Editing Cape Province

{{Short description|Former province of South Africa}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{about|the defunct province of South Africa|the biogeographic area|Cape Provinces|the floristic province|Cape floristic region|the marine biogeographic region of Australia|Cape Province (IMCRA region)}}

{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name            = {{native name|af|Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop}}
| conventional_long_name = Province of the Cape of Good Hope
| common_name            = Cape province
| subdivision            = Province
| nation                 = South Africa
| p1                     = Cape Colony
| flag_p1                = Flag of the Cape Colony (1876–1910).svg
| s1                     = Western Cape
| flag_s1                = 
| s2                     = Eastern Cape
| flag_s2                = 
| s3                     = Northern Cape
| flag_s3                = 
| s4                     = North West (South African province){{!}}North West province
| flag_s4                = 
| image_flag             = 
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Cape Colony 1876-1994.svg
| symbol_type            = 
| motto                  = 
| anthem                 = 
| image_map              = Locator map of Cape Province as of 1 March 1994.svg
| image_map_caption      = The Cape Province as it was by 1994
| capital                = Cape Town
| coordinates            = 
| government_type        = [[Cape Provincial Council]]
| title_leader           = 
| leader1                = 
| year_leader1           = 
| leader2                = 
| year_leader2           = 
| leader3                = 
| year_leader3           = 
| title_deputy           = 
| deputy1                = 
| year_deputy1           = 
| deputy2                = 
| year_deputy2           = 
| era                    = 
| date_start             = 31 May
| year_start             = 1910
| event_end              = 
| date_end               = 27 April
| year_end               = 1994
| stat_year1             = 1991
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 6,125,335<ref name=RSAdist/>
}}

The '''Province of the Cape of Good Hope'''<ref>[[South Africa Act, 1909]] §6 ([[:s:South Africa Act, 1909#s6|Wikisource]])</ref> ({{langx|af|Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop}}), commonly referred to as the '''Cape Province''' ({{langx|af|Kaapprovinsie}}) and colloquially as '''The Cape''' ({{langx|af|Die Kaap}}), was a [[Provinces of South Africa|province]] in the [[Union of South Africa]] and subsequently the [[Republic of South Africa]]. It encompassed the old [[British Cape Colony|Cape Colony]], as well as [[Walvis Bay]], and had [[Cape Town]] as its capital. In 1994, the Cape Province was divided into the new [[Eastern Cape]], [[Northern Cape]] and [[Western Cape]] provinces, along with part of the [[North West (South African province)|North West]].

==History==
When the [[Union of South Africa]] was formed in 1910, the original [[British Cape Colony|Cape Colony]] was renamed the Cape Province.

It was by far the largest of South Africa's four provinces, as it contained regions it had previously annexed, such as [[British Bechuanaland]] (not to be confused with the [[Bechuanaland Protectorate]], now [[Botswana]]), [[Griqualand East]] (the area around [[Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal|Kokstad]]) and [[Griqualand West]] (area around [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]]). As a result, it encompassed two-thirds of South Africa's territory, and covered an area of approximately {{convert|717000|km2}}.

At the time of the formation of the [[Union of South Africa]], South Africa consisted of four provinces: [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]] (previously the [[South African Republic]]), [[Natal Province|Natal]], [[Orange Free State (province)|Orange Free State]] and the Cape Province.

===Cape Franchise===
{{main|Cape Qualified Franchise}}
Before union, the [[British Cape Colony|Cape Colony]] had traditionally implemented a system of non-racial franchise, whereby qualifications for suffrage were applied equally to all males, regardless of race. During the union negotiations, the Cape Prime Minister, [[John X. Merriman]] fought unsuccessfully to extend this multi-racial franchise system to the rest of [[South Africa]]. This failed, as it was strongly opposed by the former Boer Republics which were determined to entrench [[white rule]]. 
After union, the Cape Province was permitted to keep a restricted version of its multi-racial qualified franchise, and thus became the only province where [[Coloured]]s (mixed-race people) and Black Africans could vote.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/souoverview5.htm |title=EISA South Africa: White domination and Black resistance (1881-1948) |access-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604151051/http://www.eisa.org.za///WEP/souoverview5.htm |archive-date=4 June 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/south_africa/chapter2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517050030/http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/south_africa/chapter2.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2006 }}</ref>

Over the following years, successive acts were passed to erode this colour-blind voters roll. 
In 1931, the restricting franchise qualifications were removed for white voters, but kept for Black and Coloured voters.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/soubg2.htm |title=EISA South Africa: Historical franchise arrangements |access-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509080718/http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/soubg2.htm |archive-date=9 May 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 1956, the [[Apartheid]] government removed all remaining suffrage rights for "non-whites". The government had to appoint many extra [[Senate of South Africa|senators]] in parliament to force through this change.<ref>Christoph Marx: ''Oxwagon Sentinel: Radical Afrikaner Nationalism and the History of the Ossewabrandwag''. LIT Verlag Münster, 2009. p.61.</ref>

