# Losberg (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Losberg was a constituency in the Transvaal Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. It covered a rural area adjacent to the western end of the Witwatersrand, and toward the end of its existence, was centred on the town of Fochville. Throughout its existence it elected one member to the House of Assembly and one to the Transvaal Provincial Council.

## Franchise notes

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, the electoral qualifications in use in each pre-existing colony were kept in place. In the Transvaal Colony, and its predecessor the South African Republic, the vote was restricted to white men, and as such, elections in the Transvaal Province were held on a whites-only franchise from the beginning. The franchise was also restricted by property and education qualifications until the 1933 general election, following the passage of the Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930 and the Franchise Laws Amendment Act, 1931. From then on, the franchise was given to all white citizens aged 21 or over. Non-whites remained disenfranchised until the end of apartheid and the introduction of universal suffrage in 1994.

## History

Losberg, like most of the Transvaal, was a conservative seat throughout its existence. For much of its history, it was a bellwether, being held by the governing party (or one of the governing parties) in every election from 1910 until 1981. It was notably represented early in its history by Louis Botha, who was Prime Minister between 1910 and 1919. In 1987, it was won by the Conservative Party, who held it in 1989.

## Members

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1910 | T. F. J. Dreyer | South African |
| 1915 | Louis Botha | South African |
| 1920 | T. F. J. Dreyer | South African |
| 1921 | T. F. J. Dreyer | South African |
| 1924 | G. P. Brits | National Party |
| 1929 | G. P. Brits | National Party |
| 1933 | G. P. Brits | National Party |
| 1938 | member unknown | United Party |
| 1943 | member unknown | United Party |
| 1948 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1953 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1958 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1961 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1966 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1970 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1974 | member unknown | National Party |
| 1977 | J. Janson | National Party |
| 1981 | A. P. Wright | National Party |
| 1987 | S. C. Jacobs | Conservative Party |
| 1989 | S. C. Jacobs | Conservative Party |
| 1994 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Detailed results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1910: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | T. F. J. Dreyer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | South African win (new seat) | South African win (new seat) | South African win (new seat) | South African win (new seat) | South African win (new seat) |
General election 1915: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | Louis Botha | 1,451 | 65.0 | N/A |
| | National | A. S. van Hees | 780 | 35.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 671 | 30.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,231 | 82.8 | N/A |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | T. F. J. Dreyer | 1,292 | 59.8 | −5.2 |
| | National | J. J. Pienaar | 868 | 40.2 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 424 | 19.6 | −10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,160 | 74.4 | −8.4 |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | -5.2 | |
General election 1921: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | T. F. J. Dreyer | 1,239 | 57.3 | −1.5 |
| | National | J. B. Wolmarans | 924 | 42.7 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 315 | 16.6 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,163 | 70.6 | −3.8 |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | -1.5 | |
General election 1924: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | G. P. Brits | 1,206 | 51.2 | +8.5 |
| | South African | T. F. J. Dreyer | 1,150 | 48.8 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,356 | 82.1 | +11.5 |
| | National gain from South African | National gain from South African | Swing | +8.5 | |
General election 1929: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | G. P. Brits | 1,156 | 50.8 | −0.4 |
| | South African | J. B. Wolmarans | 1,118 | 49.2 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 38 | 1.6 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,274 | 85.7 | +3.6 |
| | National gain from South African | National gain from South African | Swing | -0.4 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1933: Losberg :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | G. P. Brits | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) |