/ 24 October 2003

‘Minorities must not be sidelined’

Western Cape Premier and New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk remains unconcerned about calls for his resignation by the Democratic Alliance, which has asked the Scorpions to probe his role in the Count Agusta bribery saga.

Last week millionaire developer Count Riccardo Agusta pleaded guilty to corruption and paid a R1-million fine for handing over R400 000 to the NNP via then-premier Peter Marais and environmental affairs MEC David Malatsi to “lubricate” approval for his Roodefontein golf estate.

It’s the latest controversy in Van Schalkwyk’s two-year, high-stakes political gamble, which saw his party first merge with and then bitterly divorce the DA to throw in its lot with the ruling African National Congress.

During this time, he was forced to take over the premiership of the Western Cape when the party could not find another suitable candidate for the post.

NNP rank and file grumble that Van Schalkwyk is spending too much time in the premier’s office. And political opponents denounce his smiling face on all posters announcing government meetings.

The Mail & Guardian spoke to the man who is said to have his sights set firmly on retaining the Western Cape premiership — unless a national post awaits him after the 2004 election.

Will you resign?

The calls are by people who want to play political games. There’s no basis to those calls. I acted correctly every step of the way.

Marais says he told you about the money.

Definitely not.

You are accused of self-promotion by putting your face on provincial government adverts.

I’m the premier of the province. At the national imbizos it’s the president’s picture … When the DA was in power they had pictures of Gerald Morkel and Helen Zille featuring prominently in newspaper adverts.

Do you address communities as premier, NNP leader or both?

I address NNP meetings as NNP leader; [others] I address as premier. It’s the same with the president of the country. The president, prime minister or the premier is always also the leader of his political party. People conflate the two.

Some in your own party say that you spend too much time being premier.

No, I don’t believe that’s the case. As a matter of fact, [the premiership] adds value to [the position] of party leader.

Critics say the NNP is dead, it just hasn’t realised it.

Those critics have said that for the last 50, 60 years. They have always been proven wrong. If we want South Africa to succeed, it’s vital there is a party such as the NNP.

Who does the NNP represent?

Our main objective is to take people from minority communities into a partnership with the majority in this country … Slowly, the new political landscape is taking shape. The NNP is absolutely committed to its working relationship with the ANC.

The kind of people who vote for the NNP are [those] who say: “We don’t want to go the way that whites went in Zimbabwe — frustrated, bitter. I want my children to be in South Africa. I don’t want my children to go to Australia or London — I want to be a co-builder.”

Is your message understood? The NNP has not performed well in those few by-elections it contested.

We [have] definitely [taken] note [of those results], although by-elections have never been a very good barometer of what happens in parliamentary elections.

With an estimated 6% of national support, does the NNP have any impact?

All opposition parties have single-digit support. The next election is not going to change things dramatically. We opted to make that 6% work for us in a partnership with the majority in this country.

In the Western Cape, both the NNP and ANC compete for the largest voting block — the coloured communities.

Both of us must work very hard to bring the maximum votes to the table. Each has a certain appeal that we must maximise.

Predictions for the 2004 election?

We will do as well as we can. It is going to be a very interesting but also tough election campaign. Minorities must not allow themselves to be sidelined by the new right-wing opposition [as] in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Will the ANC/NNP cooperation agreement continue?

It will continue. Both parties understand that we have started something that we must complete. Even if any party gets 51% [of the vote] in this province, I believe the Western Cape will be governed by a coalition government once again.

Will you be premier again?

I will definitely be in politics after 2004. I’m not here for a position and thereafter our own party [with the ANC as partner] will decide how we are going to deploy people.