===Partitioning under Apartheid===
During the [[apartheid]] era, so-called "[[bantustans]]" or homelands for the different Bantu nations were carved out of the existing provinces as part of the policy of perpetuating white control over South Africa. These became known as the four independent [[TBVC States]] and the six [[Bantustan#Self-governing entities|Non-Independent Homelands]].{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

In the Cape Province, the [[Transkei]] (1976) and [[Ciskei]] (1981) regions were declared independent of South Africa.<ref name="Homelands">{{cite web|title=The Homelands|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/homelands|website=South African History Online|access-date=31 December 2017}}</ref>  [[Griqualand East]] was transferred to [[Natal Province]] after Transkei was declared independent, since it was cut off from the rest of the province.  With the 1994 adoption of the [[Interim Constitution (South Africa)|Interim Constitution]], these homelands were re-incorporated into South Africa,<ref name="Homelands"/> both part of the new [[Eastern Cape]] province.

===Post-apartheid===
After the first fully democratic elections in April 1994, the Transkei and Ciskei bantustans were reunited with Cape Province, then the country was divided into what are now the current nine [[provinces of South Africa]]. Cape Province was broken up into three smaller provinces: the [[Western Cape]], [[Eastern Cape]] and [[Northern Cape]]. Parts of it were also absorbed into the [[North West (South African province)|North West]]. [[Walvis Bay]], a territory of the original Cape Colony, had been [[Cession|ceded]] to [[Namibia]] two months earlier.

