1946 Southern Rhodesian general election

General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia on 25 April 1946, seven years after the previous elections in 1939, the term of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly having been extended so that there would be no general elections during World War II. The elections showed a strong shift to the right, as the United Party government led by Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins lost its overall majority; however, Huggins could count on the support of one of the factions of the Rhodesia Labour Party in any vote of confidence and therefore remained in office.

Electoral system

During the war a number of changes to the franchise had been made. The arrival of large numbers of British subjects to train as pilots for the Royal Air Force from 1940 led to a sudden increase in the electorate. Many Rhodesians felt that the forces personnel ought not to have the vote, given that their presence in Rhodesia was transitory and they had no long-term commitment. Therefore, the Assembly passed the Electoral Amendment Act 1941 which disfranchised them. The Act also disfranchised British subjects from other dominions who were not prepared to make a declaration of willingness to serve in Southern Rhodesia's defence forces. A third provision of the Act was to extend a previous lifetime disqualification of those sentenced to imprisonment to those given suspended prison sentences.

In the Civil Disabilities Act 1942, anyone convicted of treasonable or seditious practices, those who had deserted from or evaded service in the Army, or who were cashiered or dishonourably discharged, was disqualified from registration as a voter. To cope with the large number of Rhodesians serving away from the colony in the armed forces, the Active Service Voters Act 1943 permitted them to record their votes in a general election. They were permitted to vote for a political party rather than an individual candidate.

There were no alterations to the boundaries of the electoral districts.

Political parties

The twists and turns within the Rhodesia Labour Party which led it to divide into two parties at this election are recounted in the article on the Rhodesia Labour Party.

Jacob Smit, who had been an ally of Huggins in Reform Party days and previously served at the Ministry of Finance, went into opposition early in 1944. He joined a group of conservatives who were developing a new political party on the principles of economy in public spending, free enterprise, and seeking dominion status within the British Empire. Smit was soon appointed the Leader of this group, which named itself the Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party.

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	United Party	11,865	43.22	13	–10
	Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party	9,041	32.93	12	New
	Rhodesia Labour Party	4,583	16.69	3	–4
	Southern Rhodesia Labour Party	1,540	5.61	2	New
	Independents	424	1.54	0	0
Total		27,453	100.00	30	0
Valid votes		27,453	99.32
Invalid/blank votes		188	0.68
Total votes		27,641	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		40,943	67.51
Source: Willson

By constituency

• Ind – Independent
• Lab – Rhodesia Labour Party
• L – Liberal Party
• SR Lab – Southern Rhodesia Labour Party
• UP – United Party

