UmlaziNatalCornelius BothaNPNational Party (South Africa)VanderbijlparkTransvaalJohannes Marthinus Henning 1NPNational Party (South Africa)VascoCapeJohann Hendrik Heyns 1NPNational Party (South Africa)VereenigingTransvaalF. W. de KlerkNPNational Party (South Africa)VerwoerdburgTransvaalAdriaan VlokNPNational Party (South Africa)VirginiaFree StatePetrus Johannes Clase 1NPNational Party (South Africa)Von BrandisTransvaalRobert Badenhorst Durrant 1NPNational Party (South Africa)VryburgCapeJohannes Petrus du Toit 1NPNational Party (South Africa)VryheidNatalJosua Pieter Christiaan le Roux 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WalmerCapeTheodore Aronson 1SAPSouth African Party (1977)WaterbergTransvaalAndries TreurnichtNPNational Party (South Africa)WaterkloofTransvaalThomas Langley 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WelkomFree StateMichiel Wilhelm de Wet 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WestdeneTransvaalPik BothaNPNational Party (South Africa)WinburgFree StateDaniel Benjamin Scott 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WitbankTransvaalTeunis Nicolaas Hendrik Janson 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WitwatersbergTransvaalJohannes Cornelius Bothma Schoeman 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WonderboomTransvaalDaniel Wynand Steyn 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WorcesterCapePieter Daniel Palm 1NPNational Party (South Africa)WynbergCapePhilip Albert Myburgh 1PFPProgressive Federal PartyYeovilleTransvaalHarry SchwarzPFPProgressive Federal Party References South Africa 1980/81: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, (Chris van Rensburg Publications) 17th South African parliament