CONFORMITY AND CONFLICT: AFRIKANER NATIONALIST POLITICS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1948-1961 by John Lazar Balllol College Oxford University Michaelmas Term, 1987 One of the principal themes of this thesis is that it is incorrect to treat M Afrikanerdom" as a monolithic, unified ethnic entity. At the time of its election victory in 1948, the National Party (NP) represented an alliance of various factions and classes, all of whom perceived their Interests in different ways. Given, too, that black resistance to exploitation and oppression increased throughout the 1950s, apartheid ideology cannot be viewed as an immutable, uncontested blueprint, which was stamped by the NP on to a static political situation. The thesis is based on four main strands of research. It is grounded, firstly, in a detailed analysis of Afrikaner social stratification during the 1950s. The political implications of the rapid increase in the number of Afrikaners employed in "white-collar" occupations, and the swift economic expansion of the large Afrikaner corporations, are also examined. The second strand of research examines the short-term political problems which faced the nationalist alliance in the years following its slim victory in the 1948 election. Much of the NP's energy during its first five years in office was spent on consolidating its precarious hold on power, rather than on the imposition of a "grand" ideological programme. Simultaneously, however, intense discussions - and conflicts - concerning the long-term implications, goals and justifications of apartheid were taking place amongst Afrikaner intellectuals and clergymen. A third thrust of the thesis will be to examine the way in which these conflicts concretely shaped the ultimate direction of apartheid policy and ideology. Nationalist politics was also affected by the legacy of the aggressive Christian-Nationalism of the 1930s. The final main task of the thesis is to trace how and why the key tenets of Christian-Nationalism - especially those pertaining to republicanism and education - developed after 1948. CONFORMITY AND CONFLICT: AFRIKANER NATIONALIST POLITICS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1948-1961 by John Lazar Balliol College Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social Studies, Oxford University, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Michaelmas Term, 1987 -i- TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ii Preface iii Abbreviations iv Glossary vi CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 CHAPTER TWO: The National Party, 1948-1961 28 CHAPTER THREE: Afrikaner Social Stratification 82 during the 1950s CHAPTER FOUR: The Afrikaner Nationalist Alliance 138 and Capital CHAPTER FIVE: The South African Bureau of 164 Racial Affairs and Apartheid CHAPTER SIX: The Dutch Reformed Church and Apartheid 217 CHAPTER SEVEN: Christian-Nationalist Ideology, 1941-1961 279 CHAPTER EIGHT: Conclusion 338 Bibliography 362 -ii- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the Rhodes Trust, the Belt Trust, the Ernest Oppenheimer Trust, Balliol College and Oxford University for their financial support over the last three years . Thanks go to the librarians of the Cullen Library at the University of the Witwatersrand, the Institute of Contemporary History in Bloemfontein, the United Party Archive at the University of South Africa, the Central Archive Depot in Pretoria, the Cape Archive Depot in Cape Town, the British Library in London, Queen Elizabeth House in Oxford, and, most especially, Rhodes House Library in Oxford. Drafts of most of the chapters in this thesis were presented at seminars at Queen Elizabeth House and Nuffield College in Oxford, and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London. I am grateful to the participants for interesting comments and discussion. My supervisor Stanley Trapido has generously shared his extensive knowledge of South African history. His comments on my work have invariably pointed me in the right direction, and he has always been ready to listen to my problems, academic or otherwise. Saul Dubow found the time to read, and comment on, every chapter of this thesis. His constructive and accurate criticisms have helped me a great deal. I learned from numerous discussions with Debbie Posel; it was gratifying to find that, although our areas of research were different, our conclusions about the events of the 1950s often coincided. Constant support from my parents, my sister Gillian and Deanna Petherbridge has been important to me. Without Sue Rosenberg's love and patience, I would never have completed this thesis. -iii- PREFACE Between 1934 and 1951, D.F. Malan's Afrikaner nationalist political party changed its name three times. When J.B.M. Herlzog's National Party and the South African Party came together in the United Party in 1934, Malan and his followers formed the Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party (Purified National Party; GNP). In 1939, Heftzog and some of his supporters refused to sanction a South African declaration of war against Germany, and joined the GNP in the Herenigde Nasionale Party (Reunited National Party, HNP), although they soon left to form the Afrikaner Party. In 1951, the HNP and Afrikaner Party fused into the National Party (NP). To simplify matters, this thesis tends to refer to the successive post-1934 Afrikaner nationalist parties as the "NP". Note, too, that the term "National Party" has been used instead of "Nationalist Party". The naming of government legislation after 1948 is equally confusing. During the 1950s, the term "Native" was progressively phased out and replaced by "Bantu"; thus, for example, the Native Building Workers' Act became the Bantu Building Workers' Act. When this thesis mentions a government measure, the official name of the piece of legislation at the time that it was passed has generally been employed. In 1960-61, the Rand replaced Sterling as the official currency of South Africa. Where comparisons between post-1960 and pre-1960 statistics are necessary, particularly in Chapter Three, Sterling figures have been multiplied by two to produce Rand figures. Otherwise - as, for example, in Chapter Five, when the recommendations of the Tomlinson Commission are dealt with - statistics of the time are used. In this thesis, the terms "Afrikaner", "Afrikaans-speaker" and "English-speaker" are generally used to distinguish "white" South Africans. According to South African law, the population is divided into "whites", "Africans", "Coloureds" and "Asians". In a research project of this kind, reference to these government-specified "population groups" is unavoidable, and does not imply an acceptance of the validity of such divisions. -iv- ABBREVIATIONS AMI Afri/caanse Handelsintituut (Afrikaans Commercial Institute) ANC African National Congress AP Afrikaner Party Assocom Association of Chambers of Commerce Bonuscor Bonus Investments Corporation CNE Christian-National Education CP Conservative Party DRC Dutch Reformed Church FAK Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurverenigings (Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Associations) FCI Federated Chambers of Industry FVB Federale VolJcsbeleggings (Federal Voiles Investments) GK Gereformeerde Kerfc GNP Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party (Purified National Party) HAD House of Assembly Debates HNP Herenigde Nasionale Party (Reunited National Party) HNP Herstigte Nasionale Party (Reconstituted National Party) ICNE Institute of Christian-National Education INCH Institute of Contemporary History JRA Journal of Racial Affairs JSAS Journal of Southern African Studies NGK Nederduits Gereformeerde KerJc NHK Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerfc NP Nasionale Party (National Party) OB Ossewa Brandwag (Oxwagon Sentinels) OFS Orange Free State PAC Pan-Africanist Congress RDB Reddingsdaadbond (Rescue Action Society) ROAPB Review of African Political Economy SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation Sabra Suid-Afrikaanse Euro vir Rasse Aangeleenthede (South African Bureau of Racial Affairs) SAIRR South African Institute of Race Relations SAJE South African Journal of Economics Sanlam Suid-AfriJcaanse Nasionale Lewensassuransie Maatsfcappy (South African National Life Assurance Company) Santam Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Trust Maatskappy (South African National Trust Company) SAP South African Party SAPA South African Press Association Seifsa Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa UCT University of Cape Town Unisa University of South Africa UOFS University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein UP United Party UR Uitvoerende Raad (Executive Council) WCC World Council of Churches Wits University of the Witwatersrand -vi- GLOSSARY afsonderlike ontwikkeling - separate development baaskap - domination boer - farmer bywoner - squatter Eeufees - centenary of the Great Trek ekonomiese volkskongres - economic congress of the people geldmag - financial power Nuwe Orde Studie Kring - New Order Study Circle ontvolking - depopulation oorstroming - inundation platteland - rural areas politick - politics predicant - minister / parson smelters - fusionists stryddag - "struggle day" swart gevaar - black peril Vierkleur - four-coloured flag of Paul Kruger's Transvaal republic volk - people / nation — 1 — CHAPTER ONE Introduction Over the past fifteen years, scholars with a wide range of political and methodological priorities have analysed the phenomenon of post-1930 Afrikaner nationalism. Most of these studies have attempted to understand how it was possible that D.F. Malan came to head a National Party (NP) government in 1948 less than fifteen years after the formation of the United Party (UP) had forced him to lead a small band of dissidents into the political wilderness (1). A few