Nelson Pond Palmer became the group's parliamentary leader, and MPs Charles Henry Haggar and John Connolly also joining.
[2] By 1908, all the local trade unions representing white workers had affiliated, with the exception of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners.
However, a section of the party led by Connolly moderated their views following a speaking tour by British socialist Keir Hardie.
However, decisions over who the party would sponsor to stand in the 1910 South African general election proved highly controversial.
[2] While its anti-Asian positions featured in the new party's constitution, following the defections, it lacked strength in Natal.