Cloud of colonialism hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in Africa.
As the mother of one of the world’s newest countries, the Queen has always had a unique role and responsibility in governing South Africa as head of state and head of government. But as the country’s head of state and head of government, she has a responsibility that goes much further.
As the mother of one of the world’s newest countries, the Queen has always had a unique role and responsibility in governing South Africa as head of state and head of government. But as the country’s head of state and head of government, she has a responsibility that goes much further.
Since South Africa’s transition from the union of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State (as South Africa was then known) in 1960, the country has been governed by a succession of monarchs. When the National Party took power for the first time in the Freedom Charter period (1948-50), the Queen was the first to be invited to sit in the Cabinet and she remained in the national government until it was abolished in 1961 after the Union Jack was lowered to prevent the monarchy from being used as an anti-apartheid symbol.
It was during the first of these three periods that the monarch has had the opportunity to hold real power over South Africa, in what was the most democratic country on the continent at the time.
But the constitutional monarchy did not extend to the end of apartheid in 1994 – the first time in modern South African history when the government was democratically elected. After decades of dictatorship, apartheid rule was replaced by a constitutional democracy under the auspices of a single party. Despite this, there was a sense of powerlessness around the Queen’s role as the head of state and head of government.
In 2001, the monarchy was again called into action, when the African National Congress (ANC) government was suspended before being officially recognised as the party’s government. In that time, there were no elections, no national budget and no constitutional reform, while the government used the military and the police to crush dissent.
