THURSDAY, 4.30PM
The haemorrhage of members from the National Party continued on Thursday when nine black Nats from North-West province defected to Roelf Meyer’s New Movement Process.
Making thwe announcement, leader of the group Stoffel Masebo claimed that a number senior local African National Congress figures might follow suit. Masebo said ANC members are disillusioned by the failure of reconstruction and development in the province.
“There is also much confidence on grassroots level in Roelf Meyer because of the productive role he played in constitutional negotiations.”
The nine NP members who joined Meyer include the party’s provincial youth league leader, Thabo Mosebo. The others are: Stoffel Masebo, Gertrude Moatshe, Ben Moemedi, David Mothlapa, Aaron Kgaledi, Nkae Pilane, Bishop R Makete, and Benjamin Matlou. In a statement in Pilanesberg they said it had become clear that the NP will never break with the past.
“The way in which the NP is dealing with those who decide to leave … only reinforces the image of the NP as an aggressive and beleaguered party. We want to support a party which belongs to the new South Africa.”
Meanwhile, the NP in Gauteng on Wednesday announced its new leader in the provincial legislature. Daryl Swanepoel will replace Olaus van Zyl, who resigned from politics last week.
Swanepoel said the party’s provincial caucus had decided at a strategy meeting on Wednesday to adopt “a more consultative yet assertive approach” and to offer visible and accessible leadership. “We believe our opposition style must remain constructive,” he said in a statement. “We will work on convincing government, rather than just rejecting government out of hand.”