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Freedom Front Plus

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The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus or FF+; Afrikaans: Vryheidsfront Plus, VF Plus) is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Since 2024, it is a part of the current South African government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance and other parties.

Freedom Front Plus
Vryheidsfront Plus (Afrikaans)
Abbreviation
  • FF Plus
  • VF+
LeaderPieter Groenewald
ChairpersonWouter wessels
SpokespersonPieter Swart
Chief whipCorné Mulder
FounderConstand Viljoen
Founded1 March 1994; 30 years ago (1 March 1994)
Registered4 March 1994
Merger of
Split fromAfrikaner Volksfront
HeadquartersCharles de Gaulle Crescent, Centurion, Gauteng
Youth wingVryheidsfront Plus-Jeug
Membership (2008)25–30,000[1]
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing
National affiliation
International affiliationUNPO
Provincial AffiliationCapeXit Election Accord[2]
Colours  Orange   Green
SloganSlaan Terug (Fight Back)[3][4]
National Assembly
6 / 400
National Council of Provinces
3 / 90
Provincial Legislatures
9 / 487
City of Tshwane
17 / 214
Cape Town City Council
4 / 231
Website
www.vfplus.org.za Edit this at Wikidata

History

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Origins as the Freedom Front (1994–2003)

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The Freedom Front was founded on 1 March 1994 by members of the Afrikaner community under Constand Viljoen, after he had left the Afrikaner Volksfront amidst disagreements. Seeking to achieve his goals through electoral means, Viljoen registered the Freedom Front with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on 4 March 1994 to take part in the April 1994 general elections (This date has also been given as 7 March).[citation needed] On 12 March 1994 Viljoen handed in a list of candidates for the FF to the IEC, confirming that his party would take part in the elections.

In the election, under the leadership of Viljoen, the Freedom Front received 2.2% of the national vote (with 424,555 votes cast), earning nine seats in the National Assembly, and 3.3% (with 639,643 votes cast) of the combined vote to the nine provincial legislatures. This suggested that many Afrikaners had split their vote. The party performed the best in the rural areas of the former Transvaal and Orange Free State, and was noted by the new deputy president Thabo Mbeki as representing possibly as much as half the Afrikaner voting population in these areas, with the strongest support among farmers and the working class.[5]

Freedom Front support gradually eroded in the coming years, as the party was strung along in ultimately fruitless negotiations with the African National Congress (ANC) to create a Volkstaat making the party lose its importance. It would also receive increased competition from new parties such as the Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging. In the 1999 election their support dropped to 0.8% (127,217 votes cast) with three seats in the National Assembly and between 1 and 2% in its stronghold provinces. This represented a respectable portion of the Afrikaner vote, but nowhere near earlier levels. The party's support remained relatively stable in all national elections held during the next twenty years.[6]

In 2001, Viljoen retired and Pieter Mulder was elected as leader.[7]

Formation of the FF+ and early years (2003–2016)

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Freedom Front logo between 1994 and 2003

In 2003, shortly before the 2004 general election, the Conservative Party, the Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging and the Freedom Front decided to contest the election as a single entity under the name Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus or FF+), led by Mulder. Later, the Federal Alliance also joined the VF+/FF+.

Under Mulder's leadership the party's support remained relatively stable.

In the 2004 general election, support for the Freedom Front Plus rose slightly to 0.89% (139,465 votes cast). The party won one seat in most of the provincial legislatures, and four seats in the National Assembly.

In the 2006 municipal elections, the FF Plus received 1% of the popular vote (252,253 votes cast).

In the 2009 general election, the party received 0.83% (146,796 votes cast) and retained its four seats in the National Assembly but lost its seats in the provincial legislatures of North West, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape. After the elections, the FF Plus's leader Pieter Mulder was appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by the new President Jacob Zuma.[8]

In the 2014 general election, the FF Plus increased its vote slightly to 0.9%. It retained its 4 MPs, and also regained a seat in the North West.[9]

The party also enjoyed consistent landslide victories in the Afrikaner enclave Orania.[10]

Along with other parties, the FF Plus entered into coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) after the 2016 municipal elections to govern Johannesburg, Tshwane and several other municipalities.

