The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader in Pretoria, Willie Spies, has resigned from the party, national leader Pieter Mulder confirmed on Thursday.
“He resigned yesterday [Wednesday],” Mulder told the South African Press Association.
“Mr Spies was the leader of our party in Pretoria and we expected him to become prominently involved in the city council elections there.
“But he is also with [civil rights group] AfriForum and he did not feel up to fulfilling both roles.”
Beeld reported on Spies’s resignation on Thursday, quoting him as saying the party had “lost moral ground”.
The Afrikaans daily said several prominent party members were still unhappy with Mulder’s decision to accept the position of deputy agricultural minister in the government.
But Mulder said that Spies eventually had agreed with the decision.
Spies is the legal adviser for AfriForum.
Several party members said the FF+ was jealous of AfriForum and Solidarity’s success.
But Mulder said: “We have a good working relationship with each other.” — Sapa