De Zuid-Afrikaan se standpunt oor stemreg vir bruin mense voor die totstandkoming van die Kaapse koloniale parlement in 1854

Abstract

Die koerant De Zuid-Afrikaan, wat in 1830 opgerig is om veral as mondstuk te dien van die Nederlandstalige inwoners van die Kaapkolonie, het hom beywer vir die totstandkoming van 'n wetgewende liggaam as deel van 'n verteenwoordigende bestuurstelsel vir die kolonie. Die blad het 'n opvoedingskwalifikasie bepleit om te bepaal watter inwoners die lede van hierdie parlement moet aanwys. Die vernaamste koloniale amptenare en leiersfigure onder die koloniste was egter ten gunste van 'n eiendomskwalifikasie. Onder hulle was daar diegene wat 'n hoë eiendomsvereiste wou hê en ander wat ten gunste van 'n laer vereiste was. De Zuid-Afrikaan het 'n lae eiendomskwalifikasie voorgestaan en het as vernaamste argument daarvoor aangevoer dat bruin mense anders feitlik heeltemal van stemreg uitgesluit sou wees. Toe die Britse regering in 1853 'n Grondwet vir die kolonie goedkeur met insluiting van 'n lae eiendomsvereiste vir stemreg, het die blad die Grondwet verwelkom as "liberaal bo verwagting" en die hoop uitgespreek dat in die nuwe parlement oorwegings van klas of kleur geen rol sal speel nie.

The viewpoint of The Zuid-Afrikaan on the franchise for coloured people prior to the establishment of the Cape colonial parliament in 1854 The newspaper De Zuid-Afrikaan was founded in 1830 mainly to serve as a mouthpiece of the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the Cape Colony. It was strongly in favour of the establishment of a legislative body as part of a system of representative government for the colony. De Zuid-Afrikaan advocated an educational qualification to determine which inhabitants should participate in the appointment of members of this body. The main colonial officials and leading colonists, however, were in favour of a property qualification. Some of them wanted a high property qualification while others preferred a lower property requirement. De Zuid-Afrikaan expressed itself in favour of a low property qualification, and advanced as its main argument that a high property requirement would almost completely exclude the coloured people from the franchise. In 1853 the British government approved a constitution for the colony which included a low property qualification for the franchise. De Zuid-Afrikaan welcomed the new constitution as "liberal beyond expectation" and expressed the hope that considerations based on class and colour would not play a role in the new parliament.