Groenewald leadership and resurgence (2016–present)

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In 2016, Pieter Groenewald took over leadership of the FF Plus. He oversaw a pivot of the party away from being an exclusive abode for Afrikaners to that of one for all minorities, with a special focus on Afrikaans-speaking minorities.[11] This was highlighted when the FF Plus and the Bruin Bemagtiging Beweging (Brown Movement) – an interest group focused on Coloureds led by Peter Marais, the former premier of the Western Cape[12] – formed an official alliance.[13] This ultimately led to Marais being elected as the party's candidate for premier of the Western Cape for the 2019 elections.[14]

2019 national and provincial elections

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FF Plus voter support increased substantially in the 2019 general election, with the party growing its vote total by 250,000, to 2.38% of the national vote, earning ten seats in the National Assembly. This was more than the nine seats that the old Freedom Front had received in 1994. Additionally, it gained eight seats in the provincial legislatures, for a total of eleven. In the 2014 general election, the FF Plus won seats in three provincial legislatures, in 2019, it won seats in eight out of the nine provincial legislatures. Its new supporters were largely Afrikaners and Coloured voters from the Western Cape who had previously supported the DA.[15][16]

Following the 2019 general election, the FF Plus won three wards from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in municipal by-elections in the North West Province and continued to show growth in various other municipal by-elections in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.[17][18][19][20]

2021 municipal elections and aftermath

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In the run up to the 2021 local government elections, the FF Plus adopted Cape Independence as an official party position. They and CapeXit had a joint election campaign in the Western Cape to highlight the party's stance on Cape Independence. Over 60% of the FF Plus's ward councillors standing in the Western Cape were Coloureds, with Lennit Max being the party's candidate for mayor of Cape Town.[21] The party claims that their candidates are selected purely on merit in contrast to the DA.[22]

The FF Plus continued their gains in the Western Cape as a result, being in the kingmaker position in over 6 districts.[23] In 2022, FF Plus member Manicks Mpunwana became a city councilor in Bela-Bela, becoming the first black South African to serve as a councilor from the FF Plus.[24]

2024 election and Government of National Unity (GNU)

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In the 2024 general election, the FF Plus gave up many of the gains it had previously made against the DA, winning only six seats in Parliament (National Assembly) with 1.36% of the vote.[25] In June 2024, Freedom Front Plus agreed to join the ANC-led government of national unity (GNU). The leader of the FF Plus, Pieter Groenewald, became Minister of Correctional Services in the new Cabinet.[26]

Policies and ideology

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FF Plus is a right-wing,[27][28][29] conservative[27][30][31] political party with its beliefs and ideals largely centred around Afrikaner interests'[32][27][33] and Afrikaner nationalism[32][34][27] with an orientation around Christian values.[35][36] With its origins in Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front)[27][37] and the Conservative Party, FF Plus's position has shifted to being more moderate and populist since its beginning,[38][39][40] particularly under the leadership of Pieter Groenewald, who has campaigned to alleviate issues within both Afrikaner and Coloured communities, particularly within the Cape provinces (Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape).[41][42][43]

Within the South African political landscape, the FF Plus is considered further to the right than many other parties, however holds significant vote share with the Democratic Alliance (DA),[44][45][46] many voters of which moved toward the FF Plus at the 2019 election.[45][47] Both parties' voters also hold some crossover on policy matters, such as Cape independence[48][38][49] and federalism.[50][51][52]

As of 2021, its stated policy positions include abolishing affirmative action and replacing it with merit-based appointments,[53] and opposing the proposed expropriation without compensation land reform movement to protect the rights and interests of minorities, especially Afrikaners[54] and Afrikaans-speaking Coloureds.[55] The party also supports greater self-determination for minorities throughout South Africa, and has adopted Cape independence as an official party position.[56] In this regard, the party has put forward legislation in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (known as the Western Cape People's Bill) calling for a recognition of Western Cape self-determination.[57]

