| United Federal Party | |
|---|---|
| File:Logo of the United Federal Party of South Africa (FSA).png | |
| Federal Leader |
Graham Hughes (President) |
| Federal Chairman | Andile Holomisa |
| Fed.Ass. Leader |
Sean Under (Prime Minister) |
| Slogan | United in Purpose |
| Founded | 31 May 1963 |
| Headquarters | 1 Federation Place, Unity, Capital Region |
| Youth wing | United Federal Youth League |
| Ideology | Center-right to right-wing big-tent |
| Federal Assembly |
58 / 220 |
| Senate |
1 / 1 |
| Constituent governments |
1 / 1 |
| Website | |
| www.ufp.org.za | |
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The United Federal Party (UFP), usually referred to by its shorthand United Party, is one of the three major parties in the Federation of South Africa, and part of the ruling Constitutional Alliance alongside the Federal Conservative Party. Notably, between the Federal Conservative Party and the United Party, the latter is more conservative, although both are regarded as generally big-tent. As of the previous general election, the United Party is the junior partner in the Constitutional Alliance, with 58 seats in the Federal Assembly to the Conservatives' 65. As a generally-big-tent organization, the United Party, whilst leaning to the right of the political spectrum, has a recognized left- and right-wing as well as a moderate center.
It is the oldest continuously-existing political party in the Federation, tracing its lineage back to the founding of the South African Party in 1910, which later became the United South African National Party in 1934. The current UFP was established on 31 May 1963, when the former Federal Party of the Central African Federation merged with the National and United parties of South Africa, the same day the Federation was formally created.
The United Party has governed the Federation for most of its existence, having been the political home of three out of the five presidencies, and five out of the nine ministries. Despite being the junior partner in the Conservative Alliance, the United Party holds both the offices of President (Graham Hughes) and Prime Minister (Sean Hunter). Because the idea of the Federation of South Africa was essentially a UFP idea, the Federal experiment is associated mostly with the party, which is also regarded as its chief representative and defender in the public discourse.
History[]
-- under construction --
Pre-Federation (1910-1963)[]
The South African Party (SAP) was formed in 1910 along with the establishment of the Union of South Africa. It was the sum of its parts: The former Afrikaner parties Het Volk of the Transvaal Colony, Orangia Unie of the Orange River Colony, and the Afrikaner Bond of the Cape Colony, merged together and with the predominantly-English (but anti-imperialist) South African Party of the Cape Colony. The other English, but pro-imperialist parties throughout the Union went on to form the Unionist Party.
Founding and consolidation (1963-1974)[]
The unification of the National Party and United Party in South Africa would be the third time these two political forces, with fundamentally contradictory principles, are fused into one political organization. With the last merging of 1934, the nationalist element of JBM Hertzog was overwhelmed by the imperialist-sympathizing element of JC Smuts, but this time around, South African Prime Minister Verwoerd was assured that because the National Party was by far the bigger political entity, it would maintain the balance of power, compared with the weakening United Party.
Opposition years (1975/7-1996)[]
UFP support for Theunissen (1975-1977)
UFP opposition to Theunissen (1977-etc)
Ian Smith and FCP breakaway (1978)
Constitutional Alliance and growth (1997-present)[]
Ideology and platform[]
Factions[]
The United Party, despite its conservative policy foundations, has various diverging internal political factions.
The small far-right of the organization is composed mostly of the white Afrikaner members and leaders of the United Party, although in recent decades more white English, black, coloured, and Indian South Africans have been classified into this faction. The right's members are referred to as the "Nats", after the old National Party which became part of the UFP in 1963. The "Brotherhood", a generally secretive South African society formerly known as the Afrikaner Broederbond, is generally associated with the far-right of the United Party. The Nats have considerable influence throughout the party, but their two major strongholds are the United Rhodesia Party and the United Afrikaner Party of the Orange River.
The majority of rank-and-file United Federal Party members and leaders form the moderate center of the party, which outside of the UFP would be the center right-wing of South African politics. The core membership of this faction are generally conservative white English South Africans, and increasing parts of the growing black middle class.
The so-called "left" of the party are referred to as the "Hofmeyrites", after the prominent South African liberal and deputy United Party leader at the time, Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, who passed away in 1948. The Hofmeyrites have controlled the UFP of the Cape since the party's establishment and have a prominent presence in the United Afrikaner Party of the Transvaal and the UFP of Bechuanaland. This "left-wing" of the party, in broader politics, is found in the moderate, mostly liberal center of South African politics. While the few United Party socialists and communists tend to be regarded as Hofmeyrites, the bulk are liberal- and social democrats.
Organization[]
Federal structure[]
The United Federal Party is presided over by a Federal Commission consisting of 10 members, five black and five white. The party has a Federal Leader, who would be the party's nominee for either President of Prime Minister, a Federal Chairman who presides over the Federal Commission and manages the party's internal machinery, and a Federal Assembly Leader, who speaks on behalf of the party in the lower house of the Federal Parliament if the Prime Minister is not a UFP member.
Constituent branches[]
- United Federal Party of Bechuanaland
- United Federal Party of the Cape
- Lesotho Royal Federal Party
- United Federal Party of Luderitzia
- Nyasaland Federal Party
- United Afrikaner Party of the Orange River
- United Rhodesia Party
- United Federal Party of Swaziland
- United Afrikaner Party of the Transvaal
- United Federal Party of Zambezia
- Zululand Federal Party
Electoral performance[]
The Interim Head of State of South Africa, Winston Field CMG MBE, was a founding member of the United Party. He served between 1963 and 1965. The next President to represent the United Party was Tumelo Changadzo, the first black President of South Africa, between 2005 and 2015, and currently, Graham Hughes, elected in 2015, is the President of the Federation.
The first heads of government of South Africa, known as the Officers Administering the Government, were United Party members. Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of the Republic of South Africa, and Ian Douglas Smith, one of the pioneers of Federation, were also founders of the party. They served jointly from 1963 to 1965. Heinrich Oberholzer was the United Prime Minister from 1967 to 1977 after the vote of no-confidence in the Labour government of Sir Edward Marmalack. The next United Prime Minister was Siyanda Mbuso, the first black Prime Minister of South Africa, between 1997 and 2007, followed by the United ministry of William Grove between 2007 and 2012, and the United ministry of Sean Hunter, since 2012.