Episode 1 of 2
Achievement of Responsible Government
- When
- 1872
- Where
- Cape Colony
The Cape Colony achieved responsible government in 1872, with Sir John Molteno becoming the first Prime Minister.
After a long political battle, the Cape of Good Hope achieved responsible government in 1872. Molteno saw the decisive bill through parliament with the consent of Governor Sir Henry Barkly, bringing the colony's government under local control for the first time. Molteno was appointed prime minister and formed the first Cape Cabinet.
Sources
- Cape Colony Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-01
- John Charles Molteno Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-14
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.