Foreign policy

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The party is critical of what it regards as South Africa's contradictory foreign policy under the governing African National Congress (ANC).[58] The FF Plus supports the strengthening of relations with countries that "promote self-determination within their own borders",[58] as well as countries with whom South Africa has strong existing trade ties.[58] The party has called on South Africa to criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[59][60] During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the party expressed support for Israel.[61]

Leaders

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Party leader

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No. Leader
(birth–death) 		Portrait From Took office Left office Duration of tenure
1 Constand Viljoen
(1933–2020) 		  National list 1 March 1994 26 June 2001 7 years and 118 days
2 Pieter Mulder
(b. 1951) 		  National list 26 June 2001 12 November 2016 15 years and 140 days
3 Pieter Groenewald
(b. 1955) 		  National list 12 November 2016 Incumbent 7 years and 362 days

Election results

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Results of the 2019 South African general election by voting district. Those which the FF Plus won are in orange

These tables show the electoral performance for the FF Plus since the advent of democracy in 1994:

 
Results for the Freedom Front in the 1994 Election

National Assembly elections

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Election Total votes Share of vote Seats +/- Government
1994 424,555 2.17%
9 / 400
 – in opposition
largest opposition party (1994–1996)
1999 127,217 0.80%
3 / 400
   6 in opposition
2004 139,465 0.89%
4 / 400
   1 in opposition
2009 146,796 0.83%
4 / 400
   ±0 in opposition
delivered one deputy minister
2014 165,715 0.90%
4 / 400
   ±0 in opposition
2019 414,864 2.38%
10 / 400
   6 in opposition
2024 218,850 1.36%[a]
6 / 400
   4 ANC–DA–IFP–PA–GOOD–PAC–VF+–UDM–RISE coalition government
  1. ^ From 2024, seats in the National Assembly are determined by a combination of the national ballot, and the nine regional ballots. Only the national ballot figures are shown here.

Provincial elections

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Election[62] Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North-West Northern Cape Western Cape
% Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats
1994 0.8% 0/56 6.0% 2/30 6.2% 5/86 0.5% 0/81 2.2% 1/40 5.7% 2/30 4.6% 1/30 6.0% 2/30 2.1% 1/42
1999 0.3% 0/63 2.1% 1/30 1.3% 1/73 0.2% 0/80 0.7% 0/49 1.7% 1/30 1.4% 1/33 1.7% 1/30 0.4% 0/42
2004 0.3% 0/63 2.5% 1/30 1.3% 1/73 0.3% 0/80 0.6% 0/49 1.2% 1/30 1.3% 1/33 1.6% 1/30 0.6% 0/42
2009 0.2% 0/63 2.0% 1/30 1.6% 1/73 0.8% 0/80 0.6% 0/49 0.9% 0/30 1.8% 0/33 1.2% 0/30 0.4% 0/42
2014 0.3% 0/63 2.1% 1/30 1.2% 1/73 0.2% 0/80 0.7% 0/49 0.8% 0/30 1.7% 1/33 1.1% 0/30 0.6% 0/42
2019 0.6% 1/63 4.0% 1/30 3.6% 3/73 0.3% 0/80 1.4% 1/49 2.4% 1/30 4.3% 2/33 2.7% 1/30 1.6% 1/42
2024[63] 0.5% 1/73 3.0% 1/30 2.3% 2/80 0.2% 0/80 1.1% 1/64 1.5% 1/51 2.6% 1/38 1.8% 1/30 1.5% 1/42

