# Bezuidenhout (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Bezuidenhout was a constituency in the Transvaal Province of South Africa, which existed from 1915 to 1994. It covered parts of the inner eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, centred on the suburb of Bezuidenhout Valley. 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

Bezuidenhout was created in 1915, largely out of the abolished seat of Jeppes, and was closely fought between the Labour and Unionist (later South African) parties throughout its early history. In its first election, Unionist candidate L. Blackwell narrowly defeated Labour leader Frederic Creswell, and after a short-lived Labour victory in 1920, the seat was retaken by Blackwell for the SAP, which (along with its descendants) would hold it for nearly the entire rest of its existence. Its MP from 1961 until 1981 was Japie Basson, who was noted for his colourful personality and frequent changes in party affiliation. After being expelled from the Progressive Federal Party for supporting P. W. Botha’s constitutional reforms, Basson left the House of Assembly in 1981, but the seat stayed with the PFP. In 1987, along with several other Johannesburg seats, it fell to the Nationals, but the newly-founded Democratic Party regained it in 1989 and held it until the end of apartheid.

## Members

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1915 | L. Blackwell | Unionist |
| 1920 | W. J. McIntyre | Labour |
| 1921 | L. Blackwell | SAP |
| 1924 | L. Blackwell | SAP |
| 1929 | L. Blackwell | SAP |
| 1933 | H. A. Tothill | SAP |
| 1938 | H. A. Tothill | United Party |
| 1943 | H. A. Tothill | United Party |
| 1948 | member unknown | United Party |
| 1953 | member unknown | United Party |
| 1958 | member unknown | United Party |
| 1961 | Japie Basson | National Union |
| 1962 | Japie Basson | United Party |
| 1966 | Japie Basson | United Party |
| 1970 | Japie Basson | United Party |
| 1974 | Japie Basson | United Party |
| 1977 | Japie Basson | PFP |
| 1981 | R. Sive | PFP |
| 1987 | H. J. Bekker | National Party |
| 1989 | G. C. Engel | Democratic Party |
| 1994 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

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

General election 1915: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | L. Blackwell | 1,165 | 44.7 | New |
| | Labour | Frederic Creswell | 1,152 | 44.2 | New |
| | National | J. H. L. Schuman | 289 | 11.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 0.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,606 | 78.1 | N/A |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | W. J. McIntyre | 1,031 | 49.7 | +5.5 |
| | Unionist | L. Blackwell | 810 | 39.0 | −5.7 |
| | National | E. C. O. du Plooy | 231 | 11.1 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 851 | 10.7 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,072 | 67.6 | −10.5 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +5.6 | |
General election 1921: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | L. Blackwell | 1,222 | 57.8 | +18.8 |
| | Labour | W. J. McIntyre | 892 | 42.2 | −7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 230 | 15.6 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,114 | 66.3 | −1.3 |
| | South African gain from Labour | South African gain from Labour | Swing | +5.7 | |
General election 1924: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | L. Blackwell | 1,388 | 52.4 | +18.8 |
| | Labour | W. J. McIntyre | 1,261 | 47.6 | −7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 127 | 4.8 | −10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,649 | 81.4 | +15.1 |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
General election 1929: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | L. Blackwell | 1,580 | 63.1 | +18.8 |
| | Labour | C. H. Hayward | 925 | 36.9 | −7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 655 | 26.2 | +21.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,505 | 79.3 | −2.1 |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | +10.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 193: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | H. A. Tothill | 2,249 | 57.5 | −5.6 |
| | Roos | G. Krogh | 1,075 | 27.5 | New |
| | Labour | A. Hattingh | 585 | 15.0 | −21.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 127 | 30.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,909 | 60.0 | −19.3 |
| | South African hold | South African hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1938: Bezuidenhout :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United | H. A. Tothill | 3,867 | 68.2 | +10.7 |
| | Dominion | candidate unknown | 1,134 | 20.0 | New |
| | Labour | candidate unknown | 668 | 11.8 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,733 | 48.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,669 | | |
| | United hold | United hold | Swing | N/A | |