Cabinet of Louis Botha (Transvaal Colony)

Louis Botha became Prime Minister of the Transvaal Colony on 4 March 1907, following the results of the election of 1907, with his Het Volk Party winning 37 out of 69 seats (including three affiliated independents) to the Legislative Assembly, ahead of the Progressive Party (21 seats), the National Association (16), Labour (3 seats) and 2 independents.[1] On the results, the Governor, The Earl of Selbourne, wrote to the Colonial Office: "The clear majority which Het Volk has won over all other parties combined, together with the defeat of Sir Richard Solomon by Sir Percy FitzPatrick, has of course made it necessary for me to send for General Botha, and I have very little doubt that he will form a Ministry consisting mainly, if not entirely, of members of his own party".[2]


1st Cabinet of Transvaal Colony
(since grant of self-government, 6 December 1906)
1907
Date formed4 March 1907 (1907-03-04)
Date dissolved31 May 1910 (1910-05-31)
People and organisations
Head of stateEdward VII
George V (represented by The Earl of Selborne, High Commissioner)
Head of governmentLouis Botha
No. of ministers6
Member partyHet Volk Party
National Association
Status in legislatureMajority
Opposition partyProgressive Party
Opposition leaderGeorge Farrar
History
Election(s)1907
Legislature term(s)3 years, 3 months and 30 days
PredecessorNone
Successor1st Provincial Executive Committee

After having initially considered a fully Het Volk ministry, at the instigation of former Colonial Attorney-General, Sir Richard Solomon (who declined to serve in the cabinet and was appointed to be Agent-General in London), Botha subsequently formed a 6-member cabinet (maximum allowed) with members of the Nationalist Party, who "were all men of progressive, in some respects democratic, views, and in thus forming his cabinet General Botha showed his determination not to be dominated by the “back veld” Boers".[3][4][5] Among the members of Het Volk who were originally considered for positions were diamond mine manager, Thomas Cullinan (Lands/Public Works) and Andries Stockenstrom (Speaker).[6]

The ministry was formally sworn into office in Parliament Hall, Pretoria by the Governor, The Earl of Selborne, on 4 March 1907.[7][8] The Cabinet was involved in discussions to form the Union of South Africa, with Botha, Smuts and Hull attending the 1908–09 National Convention as delegates, and which was finally achieved on 31 May 1910. The Cabinet was the only body of the Transvaal Colony from the granting of responsible self-government by letters patent on 6 December 1906, and was superseded by the Transvaal Provincial Executive Committee of the Transvaal Provincial Council with Rissik as the first Provincial Administrator.

Cabinet
Portfolio Minister Party Term start Term end
Prime Minister
Minister of Agriculture		 Rt Hon. Louis Botha Het Volk 4 March 1907 31 May 1910
Colonial Secretary Hon. Jan Smuts
Minister of Public Works Hon. Edward Philip Solomon National Association
Colonial Treasurer Hon. Henry Charles Hull
Attorney-General
Minister of Mines		 Hon. Jacob de Villiers Het Volk
Minister of Lands
Minister of Native Affairs		 Hon. Johann Rissik National Association

Sources
  1. Garson, N. G. (1966). "'Het Volk': The Botha-Smuts Party in the Transvaal, 1904-11". The Historical Journal. 9 (1): 115. doi:10.1017/S0018246X0002639X.
  2. Garson, N. G. (1966). "'Het Volk': The Botha-Smuts Party in the Transvaal, 1904-11". The Historical Journal. 9 (1): 115–116. doi:10.1017/S0018246X0002639X.
  3. "TRANSVAAL CABINET". The Register (Adelaide). South Australia. 5 March 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via Trove.
  4. "TRANSVAAL MINISTRY". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 5 March 1907. p. 7. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via Trove.
  5. Keltie, J. Scott, ed. (1910). The Statesman's Year-Book 1910. London: Macmillan & Co. pp. 214–215. ISBN 978-0-230-27039-8.
  6. "THE TRANSVAAL". The Age. Victoria, Australia. 25 February 1907. p. 7. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via Trove.
  7. "TRANSVAAL PARLIAMENT". Observer. South Australia. 9 March 1907. p. 35. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via Trove.
  8. "BRITON OR BOER?". The Age. Victoria, Australia. 21 September 1907. p. 20. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via Trove.
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