Municipal elections

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Election Ward + PR votes Share of vote
1995–96 230 845 2.7%
2000 Not released 0.1%
2006 185 960 0.9%
2011 120,519 0.5%
2016 229,281 0.8%
2021 549,349 2.3%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Southern, Neil (2008). "The Freedom Front Plus: an analysis of Afrikaner politics and ethnic identity in the new South Africa". Contemporary Politics. 14 (4). Taylor & Francis: 463–478. doi:10.1080/13569770802519383.
  2. ^ "The Referendum Party signs CapeXit election accord". Referendum Party (News). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Election's biggest little winners — FF+ Freedom Front Plus". Mail & Guardian. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019.
  4. ^ Haffajee, Ferial (14 May 2019). "White anxiety and the rise of the Freedom Front Plus". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Unmandated reflections - Thabo Mbeki - NEWS & ANALYSIS - Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016.
  6. ^ Dhawraj, Ronesh (29 February 2024). "OPINION: Electoral data points to FF+ doing even better in 2024 polls". Voice of the Cape. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  7. ^ Cape, Voice of the (14 November 2016). "Stepping down as FF Plus leader was imperative: Mulder". Voice of the Cape. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Statement by President Jacob Zuma on the appointment of the new Cabinet | South African Government". www.gov.za.
  9. ^ "2014 Elections: Seats in Parliament". sanews.gov.za. Pretoria. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Orania votes for FF Plus". IOL. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010.
  11. ^ "FF+ to focus on interests of minority | eNCA". www.enca.com. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Brown Movement not a Political Party". News24. 2013.
  13. ^ "Grant Marais of FF+ follows in his well-known father's political footsteps". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. ^ "ANALYSIS: The who, why and what of the Freedom Front Plus". News24. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  15. ^ Brandt, Kevin (10 May 2019). "Targeting minorities helped grow our support - FF Plus". EWN. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  16. ^ Mailovich, Claudi (9 May 2019). "FF Plus defies expectations". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  17. ^ Sussman, Wayne (11 July 2019). "FF+ makes loud statement in Stilfontein". The Daily Maverick. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ Joubert, Jan-Jan (19 September 2018). "Recent municipal ward by-elections result in losses for the DA". The Daily Maverick. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Mamusa by-election: Good news for EFF, but DA slide against FF+ continues". The Citizen. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  20. ^ Head, Tom (16 January 2020). "Schweizer-Reneke: DA disaster, as they lose third ward in six months to FF Plus". The South African. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  21. ^ Gerber, Jan. "FF Plus formally joins secessionist CapeXit in awareness campaign". News24. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  22. ^ "I was a project for the DA, says Cape Town FF Plus mayor hopeful Lennit Max". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  23. ^ Gerber, Jan. "While the ANC and DA are on the wane, the FF Plus and PA gain". News24. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  24. ^ Boonzaaier, Dawie (20 November 2022). "FF Plus gets first black council rep". City Press. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Election Results and Allocation of Seats in Parliament (National Assembly) and Provincial Legislatures: 2024". pmg.org.za. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  26. ^ Groenewald, Dr Pieter (30 June 2024). "Cabinet position in GNU offers FF Plus opportunity to actively contribute to restoring and rebuilding South Africa". Freedom Front Plus.
  27. ^ a b c d e Letita Rohanlall (2014). "Party Ideology in South Africa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  28. ^ Campbell, John (28 March 2019). "Right-Wing White Party Releases Election Manifesto in South Africa". cfr.org. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019.
  29. ^ du Plessis, Carien (14 April 2024). "South Africa election: A guide to party policies". The Africa Report. Johannesburg. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  30. ^ Kotze, Dirk (9 June 2015). "Navigating South Africa's loaded political lexicon". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015.
  31. ^ Bertus de Villiers; Joseph Marko; Francesco Palermo; Sergiu Constantin, eds. (2021). Litigating the Rights of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in Domestic and International Courts. Brill. p. 60. ISBN 978-90044-6166-6. As a political force the Afrikaans community in the 2019 general election principally supported two political parties at a national level, the centrist Democratic Alliance and the conservative Freedom Front Plus (Saba 2019).
