The New National Party (NNP) held its 86th provincial conference in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend at which its provincial leader Renier Schoeman was unanimously re-elected and former provincial legislature member Brian Edwards became provincial chairperson.
The party — which once dominated white politics in the province — gained no public representatives in the provincial legislature or in Parliament in the April national election. After the floor-crossing period the party retained 14 councillors, 11 of whom have joint membership of the African National Congress (ANC). Three have opted to remain on as NNP representatives.
It lost seven councillors during the defection period for municipal councillors, five of these to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and two to the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), according to Schoeman.
Edwards succeeded Tino Volker, a former provincial legislature member, who did not support the merger into the ANC and did not contest the chairmanship.
The party elected six vice-chairpersons: Themba Mbutho, a Durban metro councillor; Rienus Nieman, a Ladysmith councillor; Jaap Maree, a Durban councillor; Doris Cogela, sister of former IFP secretary general Oscar Dhlomo; Charmaine Morar, a Durban councillor and Renee van der Merwe of Pietermaritzburg. Maree and van der Merwe were newly-elected.
Schoeman, who was national deputy health minister until April, reported to the congress — attended by about 100 people in the Bluff, Durban — that the April election had been ”disastrous for the NNP” including in KwaZulu-Natal
”We did not secure a single Member of Parliament”. Nationally the votes dropped from 20% in 1994 to 1,7%. ”This was the harsh reality that the NNP leadership had to deal with”.
Schoeman told the congress that in KwaZulu-Natal the NNP enjoyed ”an excellent relationship with the ANC and its leaders in all spheres and the time was ripe to take hands and move forward together. We must now deepen the relationship between our two parties, but also between one another, as councillors, party-office bearers, as women, as youth and as ordinary members and citizens.”
The NNP has opted not to stand under its own banner in future elections and has urged its remaining public representatives to join the ANC. – I-Net Bridge