| Country: | South Africa |
| Flag Year: | 1928 |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1929 South African general election |
| Previous Year: | 1929 |
| Election Date: | 17 May 1933 |
| Next Election: | 1938 South African general election |
| Next Year: | 1938 |
| Seats For Election: | All 150 seats in the House of Assembly |
| Majority Seats: | 76 |
| Registered: | 957,636 |
| Turnout: | 33.77% (41.57pp) |
| Leader1: | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| Party1: | National Party (South Africa) |
| Last Election1: | 41.17%, 78 seats |
| Seats1: | 75 |
| Seat Change1: | 3 |
| Popular Vote1: | 101,159 |
| Percentage1: | 31.61% |
| Swing1: | 9.55pp |
| Leader2: | Jan Smuts |
| Party2: | South African Party |
| Last Election2: | 46.50%, 61 seats |
| Seats2: | 61 |
| Popular Vote2: | 71,486 |
| Percentage2: | 22.34% |
| Swing2: | 24.16pp |
| Leader4: | Tielman Roos |
| Party4: | Roos Party |
| Last Election4: | Did not exist |
| Seats4: | 2 |
| Seat Change4: | New party |
| Popular Vote4: | 27,441 |
| Percentage4: | 8.58% |
| Swing4: | New party |
| Leader5: | Walter Madeley |
| Party5: | Labour Party (South Africa) |
| Last Election5: | 9.86%, 8 seats |
| Seats5: | 2 |
| Seat Change5: | 6 |
| Popular Vote5: | 20,276 |
| Percentage5: | 6.34% |
| Swing5: | 3.52pp |
| Prime Minister | |
| Before Election: | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| Before Party: | National Party (South Africa) |
| After Election: | J. B. M. Hertzog |
| After Party: | National Party (South Africa) |
General elections were held in South Africa on 17 May 1933 to elect the 150 members of the House of Assembly.[1] The National Party won half the seats in the House, but the coalition with the South African Party continued.
Since the 1929 election several changes had been made to the franchise laws. Adult white women were enfranchised in 1930. In 1931 all European males over the age of 21 were enfranchised (eliminating property and wage qualifications for that section of the population).[2]
One effect of these changes, which were not extended to the non-white population of the Union, was to dilute the influence of the non-white electors in Cape Province and Natal.
The South Africa Act 1909 had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division. The representation by province, under the sixth delimitation report of 1932, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1928) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.[3]
The vote totals in the table below may not give a complete picture of the balance of political opinion, because of unopposed elections (where no votes were cast) and because contested seats may not have been fought by a candidate from all major parties.
As the two largest parties were in coalition together, the opposition to the government was weaker and more fragmented than in any other election in South African history.
An alternative breakdown of members, distinguishing between supporters and opponents of the coalition, was (pro Coalition) NP 75, SAP 61, Creswell Labour 2, Roos 2; (opposition) National Council Labour 2, Natal Home Rule 2, Independents 6.[4] Another interpretation, is NP 75, SAP 61, Labour 4, Roos Party 2, Home Rule group 2 and Independents 6.[5]