Constituency Electorate and turnout	Candidate	Party	Votes
AVONDALE 1,632 (75.4%)	Albert Rubidge Washington Stumbles	L	567
	Cecil Douglas Dryden	UP	488
	Neil Housman Wilson	Ind	77
	Alexander Aitken Draper	SR Lab	57
	George Arthur Henry Radford	Lab	41
BULAWAYO CENTRAL 1,644 (63.8%)	†Donald MacIntyre	SR Lab	353
	Henry Alfred Holmes	UP	327
	Mathew Henry Gibson	Lab	242
	Olive Hope Robertson	L	127
BULAWAYO EAST 1,231 (70.8%)	David Wood Young	UP	632
	Llewellyn Davies	L	239
BULAWAYO NORTH 1,407 (61.3%)	†Thomas Hugh William Beadle	UP	666
	Cecil Maurice Baker	Lab	196
BULAWAYO SOUTH 1,949 (61.5%)	James Stuart McNeillie	Lab	518
	Malcolm Granger Fleming	UP	425
	Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde	L	185
	Arthur Harold Bean	SR Lab	71
CHARTER 1,051 (74.8%)	Jacob Letterstedt Smit	L	360
	Herbert Jordan Posselt	UP	304
	Mrs. Louise Hosea Fourie	Lab	122
EASTERN 1,247 (71.2%)	Aubrey William Dunn	L	490
	†Jacobus Petrus De Kock	UP	398
GATOOMA 1,175 (62.0%)	George Munro	L	287
	William George Vowles	UP	243
	Arthur Henry Edwin Haycock	Lab	198
GWANDA 1,113 (67.3%)	William Henry Elliott	UP	292
	George Wilburn Rudland	L	287
	Edwin Harley	Lab	170
GWELO 1,405 (70.6%)	Robert Williamson	L	441
	†Max Danziger	UP	385
	Harry Joseph Filmer	Lab	166
HARTLEY 1,360 (68.6%)	Thomas James Golding	L	487
	†Hugh Volant Wheeler	UP	446
HIGHLANDS 1,951 (75.7%)	Charles Arden Bott	L	757
	†Leslie Benjamin Fereday	UP	595
	Charles Findlay	Lab	124
HILLSIDE 1,690 (71.0%)	†Harry Herbert Davies	Lab	673
	Eric Tom Hepburn	UP	438
	John Wilfred Bush	L	88
INSIZA 1,165 (61.4%)	Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd	UP	330
	Victor Henry van Breda	Lab	195
	Guy Maxwell Foy Southey	L	190
LOMAGUNDI 1,128 (66.1%)	Patrick Archibald Wise	L	374
	† George Henry Hackwill	UP	372
MARANDELLAS 1,292 (74.0%)	Leslie Major Cullinan	UP	476
	William Thomas Edward Fitzsimons	L	340
	Edward Bostock Harben	SR Lab	140
MAZOE 918 (64.4%)	†Edward Walter Lionel Noaks	UP	360
	Jack Herbert Keightley	L	213
	William Ramsay Ramsay	SR Lab	18
QUE QUE 1,361 (79.9%)	George Arthur Davenport	UP	377
	John Henry Cremer	L	257
	Thomas Nangle	Lab	246
RAYLTON 1,613 (67.2%)	†Lawrence John Walter Keller	Lab	470
	Kenneth Mackenzie Goodenough	UP	360
	Barend Gerhardus Retief	SR Lab	183
	David Graham Johnstone	L	71
SALISBURY CENTRAL 1,470 (63.5%)	Leslie Manfred Noel Hodson	UP	438
	Ronald Leo Thomas	L	224
	Charles Olley	Ind	191
	†Edgar Pope Vernall	Lab	73
	Mrs. Agnes Tait Wilson	Ind	7
SALISBURY CITY 1,683 (66.7%)	†Jacob Hendrik Smit	L	565
	Robert Wynne Truscott	UP	352
	Arthur Tom North	Lab	115
	Mrs. Gladys Maasdorp	SR Lab	91
SALISBURY GARDENS 1,408 (66.4%)	Sir Ernest Lucas Guest	UP	472
	David Keith Watt	L	390
	Ernest Roy Wright	SR Lab	39
	Edwin Robert Wilson Major	Lab	34
SALISBURY NORTH 1,199 (67.8%)	†Godfrey Martin Huggins	UP	525
	Eric Kenneth Hockey	L	265
	David Heurtley Linton	Ind	23
SALISBURY SOUTH 1,741 (65.4%)	Denzil Crichton Paul	L	453
	†George Henry Walker	Lab	338
	Mrs. Muriel Ena Rosin	UP	295
	Mrs. Otilia Liebermann	Ind	52
SELUKWE 1,237 (68.0%)	George Baden-Powell Tunmer	L	421
	Egon Aage Klifborg	Lab	232
	Charles William Fenton Wells	UP	188
UMTALI NORTH 1,036 (65.9%)	†Tom Ian Findlay Wilson	UP	413
	Harry Thomas Fairbridge Went	SR Lab	129
	Christopher Henry Perrem	L	96
	Roelof Hendrik Venter	Lab	45
UMTALI SOUTH 1,181 (70.9%)	†James Brown Lister	SR Lab	421
	Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead	UP	331
	George Cyril Hamilton-Browne	L	68
	Hajo Spandow	Lab	17
VICTORIA 1,333 (67.8%)	Raymond Osborne Stockil	L	522
	†William Alexander Eustace Winterton	UP	342
	John Theodore Appel	Lab	40
WANKIE 1,125 (46.2%)	John Alexander Ewing	UP	200
	†Allan Watson Whittington	Lab	197
	Benjamin Austen Williams	L	123
WESTERN 1,198 (66.1%)	†Patrick Bissett Fletcher	UP	395
	Frederick William Sauerman	L	154
	Francis Edward John Patrick Murray	Lab	131
	Frank Richard Peach	Ind	74
	Martin Olds	SR Lab	38

Changes during the Assembly

Lomagundi

On 15 July 1946 an election petition from George Henry Hackwill in relation to the Lomagundi district was allowed. As a result, Patrick Archibald Wise was unseated, and Hackwill was declared elected.

Umtali North

Tom Ian Findlay Wilson resigned from the Assembly in September 1946. A byelection was held to replace him on 8 November 1946.

Constituency Electorate and turnout	Candidate	Party	Votes
UMTALI NORTH 800 (79.3%)	Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead	UP	427
	Christopher Henry Perrem	L	207

Hartley

Thomas James Golding died on 2 August 1947. A byelection was held in his constituency on 26 September 1947.

Constituency Electorate and turnout	Candidate	Party	Votes
HARTLEY 943 (49.9%)	Patrick Archibald Wise	L	543
	Ralph Drew Palmer	UP	294

References

• Source Book of Parliamentary Elections and Referenda in Southern Rhodesia 1898–1962 ed. by F.M.G. Willson (Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1963)
• Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894–1964 by F.M.G. Willson and G.C. Passmore, assisted by Margaret T. Mitchell (Source Book No. 3, Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1966)