National Party South Africa

National Party South Africa
National Party
Nasionale Party
Leader Achmat Williams
Co-Deputy Leader Jeremiah Khumalo
Co-Deputy Leader Adele Oosthuizen
National Organiser Steven Taylor
Policy & Strategy Dries Oelofse
Electoral Affairs Mark Naidoo
Slogan Enough is Enough / Genoeg is Genoeg / Kwanele Ngoku
Youth wing National Youth
Vulnerable Groups Wing National Women, Children, Elderly
Ideology Populism
Official colours Blue, White, Orange and Green
                   
City of Cape Town council seats[1]
1 / 221
Website
nationalparty.co.za

The National Party South Africa (NP) is a registered South African political party, who competed for the Western Cape province in the 2009 provincial election and municipal council seats in the 2011 local government elections.

Contents

History

On 5 August 2008 a new party using the National Party name was formed and registered with the Independent Electoral Commission[2]. The initial leadership was held by David Sasman, Juan-Duval Uys, Abdullah Omar, (all previously with the controversial National People's Party (NPP)) and a fourth person, not immediately named, who later turned out to be Achmat Williams.[3] Williams, a former New National Party (NNP) politician, was a member of the Independent Democrats before co-founding the new party. Other than some low-level former members, the new party had no formal connection with the now defunct NNP. The relaunched National Party of 2008 pushes for a non-racial democratic South Africa based based on federal principles and the legacy of FW De Klerk.[2][4][5]

The last press release issued by Jean-Duval Uys on the party's website, dated 22 January 2009, deals with a Cape High Court challenge against Uys by Williams and Omar on behalf of themselves and Sasman for leadership of the party[6] ahead of the 2009 General Election. Before the court case was finalised, Uys announced that he had joined the Congress of the People.[7] Williams is now listed as the national leader on the party's website.

Policies

The National Party campaign is based on the following policies:

  • improving the standard of education, and providing it for free[8]
  • providing better and free quality health care[8]
  • increase of state pensions[9]
  • free feeding schemes as schools[8]
  • abolition of same-sex marriage[9]
  • "rehabilitation" of gay and lesbian people[9]
  • reinstatement of capital punishment for convicted murderers and rapists[9]
  • reinstroduction of of religious instruction and corporal punishment in schools[8][9]

Current participation

Although the party was on the ballot for the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in the 2009 poll[10], they only attracted 3 378 votes and failed to secure a single seat[11]. They currently had several candidates registered for the 2011 Local Government Elections, one of whom, Bonita Elvira Hufkie, was listed on her ward ballot for both the National Party and the Pan Africanist Congress[12]. The NP failed to win any wards, but obtained one council seat through the proportional representation vote,[1] which will be filled by Achmat Williams, who topped the party's PR candidate list.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Seat Calculation Detail - CPT - City of Cape Town [Cape Town"]. Local Government Elections 2011. Independent Electoral Commission. http://www.elections.org.za/content/LGEPublicReports/197/Seat%20Calculation%20Detail/WP/CPT.pdf. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Return of the Nats". National Party Press Releases. http://www.nationalparty.co.za/0003.htm. Retrieved 25 April 2011. "The National Party (NP) regrouped and reregistered with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as a political party on all levels of government. The National Party reregistered as National Party South Africa (NP) and resurfaces as a mainstream political contender in post 1994 South African politics." 
  3. ^ "Former Independent Democrat a National Party co-founder". National Party Press Releases. http://www.nationalparty.co.za/0034.htm. Retrieved 23 May 2011. "Achmat Williams, a former National Party councillor, later also councillor for the Independent Democrats (ID), was appointed as our National Director Marketing and serves on the NP National Executive with David Sasman, Juan-Duval Uys and Abdullah Omar." 
  4. ^ Evans, Ian (2008-08-29). "Return of the apartheid party". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/return-of-the-apartheid-party-912336.html. 
  5. ^ Smith, Janet (2008-08-24). "NP is back, itching for a fight". Independent Online. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080824084245354C368343. 
  6. ^ "Tear-in-eye remark could not save axed Nats in High Court". National Party Press Releases. http://www.nationalparty.co.za/0080.htm. Retrieved 25 April 2011. "Axed Western Cape members under the umbrella of Abdulla Omar and Achmat Williams, today tried in vain to obtain an urgent interim High Court interdict to remove the IEC-registered NP National leader. Williams and Omar filed for a court interdict against both Juan-Duval Uys (NP National leader) and the Electoral Independent Commission (IEC)." 
  7. ^ "Juan Duval Uys joins Cope". News24. SAPA. 4 February 2009. http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Juan-Duval-Uys-joins-Cope-20090204. Retrieved 24 May 2011. "Self-appointed former leader of the recently-resurrected National Party, Juan Duval Uys has joined Cope, he announced on Wednesday." 
  8. ^ a b c d ""Return of the NP" 2011 Manifesto". National Party South Africa. http://www.nationalparty.co.za/RETURN_OF_THE_NP_2011_MANIFESTO.doc. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  9. ^ a b c d e Lindsay, Dentlinger (13 February 2009). "'We will rehabilitate gays and lesbians'". Independent Online News. http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/we-will-rehabilitate-gays-and-lesbians-1.434458. Retrieved 24 May 2011. "The revived National Party will accept gay and lesbian members who they would help to "rehabilitate" despite campaigning for same sex marriages to be abolished." 
  10. ^ "Final List of Parties to contest the 2009 Elections". Polity.org.za. 2009-03-11. http://www.polity.org.za/print-version/final-list-of-parties-to-contest-the-2009-elections-11032009-2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  11. ^ "April 22, 2009 General Election Results - Western Cape: Provincial Legislature". Election Resources on the Internet: Republic of South Africa General Election Results Lookup. http://electionresources.org/za/provinces.php?election=2009&province=WC. Retrieved 25 April 2011. "National Party South Africa (NP) 3,378 0.2 0" 
  12. ^ Ndenze, Babalo (19 April 2011). "Councillor to stand for two parties". Independent Online News. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/councillor-to-stand-for-two-parties-1.1058707. Retrieved 25 April 2011. "Aspiring councillor Bonita Elvira Hufkie is to stand against herself in a Cape Town ward during the upcoming municipal elections." 

External links