This is a list of the heads of state of South Africa from the foundation of the Union of South Africa in 1910 to the present day.
From 1910 to 1961 the head of state under the South Africa Act 1909 was the Monarch, who was the same person as the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Dominions/Commonwealth realms. The Monarch was represented in South Africa by a Governor-General. South Africa became a republic under the Constitution of 1961 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial State President. In 1984, under the Tricameral Constitution, the State President gained executive powers, becoming head of both state and government. Since 1994, under the Interim Constitution and the current Constitution, the head of state and government has been called the President.
The succession to the throne of South Africa was the same as the succession to the British throne. During the Abdication Crisis the South African parliament passed its own act, "His Majesty King Edward the Eighth's Abdication Act, 1937", to ratify the abdication of Edward VIII.
Portrait | Name | Reign | Royal House | Prime Minister | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | ||||||
1 | King George V | 1910 | 1936 | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Windsor | Botha Smuts Hertzog | |||
2 | King Edward VIII | 1936 | 1936 | Windsor | Hertzog | |||
3 | King George VI | 1936 | 1952 | Windsor | Hertzog Smuts Malan | |||
4 | Queen Elizabeth II | 1952 | 1961 | Windsor | Malan Strijdom Verwoerd |
The Governor-General was the representative of the monarch in South Africa and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931 and the Status of the Union Act, 1934, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of South Africa without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.
Portrait | Name | Term of office | Monarch | Prime Minister | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
1 | The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Gladstone | 1910 | 1914 | George V | Botha | |||
2 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Buxton | 1914 | 1920 | George V | Botha Smuts | |||
3 | HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught | 1920 | 1924 | George V | Smuts | |||
4 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Athlone | 1924 | 1931 | George V | Smuts Hertzog | |||
5 | The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Clarendon | 1931 | 1937 | George V Edward VIII George VI | Hertzog | |||
6 | Sir Patrick Duncan | 1937 | 1943 | George VI | Hertzog Smuts | |||
— | Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet | 1943 | 1946 | George VI | Smuts | |||
7 | Gideon Brand van Zyl | 1946 | 1951 | years | George VI | Smuts Malan | ||
8 | Ernest George Jansen | 1951 | 1959 | George VI Elizabeth II | Malan Strijdom Verwoerd | |||
— | Lucas Cornelius Steyn | 1959 | 1959 | Elizabeth II | Verwoerd | |||
9 | Charles Robberts Swart | 1959 | 1961 | Elizabeth II | Verwoerd | |||
— | Lucas Cornelius Steyn | 1961 | 1961 | Elizabeth II | Verwoerd |
Under the 1961 Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the State President replaced the Monarch as ceremonial head of state. The State President was elected by Parliament for a seven-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Senate served as Acting State President.
Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
10 | Charles Robberts Swart | 1961 | 1961 | 1967 | National Party | Verwoerd Vorster | ||
Theophilus Ebenhaezer Dönges | 1967 | Did not take office because of illness | National Party | |||||
— | Jozua François Naudé | — | 1967 | 1968 | National Party | Vorster | ||
11 | Jacobus Johannes Fouché | 1968 | 1968 | 1975 | National Party | Vorster | ||
— | Johannes de Klerk | — | 1975 | 1975 | National Party | Vorster | ||
12 | Nicolaas Johannes Diederichs | 1975 | 1975 | 1978 | National Party | Vorster | ||
— | Marais Viljoen | — | 1978 | 1978 | National Party | Vorster Botha | ||
13 | Balthazar Johannes Vorster | 1978 | 1978 | 1979 | National Party | Botha | ||
14 | Marais Viljoen | — | 1979 | 1979 | National Party | Botha | ||
1979 | 1979 | 1984 |
Under the 1983 Constitution the State President was head of both state and government. The State President was elected by an electoral college chosen by Parliament and served until the next general election, but was eligible for re-election. In the event of a vacancy the Cabinet would nominate a member to serve as Acting State President.
Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
15 | Pieter Willem Botha | — | 1984 | 1984 | National Party | ||
1984 | 1984 | 1989 | |||||
— | Jan Christiaan Heunis | — | 1989 | 1989 | National Party | ||
16 | Frederik Willem de Klerk | — | 1989 | 1989 | National Party | ||
1989 | 1989 | 1994 |
Under the Interim Constitution and the current Constitution the president of South Africa is head of both state and government. The president is elected by the National Assembly and serves a term that expires at the next general election; a president may serve a maximum of two terms. In the event of a vacancy the deputy president serves as acting president.
Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
17 | Nelson Mandela | 1994 | 1994 | 1999 | African National Congress | ||
18 | Thabo Mbeki | 1999 2004 | 1999 | 2008 | African National Congress | ||
— | Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri | — | 2008[1] | 14 hours | African National Congress | ||
19 | Kgalema Motlanthe | 2008 | 2008 | 2009 | African National Congress | ||
20 | Jacob Zuma | 2009 2014 | 2009 | African National Congress | |||
21 | Cyril Ramaphosa | — | 2018 | 2018 | African National Congress | ||
2018 2019 2024 | 2018 | Incumbent |