==Districts in 1991==
Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.<ref name=RSAdist>{{cite web|title=Census > 1991 > RSA > Variable Description > Person file > District code|url=http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|publisher=Statistics South Africa – Nesstar WebView|access-date=18 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619202856/http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|archive-date=19 June 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!District
!Population
|-
|[[Aberdeen, Eastern Cape|Aberdeen]]
| 8,009
|-
|[[Adelaide, Eastern Cape|Adelaide]]
| 15,220
|-
|[[Albany, South Africa|Albany]] (main town [[Grahamstown]])
| 69,705
|-
|[[Albert District|Albert]] (main town [[Burgersdorp]])
| 16,995
|-
|[[Alexandria, Eastern Cape|Alexandria]]
| 26,651
|-
|[[Aliwal North]]
| 27,486
|-
|[[Barkly East]]
| 12,821
|-
|[[Barkly West]]
| 35,012
|-
|[[Bathurst, Eastern Cape|Bathurst]]
| 32,419
|-
|[[Beaufort West]]
| 31,726
|-
|[[Bedford, Eastern Cape|Bedford]]
| 16,074
|-
|[[Bellville, Western Cape|Bellville]]
| 269,995
|-
|[[Bredasdorp]]
| 23,076
|-
|[[Britstown]]
| 6,523
|-
|[[Caledon, Western Cape|Caledon]]
| 79,052
|-
|[[Calitzdorp]]
| 6,759
|-
|[[Calvinia]]
| 18,430
|-
|[[Cape Town|Cape]]
| 179,537
|-
|[[Carnarvon, Northern Cape|Carnarvon]]
| 9,728
|-
|[[Cathcart, Eastern Cape|Cathcart]]
| 14,815
|-
|[[Ceres, Western Cape|Ceres]]
| 47,052
|-
|[[Clanwilliam, Western Cape|Clanwilliam]]
| 28,144
|-
|[[Colesberg]]
| 15,446
|-
|[[Cradock, Eastern Cape|Cradock]]
| 37,144
|-
|[[De Aar]]
| 25,438
|-
|[[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]]
| 240,474
|-
|[[Elliot, Eastern Cape|Elliot]]
| 14,159
|-
|[[Fort Beaufort]]
| 22,793
|-
|[[Fraserburg]]
| 4,367
|-
|[[George, Western Cape|George]]
| 95,597
|-
|[[Goodwood, Cape Town|Goodwood]]
| 259,620
|-
|[[Gordonia District|Gordonia]] (main town [[Upington]])<ref name=dsapnp182>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=182}}</ref>
| 118,623
|-
|[[Graaff-Reinet]]
| 34,440
|-
|[[Hankey]]
| 24,548
|-
|[[Hanover, Northern Cape|Hanover]]
| 4,399
|-
|[[Hartswater]]
| 29,146
|-
|[[Hay District|Hay]] (main town [[Griquatown]])<ref name=dsapnp200>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=200}}</ref>
| 11,104
|-
|[[Heidelberg, Western Cape|Heidelberg]]
| 11,519
|-
|[[Herbert District|Herbert]] (main town [[Douglas, Northern Cape|Douglas]])<ref name=dsapnp205>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=205}}</ref>
| 26,316
|-
|[[Hermanus]]
| 21,610
|-
|[[Hofmeyr]]
| 4,995
|-
|[[Hopefield, Western Cape|Hopefield]]
| 8,822
|-
|[[Hopetown]]
| 11,175
|-
|[[Humansdorp]]
| 43,799
|-
|[[Indwe]]
| 9,483
|-
|[[Jansenville]]
| 9,797
|-
|[[Joubertina]]
| 13,385
|-
|[[Kenhardt]]
| 11,353
|-
|[[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]]
| 167,060
|-
|[[King William's Town]]
| 29,653
|-
|[[Kirkwood, Eastern Cape|Kirkwood]]
| 30,766
|-
|[[Knysna]]
| 50,420
|-
|[[Komga]]
| 14,142
|-
|[[Kuils River]]
| 133,577
|-
|[[Kuruman]]
| 24,817
|-
|[[Ladismith]]
| 12,705
|-
|[[Lady Grey, Eastern Cape|Lady Grey]]
| 7,530
|-
|[[Laingsburg, Western Cape|Laingsburg]]
| 5,781
|-
|[[Maclear, Eastern Cape|Maclear]]
| 16,653
|-
|[[Malmesbury, Western Cape|Malmesbury]]
| 113,450
|-
|[[Middelburg, Eastern Cape|Middelburg]]
| 21,737
|-
|[[Molteno, Eastern Cape|Molteno]]
| 11,702
|-
|[[Montagu, Western Cape|Montagu]]
| 21,674
|-
|[[Moorreesburg]]
| 11,159
|-
|[[Mossel Bay]]
| 59,170
|-
|[[Murraysburg]]
| 5,960
|-
|[[Namaqualand]] (main town [[Springbok, Northern Cape|Springbok]])
| 62,536
|-
|[[Noupoort]]
| 8,348
|-
|[[Oudtshoorn]]
| 68,093
|-
|[[Paarl]]
| 136,121
|-
|[[Pearston]]
| 4,983
|-
|[[Philipstown, Northern Cape|Philipstown]]
| 8,799
|-
|[[Piketberg]]
| 34,152
|-
|[[Port Elizabeth]]
| 670,653
|-
|[[Postmasburg]]
| 54,790
|-
|[[Prieska]]
| 19,185
|-
|[[Prince Albert, Western Cape|Prince Albert]]
| 8,567
|-
|[[Queenstown, Eastern Cape|Queenstown]]
| 44,469
|-
|[[Richmond, Northern Cape|Richmond]]
| 6,326
|-
|[[Riversdal]]
| 25,021
|-
|[[Robertson, Western Cape|Robertson]]
| 32,331
|-
|[[Simonstad]]
| 58,323
|-
|[[Somerset East]]
| 29,758
|-
|[[Somerset West]]
| 59,947
|-
|[[Stellenbosch]]
| 73,839
|-
|[[Sterkstroom]]
| 7,687
|-
|[[Steynsburg]]
| 10,593
|-
|[[Steytlerville]]
| 5,341
|-
|[[Strand, Western Cape|Strand]]
| 40,096
|-
|[[Stutterheim]]
| 40,119
|-
|[[Sutherland, Northern Cape|Sutherland]]
| 3,596
|-
|[[Swellendam]]
| 32,147
|-
|[[Tarkastad|Tarka]]
| 9,538
|-
|[[Tulbagh]]
| 25,334
|-
|[[Uitenhage]]
| 182,551
|-
|[[Uniondale, Western Cape|Uniondale]]
| 9,354
|-
|[[Vanrhynsdorp]]
| 12,815
|-
|[[Venterstad]]
| 5,777
|-
|[[Victoria West]]
| 11,910
|-
|[[Vredenburg]]
| 39,908
|-
|[[Vredendal]]
| 28,962
|-
|[[Vryburg]]
| 98,551
|-
|[[Walvis Bay]] (South African 1878–1994)
| 22,999
|-
|[[Warrenton, Northern Cape|Warrenton]]
| 22,368
|-
|[[Wellington, Western Cape|Wellington]]
| 37,432
|-
|[[Williston, Northern Cape|Williston]]
| 4,177
|-
|[[Willowmore]]
| 10,734
|-
|[[Wodehouse District|Wodehouse]] (main town [[Dordrecht, Eastern Cape|Dordrecht]])<ref name=dsapnp478>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=478}}</ref>
|15,540
|-
|[[Worcester, Western Cape|Worcester]]
| 117,159
|-
|[[Wynberg, Cape Town|Wynberg]]
| 1,101,668
|-
|}

==Administrators==
{{main|List of administrators of former South African provinces#Cape Province}}

== See also ==
* [[Provinces of South Africa]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060108135801/http://uk.holidaysguide.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-45871-cape_town_history-i A history of the Cape Province]
*[http://www.national.archives.gov.za/sources1.htm Archives kept at Cape Town] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422195815/http://www.national.archives.gov.za/sources1.htm |date=22 April 2021 }}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Cape Colony | volume= 5 |last1= Cana |first1= Frank Richardson |author1-link= |last2= Gibson |first2= Walcot |author2-link= Walcot Gibson |last3= Hillier |first3= Alfred Peter |author3-link= Alfred Peter Hillier | pages = 225&ndash;248 |short= 1}}
* {{cite EB1922 |wstitle= Cape Province |volume=30 | pages = 563&ndash;564 |first=Frank Richardson |last=Cana |short=1}}

{{SA1910Provinces}}
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[[Category:Former provinces of South Africa]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1910]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1994]]
[[Category:1910 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:1994 disestablishments in South Africa]]