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High Commissioner for South Africa

by Martin Grieve, 11 May 2003

High Commissioner for South Africa

See also:

High Commissioner for South Africa

by Martin Grieve, 11 May 2003

SAVA Journal 3/94 mentions the following:
The British Union Flag charged in the centre, on a white roundel, with the letters S.A.H.C. in black, ensigned with a Tudor Crown proper, within a green garland of laurel. This flag which seems to have been taken into use in 1907, is similar in design to that used by the Western Pacific High Commissioner.

The Office of the High Commissioner in and for South Africa was created by the Letters Patent in 1878. The High Commissioner was, until 1899, charged with the conduct of British relations with the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State, as well as those with "native states and tribes outside the colonies of Natal and the Cape, including Swaziland, which was administered by the Government of the South African Republic under the Convention of 1894". The High Commissioner was also Governor of Basutoland (now Lesotho) and supervised the affairs of the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland.
Bruce Berry, 13 Jan 1997

The office of High Commissioner for South Africa was introduced for Cape Governor Sir Henry Pottinger (before 1850), originally simply as a means of boosting his salary above that of a mere colonial governor. But the High Commissionership grew in importance through the 19th century, as a result of his powers of negotiation with neighbouring states and his authority over other territorial administrators, including the Lieutenant-Governor of Natal. At one stage the High Commissionership was split, with the Natal Lieutenant-Governor becoming a second High Commissioner for South Eastern Africa based in Pietermaritzburg at the time of the Zulu War and the disastrous annexation of the ZAR/Transvaal. But that was quickly ended and the Governor in Cape Town again became the sole High Commissioner. The High Commissioner was usually Governor of the Cape, but during the South African War Lord Milner resigned as Governor in Cape Town and was instead Governor of the Orange River Colony and Transvaal Colony, while still retaining the office of High Commissioner. He lived in Johannesburg while ruling through Administrators in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. (This was the first use in South Africa of the title Administrator. From 1910 to 1994 the four provinces were headed by Administrators appointed by the Prime Minister.) After Milner left, the Governorship of the Cape was again combined with the High Commissionership. From 1910 until 1931 it was the Governor-Generalship that was combined with the High Commissionership. But