Jan Taljaard
THE first salvoes in the battle for the rightwing vote in November’s local government elections have been fired by two big rightwing guns, Ferdi Hartzenberg and Constand Viljoen.
Competing against the rain, rugby and Queen Elizabeth’s visit to the capital last week, neither the Freedom Front’s (FF) Viljoen nor Conservative Party (CP) leader Hartzenberg succeeded in drawing the kind of pre- election crowds so reminiscent of yesteryears’ Afrikaner politics.
Ironically enough it was the Viljoen who struck the more militant chord when he stated that the ANC’s idea of a “rainbow nation” was a failure and the only road for the Afrikaners was to unite and strive for self- determination.
For his part Hartzenberg explained at length why it was necessary for CP supporters to vote, also stating that the CP has irrevocably come to the conclusion that President Nelson Mandela and the government have no intention of accommodating the Afrikaner.
Surprisingly, Eugene Terre’Blanche, who had ostensibly been on his way to being written off as a political figure, managed to draw almost twice as many supporters as Viljoen and Hartzenberg combined when he addressed a meeting in the Pretoria City Hall the week before.
Apart from the usual belligerent rhetoric, his message on voting was unequivocal: AWB supporters will not vote and neither should those supporting the CP.
Behind the public platforms, some strange potential bedfellows are nevertheless warily starting to eye each other.
While the National Party, FF and CP have consistently denied there is any possibility of an election coalition between any of them, speculation is rife about a recent meeting held between NP leader FW de Klerk and Viljoen.
Purportedly an attempt to investigate possible avenues of co-operation as far as “cultural” self-determination for Afrikaners is concerned, the meeting has also given rise to rumours of a possible election pact.
These rumours have since been strongly discounted by NP spokesmen such as Nick Koornhof, who said any such alliance would be impossible as long as the FF does not regard “coloured” Afrikaans speakers as Afrikaners.
But even those who do not want rightwingers to vote in the local government elections readily acknowledge the socially redeeming value of voting.
Says one, Fritz Meyer, chairman of the so-called Boere- Republikeinse Verkiesingskommitee (Boer Republican Election Commission or BVK): “The Afrikaner likes to vote. The social aspects associated with this will once again build up their morale, self respect and expectations for the future”.
For Messrs Van Zyl Slabbert and company of the Local Government Elections Task Group, this is not necessarily good news. The enthusiasm Meyer speaks of is aimed at a “Boere Election” to be held quite separately from the local government elections.
‘There will be those participating in the Azanian elections and those participating in the Boer elections,” Meyer declared when he introduced the BVK. In cahoots with Meyer are organisations such as the AWB and the Boerestaat Party.
The only party not wanting any part of any elections — be they official or alternative — is the staunchly belligerent Herstigte Nasionale Party. Holding its annual congress behind closed doors for the first time in 25 years this year, the party nevertheless let it be known that come election day its supporters will not be making their crosses anywhere.