  32. ^ a b Fihlani, Pumza (11 May 2019). "South Africa's election: Five things we've learnt". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020.
  33. ^ Walterová, Klára (2009). Afrikaners in the New South Africa: Identity Politics in a Globalised Economy (PDF) (Thesis). I.B. Tauris.
  34. ^ Visagie, Riaan (March 2018). Struggle(s) for Self-determination: Afrikaner Aspirations in the Twenty-first Century (Thesis). Stellenbosch University.
  35. ^ Jeffery-Schwikkard, David (2022). "Religion and Political Parties in South Africa: A Framework and Systematic Review". Journal of Southern African Studies. 48 (6). Routledge: 1094. Bibcode:2022JSAfS..48.1077J. doi:10.1080/03057070.2022.2136820.
  36. ^ "FF Plus Manifesto 2024". vfplus.org.za. 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Goodbye, Freedom Front Plus, and thanks for coming". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  38. ^ a b Pilling, David; Mark, Monica (31 March 2024). "South African election turns populist as parties play anti-foreigner card". Financial Times.
  39. ^ Love, Jason (14 February 2023). "As 2024 elections loom, South Africa needs laws to keep small right-wing parties from controlling coalitions". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Election's biggest little winners — FF+ Freedom Front Plus". Mail & Guardian. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019.
  41. ^ FF Plus promises to address issues in coloured communities of the Western Cape. CapeTalk. 10 April 2024.
  42. ^ Grootes, Stephen (13 October 2021). "Freedom Front Plus – perhaps the most comfortable party of them all". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021.
  43. ^ Jack, Sipho (5 April 2024). "FF Plus seeks to appeal across all ethnic groups". Independent Online. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024.
  44. ^ du Toit, Pieter (11 May 2019). "ANALYSIS: How the Freedom Front Plus ate (some of) the DA's lunch". News24.
  45. ^ a b Kirby, Jen (11 May 2019). "South Africa's ruling party ANC wins reelection". Vox. Vox Media.
  46. ^ "Really moving back to the middle is the DA's challenge – Biznews". South African Institute of Race Relations. 27 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019.
  47. ^ Dhawraj, Ronesh (29 February 2024). "OPINION: Electoral data points to FF+ doing even better in 2024 polls". SABC News.
  48. ^ "The DA's crucial decision as support for Cape Independence gains momentum – Robert King". Biznews. 4 September 2023.
  49. ^ Charles, Marvin (8 April 2024). "Elections 2024: Tension simmers as Freedom Front Plus eyes coalition with DA in Western Cape". News24. Media24.
  50. ^ "The DA's principle of separation of party and state: Potentially problematic? – Biznews". South African Institute of Race Relations. 9 March 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023.
  51. ^ "Cape voters' political watershed looms". Independent Online. 8 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023.
  52. ^ "Phil Craig on the local election results being positive for Cape independence". Biznews. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. The DA is a federalist party, the Freedom Front is a federalist party, the IFP [Inkatha Freedom Party] is a federalist party.
  53. ^ Gerber, Jan. "Elections 2021: 'Stop the decay' - FF Plus at manifesto launch". News24. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  54. ^ Setumo Stone (22 April 2014). "FF+ to target DA's Afrikaner voting base". Business Day. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014.
  55. ^ Verwoerd, Melanie. "Melanie Verwoerd | Is the Freedom Front Plus making the laager bigger?". News24. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  56. ^ Gerber, Jan. "Elections 2021: FF Plus 'supports the strive towards independence for the Cape' - manifesto". News24. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  57. ^ "FF Plus's bill to obtain self-determination for the Western Cape is gaining momentum". vfplus.org.za. 3 October 2023.
  58. ^ a b c "National Elections Manifesto 2019". Freedom Front Plus. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  59. ^ Groenewald, Dr Pieter (14 March 2022). "Everyone in South Africa will feel the economic impact of the war in Ukraine". Freedom Front Plus. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  60. ^ Amashabalala, Mawande (15 March 2022). "ANC government Russia's useful idiot, says FF+ leader Pieter Groenewald". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  61. ^ Hans, Bongani (15 October 2023). "SA leaders lock horns over who's to blame for Israeli-Palestinian conflict".
  62. ^ "Results Dashboard". www.elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  63. ^ "NPE Results Dashboard 2024". results.elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
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