The House of Delegates () was a body in the Tricameral Parliament of South Africa which existed from 1984 to 1994. It was reserved for Indian South Africans. The body was elected twice; in 1984 and 1989. It was the second time in South Africa's history that ethnic Indians had ever had any sort of representation at the national level, the first being the South African Indian Council. It was originally to be called the Chamber of Deputies.South Africa and the Consociational Option: A Constitutional Analysis, Laurence Boulle, Juta, 1984, page 152
The first debating chamber of the House of Delegates was located in Marks Building, a building that was located across the road from Houses of Parliament, Cape Town. Race Relations Survey, South African Institute of Race Relations, page 130 Upon its completion in 1987, the house was moved to a debating chamber on the floor above the new chamber designed for joint-sittings of the Tricameral Parliament. The executive arm of the House of Delegates was a Ministers' Council, led by a Chairman. The civil service that dealt with Indian "own affairs" (including education, health and welfare, local government, housing and agriculture) was called Administration: House of Delegates, and was based in Durban.
Elections
Electoral turnouts for elections to the House of Delegates were poor.
Election results: Election Date Total seats National People's Party Solidarity Others Indep. 1984 election 28 August 1984 40 18 17 1 4 1989 election 6 September 1989 40 8 16 10 6
Leadership
The following served as Chairman of the Minister's Council of the House of Delegates:
Amichand Rajbansi (September 1984 – 31 December 1988) Kassipershad Ramduth (1 January – 21 March 1989, acting) Jayaram Narainsamy Reddy (21 March 1989 – February 1993) Bhadra Ranchod (February 1993 – March 1994)
References
SOUTH AFRICA: parliamentary elections House of Delegates, 1989