# Smithfield (House of Assembly of South Africa constituency)

Smithfield (known for part of its history as Smithfield-Rouxville) was a constituency in the Orange Free State Province of South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. Named after the town of Smithfield, the seat covered a large rural area in the south of the province, bordering the Cape Province as well as Lesotho. Throughout its existence it elected one member to the House of Assembly.

## 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 Orange River Colony, and its predecessor the Orange Free State, the vote was restricted to white men, and as such, elections in the Orange Free State 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

Smithfield, like most of the Orange Free State, was a highly conservative seat throughout its existence and had a largely Afrikaans-speaking electorate. Its most notable MP was J. B. M. Hertzog, who represented the seat from 1910 until his retirement from politics in 1939. It was then captured by the National Party, who held it until its fall (along with several other rural Free State seats) to the Conservative Party in the 1989 general election, the last held under apartheid.

## Members

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1910 | J. B. M. Hertzog | South African |
| 1915 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1920 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1921 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1924 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1929 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1933 | J. B. M. Hertzog | National Party |
| 1934 | J. B. M. Hertzog | United Party |
| 1938 | J. B. M. Hertzog | United Party |
| 1939 | J. B. M. Hertzog | HNP |
| 1943 | member unknown | HNP |
| 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 | C. H. W. Simkin | National Party |
| 1981 | C. H. W. Simkin | National Party |
| 1987 | H. J. Smith | National Party |
| 1989 | A. P. Oosthuizen | Conservative Party |

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

General election 1910: Smithfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | South African | J. B. M. Hertzog | 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: Smithfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | 1,315 | 82.8 | N/A |
| | South African | G. C. Botha | 272 | 17.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,043 | 65.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,587 | 74.9 | N/A |
| | National hold | National hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1920: Smithfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | 1,613 | 89.1 | +6.3 |
| | South African | J. L. Botha | 198 | 10.9 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,415 | 78.2 | +12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,811 | 69.1 | −5.8 |
| | National hold | National hold | Swing | +6.3 | |
General election 1921: Smithfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) |
General election 1924: Smithfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | 1,701 | 83.1 | N/A |
| | South African | G. L. Steytler | 347 | 16.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,354 | 66.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,048 | 75.5 | N/A |
| | National hold | National hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1929: Smithfield-Rouxville :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | 1,560 | 85.8 | +2.7 |
| | South African | J. A. Oberholzer | 347 | 14.2 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,213 | 71.6 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,819 | 73.9 | −1.6 |
| | National hold | National hold | Swing | +2.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1933: Smithfield-Rouxville :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | J. B. M. Hertzog | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | National hold | National hold | National hold | National hold | National hold |